RAM free clinics stand out among safety net options bc they don't come w/ strict eligibility rules, require mountains of paperwork or only serve US citizens.

Amid a period of growing need, I spent the day at one for this story:

@MyVPM + Report for America
vpm.org/news/2024-05-1…

Midwife-assisted home births are on the rise. High-risk deliveries are too.

By ⁦elizabeth cohen⁩. statnews.com/2024/02/23/mid…

Yesterday, I asked CDC director Mandy Cohen about the slow H5N1 response.

What I heard was more on how ready we are to respond to a pandemic, not as reassuring on how we'd prevent one.

The CDC knows of only 33 people in the US tested for it. No plans for mandatory testing yet.

The Florida Highway Patrol has arrested the driver of a pickup truck that crashed into a farmworker bus early Tuesday, killing eight, on charges of driving under the influence-manslaughter. to.pbs.org/3yl17Eq

Study: Environmental changes are making infectious diseases more dangerous to people, animals and plants. #ClimateChangesHealth From The New York Times: nytimes.com/2024/05/08/hea…

The Shenandoah County school board 'voted early on Friday to restore the names of Confederate generals stripped from two schools in 2020, making the mostly white, Republican district the first in the U.S. to take such an action.'

reuters.com/world/us/educa…

The budget will take some time to go online, but should by Saturday to enable passage by Monday

According to a new analysis of our Survey on Racism, Discrimination, and Health, Black women are more likely than other groups to report being treated unfairly by a health care provider because of their race or ethnicity. bit.ly/44Bkllm

'Nurses at one facility declared a “med holiday,” according to a dietitian, and threw away all the drugs for a shift because they didn’t have time to pass them out.'

I hear from Virginians throughout the Commonwealth about how health care workforces shortages are hurting our communities – especially our rural communities. I’m working to pass legislation that will grow our health care workforce and create healthier communities.

New: I interviewed Sen. Tim Kaine late last week about his approach to addressing the health care workforce crisis.

The conversation also includes some tidbits about his broader legislative philosophy. Read + listen below:

For @MyVPM + Report for America
vpm.org/news/2024-05-0…

Pregnancy-related deaths have fallen to pre-pandemic levels, new US data says apnews.com/article/pregna…

Count on Laura Ungar for smart, savvy health news that no one else has written about:

After Roe, the network of people who help others get abortions see themselves as 'the underground' apnews.com/article/aborti…

Scoop: A Texas man has filed legal action to investigate his ex-partner who got an abortion *in Colorado,* where abortion remains legal. The latest antiabortion strategy to intimidate + stop women from crossing state lines. washingtonpost.com/investigations…