Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Analysis: Few States Stop Gun-Buying After Mental Health Hospitalizations
The Trace conducted a comprehensive analysis of gun laws in all 50 states and found that only five states鈥擟alifornia, Connecticut, Hawaii, New York, and Washington鈥攊mpose some form of a gun ban after an emergency mental health hospitalization that鈥檚 not followed by a court-ordered commitment. (Mascia, 12/4)
RemArms, formerly Remington Arms Company, informed union officials Thursday that it plans to close the gun manufacturing facility in Ilion, N.Y., this coming March, the Observer-Dispatch reported. ... Remington, the nation鈥檚 oldest gun manufacturer, was founded in Ilion, N.Y., in 1816. In recent years, however, the company has been burdened with financial difficulties. RemArms twice filed for bankruptcy and, in 2022, reached an historic settlement with families of Sandy Hook for a total of $73 million. ... In an auto-reply email from the company鈥檚 press team, the company confirmed that 鈥淩emArms is excited to expand our facilities in Georgia, a state that not only welcomes business but enthusiastically supports and welcomes companies in the firearms industry.鈥 (Fortinsky, 12/3)
More mental health news 鈥
The Army and Air Force Exchange Service, or AAFES, says that beginning Jan. 1 it will no longer sell alcohol between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. at its stores in the U.S. and around the world. The change on Army and Air Force bases is meant to support the Pentagon's suicide prevention initiative, which said that limiting when alcohol is available "reduces heavy drinking and other adverse outcomes associated with alcohol misuse," including suicide, according to Defense Department research and recommendations. (Lawrence, 12/1)
Now at least 16 of the 20 largest U.S. public school districts are offering online therapy sessions to reach millions of students, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. In those districts alone, schools have signed provider contracts worth more than $70 million. The growth reflects a booming new business born from America鈥檚 youth mental health crisis, which has proven so lucrative that venture capitalists are funding a new crop of school teletherapy companies. Some experts raise concerns about the quality of care offered by fast-growing tech companies. (Gecker, 12/3)
In other health and wellness news 鈥
The products that produce shiny, frizz-free hair emit high levels of substances that could endanger human health, research published last month concludes 鈥 and heated styling tools may make the problem worse. Published in Environmental Science & Technology, the analysis focused on compounds known as siloxanes. These substances smooth, straighten and add shine to hair and are 鈥渦biquitous鈥 in hair care products, the authors write. (Blakemore, 12/3)
Even brief exposure to highway pollution could cause significant increases in blood pressure, a new study from the University of Washington has found, adding to a growing body of work correlating vehicle exhaust with negative health outcomes. The effects are near immediate: Two hours in Seattle鈥檚 rush hour was enough to increase blood pressure by nearly 5 millimeters of mercury, a jump that would push someone with normal levels to elevated or from elevated levels to stage 1 hypertension. (Kroman, 11/30)
The ranks of stay-at-home parents are perennially dominated by mothers. But as women make educational and economic strides, turning some of them into the bigger earners in their households, a growing number of dads are opting to care for their kids full-time.聽One in five stay-at-home parents are now fathers, a recent Pew Research Center聽study found.聽聽 ... Experts attribute the rise of the stay-at-home dad to changes in economic conditions for families. (O'Connell-Domenech, 12/3)