Socioeconomic status and health

(CNN) US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra pledged to protect access to reproductive health care in a news conference on Tuesday, including considering steps to increase access to medication abortion. Becerra said the department would work to increase access to medication abortion across the country and work with the department's Office for Civil Rights to protect patient and provider privacy. HHS will also examine the department's authority in protecting the clinical judgment of health care providers in treating pregnant patients and work on training clinicians in family planning. What is medication abortion, and who has access to it? Becerra also said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would "take every legally available step" to protect access to family planning care. "There is no magic bullet, but if there is something we can do we will find it and we will do it at HHS," Becerra … [Read more...] about HHS secretary pledges to protect access to reproductive health care, including medication abortion

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline The Biden administration will take steps to help shore up access to medication abortion and protect patients and providers in response to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade on Friday, Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said Tuesday, as Democrats and abortion rights advocates have demanded action from the White House after the court’s monumental ruling. Key Facts Calling the court’s decision “despicable” but not “unpredictable,” Becerra said the Department of Health and Human Services will take steps to increase access to medication abortion, including making sure states cannot ban abortion pills because they’re protected under federal law for federal programs to provide them in cases of rape, incest and when the mother’s life is at risk. The agency will also provide increased guidance on medication abortion to providers. Becerra didn’t rule out that the White House could sue states that try to … [Read more...] about Biden Administration Will Use Medication Abortion, Civil Rights Office To Help Protect Abortion Rights, Health Secretary Says

For as long as the internet has been in existence, abortion was, until last week, a constitutionally guaranteed right. The Supreme Court’s decision on Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade will have a number of obvious ripple effects, most significantly the so-called trigger laws that 13 states enacted to immediately ban the procedure. The decision also has huge implications for the information we access through our phones: Personal reproductive data collected in apps and sold to brokers becomes far more dangerous, as it could be aggregated or purchased by police or right-wing groups to find, and target, women who may be considering an abortion. advertisement advertisement Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, a Democrat from California, believes personal reproductive health data—such as that collected in period-tracking apps—should have a special federal privacy protection. That’s the message behind her new bill, the My Body, My Data Act , which was introduced in … [Read more...] about Congresswoman Sara Jacobs explains why we need to protect reproductive health data

(CNN) Dozens of international flights loaded with baby formula have already come into the United States, but formula stock rates are not improving. Experts say it will take at least another couple months for this to change, as both supply levels and consumers' perspectives level out. Through Operation Fly Formula, the White House has committed to import enough formula to make the equivalent of about 40 million 8-ounce bottles. More than a quarter of that supply -- enough to make 13 million bottles -- has already been delivered as of June 19, according to a statement from the US Department of Human Services. Still, stock rates for formula continue to hit new lows, according to data shared with CNN by market research firm Information Resources Incorporated, or IRI. Inside the White House's Spring scramble to contain the baby formula crisis More than 21% of formula products -- powder, ready-to-drink and liquid -- were out of … [Read more...] about Why aren’t baby formula stock rates getting better?

(CNN) The US Food and Drug Administration's independent Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted Tuesday to support recommending inclusion of an Omicron specific component for a Covid-19 booster vaccine. Twenty-one voting members of the FDA's independent committee voted on the question : "Does the committee recommend inclusion of a SARS-CoV-2 Omicron component for COVID-19 booster vaccines in the United States?" Nineteen of the members voted yes, two voted no. CDC director signs off on Moderna Covid-19 vaccine for people ages 6 through 17 "I voted in favor of Omicron because I think it's important to broaden immunity," said Dr. Wayne Marasco, a professor of medicine with the department of cancer immunology & virology Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Harvard Medical School. "I will say that I was pretty impressed today that we can do better." Read More "I think this is a step in … [Read more...] about FDA advisers vote to include an Omicron-specific component for a coronavirus booster in the US

(CNN) US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on a recommendation of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine for people ages 6 to 17, the agency announced Friday. The move clears the way for the vaccine to be administered to this age group. Long Covid can affect children of all ages, including infants, study shows The recommendation comes after the CDC's vaccine advisers, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, voted unanimously on Thursday to support recommending the two-dose Moderna Covid-19 vaccine for use in people ages 6 through 17. The vaccine received emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration last week. "It is critical that we protect our children and teens from the complications of severe COVID-19 disease," Walensky said in a statement on Friday. "Today, we have expanded the options available to families by recommending a second safe and effective vaccine for … [Read more...] about CDC director signs off on Moderna Covid-19 vaccine for people ages 6 through 17

(CNN) Elmo, everyone's favorite red Muppet, has received the Covid-19 vaccine. In a public service announcement released on Tuesday by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, Elmo's dad Louie -- also a Muppet -- shared his questions about the Covid-19 vaccine for children under 5. Elmo is 3 and a half years old. "Was it safe? Was it the right decision?' I talked to our pediatrician so I could make the right choice," Louie said in the PSA. "I learned that Elmo getting vaccinated is the best way to keep himself, our friends, neighbors and everyone else healthy and enjoying the things they love." Covid-19 vaccines are now available for children under 5, and parents may have some questions, said Jeanette Betancourt, senior vice president of US social impact at Sesame Workshop. Covid-19 vaccinations begin for US children under 5 "We hope that Louie and Elmo will inspire parents and caregivers … [Read more...] about Elmo is now vaccinated for Covid-19

(CNN) Just days after the United States rolled out child-sized doses of Covid-19 vaccine for children younger than 5, the Biden administration has launched a new ad campaign to encourage parents to give their kids the "best protection" against Covid-19: a vaccine. In one video advertisement from the campaign , titled "Promise," parents are shown with their babies and toddlers -- cuddling and kissing them, holding their hands as they walk -- while text on the screen notes that "all kids 6 months and older can get a Covid vaccine." These new PSAs, released Thursday by the US Department of Health and Human Services and first reported on CNN, are part of the agency's ongoing Covid-19 vaccine public education campaign. The ads will be distributed to English and Spanish media outlets throughout the country as a public service announcement, according to HHS. "Getting our youngest kids vaccinated requires building confidence with parents by lifting up the … [Read more...] about HHS releases new PSAs to encourage Covid-19 vaccinations for children under 5

(CNN) Amazon and some large drug store chains began this week limiting purchases of emergency contraception to three pills per customer, company representatives confirmed to CNN. Amazon has a temporary quantity limit of 3 unites per week on emergency contraceptive pills, including Plan B, a representative for the company told CNN on Tuesday. Rite Aid is also limiting purchases. "Due to increased demand, at this time we are limiting purchases of Plan B contraceptive pills to three per customer," Alicja Wojczyk, senior manager of external communications for Rite Aid told CNN in an email. On Monday, CVS told told CNN in an email that although CVS had "ample supply" of Plan B and Aftera -- two types of emergency contraception -- the company was limiting purchases to three per customer "to ensure equitable access and consistent supply on store shelves." Read More On Tuesday, CVS removed those purchase limits, a company representative told … [Read more...] about Amazon and Rite Aid limiting purchases of emergency contraception

(CNN) The Biden Administration announced plans to beef up its response to monkeypox on Tuesday, detailing plans to offer more vaccines and more tests to people who are most at risk of getting it—including men who have sex with men and their partners. The move comes after pressure from states, who have been pushing the Administration to release more doses of monkeypox vaccine from the Strategic National Stockpile which is managed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the Department of Health and Human Services. Critics have also charged that the United States was not offering enough testing to monitor the spread of the virus, which is thought to be more widespread than current case counts suggest. The new plan tackles both. It will release more vaccines to areas with the highest case rates, and it will scale up testing, making tests available at five commercial laboratories in addition to an existing network of public health labs. … [Read more...] about US to offer monkeypox vaccines in states with high case rates