The New York Times: Federal Report Denounces Gender Treatments For Adolescents
Federal health officials published a report on Thursday declaring that the use of hormonal and surgical treatments in young people with gender dysphoria lacked scientific evidence and expressing concern about long-term harms, a stark reversal from previous agency recommendations and the advice of top U.S. medical groups. The report instead prioritized the role of psychotherapy, a divisive intervention to treat gender dysphoria that many advocates and physicians have equated with so-called conversion therapy. (Ghorayshi and Harmon, 5/1)

ProPublica: A Gutted Education Department’s New Agenda: Roll Back Civil Rights Cases, Target Transgender Students
The Trump administration is subverting the traditional priorities of the department’s decimated civil rights office by making discrimination investigations practically impossible — instead enforcing its own anti-diversity campaign. (Richards and Cohen, 5/2)

In related news from Ohio —

Columbus Dispatch: Ohio Supreme Court Allows Ban On Gender-Affirming Care For Minors To Resume – For Now
Ohio can continue to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors while a legal fight plays out, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled April 29. House Bill 68 prevents doctors from prescribing hormones, puberty blockers or gender reassignment surgery before patients turn 18. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of two transgender girls and their families, contending it violates the right of transgender Ohioans to choose their health care. (BeMiller, 4/29)

If you need help —

The Trevor Project Lifeline provides counseling support for LGBTQ+ young people 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call them at 1-866-488-7386.

CBS News: RFK Jr. Asks CDC For New Measles Treatment Guidance Amid His Unfounded Claims
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will ask the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop new guidance for treating measles with drugs and vitamins, an HHS spokesperson said. The move comes as Kennedy has faced criticism during this year's record measles outbreaks for remarks misleading people into thinking that measles infections are easily curable and inflating myths about measles vaccines. Vaccination is the only way to prevent the highly infectious disease that can cause serious health complications or death in some cases. (Tin, 5/1)

Reuters: US Health Secretary Kennedy Revives Misleading Claims Of 'Fetal Debris' In Measles Shots 
U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reprised various misleading claims about vaccines this week, including that the measles vaccine contains cells from aborted fetuses and the mumps vaccination does not work. (Aboulenein and Lapid, 5/1)

WFAA.com: Person With Measles In North Texas Attended Texas Rangers Game, Went Several Other Places After Exposure -- Here's Everywhere They Went
According to Denton County health officials, the person went to several places after exposure. Most notably, they attended the April 19 Texas Rangers game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, officials said. 39,244 people attended that game. (Sawyers, 5/1)

CBS News: Chicago Public Health Officials Stress Importance Of Vaccines After 2 Cases Confirmed In Cook County
Doctors in the Chicago area are keeping a close eye on measles cases, checking to make sure more aren't reported, after the first two cases of the year were confirmed this week in Cook County. One local agency is stepping up their efforts in the fight against the potentially deadly disease. The Chicago Department of Public Health is increasing the use of public health nurse educators who go to Head Start programs and daycare centers in the city to educate parents and staff about the importance of the measles vaccination. (Le Mignot, 5/1)

AP: Measles Jumps Borders In North America With Outbreaks In Canada, Mexico And US
North America’s three biggest measles outbreaks continue to balloon, with more than 2,500 known cases; three people have died in the U.S. and one in Mexico. It started in the fall in Ontario, Canada; then took off in late January in Texas and New Mexico; and has rapidly spread in Chihuahua state, which is up to 786 cases since mid-February. (Shastri and Janetsky, 5/1)

On bird flu and covid —

The New York Times: Upheaval In Washington Hinders Campaign Against Bird Flu
The campaign to curb bird flu on the nation’s farms has been slowed by the chaotic transition to a new administration that is determined to cut costs, reduce the federal work force and limit communications, according to interviews with more than a dozen scientists and federal officials. ... In its first months, the Trump administration has fired teams of scientists crucial to detecting the spread of the virus, canceled important meetings, and limited access to data even for federal scientists. (Mandavilli, 5/1)

Politico: Tulsi Gabbard Is Out To Prove Covid Came From A Lab
National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard’s office is working with NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to investigate the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. In an interview Thursday on former Fox News host Megyn Kelly’s podcast, The Megyn Kelly Show, Gabbard also said she wants to end so-called gain-of-function research in which scientists alter pathogens to make them more transmissible or deadly so they can study them. (Schumaker, 5/1)

CIDRAP: Analysis: Long-COVID Burden Reduced 7 Months After Acute Infection
A new study conducted in Italy reveals a reduction in long-COVID burden 7 months following the acute phase. The study, published in BMC Infectious Diseases, also shows that one-third of patients experienced long-lasting symptoms during almost 2 years of follow-up. The study was based on the outcomes of 853 hospitalized COVID-19 patients and outpatients who had at least one follow-up visit after acute infection at San Paolo Hospital of the University of Milan from February 2020 to June 2023. (Soucheray, 5/1)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Delays Hospital Payments As Medicaid Scrutiny Intensifies
Unexpected delays in billions of dollars of supplemental Medicaid payments have forced some hospitals across the country to cut costs including laying off staff and pausing payments to medical suppliers. Hospital associations in at least 10 states said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency responsible for approving funds known as state-directed payments, has been unusually slow at processing applications for them. Some of the delays date to the fall of 2024. (Mosbergen, 5/2)

The Hill: House Conservatives Call For Controversial Medicaid Changes In Reconciliation
A group of House conservatives is calling for significant “structural reforms” of Medicaid as part of the Republican reconciliation legislation, illustrating the seemingly intractable differences across GOP factions. In a “Dear Colleague” letter led by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and signed by 19 others, the lawmakers said the GOP conference must pursue “meaningful reforms” in reconciliation, including eliminating the enhanced federal matching funds for states that expanded Medicaid. (Weixel, 5/1)

The Washington Post: Republican Medicaid Cuts Could Mean ‘Armageddon’ In D.C., Official Says
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), her staff and health-care providers have been lobbying Congress for months to stave off Medicaid cuts that one top city official said would amount to “Armageddon” for low-income residents and wreak havoc on the region’s health network. House Republican proposals to slash government spending on Medicaid would devastate the insurance program that covers 40 percent of District residents and makes it possible for hospitals and clinics to care for the most vulnerable, they say. Under one scenario, D.C. could lose $1.1 billion, forcing the city to drop some residents from the rolls and scale back services for others. (Portnoy, 4/30)

Politico: The White House Wants To Avoid Medicaid Cuts. To GOP Hard-Liners, They’re Essential.
The fate of Republicans’ sweeping domestic policy bill is snagged on a crucial question: Are deep cuts to Medicaid, the federal health care program covering nearly 80 million Americans, something to be avoided? Or are they the whole point of pursuing the legislation? That clash — with the White House on one side and GOP hard-liners in Congress on the other — is now playing out in closed-door meetings and in the hallways of Capitol Hill as the party rushes to write the megabill and potentially cut more than a half-trillion dollars from the safety-net health program over the coming decade. (Cancryn, Leonard and Lee Hill, 5/1)

KFF Health News: Government Watchdog Expects Medicaid Work Requirement Analysis By Fall
The country’s top nonpartisan government watchdog has confirmed it is examining the costs of running the nation’s only active Medicaid work requirement program, as Republican state and federal lawmakers consider similar requirements. The U.S. Government Accountability Office told KFF Health News that its analysis of the Georgia Pathways to Coverage program could be released this fall. (Whitehead and Rayasam, 5/2)

In rural health news from Capitol Hill —

Fierce Healthcare: Senators Introduce RPM Access Act To Increase Rural Payment Rate
Wednesday, Senators Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Mark Warner, D-Va., introduced a bill that would increase reimbursement for remote monitoring in rural areas. Representatives David Kustoff, R-Tenn., Mark Pocan D-Wis., Troy Balderson, R-Ohio, and Don Davis, D-N.C., also introduced the Rural Patient Monitoring Access Act in the House, which would expand access to remote patient monitoring in rural areas, where low payment rates discourage providers and RPM companies from providing services. (Beavins, 5/1)

AP: Email Discloses HHS Plans To Cut Research Of Child Welfare Programs
The Trump administration could gut research on the effectiveness of child welfare programs, with plans to terminate dozens of university grants studying improvements to Head Start and child care policy, according to a spreadsheet mistakenly made public this week. The document listed more than 150 research projects under consideration for termination by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It covered grants funded by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, which says it “builds evidence to improve lives” by helping policymakers evaluate programs that help low-income children and families. (Foley, 5/2)

Stat: NIH Halts Funding For Research Projects With Foreign Collaborators 
The National Institutes of Health announced Thursday it will no longer allow subawards to foreign institutions, as part of a national security-minded overhaul to how the agency manages its $47 billion research funding portfolio. The change is likely to cause immediate disruptions to research projects around the world. (Molteni, 5/1)

AP: FDA To Rehire Fired Staffers Who Booked Inspection Trips, But Other Workers Remain In Limbo
For the second time in recent months, the Food and Drug Administration is bringing back some recently fired employees, including staffers who handle travel bookings for safety inspectors. More than 20 of the agency’s roughly 60 travel staff will be reinstated, according to two FDA staffers notified of the plan this week, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential agency matters. Food scientists who test samples for bacteria and study potentially harmful chemicals also have been told they will get their jobs back, but have yet to receive any official confirmation. (Perrone, 5/1)

Modern Healthcare: HHS Must Restore Public Comment Policy, Senate, House Dems Demand
Congressional Democrats are intensifying public pressure on the Health and Human Services Department to restore transparency to a swathe of policymaking decisions. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in February that the department would stop giving public notice or accepting public comments on a wide array of policies. The sudden shift reversed the so-called Richardson waiver policy in place since 1971, under which HHS sought feedback on most of its actions. (Early, 5/1)

MedPage Today: Mixing Science And Politics Leads To Trouble, Former NIH Director Says
"When you mix politics and science, you just get politics." Former NIH director Francis Collins, MD, PhD, made that comment Tuesday at an event here sponsored by The Atlantic as he reflected on the lessons he learned from his early experiences during the COVID pandemic. And although the country's political polarization became more evident during that time, the seeds were sown even earlier, during the Obama administration, Collins said. (Frieden, 5/1)

Stat: Biotech Leaders Decry Trump Disruptions In Health And Science 
At an annual meeting usually focused on the industry’s future, life science leaders couldn’t help but grapple — 100 days into President Trump’s second term — with a present clouded by uncertainty. At Stanford’s Drug Discovery Symposium, biotech bigwigs spoke openly this week about how the scientific ecosystem that trains the industry’s workforce and produces many of the discoveries companies later turn into new drugs and diagnostics is now in jeopardy. (Wosen, 5/1)

KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: 100 Days Of Health Policy Upheaval
Members of Congress are back in Washington, and Republicans are struggling to find ways to reduce Medicaid spending without cutting benefits. Meanwhile, confusion continues to reign at the Department of Health and Human Services. (Rovner, 5/1)

Also —

NBC News: Trump Canceled 'Illegal DEI' Program To Stop Raw Sewage From Infiltrating Alabama Homes
A $26 million federal program to help residents of Lowndes County, Alabama, who have dealt with inadequate sewage systems for decades was stopped by an executive order. (Bunn, 5/1)

Tucson.com: Guatemalan Who Gave Birth In Tucson Faces Rapid Deportation
A Guatemalan woman who gave birth in Tucson on Wednesday — days after entering Arizona through the desert and getting arrested by border agents — is facing rapid deportation proceedings under Trump's "expedited removal" policy, which could put her and her baby's health and safety at risk, according to an immigration attorney. (Bregel, 5/1)

Stat: Aetna To Abandon Affordable Care Act Insurance Marketplaces, Again 
CVS Health will not sell its Aetna health plans in the Affordable Care Act’s individual marketplaces in 2026, marking the second time in the past decade that Aetna has given up on ACA coverage. (Herman, 5/1)

In other news about the Affordable Care Act —

Fierce Healthcare: CMS Sets Up Fraud Center While Contractor Rolls Out New Tool
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched the Fraud Detection Operation Center (FDOC) to fight waste, fraud and abuse, the agency announced this week. Listed on a new webpage are a list of “recent success stories.” They include taking action against improper enrollment in Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans, cracking down on false billing of wound care services and scrutinizing “problematic activities” regarding hospice claims. (Tong, 5/1)

KFF Health News: Covered California Pushes For Better Health Care As Federal Spending Cuts Loom
Faced with potential federal spending cuts that threaten health coverage and falling childhood vaccination rates, Monica Soni, the chief medical officer of Covered California, has a lot on her plate — and on her mind. California’s Affordable Care Act health insurance exchange covers nearly 2 million residents and 89% of them receive federal subsidies that reduce their premiums. Many middle-income households got subsidies for the first time after Congress expanded them in 2021, which helped generate a boom in enrollment in ACA exchanges nationwide. (Wolfson, 5/2)

And more updates from the health care industry —

Fierce Healthcare: Jill Biden, Milken Institute Team Up For Women's Health Network
The Milken Institute is launching a Women’s Health Network chaired by former first lady Jill Biden.  The network will engage research institutions, startups and entrepreneurs, corporations and businesses, investors, payers, policymakers, patient and community organizations, health systems and philanthropists to advance women's health.  They aim to make headway on understanding and treating conditions that disproportionately impact women such as Alzheimer’s disease, menopause, endometriosis and heart disease. (Beavins, 5/1)

CBS News: As Crozer Health System Prepares To Shut Down, Patients And Employees Are Devastated
The end is near for Delaware County's largest health system. Thursday was the last full day that Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland was open. Hallways, patient rooms and operating rooms, are now empty as the hospital prepares to shut down permanently at 8 a.m. on Friday. Patients are trying to figure out where to go now to get care. "It's somber," Melanie McKendry, the lead medical assistant at the gynecologic-oncology unit at Crozer Chester Medical Center, said. "It feels like we're at our own funeral, basically." (Wright and Holden, 5/1)

Modern Healthcare: Banner Health Acquires VillageMD Clinics
Walgreens-backed VillageMD is exiting Colorado. Banner Health said Thursday it acquired seven Village Medical primary care clinics and two walk-in sites in the state. Forty-six providers and more than 150 support staff will join Banner, according to a news release. The clinics will be rebranded and integrated into the health system in the coming months, the release said. (Hudson, 5/1)

KFF Health News: Montana Lawmakers Approve $124M To Revamp Behavioral Health System
Montana’s frayed behavioral health care system, still recovering from the effects of past budget cuts, will get a shot in the arm after state lawmakers approved sweeping changes to upgrade and expand facilities, increase community services, and revise commitment procedures. Lawmakers backed the bulk of Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte’s multimillion-dollar vision to bolster and expand the system, which has experienced waitlists for care and has been working in recent years to reverse the loss of community-based mental health services and regain federal certification of the state psychiatric hospital, lost in 2022 after a spate of patient deaths. (O'Connell, 5/2)

CBS News: Boston Medical Center Health System Renames Good Samaritan And St. Elizabeth's Hospitals
You will soon see the name Boston Medical Center on two more hospitals in Massachusetts. Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton is being renamed Boston Medical Center - South (BMC South) and St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton will become Boston Medical Center - Brighton (BMC Brighton). Boston Medical Center Health System made the announcement Thursday. It assumed operations of both hospitals last October after St. Elizabeth's was seized by the state of Massachusetts using eminent domain. (D, 5/1)

WUFT: UF Health And United Healthcare Reconcile Differences, Agree On Multiyear Contract
UF Health hospitals and physicians are once again part of the United Healthcare. After months of negotiations, the two sides finalized a new multiyear contract that will restore insurance network access to about 100,000 UF Health patients in Gainesville, Jacksonville and St. Augustine. (Zarran, 5/1)

WUSF: BayCare Breaks Ground On 154-Bed Hospital In North Manatee County
BayCare Health System broke ground Wednesday on a hospital in north Manatee County, part of a $563 million health care campus that will anchor a 288-acre residential-commercial development. (Mayer, 5/1)

On the slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson —

ABC News: Luigi Mangione Attorneys Seek Dismissal Of State Murder Case
Defense attorneys for alleged CEO killer Luigi Mangione said Thursday in a new court filing that the murder indictment a state grand jury returned against him should be dismissed due to double jeopardy and other alleged violations. The indictment should be dismissed "because concurrent state and federal prosecutions violate the Double Jeopardy Clause, the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause and Mr. Mangione's constitutional rights against self-incrimination, to meaningfully defend himself, to a fair and impartial jury and to the effective assistance of counsel," defense attorneys wrote. (Katersky, 5/1)

Bloomberg: Obesity Drug Price Wars Heating Up As CVS Picks Novo Over Lilly
The obesity drug price wars are finally starting. After being publicly lambasted for the high cost of their weight-loss shots, two of world’s biggest drugmakers — Eli Lilly & Co. and Novo Nordisk A/S — are racing to lock up deals with drug benefit managers that control which prescriptions many Americans get and popular telehealth companies that sell directly to consumers. Investors are worried about how low prices will go. (Langreth, Muller, and Swetlitz, 5/1)

NBC News: Is Taking Fewer Medications The Key To Lowering Drug Costs In The U.S.?
In recent weeks, top health officials have floated an idea for bringing down prescription drug costs in the United States: getting Americans to take fewer medications. ... Studies show that healthier people with fewer chronic conditions typically have lower medical costs. However, experts argue that health officials are missing two key points: many people rely on prescription drugs for conditions that have nothing to do with lifestyle choices, and drug prices are much higher in the U.S. than in other countries. (Lovelace Jr., 4/30)

More pharma and tech developments —

FiercePharma: Moderna Targets More Cost Cuts Amid Uncertainty Under RFK Jr.
Moderna is extending its cost savings program into 2027 and targeting a cash breakeven point sometime in 2028 as the larger U.S. vaccine market faces new uncertainties under the Trump administration. Moderna aims to reduce its GAAP operating costs by 1.4 billion to $1.7 billion between 2025 and 2027, the company announced Wednesday. The Massachusetts biotech now targets $4.7 billion to $5 billion in GAAP costs in 2027, versus $7.2 billion last year. (Liu, 5/1)

Chicago Tribune: Baxter Expects Tariffs To Cost It $60 To $70 Million This Year
Tariffs will likely cost Deerfield-based Baxter International $60 million to $70 million this year, the company’s chief financial officer said in an earnings call Thursday. Baxter expects to see most of the impact from increased tariffs in the second half of the year, said Joel Grade, Baxter executive vice president and chief financial officer. Baxter makes IV fluids, a number of pharmaceuticals and other hospital products. (Schencker, 5/1)

Becker's Hospital Review: FDA Probes Compounding Pharmacies Over Quality Concerns
The FDA plans to gather information from 250 compounding outsourcing pharmacies amid safety and quality concerns. In a May 1 notice, the agency said it will survey outsourcing facilities about challenges and opportunities related to market and business viability, compliance, quality production and interactions with the FDA. (Twenter, 5/1)

MedPage Today: Nasal Powder For Acute Migraine Gets FDA Nod
The FDA approved dihydroergotamine (DHE) nasal powder (Atzumi) 5.2 mg to treat acute migraine with or without aura in adults, Satsuma Pharmaceuticals announced Wednesday. The product is the only DHE nasal powder for acute migraine, Satsuma said. It uses the Simple MucoAdhesive Release Technology (SMART) platform which combines proprietary powder and device technology to simplify DHE delivery. (George, 5/1)

Modern Healthcare: Seca Launches MBCA Alpha Body Composition Scanner
Medical weighing and measuring technology company seca launched the first compact, portable body composition scanner designed for primary care on Thursday. The mBCA Alpha scanner generates a detailed assessment of a patient’s body composition in 24 seconds, which includes percentages of fat, bone and muscle. Clinicians can use the information to spot early signs of excess body fat, age-related muscle decline and the impact medications like GLP-1s can have on the body, among other factors. (Dubinsky, 5/1)

Politico: New York Makes It Easier To Commit People With Severe Mental Illnesses
Gov. Kathy Hochul shored up her public safety agenda this week when state lawmakers agreed to loosen the legal standard for involuntary commitment of the mentally ill — a major victory for the Democrat and a sign that political winds on the issue are shifting to the center. Under the agreement, the state will fund pilot programs that dispatch unarmed first responders to mental health emergencies and will convene at least four panels to review incidents in which responders are accused of using excessive force. (Kaufman, Cordero and Beeferman, 5/1)

Bloomberg: New York’s Adams Pitches $115 Billion Budget As Trump Cuts Loom
New York Mayor Eric Adams proposed a revised $115.1 budget that adds more than $1.4 billion in new spending for programs including early childhood education, even as potential cuts in federal funding loom. The increase to his original spending plan submitted in January will pay for universal 3-K, after-school programs, library services and mental health treatment, the mayor said Thursday. (Nahmias, 5/1)

Health news from Texas and Florida —

CBS News: 1.8 Million Texans Could Lose Current Health Insurance Provider If State Lawmakers Don't Act
More than 125,000 North Texas families could soon lose their current health insurance provider if state lawmakers don't act. In March 2024, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced plans to drop the Cook Children's nonprofit Health Plan, along with Texas Children's and Driscoll Children's plans, and award Medicaid contracts to several national, for-profit insurance companies instead. (Vandergriff, 5/1)

The Hill: Texas Attorney General Paxton Expands Fluoride Wars To Toothpaste
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) announced investigations Thursday of leading toothpaste companies, accusing them of misusing fluoride in their products. “I will use every tool available to protect our kids from dangerous levels of fluoride exposure and deceptive advertising,” Paxton, who is also a Senate candidate, said in a statement. The investigation — announced three weeks after Paxton declared his campaign to primary Sen. John Cornyn (R) in next year’s midterm elections — marks an expansion of the culture war over fluoride from drinking water into toothpaste. (Elbein, 5/1)

The Texas Tribune: Vaccine Exemption Bill Advances In Texas House
A Republican-backed bill that could make vaccination exemptions easier to obtain in Texas made it out of the House Public Health Committee on Thursday in a 7-6 vote along party lines. (Langford, 5/1)

News Service of Florida: Florida Malpractice Bill Heads To Governor 
A day after the issue appeared stalled, the Florida Senate on Thursday gave final approval to a bill that would open the door to some people pursuing medical malpractice lawsuits over the deaths of family members. The Senate voted 33-4 to pass the bill, which would repeal a long-controversial 1990 law. The House passed the bill (HB 6017) in late March, meaning it is now ready to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis. (Saunders, 5/2)

CBS News: Florida Bill Would Require Student Athletes To Undergo Heart Screenings Before Participating In Sports
A new bill in the Florida Legislature could make it mandatory for student athletes to undergo heart screenings before taking part in sports. The bill (SB 1070) was passed in the Florida Senate on Thursday and is now heading to Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk, awaiting his signature. The issue hits home for many people across the state, especially with one South Florida family, who finds the issue to be deeply personal and said the measure could save lives. (Christakis, 5/1)

From Connecticut, North Carolina, Michigan, and elsewhere —

The CT Mirror: CT Bill To Clear Path For Lawsuits Against Gun Industry Passes House
The gun industry could face civil damages for the misuse of firearms in limited circumstances in Connecticut under product liability legislation passed by the House and sent to the Senate on Wednesday. (Pazniokas, 4/30)

North Carolina Health News: Federal Cuts Threaten To Derail State Public Health Lab Upgrades 
Work on a major renovation of the State Public Health Laboratory screeched to a halt in late March when the administration of President Donald Trump notified states that the federal government was halting some $11 billion in post-pandemic aid that was scheduled to be distributed to the states. (Hoban, 5/2)

CBS News: Michigan Doctor Convicted Of Illegally Prescribing 200,000 Opioid Pills
A Southeast Michigan doctor has been convicted of federal charges relating to the unlawful distribution of more than 200,000 prescription opioid pills. Dr. Charise Valentine, 69, of Southfield, was found guilty April 25 by a jury of conspiracy to unlawfully distribute prescription opioids, including Oxycodone and Oxymorphone, and 10 counts of illegal distribution of Oxycodone and Oxymorphone, according to a press release from Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck of the Eastern District of Michigan. (Wethington, 4/30)

AP: Animal Sedative Medetomidine Is Showing Up In The US Illegal Drug Supply, CDC Says
The animal sedative medetomidine is increasingly showing up in the U.S. illegal drug supply, according to three reports released Thursday. Medetomidine, which is used to sedate pets and is somewhat similar to xylazine, was first detected in illegally manufactured opioids in North America in 2022. Investigators say the drug is being mixed in with other illicit drugs, mainly fentanyl, the synthetic opioid behind most overdose deaths. On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published three reports about recent clusters of medetomidine cases in Chicago, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. (Stobbe, 5/1)

AP: The Vietnam War Ended 50 Years Ago, But The Battle With Agent Orange Continues 
The Vietnam War ended on April 30, 1975, when the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to Communist forces. But millions of people still face daily battles with its chemical legacy. Nguyen Thanh Hai, 34, is one of millions with disabilities linked to Agent Orange. Born with severe developmental challenges, it’s a struggle for him to complete tasks others take for granted: buttoning the blue shirt he wears to a special school in Da Nang, practicing the alphabet, drawing shapes or forming simple sentences. (Ghosal and Dinh, 4/28)

The Washington Post: The Children Of ‘Operation Babylift,’ Now 50, Reckon With Their Past 
They are turning 50 now, the babies laid out on airplane seats, six to a row, held and fed by strangers who took turns caring for them as they took artillery fire and fled the bombs and booms of Saigon. They were part of Operation Babylift, an effort led by the American military to rescue babies from Vietnamese orphanages ahead of the fall of Saigon 50 years ago this month. “This is the least we can do, and we will do much, much more,” President Gerald Ford said on April 3, 1975. (Dvorak, 4/27)

The New York Times: Can Metformin Actually Slow the Aging Process?
The research on metformin and human longevity is scant, but that hasn’t stopped some people from experimenting with it. (Ravindranath, 5/1)

Politico: AI And ‘Super Agers’
Imagine if your doctor could use artificial intelligence to assess your health and predict your risk of disease. It could mean the ability, potentially, to change the future if lifestyle changes or drugs could stave it off. It’s coming, cardiologist and scientist Eric Topol argues in his forthcoming book “Super Agers.” Topol, who leads the Scripps Research Translational Institute in California, lays out what he calls an evidence-based approach to living healthier for longer. (Paun, 4/29)

Newsweek: How Weight Loss Drugs Like Ozempic And Mounjaro Are Eating Away At Body Positivity
Samhita Mukhopadhyay wasn't expecting shame to come from a photo. The longtime feminist writer and former Teen Vogue editor had just moderated a panel at a media conference. She was dressed in a skirt and printed top she felt good in—until she saw a candid image someone had posted online. "It was devastating," she told Newsweek. Mukhopadhyay took Mounjaro, an antidiabetic medication also used for weight loss, and saw dramatic results—losing 15 percent of her body weight over 18 months. She was feeling physically better, sleeping more soundly and even considering a wardrobe overhaul. But the cost of the drug forced her to stop. (Mesa, 4/30)

The New York Times: How Nearly A Century Of Happiness Research Led To One Big Finding
Decades of wellness studies have identified a formula for happiness, but you won’t figure it out alone. (Dominus, 5/1)

The New York Times: Humans’ Wounds Heal Much More Slowly Than Other Mammals’ 
A study published on Wednesday in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, scientists compared the healing rates of humans, chimpanzees, monkeys and mice. They found that human wounds took more than twice as long to heal as wounds of any of the other mammals. Our slow healing may be a result of an evolutionary trade-off we made long ago, when we shed fur in favor of naked, sweaty skin that keeps us cool. (Preston, 4/29)

The New York Times: What Medicaid Cuts Would Do To My Rural Hospital
Nearly 200 rural hospitals have closed in the past two decades — the result of financial strain and staff shortages — but my hospital has been able to keep its doors open through sheer perseverance. Now, however, Congress is considering cuts to Medicaid that could wreak havoc on rural America’s fragile health care system. I worry about our future. (Kevin Stansbury, 5/2)

Stat: Public Health Science Has Failed The Covid Postmortem 
The fifth anniversary of President Trump’s March 2020 declaration of a national Covid-19 emergency has prompted a surge of retrospective assessments. Government agencies, expert panels, think tanks, and media outlets  all contributed to a sprawling postmortem. The goal was to draw lessons from the pandemic’s devastating toll in hopes of better preparing for future crises. (Steven Phillips, 5/2)

The Washington Post: RFK Jr. Proves The Fallacy Of ‘Doing Your Own Research’ 
Kennedy has spent recent weeks seemingly trying to sound mainstream when it comes to vaccines. “The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” he wrote in a social media post in early April following measles-related deaths. But the Dr. Phil appearance was the mask slipping and the dog whistles blowing, because “do your own research” in modern America apparently only ever means “hey, maybe we should have injected ourselves with Lysol during covid.” (Monica Hesse, 5/2)

The Washington Post: RFK Jr.’s View Of Autism Is Wrong — But Profitable
Advocates for autistic people have long objected to Kennedy’s calling autism an “epidemic” or saying it “destroys families.” The outcry grew louder when he said children on the spectrum would never hold jobs, pay taxes, play baseball, write poetry or go on dates. (Donald G. McNeil Jr, 5/1)

Stat: SNAP, Soda, And Public Health: Rethinking Sugary Drink Spending 
Critics of the soda industry have long highlighted an unsavory pattern: Americans have spent billions of funds from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, aka SNAP, better known as food stamps, on sugar-sweetened beverages. Sugar-sweetened beverages are actually the No. 1 item Americans buy with SNAP funds. Amplifying the pattern, some stores place window stickers on the soda coolers to remind consumers that they accept SNAP funds. (Murray Carpenter, 5/2)

Chicago Tribune: 'Mongo' Never Quit. And Neither Will I.
Chicago lost a legend last week. I lost a brother. Bears great Steve “Mongo” McMichael wasn’t just a teammate during our Super Bowl run. He was a once-in-a-generation personality — fearless, funny and fiercely loyal. Whether it was on the field, in the wrestling ring or in a quiet moment with his family, Mongo brought everything he had to the table. When he was diagnosed with ALS — one of the cruelest, most unforgiving diseases out there — none of us were surprised to see him fight it with the same intensity he brought to every quarterback he ever chased down. But that didn’t make it any easier to watch. (Jim McMahon, 5/1)

The CT Mirror: Part-Time Faculty At CSCU Need Sick Leave
A part-time faculty member teaches class with strep throat. Another part-time faculty member teaches classes remotely from his hospital bed. Still another part-time faculty member resumes teaching on campus two weeks after giving birth. These are just a few examples of the real-life consequences when part-time instructors in the Connecticut State Colleges and University system don’t get sick days. Is that fair? We say no. (Kevin Kean, 5/2)