Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pandemic Recovery Continues: Teen Mental Health Is Improving, And Some Americans Are Drinking Less
A national survey has found that key mental health measures for teenagers have significantly improved from their worst levels during the pandemic. (Ghorayshi, 9/21)
Americans are drinking less for the first time since the pandemic, but alcohol use remains higher than it was before 2020, according to a study published Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. The decline in drinking rates, though modest at roughly 1%, is welcome news after heavy alcohol use spiked sharply during the pandemic, said senior study author Dr. Brian P. Lee, a liver transplant doctor at Keck Medicine of USC in Los Angeles. (Sullivan, 9/21)
Healthcare workers and hospitals are still recovering from the pandemic 鈥
Backlash against public health officials, including intimidation and threats of physical harm, has been widespread in the years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and they face ongoing risk in a divisive nation, according to a new study. 鈥淭he backlash we鈥檙e studying is different than people disagreeing about wearing masks or getting a COVID vaccine,鈥 said lead author Marian Moser Jones, associate professor of health services management and policy in The Ohio State University College of Public Health. 鈥淭his is true hostility. Threats of violence. Undermining these people in ways that harm their ability to do their jobs.鈥 (Crane, 9/21)
At the height of the pandemic, hospitals in Maine spent $560 million on contract staffing. This year, that number dropped to $214 million. (Forbes, 9/21)
In Ohio and Pennsylvania, covid still has a leading role in politics 鈥
Of all the high-profile electoral contests this November, the heated race for Ohio governor could be the most direct test of where public opinion in the heartland currently stands on health care, trust in science, and the lasting legacy of the Covid pandemic. (Todd, 9/22)
Pennsylvania lawmakers are warning that proposed changes to the state鈥檚 public health rules could usher in "COVID 2.0," giving health officials sweeping "police power" over residents during future disease outbreaks. Lawmakers opposing Pennsylvania's planned 502-page rewrite of state health code rules are urging the public to submit comments before the deadline, warning the proposal could serve as a roadmap to unfettered and intrusive restrictions and surveillance efforts, including the reported ability for agency representatives to enter private homes. (Creitz, 9/18)
