Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Cash bail policies are under fresh scrutiny
States can’t figure out what to do about cash bail. The system — in which an arrested suspect pays cash to avoid sitting in jail until their court date and gets the money back when they appear — is deeply entrenched in the nation’s history as a way to ensure defendants return to face justice. […]
Government sending four free at-home COVID tests to households nationwide
Starting this week, the federal government is once again making at-home COVID-19 tests free for residents nationwide. The program allows for every U.S. household to receive four free rapid antigen COVID-19 tests sent out by the United States Postal Service. To access your free tests, visit https://special.usps.com/testkits. The relaunch of the free tests – which […]
Food and Drug Administration approves COVID boosters for upcoming season
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the latest round of COVID-19 boosters, as public health officials brace for another cold and flu season. An advisory panel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is scheduled to vote on recommendations Tuesday, the final step in the process before people will […]
Even in the most depressed county in America, stigma around mental illness persists
LOGAN, W.Va. — Sitting on a bench laughing with a co-worker during a morning smoke break, Debra Orcutt quickly raises her hand when asked if she knows anyone dealing with depression. “I am,” she tells a visitor to the roadside market where she bakes brownies and peanut butter fudge. Orcutt, 63, has used medication to […]
Updated COVID-19 vaccines expected to be available in September, federal officials say
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is gearing up for a fall vaccination campaign that not only includes updated COVID-19 boosters, but the annual flu shot and the newly approved RSV vaccine. “We’re going to be encouraging Americans to get their COVID-19 vaccine in addition to their annual flu shot, as well as the immunizations for […]
‘Putting the fox in charge of the henhouse:’ Miners, advocates concerned over proposed silica rule
BEAVER — Vonda Robinson’s granddaughter is only five years old, but she knows all about black lung. For as long as she’s been alive, she’s watched her grandfather cart around an oxygen tank that helps him breathe. “She knows how to turn it on, how to turn it up, she knows everything and she’ll tell […]
CDC to reduce funding for states’ child vaccination programs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reducing funding to states for child vaccination programs, according to an agency email obtained by KFF Health News. The funding cut “is a significant change to your budget,” said the email to immunization managers, dated June 27 and signed by two CDC officials. The immunization managers who […]
White House rolls out strategy to battle deadly drug mixture of fentanyl and xylazine
WASHINGTON — The White House is unveiling a plan to combat the growing threat of drug overdose deaths involving the combination of illicitly manufactured fentanyl and the powerful sedative xylazine, approved only for veterinary use. The plan comes ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris’s meeting with state attorneys general next week to discuss the staggering […]