New PHCC Guide Offers Practical Strategies for Public Health Communicators
The Public Health Communication Collaborative (PHCC) has released Overcoming Challenges & Leveraging Strengths: An Action Guide for Communicators at Public Health Agencies, a new resource designed to support governmental public health communicators.
Based on 50 in-depth interviews with health department communicators across the country, the guide identifies 14 key factors that influence com…
The States Where Hospitals are Most Concentrated
A new analysis from Yale’s Health Care Affordability Lab highlights how hospital consolidation may be contributing to rising health care costs across the U.S. The report found every hospital in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming operates in a highly concentrated market, with Maine and Montana close behind.
Over the past two decades, roughly 1,300 mergers have occurred among about 5,000 U.S…
A New One-a-Day-Pill Holds Promise for HIV's 'Forgotten Population'
New research published in The Lancet suggests a promising new once-daily HIV pill could simplify treatment for people with drug-resistant HIV who currently rely on complex, multi-pill regimens. The medication combines two existing drugs into a single tablet and performed as well as the more complicated treatments in a study of 550 patients.
Experts say simplifying lifelong HIV therapy could imp…
As More People Turn to Chatbots for Health Advice, Studies Say They May be Led Astray
As more people turn to AI chatbots for health advice, new studies published in the journal Nature Medicine suggest the technology may not reliably guide medical decision-making.
Researchers found chatbots correctly identified health conditions less than half the time in simulated patient scenarios and sometimes failed to signal appropriate urgency for potentially life-threatening symptoms.
Wh…
Why New Doctors Aren't Specializing in Infectious Diseases
Interest in infectious disease fellowships is declining at a time when vaccine-preventable illnesses and other infectious threats are resurging. According to National Resident Matching Program data, only 61% of infectious disease fellowship positions were filled this year, down from 88% five years ago. Applications have also dropped significantly since their post-pandemic peak.
Experts p…
Rectal Cancer Rates are Rising in U.S., Driving an Increase in Illness in Younger Adults
Recent data from the American Cancer Society highlight a concerning rise in rectal cancer, particularly among adults under 65, who now account for nearly half of new colorectal cancer diagnoses. Rectal cancers alone comprise about one-third of all colorectal cases, and rates are increasing across age groups.
Experts emphasize that younger adults often experience delayed diagnoses, unders…
Surgeon General Nominee Addresses Vaccine Messaging During Confirmation Hearing
During her Senate confirmation hearing, President Trump’s nominee for U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Casey Means, said she believes vaccines save lives and are an important component of infectious disease strategy, but declined to broadly encourage routine childhood immunizations for measles, influenza, or whooping cough. Instead, she emphasized individualized discussions between parents and physician…