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House lawmakers left town Thursday after a dramatic three-day workweek that saw them launch a divisive impeachment inquiry and calls for the removal of Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his position, as they made little movement toward averting a government shutdown. Republicans also weren’t able to move forward a traditionally noncontroversial defense spending bill, stymied by deep divisions in the party despite a shared goal of approving 12 individual appropriations bills. (Sotomayor, Caldwell, Wang and Alemany, 9/14)

The threat of a government shutdown -- and the missed paychecks it would mean for service members -- is growing after a chaotic week in the House that saw lawmakers unable to even take up a bill that would fund the Pentagon. The House had been scheduled to vote this week on the fiscal 2024 defense appropriations bill. But members of the far-right Freedom Caucus and other staunch conservatives threatened to oppose a procedural motion on the bill because of demands unrelated to its content, prompting House Republican leadership to scuttle the planned vote. (Kheel, 9/14)

�鶹Ů�� Health News and Cox Media Group: Social Security Overpays Billions To People, Many On Disability. Then It Asks For The Money Back

Justina Worrell, 47, works part time as a kitchen helper in an Ohio nursing home. She has cerebral palsy, an intellectual disability, and a cardiac condition that required she get an artificial heart valve at age 20. A year ago, she was earning $862 a month and receiving about $1,065 in monthly Social Security disability benefits when a letter arrived from the federal government. The Social Security Administration had been overpaying her, the letter said, and wanted money back. Within 30 days, it said, she should mail the government a check or money order. For $60,175.90. (Hilzenrath and Fleischer, 9/15)

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., announced Thursday that he has reached a deal with Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., to reauthorize and increase funding for several key health programs, but it’s unclear how much Republican support the agreement will have. (Hellmann and Clason, 9/14)

Pressure is mounting on the GOP-majority House to pass a reauthorization of the U.S.’s long-term global HIV initiative, but the lawmaker holding up the legislation is showing no signs of moving.  Former President George W. Bush, who launched the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003, called on Congress to pass a five-year reauthorization in an op-ed published by The Washington Post this week, saying it would become a source of national shame if the program’s authorization was allowed to expire. (Choi, 9/14)

A Bernie Sanders-led plan to fortify primary care and the health care workforce is drawing swift opposition from hospitals — and stirring dissent on the Senate HELP Committee he chairs. (Sullivan, 9/15)

President Joe Biden is trumpeting Medicare’s new powers to negotiate directly with drugmakers on the cost of prescription medications — but a new poll shows that any immediate political boost that Biden gets for enacting the overwhelmingly popular policy may be limited. Three-quarters of Americans, or 76%, favor allowing the federal health care program for the elderly to negotiate prices for certain prescription drugs. That includes strong majorities of Democrats (86%) and Republicans (66%), according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About one in five Americans are neutral on the issue, while 6% outright oppose it. (Kim and Sanders, 9/15)

The U.S. government should monitor the effect that rebates have on Medicare Part D plans and whether these discounts ultimately discourage some people from enrolling in the prescription drug program, according to a new report by a federal watchdog. (Silverman, 9/14)

Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble and Walgreens are among several companies accused in lawsuits of deceiving consumers about cold medicines containing an ingredient that a unanimous U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel declared ineffective. Proposed class actions were filed on Wednesday and Thursday, after the panel reviewed several studies and concluded this week that the ingredient phenylephrine marketed as a decongestant was essentially no better than a placebo. (Stempel, 9/14)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it would seek public opinion before finalizing its decision to remove a decongestant widely used in cough syrups from the agency's list of ingredients for over-the-counter (OTC) use. The FDA's clarification follows a unanimous vote by its panel of outside experts on Tuesday against the effectiveness of oral OTC medicines made with phenylephrine, an ingredient widely used in cold and cough syrups. (9/14)

Democrats and Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee appear no closer to resolving differences around prescription drug shortages after a legislative hearing in the Health Subcommittee on Thursday. The debate is entangled in a stalled reauthorization of a pandemic and emergency preparedness law that expires Sept. 30. (Clason, 9/14)

A House subcommittee took a first step Thursday toward legislation to fix drug shortages at hospitals. Don’t expect a new law soon, though. Asked if he expects the House to pass a bill on the subject this year, Energy and Commerce health subcommittee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) said drug shortages are an emergency, “but the proposals that have been offered aren’t going to fix it by tomorrow or the next day.” (Wilkerson, 9/14)

An infant formula shortage last year that left store shelves empty and parents panicked spurred lawmakers to scramble for solutions. One year later, some think they’ve found one: Donor breast milk. On Thursday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., will introduce a bill that aims to increase access to pasteurized donor milk for infants and push the FDA to regulate the practice. (Cohen, 9/14)

The Federal Trade Commission warned pharmaceutical companies they could face legal action if they improperly list patents for brand-name medicines in a Food and Drug Administration registry, the latest effort by the federal government to scrutinize patent moves by drugmakers. (Silverman, 9/14)

Wisconsin's largest provider of abortions announced Thursday it was resuming services after a judge signaled in July she did not believe the state's abortion law actually bans consensual procedures like those performed at Planned Parenthood. The move comes after abortions have been unavailable in Wisconsin for more than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortions in the U.S. for 50 years before it was struck down in 2022. (Beck and Opoien, 9/14)

Abortion providers urged South Carolina’s highest court on Thursday to lengthen the narrow window when a pregnancy can be legally terminated under the state’s strict new ban. The conservative state’s all-male Supreme Court last month upheld a so-called “fetal heartbeat” law commonly understood to restrict access after about six weeks of pregnancy, which is before most women know they’re pregnant. (Pollard, 9/14)

U.S. Magistrate Judge Debora K. Grasham is expected to decide in the coming weeks whether to grant a request to temporarily bar Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador from enforcing the state’s so-called “abortion trafficking” law as a lawsuit over its constitutionality proceeds in federal court. Grasham heard the case in district court in Boise on Thursday afternoon. (Moseley-Morris, 9/14)

Reproductive rights advocates are trying to put the question of abortion access on the 2024 ballot in the battleground state of Nevada. On Thursday, a coalition including Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice Nevada and the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada filed a petition with the secretary of state’s office to secure a ballot question about enshrining abortion protections in the state constitution. A copy of the proposed amendment was first shared with NBC News. (Korecki, 9/14)

Ron DeSantis has contradicted the wording of the six-week abortion ban that he himself signed into law in April, insisting that women who terminate their pregnancies will not be criminalized under the prohibition. The Florida governor and Republican White House hopeful told CBS Evening News that women would not be liable for fines and imprisonment under the ban. Only doctors who perform abortions would be targeted. (Pilkington, 9/14)

For abortion seekers, deciding whom to trust is important. Now there’s an online chatbot that purports to help. Starting this week, an abortion bot called Charley from the team behind major abortion organizations Planned Parenthood, IneedanA and Plan C is rolling out across the United States — even in states with abortion bans — to help people find accessible health care. Users answer a series of questions such as the date of their last period, their Zip code and the type of procedure they’re looking for. Along the way, the bot points them toward vetted clinics, telehealth providers or support resources. (Hunter, 9/15)

Senate and House Democrats are trying again to expand fertility treatments for active-duty personnel and veterans whose military-related disabilities render them unable to conceive without help. Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Rick Larsen, both Democrats from Washington state, along with Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., plan to introduce bills in their chambers Thursday that would cover in vitro fertilization, cryopreservation of eggs and sperm, and other health treatments for military family and veteran beneficiaries. (Kime, 9/14)

The first artificial womb capable of gestating a human baby will get one step closer to reality next week — a key scientific milestone that could offer hope for the thousands of extremely premature babies born in the US each year. The artificial placentas are fluid-filled pods intended to help struggling prematurely born infants develop much like they would in the prenatal environment. Next week, Food and Drug Administration officials will weigh in on the safety and efficacy of the devices, as well as ethical considerations for the first-in-human studies. Part of it will be held behind closed doors, to protect trade secrets. (Rutherford, 9/14)

Reformulated vaccine is already available at some pharmacies and will be more widely accessible starting next week. (Cerullo, 9/14)

We’ve lived with COVID-19 for three and a half years now, and just when it seems like we’re close to declaring checkmate, the SARS-CoV-2 virus shows its uncanny ability to survive. This coronavirus is a master at evolving, throwing variant after variant at us. (Blythe, 9/15)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: A New Covid Booster Is Here. Will Those At Greatest Risk Get It? 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends new covid-19 booster vaccines for all — but many who need them most won’t get them. About 75% of people in the United States appear to have skipped last year’s bivalent booster, and nothing suggests uptake will be better this time around. “Urging people to get boosters has really only worked for Democrats, college graduates, and people making over $90,000 a year,” said Gregg Gonsalves, an epidemiologist at Yale University. “Those are the same people who will get this booster because it’s not like we’re doing anything differently to confront the inequities in place.” (Maxmen, 9/15)

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday it expects the total number of hospitalizations from COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus infections and flu this year to be similar to last year, higher than pre-pandemic levels. The government health agency also said it expects flu and RSV infections to increase over the fall and winter seasons. (9/14)

A Sept. 12 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a screenshot of a post on X, formerly Twitter, about a newly approved COVID-19 vaccine. “The new FDA-approved COVID shots were tested on four rats,” reads part of the post. "Yes, four rats. Four. Rats." ... The post misinterprets a study that involved 44 rats, not four. And it was published in 2021, long before the latest version of the vaccine was developed. (McCreary, 9/14)

In the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Californians who worked in healthcare, "other services," manufacturing, transportation, and retail trade industries had higher death rates than the professional, scientific, and technical industries, which had some of the lowest rates, finds a study published today in the Annals of Epidemiology. California Department of Public Health researchers used death certificates to identify COVID-19 deaths that occurred from January 2020 to May 2022 among 17.7 million residents ages 18 to 64 years. They also used the Current Population Survey to estimate the number of working-age adults at risk of COVID-19 death. (Van Beusekom, 9/14)

Today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, researchers in Wisconsin show how during the 2022-23 respiratory diseases season, high concentrations of influenza A virus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in wastewater samples in three Wisconsin cities preceded virus-associated emergency department (ED) visits. The authors say the study provides more evidence that wastewater surveillance can detect viral signals earlier than other surveillance methods. (Soucheray, 9/14)

A phase 3 randomized, controlled trial in adults in eight countries concludes that a protein-based vaccine targeting both the wild-type and Beta SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins is an estimated 75.1% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 among previously infected people and 30.9% among those never-infected amid Omicron variant predominance. The researchers said the findings, published yesterday in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, suggest that vaccines developed with an antigen from a non-dominant SARS-CoV-2 strain can provide cross-protection against newer variants. (Van Beusekom, 9/14)

Americans in need of urgent care are spending increasingly longer stretches of time in hospital emergency rooms, per recently released figures. The median time patients spent in emergency rooms was 2 hours, 40 minutes nationwide based on a 12-month average ending in the third quarter of 2022, according to the latest Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) data. (Fitzpatrick, 9/15)

As health systems continue to wrestle with employee burnout, momentum within the healthcare industry to unionize its workforce may be on the upswing. In 2021, only 13.2% of healthcare workers were unionized, a percentage that hasn’t changed much in the past decade according to the most recent research published in JAMA Network Open. However, major healthcare labor groups say they are seeing increased interest in union representation from clinicians. This year, the National Labor Relations Board has received petitions for labor representation from groups of clinicians and other workers at more than 200 healthcare facilities. (Devereaux, 9/14)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Rural Nursing Home Supporters Fear Proposed Staffing Standards Will Trigger More Closures 

Many rural communities like this one face a health care dilemma: Is it better to have a nursing home that struggles to hire workers or no nursing home at all? The national debate over that question will heat up now that federal regulators have proposed to improve care by setting minimum staffing levels for all U.S. nursing homes. Rural nursing homes would have five years to comply with some of the rules, versus three for their urban counterparts. Facilities also could apply for “hardship exemptions.” But industry leaders predict the rules could accelerate a wave of closures that has already claimed hundreds of rural nursing homes. (Leys, 9/15)

More hospitals will face readmissions penalties in 2024, a departure from the lower rates of reimbursement cuts providers saw last year, according to preliminary data released Thursday. While the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has resumed use of its pneumonia readmissions measure, which was excluded last year from its Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, payment adjustments have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. (Devereaux, 9/15)

Nearly six in 10 ground ambulance claims were out-of-network last year, putting patients at significant risk of surprise bills, FAIR Health reported Thursday. The federal No Surprises Act provides consumer protections against unexpected charges from air ambulance providers but does not cover ground ambulance services. Last year, 59.4% of ground ambulance trips were out of network, according to a FAIR Health analysis of private health insurance claims data. (Devereaux, 9/14)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: �鶹Ů�� Health News' 'What the Health?': Underinsured Is The New Uninsured

The percentage of working-age adults with health insurance went up and the uninsured rate dropped last year, the U.S. Census Bureau reported this week. There isn’t much suspense about which way the uninsured rate is now trending, as states continue efforts to strip ineligible beneficiaries from their Medicaid rolls. But is the focus on the uninsured obscuring the struggles of the underinsured? (9/14)

MDMA is a safe and effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder in a racially and ethnically diverse population, according to the results of a study published Thursday in Nature Medicine. The research adds to the growing body of evidence supporting MDMA as a treatment for PTSD, and brings the psychedelic one step closer to potentially becoming the first to obtain Food and Drug Administration approval. (Merelli, 9/14)

MDMA, also known as Ecstasy or Molly, has been an illegal substance since 1985, when the Drug Enforcement Administration classified it as a Schedule 1 drug, placing it in the highest category for controlled drugs that the agency deems of no medical use and that have a high potential for abuse. Before that, MDMA was administered by an estimated hundreds of therapists in North America and Europe for couples counseling, personal growth and to address trauma. (Nuwer, 9/14)

Psychedelics have been getting a lot of attention recently. As the drug war cools down and the stigma dissipates, new research has revealed the potential of these substances to support transformational mental health care. The state of Oregon and the cities of Santa Cruz and Oakland have already decriminalized certain psychedelics, and a new bill that just passed the California legislature would do the same in the Golden State. (Reed, 9/12)

Psilocybin tea, wind chimes and a tie-dye mattress await those coming to an office suite in Eugene to trip on magic mushrooms. For roughly six hours, adults over 21 can experience what many users describe as vivid geometric shapes, a loss of identity and a oneness with the universe. Epic Healing Eugene — Oregon’s first licensed psilocybin service center — opened in June, marking the state’s unprecedented step in offering the mind-bending drug to the public. The center now has a waitlist of more than 3,000 names, including people with depression, PTSD or end-of-life dread. (Selsky, 9/15)

Interoception, the body's sense of its internal state, might be key to understanding consciousness and the benefits of psychedelic therapy. (Brigs, 9/13)

A poisonous and sometimes deadly yellow plant is increasingly being found in diet pills and health foods, a concerning trend as Americans seek out unregulated alternatives to popular weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy. Testing at a lab in Oregon revealed that nine out of 10 products labeled as Tejocote Root were actually a plant called yellow oleander that is toxic to humans, according to findings published Thursday in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (Muller, 9/14)

In its report, the FDA cautioned that several products labeled as Nuez de la India and sold online through platforms like Amazon, Walmart or eBay may be yellow oleander instead. The agency named two brands: Nut Diet Max and Todorganic Natural Products, both of which voluntarily recalled the products. But the FDA warned that other candlenut supplements “with similar marketing descriptions may also contain yellow oleander.” (Bendix, 9/14)

Bristol Myers Squibb said on Thursday it plans to double the number of treatments it is testing in clinical trials, with a focus on cell therapies, over the next 18 months, as it contends with increasing generic competition for two of its top-selling drugs. The drugmaker, which currently has six candidates in trials, will advance six more in its research pipeline - including three cell therapies that target immune system disorders and different types of cancer. (9/14)

Three scientists at Vertex Pharmaceuticals will share a $3 million prize for revolutionizing the treatment of cystic fibrosis and adding decades to the lives of patients with the deadly genetic disease. Sabine Hadida and Paul Negulescu, both senior vice presidents at the Boston-based company, and Fredrick Van Goor, vice president and head of cystic fibrosis research, will receive a 2024 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for developing four game-changing Vertex drugs that have won approval since 2012. (Saltzman, 9/14)

Saudi Arabia is bringing its gusher of investment capital to Boston, setting up shop in the nation’s biotechnology hub to bankroll scientists seeking ways to extend human life. A new funding organization, created by decree by Saudi King Salman and chaired by the kingdom’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, opened its North American headquarters this week on the 22nd floor of 200 Clarendon, formerly known as the John Hancock Tower. The group, called the Hevolution Foundation, is promising to invest as much as $1 billion a year in academic research and biotech startups that promote longevity by slowing down aging and combating age-related diseases. (Weisman, 9/14)

Johnson & Johnson is signing off on a new logo. The health care giant said Thursday that it will replace the well-known signature script it has used since 1887 with a modern look that reflects its sharpened focus on pharmaceuticals and medical devices. The original script — based on co-founder James Wood Johnson’s signature — will still be seen for now on consumer products like baby shampoo from Kenvue, a new company recently spun off from J&J. (Murphy, 9/14)

Counting nose hairs in cadavers, repurposing dead spiders and explaining why scientists lick rocks, are among the winning achievements in this year’s Ig Nobels, the prize for humorous scientific feats, organizers announced Thursday. The 33rd annual prize ceremony was a prerecorded online event, as it has been since the coronavirus pandemic, instead of the past live ceremonies at Harvard University. Ten spoof prizes were awarded to the teams and individuals around the globe. (Rathke, 9/14)

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have announced plans to build a new free-standing inpatient hospital for adult cancer care in Boston, breaking the cancer hospital’s almost 30-year relationship with Brigham and Women’s in a move executives said will reshape oncology care in the region. (Bartlett, 9/14)

New York City’s Mount Sinai Medical Center plans to gradually close its Beth Israel campus in downtown Manhattan after years of financial losses. Beth Israel lost $1 billion over the past decade “despite massive investments and upgrades,” spokesperson Lucia Lee said in a statement Thursday, adding that it is expected to lose $150 million this year as it operates at only 20% of capacity. She declined to give more detail on the timing of the closing but said the hospital, located on East 16th Street in Manhattan, and its emergency room will remain open as the process proceeds. (Coleman-Lochner, 9/14)

Some research breakthroughs have led to a 33% reduction in cancer deaths over the past 30 years, according to the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). That translates to 18 million cancer survivors in 2022, compared to three million in 1971. "What's going on now is so incredible. It's such an exciting time," said AACR president, Dr. Philip Greenberg. Dr. Greenberg said advances in treatments, like immunotherapy, have been a game changer. (Stahl, 9/14)

More than 70% of children with cancer now survive long term and among adults, death rates have fallen by one-third since 1991, avoiding an estimated 3.8 million deaths, thanks to prevention, early detection and new treatments. ... In the past year alone, 14 new cancer drugs have won federal approval and the uses of an additional 12 have been expanded to new tumor types or cancer stages. One of the biggest advances has been in immunotherapy: turning a person's own immune system against their cancer. (Weintraub, 9/14)

Major tech companies are throwing their weight behind artificial intelligence in cancer care, lending their technological prowess to legacy institutions and startups trying to navigate a fast-evolving area of medicine. The explosion in AI has the potential to transform how the medical system researches and treats cancer, but only if the underlying tech is there to support it. (Reed, 9/15)

California lawmakers endorsed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest plan to address the state’s worsening homeless crisis. Now, it’ll be up to voters. “I was deeply moved by the personal stories that so many legislators have shared, showing how many of us have been touched by the mental health crisis,” Newsom said in a statement Thursday night. “These measures represent a key part of the solution to our homelessness crisis, and improving mental health for kids and families.” The Legislature overwhelmingly passed a pair of bills on Thursday that will form a $6.4 billion bond measure on the March 2024 ballot to overhaul how the state treats mental illness, substance abuse and homelessness. (Angst, 9/14)

Lawmakers on Thursday advanced two bills to place a measure on California primary ballots in March. One, which would shift the way the state spends tax revenue from the Mental Health Services Act to cover addiction treatment and housing, passed the Assembly on Tuesday and the Senate on Thursday. The other measure, which would authorize $6.38 billion in bond funding to build residential treatment facilities, passed the Senate on Thursday and was expected to come up for a final vote in the Assembly later that day. (Bollag, 9/14)

Even union-friendly Democrats were initially reluctant to approve the worker-focused bill, worried that rural community hospitals already facing bankruptcy would collapse under mass wage increases or pass costs on to patients. Under the bill, workers at large healthcare facilities would earn $23 per hour starting next year, $24 per hour in 2025 and $25 in 2026. That applies to all staff, including nursing assistants, medical coders, launderers and hospital gift shop workers. (Mays, 9/14)

Kaiser Permanente said in a statement Thursday that it was confident that it would soon reach an agreement “that strengthens our position as a best place to work and ensures that the high-quality care our members expect from us remains affordable and easy to access.” It called the vote to authorize a strike “a disappointing action considering our progress at the bargaining table” and disputed union claims about its proposals, saying that it was offering wage increases and has been aggressively recruiting to fill positions. (Alpert Reyes, 9/14)

The California Legislature voted Thursday to make the state the first in the nation to include housekeepers, nannies and other household staff in laws requiring health and safety protections. The fate of the bill now rests with Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has vetoed a similar proposal before, saying that while domestic workers “deserve protections to ensure that their workplaces are safe and healthy,” private households cannot be regulated by the state in the same way as businesses. (Mays, 9/14)

Families and a pediatrician are challenging North Dakota’s law criminalizing gender-affirming care for minors, the latest lawsuit in many states with similar bans. Gender Justice on Thursday announced the state district court lawsuit in a news conference at the state Capitol in Bismarck. The lawsuit against the state attorney general and state’s attorneys of three counties seeks to immediately block the ban, which took effect in April, and to have a judge find it unconstitutional and stop the state from enforcing it. (Dura, 9/14)

Florida is urging a federal appeals court to clear the way for a new law preventing transgender minors from receiving puberty blockers and hormone therapy, citing a decision last month in a “virtually identical case” from Alabama. (Saunders, 9/14)

Thirteen advocacy groups have jointly filed a civil rights complaint against Florida. The groups say Florida's process for redetermining Medicaid eligibility is unfair to recipients who are Latino, immigrant or Black. Some 431,000 Florida residents -- including many children -- have lost Medicaid since May, when the state began unwinding the continuing coverage mandated during the pandemic. (Byrnes, 9/14)

Connecticut, home to some of the biggest actors in industries blamed for the opaque practices that shape prescription drug prices, is about to take a small step towards transparency and lower prices. On Oct. 2, Connecticut will become the first eastern state to partner with Navitus Health, the pharmacy benefit manager behind the free ArrayRX smartphone app that provides prescription discounts in Washington, Oregon and Nevada. (Pazniokas, 9/14)

Zach Cobb has been a 911 dispatcher for nearly a decade. He switched from freelance photography to emergency dispatching in 2014 because he wanted to help people. On any given day, he might field calls about a baby’s birth, a major car accident or a shooting. But until recently, he wasn’t recognized as a first responder. (Hawley-Bates, 9/15)

An Arkansas resident has died after being infected with an extremely rare brain-eating amoeba and health officials have concluded they were likely exposed to it at a country’s club’s splash pad, authorities announced Thursday. The Arkansas Department of Health announced the death from the Naegleria fowleri infection, a rare infection which destroys brain tissue, causing brain swelling and in certain cases, death. The department did not release details on the age of the person who died. The department said there is no ongoing risk to the public from the exposure. (9/14)

Philadelphia City Council voted Thursday to prohibit supervised drug consumption sites across most of the city, greatly imperiling the future of such a facility if the legislation becomes law. The bill, which passed 13-1 during Council’s first meeting of the fall session, now heads to the desk of Mayor Jim Kenney, who has endorsed supervised drug consumption sites as a strategy to prevent overdose deaths. A spokesperson for his administration said this week that he remains supportive. (Orso, 9/14)

An effort to destigmatize the use of overdose reversal drugs that started as a pilot in two West Virginia counties has expanded to all thirteen states in Appalachia this year. The first-ever “Appalachian Save a Life Day” comes Thursday, on the heels of the approval of Narcan as drug that can be purchased over the counter for nonprescription use — a long-awaited victory towards normalizing and improving access to the decades-old, live-saving medication. (Willingham, 9/14)

With the opioid overdose-reversing nasal spray Narcan poised to hit pharmacy shelves this month as an over-the-counter product for the first time, experts like Ciccarone and Mulcahy are urging the public to make Narcan a medicine cabinet staple. Public health officials and addiction medicine providers have long encouraged people at highest risk of opioid overdoses to carry naloxone, often referred to by the brand name Narcan. They include those who are struggling with addiction and are most likely to experience an overdose or be near someone who does. (Ho, 9/14)

“Guys who are standing up, come take a seat behind the dais,” Rep. David Trone said to the handful of congressional aides hovering by the door of a packed committee hearing room Wednesday. It was standing room only in Longworth 1302 for the second annual naloxone training for congressional staff, and at Trone’s behest, the group of latecomers shuffled over to take the seats usually reserved for their bosses. They crammed in to learn how to respond to an opioid overdose and administer naloxone, which is sold under the brand name Narcan. (Saksa, 9/14)

Song for Charlie, a nonprofit that raises awareness of counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, in partnership with the California Department of Health Care Services, commissioned a survey of 1,574 California residents, which included parents, young adults and teens, in May and June of this year. Four in 10 young adults and half of teens surveyed said they aren’t knowledgeable about the issues surrounding fentanyl. Parents reported “lack of knowledge” as a key barrier that keeps them from talking about the issue with their children. (Garcia, 9/14)

Today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), a new study notes that Legionella bacteria likely spread from donated organs to two lung transplant recipients, marking the first time transplanted organs have been the likely source of infection. ... In MMWR, authors report that in July 2022, the Pennsylvania Department of Health received two reports of laboratory-confirmed Legionnaires disease in patients who had recently received lung transplants from the same donor at a single Pennsylvania hospital. The donor drowned after being submerged in a river for at least 5 minutes. Legionella bacteria naturally live in fresh water. (Soucheray, 9/14)

Dozens of doctors and nurses silently lined the hospital hallway in tribute: For a history-making two months, a pig’s kidney worked normally inside the brain-dead man on the gurney rolling past them. The dramatic experiment came to an end Wednesday as surgeons at NYU Langone Health removed the pig kidney and returned the donated body of Maurice “Mo” Miller to his family for cremation. It marked the longest a genetically modified pig kidney has ever functioned inside a human, albeit a deceased one. And by pushing the boundaries of research with the dead, the scientists learned critical lessons they’re preparing to share with the Food and Drug Administration -– in hopes of eventually testing pig kidneys in the living. (Neergaard and Lum, 9/14)

The number of school shootings with casualties in the U.S. hit a new record in the 2021-22 school year and more than doubled from the previous school year, according to recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics. (Miranda, 9/14)

Owners of the Chuckle & Roar Ultimate Water Beads Activity Kit by Buffalo Games should immediately take them away from their kids, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday, citing the death of a 10-month-old after the child swallowed the colorful water-absorbent beads in July. The product, sold at Target stores and via its website from March 2022 through November 2022 for $15, has been recalled, and consumers are eligible for a refund. (Mark, 9/14)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is warning gluten-sensitive customers about Kirkland Signature chicken tortilla soup because it was falsely labeled gluten-free and they may have adverse reactions if they eat it. Calling the issue a misbranding, the Food Safety and Inspection Service ruled that customers with reactions to gluten need to be aware of this problem with the soup. (Martin, 9/14)

Older adults sleep best when their bedroom temperatures are between 70 and 74 degrees and poorly when temperatures are in the 80s, although there can be significant variations among individuals, new research shows. (Cimons, 9/14)

What exactly is happening in the human brain when a person who has almost died is being resuscitated? A new study of cardiac arrest survivors suggests that almost 40% of people undergoing CPR have memories, dreamlike experiences or some type of perception even when they are unconscious. What’s more, brain waves show signs of activity suggesting awareness sometimes up to an hour as they are being brought back to life. (Tamkins, 9/14)

Apple Inc. has named a new leader for its secret group working on a noninvasive blood sugar monitor, putting a veteran iPhone and Mac chip executive in charge of one of the company’s most ambitious forays into health technology. Tim Millet, Apple’s vice president of platform architecture, has taken charge of the project after it was left without a dedicated head for several months, according to people with knowledge of the change, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. The team leading the work, called the Exploratory Design Group, or XDG, was previously led by scientist Bill Athas, who died at the end of last year. (Gurman, 9/14)

Apple (AAPL.O) said on Friday it would issue a software update for iPhone 12 users in France to potentially end a row with French regulators that ordered the suspension of the phone's sale due to breaches of radiation exposure limits. (Pineau, 9/15)

Drew Doll spent 15 consecutive months in solitary confinement. He’s been out of prison since 2009, but he said the prolonged solitude permanently changed him. (Crumpler, 9/14)

North Carolina Medicaid has undergone a radical transformation emphasizing preventive care and social determinants of health. (Newsome, 9/13)

Many old buildings at a New York City hospital are in ruins, but it played a key role in the battle against tuberculosis, which killed 5.6 million people in the U.S. in the first half of the 20th century. (Gill, 9/8)

To the executives at Newport Healthcare, the family compound seemed like the ideal location to expand their company’s mental health treatment program into Northern Virginia. Tucked away behind a gate off a hilly country road, the million-dollar houses offered a bucolic environment in which to treat young adults grappling with depression or anxiety. ... But many residents in this rural corner of Loudoun County have insisted they see something else down the street: A for-profit company setting up a luxe rehab facility that will ruin their neighborhood. (Armus, 9/12)

If it seems as though everyone is throwing out orange juice, lifting weights barefoot or talking about “zone two” exercise, blame Dr. Peter Attia. The longevity physician, author and podcast host, who turned 50 in March, has become a sensation among the health-obsessed, with a social-media following that rivals some Hollywood stars and a patient roster that includes them. (Janin, 9/10)

A political realignment around health care is reshaping state politics. (McElwee, 9/8)

These octogenarian voters are among nearly a dozen Americans born the same day as the president that The Wall Street Journal interviewed. They are uniquely suited to answer one of the biggest questions hanging over the 2024 election: Is Biden too old to run again? Most said no. But they were candid about the risks of aging in the years to come. (Restuccia, 9/12)

Indian parents whose children died after taking toxic syrups want justice. Some of the drugmakers haven’t shown they even tested their products. (Das and Rigby, 9/13)

The latest goal for the end of polio transmission will almost certainly not be met, according to a frank and concerning report about the future of the decades-long polio eradication effort that was released this week. (Branswell, 9/15)

For decades, preventing dengue fever in Honduras has meant teaching people to fear mosquitoes and avoid their bites. Now, Hondurans are being educated about a potentially more effective way to control the disease — and it goes against everything they’ve learned. (Verza and Burakoff, 9/13)

Play during both childhood and adulthood is important for the healthy functioning of humans and other species, but why we play — the brain circuitry behind this behavior — is poorly understood. A new study in Neuron has identified groups of cells in the rat brain that may provide clues to the brain structures and their connections that are essential for play. (Jones, 9/14)

Millions of children with ADHD are starting a new school year without regular access to their medications, known as prescription stimulants, which have been in shortage for almost a year. While there are reasonable concerns about the overuse of such drugs, the lack of supply poses a risk to those who legitimately need them — and misguided government regulations are making things worse. (9/14)

Rising health care costs are a major concern for most Americans. A Pew poll from earlier this year found 64 percent of Americans consider health care affordability a "very big problem in our country today." That includes majorities of both parties—54 percent of Republicans and 73 percent of Democrats. Our country may struggle with division and polarization, but it's clear that health care is an area where bipartisan reform is possible. (Richard A. Kube, 9/14)

“Déjà vu, not again,” was my first thought when, as a front-line physician, I recently admitted a patient struggling to breathe with COVID-19. (Dr. Thomas K. Lew, 9/15)

The abortion rate in America has steadily increased since 2016, despite the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion. As a lawyer who once worked in the anti-abortion movement, Opinion columnist David French says there’s a crisis of hope driving this increase in abortion in America. (David French and Vishakha Darbha, 9/15)

This week, I wrote about the need to focus resources on treating and preventing long covid. I can relate to the frustration and desperation of people suffering from long-term conditions, as I’ve been managing my own months-long recovery from pneumonia. (Leana S. Wen, 9/14)

Covid-19 was not this nation’s first or worst pandemic. There probably will be worse. How much worse might depend on the caliber of public health leaders. There is room for improvement. (George F. Will, 9/13)

There is just not enough Wegovy. The current manufacturing shortage will eventually end, and those who have health insurance that covers Wegovy, plus the even luckier ones who can afford to pay out of pocket, will once again get their medication. But even if Novo Nordisk were to manufacture an enormous surplus of Wegovy, millions more will never get it. (Jody Dushay, 9/15)

Ian Wilmut, the British scientist behind the first-ever cloning of a mammal, died Sept. 10, leaving behind a twofold legacy. One part is groundbreaking science. Besides being groundbreaking science, Dolly was morally ground-shifting. Perhaps more than any other biotech advance, Dolly symbolized growing human power over nature. (Gregory E. Kaebnick, 9/15)