Health News:

• More schools are stocking Narcan, while others worry about stigma and hesitate to acknowledge the issue. (KFF Health News)
• 1 in 20 Americans used non-evidence based COVID treatments like ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine to self-treat. (CIDRAP)
• Dengue in Europe could be disastrous for the rest of the world. (Politico)
• Doctors are finding themselves navigating political landmines more these days. (STAT)
• NYC’s public hospitals are on the front lines treating 30,000+ migrants who need medical care. (NBC)
• Sanofi and J&J are working together on an E. coli vaccine. (Reuters)
• 75,000 healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente may strike, which would be the largest of its kind in US history. (CNN)
• The Nobel prize went to scientists who made mRNA COVID vaccines possible. (NPR)
• Helping people with basic needs like diapers, food, or medicine is one way to reduce gun violence. (NPR)
• 33 more cases of Salmonella linked to small turtles were identified in 7 more states. (CDC)
• J&J dropped secondary patents on a generic version of a drug called bedaquiline, making a critical TB drug available to countries that previously couldn’t afford it. (CIDRAP)

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Mental Health & Substance Use News: 

• The Denver restaurant community lost another chef to mental health issues. (Restaurant Hospitality)
• Homelessness was declared a public health crisis in the state of CT, allowing for expanded mental health services for the unhoused. (CT Public)
• Insurance companies fill their networks with ‘ghost’ therapists who don’t actually have openings or require referrals from a larger network. (Seattle Times)

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or need help, call 988 or message the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. 

CHOW is a Colorado-specific group that offers mental health resources, meetings, and courses for free to those in the restaurant industry. 

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Best Questions:

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I live in the Baltimore area where Crypto was found in the water. What should I do? 

The short answer is nothing, other than consider using bottled water if you’re immunocompromised or have young children or elderly family members with weaker immune systems. The risk to healthy adults is very low, and they’re warning the public as a precaution. Be on the lookout for diarrheal illness, and seek medical attention if you become ill - be sure to mention that you live in the Crypto-affected area when you do. 

Source: CDC

Should we add sharps or medical waste containers to our bathrooms? 

We definitely recommend having medical waste or sharps containers in your bathrooms, especially if they’re semi-public. They help reduce the chances of accidental needlesticks or bloodborne pathogen exposure from those using illicit drugs in your bathrooms. But even more common, they serve to support people with diabetes and other medical conditions who need a safe place to dispose of needles and other medical waste. We’ve seen employees who are excited not to have to carry individual sharps containers to work when they need to inject insulin, regular customers who need somewhere to change a colostomy bag, and everything in between. If you do add one, you may need to register with the state or local authorities. Contact your local health department for legal requirements for medical waste and to set up a disposal program.

Source: ZHH

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Should I get Moderna or Pfizer for my updated shot this fall? 

If you have gotten all your previous shots from one brand, there’s some evidence that you’ll have a little more protection if you get one dose from the other brand. For example, if your initial doses were Pfizer and you haven’t gotten a booster yet, Moderna might increase your immune response slightly. But the benefit is minimal, and the science is still a bit mixed on this, so we just recommend that you get whatever brand is available when you make your appointment. 

Source: YLE

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Best Read:

Animal to human viral transmission likely caused the COVID pandemic and is likely to cause the next one, too.  Scientists are studying urban animals and the diseases they carry to understand the potential risks. 

Digging for Secrets From the Raccoon in Your Garbage - New York Times 

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