May 05 Rochelle Walensky, head of CDC, resigns citing pandemic transition By Mike Stobbe, Associated Press Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, submitted her resignation Friday, saying the waning of the COVID-19 pandemic was a good time to make a transition. Continue reading
May 05 WHO downgrades COVID-19 pandemic, says it's no longer global emergency By Maria Cheng, Jamey Keaten, Associated Press WHO said that even though the emergency phase was over, the pandemic hasn't come to an end, noting recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Continue reading
May 04 Republican Oregon state senators boycott for a 2nd day, preventing quorum By Associated Press Republican lawmakers have used walkouts in the past. But this time — if they continue to stay away — they'll be testing a new law that was passed overwhelmingly by Oregonians in a ballot measure last November. Continue reading
May 04 North Carolina House approves bill tightening abortion limits By Gary D. Robertson, Hannah Schoenbaum, Associated Press North Carolina's House has approved a Republican package of abortion restrictions that would tighten the state's ban on the procedure from after 20 weeks to 12 weeks. Continue reading
May 04 Period products can contain hazardous ingredients. Some states are requiring more transparent labeling By Erica Zurek, KFF Health News New York and California have passed laws requiring disclosure of ingredients on menstrual product packaging. Advocates want more transparency across the U.S. Continue reading
May 03 Florida Republicans pass school bills on pronouns, diversity programs By Anthony Izaguirre, Associated Press Florida Republicans have approved bills to ban diversity programs in colleges and prevent students and teachers from being required to use pronouns that don't correspond to someone's biological sex, building on top priorities of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Continue reading
May 02 New York Gov. Hochul signs bill expanding access to contraceptives By Maysoon Khan, Associated Press/Report for America New Yorkers next year won't have to go through their doctors to get prescription contraceptives under a bill that Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed into law. Continue reading
May 02 Watch 8:09 Surgeon General discusses health risks of loneliness and steps to help connect with others By Amna Nawaz, Cybele Mayes-Osterman The U.S. Surgeon General declared a new public health epidemic in America, loneliness. A new report finds loneliness can have profound effects on mental health as well as heart disease, stroke and dementia. It tracks a decline in social connections… Continue watching
May 02 Loneliness poses health risks as deadly as smoking, U.S. surgeon general says By Amanda Seitz, Associated Press Widespread loneliness in the U.S. poses health risks as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes daily, costing the health industry billions of dollars annually, the U.S. surgeon general said Tuesday in declaring the latest public health epidemic. Continue reading
May 01 Oklahoma governor signs ban on gender-affirming care for trans kids By Sean Murphy, Associated Press Oklahoma is the latest state to ban gender-affirming medical care for minors. Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill Monday that makes it a felony for health care workers to provide children with treatments that can include puberty-blocking drugs and… Continue reading