A wave of concern is rippling through the healthcare and LGBTQ+ advocacy communities after a series of federal budget proposals signaled sweeping cuts to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs across the United States. The proposals, which include reallocating or eliminating key funding streams for HIV testing, PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) access, and community health centers, have triggered urgent responses from public health officials, clinicians, and grassroots organizations.
White House
COVID Measures set to Expire as America Returns to Normalcy
The White House’s COVID emergency measures will come to an end in May. President Biden told Congress of the plan, opposing the House Republicans’ proposal
Pfizer’s Covid vaccine for kids under 5 might be available soon
Dr. Anthony Fauci – White House chief medical advisor – said the Food and Drug Administration could approve Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine for children under 5-years-old in the next month.
Free 400 million N95 masks for Americans
US president Biden’s administration will make 400 million N95 masks available to Americans for free starting next week in US.
Melania Trump recovering from Kidney Surgery
US’ First Lady Melania Trump underwent an embolization medical procedure to treat a benign kidney condition at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. President Donald
New Ebola screening to start at 5 airports in US
Five U.S. Airports Are Enacting New Screening Measures to Protect Against Ebola – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), USA announced that the following five U.S. airports will soon begin enhanced Ebola screening for all travelers coming from Ebola-affected countries
Tighter Ebola Screening for Travelers From West Africa – Obama
U.S. working on new screenings for Ebola but no travel ban — U.S. will augment Ebola screenings for airline passengers in U.S. and Africa – U.S. President Barack Obama met with members of his national security team and senior staff to receive an update on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the administration’s response efforts at the White House in Washington October 6, 2014.
HealthCare.gov would be better to buy insurance, says Obama
Here’s What’s Being Done to Make HealthCare.gov Better – On October 1, HealthCare.gov opened for business, offering Americans a new way to compare health insurance plans and enroll in coverage. Nearly 20 million people have visited the site, and Americans all over the country are signing up for affordable, high-quality health insurance.
Green spaces have a positive impact on wellbeing
Green spaces may boost wellbeing for city dwellers — Researcers surprised by scale of effects of living in greener areas, compared to ‘big hitting’ life events, such as marriage – People living in urban areas with more green space tend to report greater wellbeing than city dwellers that don’t have parks, gardens, or other green space nearby, said research from the University of Exeter Medical School’s European Centre for Environment & Human Health.
Vitamin D may reduce uterine fibroid risk in women
Vitamin D may reduce risk of uterine fibroids, according to NIH study – Women who had sufficient amounts of vitamin D were 32 percent less likely to develop fibroids than women with insufficient vitamin D, revealed researchers. Fibroids, also known as uterine leiomyomata, are noncancerous tumors of the uterus.
$205 million investment to help manage mental health in US
Increasing Access to Mental Health Services in US – This is the fact that in US 60 percent of people with mental health conditions and nearly 90 percent of people with substance use disorders don’t receive the care they need. That is why the Affordable Care Act is so important to mental health. The health care law, along with previous parity legislation, will expand mental health and substance use disorder benefits and parity protections for 62 million Americans.
BRAIN – $100m to find new ways to treat, cure, and prevent brain disorders
Barack Obama launched a plan to map the human brain, in an attempt to find vital clues for treating diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and other brain disorders. – US President Barack Obama unveiled a bold new research initiative designed to revolutionize understanding of the human brain. Launched with approximately $100 million in the President’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget, the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative ultimately aims to help researchers find new ways to treat, cure, and even prevent brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury.