Oversight
Investigation finds for-profit nursing homes cut corners on safety and drain resources with financial shenanigans
The report finds that these problems are most pronounced in midsize chains that dodge public scrutiny. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says it is “unwavering in its commitment to improve safety and quality of care for the more than 1.2 million residents receiving care in Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes.”
Management
FDA’s plan to ban hair relaxer chemical called too little, too late
The move comes at a time of rising alarm among researchers over the health effects of hair straighteners, products widely used by and heavily marketed to Black women.
Oversight
FDA repeatedly rejected safety claims made after recall of a CPAP but waited to alert the public, emails show
Philips Respironics received thousands of complaints about a dangerous defect in its breathing machines but kept them secret for years as stock prices soared.
Workforce
How advanced and emerging technology can help VA save lives
COMMENTARY | Veterans remain at an elevated risk of suicide. Here’s how we can fix that.
Management
How $37 billion in federal funding is being used to improve at-home caregiving
Shared first by Vice President Kamala Harris, new data on American Rescue Plan funding for home and community-based service highlights successes and underscores the need for more.
Management
VA hopeful boosted staffing can help reduce rising veteran suicides
With the number of veteran suicides climbing in 2021, the department continues to deploy resources and recruit mental health professionals to help provide care.
Management
The painful pandemic lessons Mandy Cohen carries to the CDC
Cohen has been criticized for North Carolina's failure to get COVID tests to the most vulnerable residents, during her leadership of the state's pandemic response.
Management
The NIH ices a research project. Is it self-censorship?
Even though the National Institutes of Health has had to navigate political rapids for decades, including enduring controversy over stem cell research and surveys on the sexual behavior of teens, this is a particularly fraught moment.
Workforce
FDA Head Robert Califf Battles Misinformation — Sometimes With Fuzzy Facts
Efforts to respond to or regulate misinformation are becoming a political problem.
Oversight
Preparation for pandemics and natural disasters updated in bill passed by Senate panel
Legislation would increase accountability, transparency in how federal government helps state, local governments prepare for and respond to public health emergencies.
Oversight
How a combination of covid lawsuits and media coverage keeps misinformation churning
Even as the covid-19 pandemic wanes, litigation — whether about vaccines, masks, or a range of other public health policies made during the pandemic — isn’t about to end.
Workforce
Homeland Security law enforcement officers would receive more mental health support, under a bill advancing in the House
Bipartisan legislation reported out of committee earlier this week comes in the wake of an uptick of suicides among border personnel.
Tech
CDC rolls out new COVID-19 website
The reworked COVID-19 website is part of a larger push to make the public health agency’s web presence easier to navigate, with plans to relaunch CDC.gov early next year.
Management
The CDC is getting a new leader as it seeks to remake itself after the pandemic
Dr. Mandy Cohen, former head of North Carolina’s Health and Human Services Department, will be stepping in as the public health agency’s new director in July.
Management
What’s it really like to be HHS secretary? Three who’ve done it spill the beans
The secretaries past and present discuss their shared understanding of what it means to lead the agency at a time when health is at the front of American minds—and in the crosshairs of American politics.
News
Wildfire Smoke Can Harm Human Health, Even When the Fire is Hundreds of Miles Away – a Toxicologist Explains Why
Smoke from more than 100 wildfires burning across Canada has been rolling into North American cities far from the flames.
Management
Workers at Federal Health Care Call Centers Strike in Florida, Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana
Strikes center on wages, layoffs at Virginia-based communications contractor Maximus.
Management
Coronavirus Roundup: The Last One
There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s a list of this week’s news updates and stories you may have missed.
Management
Coronavirus Roundup: The Future of the OSHA Standard to Protect Healthcare Workers from COVID is Unclear
There’s a lot to keep track of. Here’s a list of this week’s news updates and stories you may have missed.
Management