Editor's Note A new report was released by the American Hospital Association (AHA) highlighting numerous causes that resulted in 136 rural hospitals closing from 2010 to 2021, including 19 closures in 2020, AHA September 8 reports. These closures can be attributed to longstanding pressures, including low reimbursement, staffing shortages, low…

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Editor's Note  The Financial Intermediary Fund (FIF) Governing Board established the new FIF for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR) at its inaugural meeting from September 8-9, World Health Organization (WHO) September 9 reports. The goal is to provide long-term financing to strengthen PPR capabilities in low- and middle-income countries…

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Editor's Note This study led by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that COVID-19 vaccines are strongly associated with preventing serious illness. Analyzing data from 192,509 hospitalizations in 250 US hospitals: monthly COVID-19 associated hospitalization rates ranged from 3.5 to 17.7 times higher in unvaccinated…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 8 issued a Safety Communication informing the public about reports of cancers, including squamous cell carcinomas and various lymphomas in the scar tissue that forms around breast implants. The various lymphomas are not the same as the lymphomas reported in…

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Editor's Note The American Hospital Association (AHA) on September 7 released part three of a three-part series of its workforce guide focused on strategies, resources, and case studies from hospitals and other health systems. The AHA Board of Trustees’ Task Force on Workforce provided guidance for the series with input…

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Editor's Note China and India approved COVID-10 vaccines given through the nose or mouth, which scientists have claimed to be a “game changer” for the pandemic, BBC News September 5 reports. The novel vaccine targets the mucous membranes and starts an immune response where the coronavirus enters the body. The…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety communication alert on September 6 informing patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers that Philips Respironics (Philips) has recalled certain masks used with bilevel positive airway pressure (Bilevel PAP, BiPAP, or BPAP) machines and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines due…

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Editor's Note White House officials said on Wednesday, September 7, that despite worsening racial disparities in reported monkeypox cases, they are optimistic about the decline in cases and the increase in vaccinations. Dr Demetre Daskalakis, deputy coordinator of the White House national monkeypox response, said vaccination will be offered in…

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Editor's Note On Tuesday, White House officials said COVID-19 vaccinations will likely become an annual affair, similar to flu shots, NBC News September 6 reports. "In the absence of a dramatically different variants, we likely are moving towards a path with a vaccination cadence similar to that of the annual…

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Editor's Note CVS Health announced on Monday, September 5, that it entered into a definitive agreement with Signify Health, under which CVS will acquire Signify Health for approximately $8 billion (at $30.50 per share). The news comes on the heels of Amazon’s announcement on July 21 that it plans to…

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