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Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
All the ways that RFK Jr.'s health department cuts might kill you
I'm old enough to remember a time when the federal government, by way of the Department of Health and Human Services, worked hard to keep as many Americans alive for as long as possible. But that was way back in … 2024. The plan now seems to involve thinning the herd. Donald Trump and the conspiracy-spreading anti-vaxxer running HHS, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are working to eliminate 20,000 jobs from the department. Roughly 25%. And they are blindly eliminating all manner of health-related programs. In Arizona, for example, officials were told that $190 million in grants to more than 200 organizations have been terminated. The move will impact all of Arizona's 15 county health departments, several tribal health departments and university partners, and prevent us from completing a project to update the statewide real-time disease surveillance system. Will Humble, executive director for the Arizona Public Health Association, said of the cuts, 'In short, the termination of these grants marks a big blow to Arizona's public health system. 'With vital programs cut and surveillance tools stalled, the state will be ill-equipped to face future health crises. These changes are not just a setback — they are a direct threat to public health and well-being in Arizona.' It's like that all across the country. The cuts aren't being made carefully and with precision. Directors often didn't know about layoffs or closings until staffers told them about termination notices they had received. Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, longtime head of the American Public Health Association, said, 'Losing people, losing money, making relationships dysfunctional is not going to improve the health of the American people. Wrong diagnosis, wrong therapy.' Wayne A. I. Frederick, interim CEO of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said the massive cuts would 'touch all points of the cancer continuum, from prevention to research, to treatment access and survivorship care, and could disrupt our nation's ability to develop early detection tests and treatments for the more than 200 diseases we know as cancer.' Former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said, 'This has the makings of a manmade disaster. Opinion: Exposing DOGE's dodgy plan to cut Social Security 'Downgrading services for our elderly and our disabled, downgrading services for our mental health, downgrading our strategic preparedness and response capabilities — how can that be good for the health of any American?' On the other hand, the drastic cuts to might be a twofer for the Trump administration. Not only do they radically reduce Health and Human Services spending, but they add to the reductions already being made to the Social Security Administration's budget. Imagine the money saved when there are fewer people alive to collect Social Security benefits. Reach Montini at Like this column? Get more opinions straight into your email inbox by signing up for our free opinions newsletter, which publishes Monday through Friday. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kennedy's HHS restructuring plan will kill Arizonans | Opinion
Axios
05-03-2025
- Health
- Axios
Low vaccination rates a warning sign for measles in Arizona
Arizona hasn't had a reported measles case so far this year, but red flags are leading some experts to worry we could see an outbreak like the one in Texas. Why it matters: Some Arizona counties have lower measles vaccination rates than in west Texas, where the outbreak has infected at least 159 people since it was first reported in early February and has killed one child. What they're saying: There are "places here where it could spin out of control, just like it has in Texas. The conditions are right here for that to happen in some parts of the state," Arizona Public Health Association executive director Will Humble told Axios. State of play: A vaccination rate above 95% is needed to prevent measles from spreading, according to the National Institutes of Health. Four Arizona counties had lower kindergarten immunization rates for the 2023-24 school year than Gaines County, Texas, the epicenter of the Texas outbreak. Gaines County's vaccination rate is 82%, which is higher than Gila (79.9), Mohave (76), Navajo (79.7) and Yavapai (75.2) counties, per the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS). Statewide, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 89.3% of kindergartners last school year had received two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, lower than the national rate of 92.7%. Zoom in: Measles is highly contagious, and "all it takes is a spark," Humble said. Outbreaks are often driven by tight-knit pockets of unvaccinated people, Megan Jehn, an epidemiologist and professor at ASU's School of Human Evolution and Social Change, told Axios. The Arizona Republic reported last year that Arizona has seen an increase in students skipping the measles vaccine under the state's "personal belief" exemption. Between the lines: The MMR vaccine is about 97% effective against measles, Jehn said. Humble emphasized you can be vaccinated and still get measles if you go somewhere where the disease is rampant. Yes, but: Even when Arizona sees measles infections, they're generally isolated cases and not part of an outbreak, said Dr. Joel Terriquez, medical director at ADHS. Arizona had five cases last year, all unrelated, he said. Most of the cases Arizona sees are "travel cases," Humble said, and there isn't a lot of traffic between here and the Lubbock, Texas area, where the outbreak is centered. Threat level: Though measles is a minor illness for most, it can pose a risk for serious complications or even death, especially for children under 5. That includes acute encephalitis, which is brain inflammation that can lead to permanent brain damage. Other potential complications include blindness, ear infections, diarrhea and pneumonia. An estimated one to three children out of 1,000 who become infected with measles will die, according to the CDC. Zoom out: Measles cases have also been reported this year in an area of New Mexico near the Texas outbreak epicenter, as well as in Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. The bottom line: The best way to protect yourself against measles is vaccination, the CDC says. There is no specific treatment other than managing symptoms and preventing complications.
USA Today
12-02-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Arizona refuses to deal with the biggest killer of its teens
Arizona refuses to deal with the biggest killer of its teens | Opinion Republicans would rather introduce bills tormenting transgender students to appease Donald Trump than fix the increase in teenage gun deaths. Show Caption Hide Caption Gun purchase waiting periods and other laws reduce youth gun deaths Certain gun laws, including safe storage and mandatory waiting periods, reduce firearm-related suicides among youth. Firearms were the leading cause of death for Arizona teenagers in 2023. Arizona does not have a law requiring safe storage of firearms. Polls show that most Americans support stricter gun laws, but GOP lawmakers don't care. Late last year, before the Legislature's current session, a report came out listing the leading cause of preventable death among Arizona teenagers, an unnecessary tragedy lawmakers could have made a priority. But, because Republicans control the Legislature, and because Donald Trump is president, they ignore the problem. And kids die. The annual Arizona Child Fatality Review report found that firearms were the leading cause of deaths among young people between 15 and 17, and the second-most preventable deaths among all children, behind car crashes. Sixty-eight Arizona kids died by firearms in 2023, adding to what has been a 170% increase over the past 10 years. Instead of dealing with that sad fact, we get attacks on transgender school kids, both in the Arizona Legislature and from Trump. What kills the most kids gets the least attention It is a cold, simple strategy of putting politics over lives. Diversity, equity and inclusion programs are not killing Arizona kids. Guns are. Taxes on tips don't kill young people, bullets do. But lawmakers here fixate over whether there should be an exemption for tips, and for how much, rather than Arizona's childhood gun deaths. Some Republicans want to make it illegal for panhandlers to solicit on road medians rather than work to keep weapons out of the hands of young people. One GOP state senator wants to make it illegal for public universities and colleges to prohibit concealed carry weapons on campus. Safe-storage laws save lives. Arizona lacks one An article published by the Arizona Public Health Association noted an expansive RAND Corporation report that said, 'CAP (Child Access Prevention) laws, or safe-storage laws, reduce self-inflicted fatal or nonfatal firearm injuries, unintentional firearm injuries and deaths, and firearm homicides among youth.' As Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association, has pointed out, 'One of the characteristics of an older teen is their brains are still forming. They can be really impetuous and not think things through.' Opinion: Gun-friendly lawmaker makes case for gun control Arizona, unlike many other states, does not have a law requiring an owner to secure an unattended firearm. If anything, the Republicans who control the Legislature continually work to make firearms even more accessible. Americans want better gun laws, polls show Again, like Trump, who has issued an executive order seeking to eliminate some of the minor commonsense regulations made during President Joe Biden's term. Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, founder of the national gun violence prevention organization GIFFORDS, issued a statement after Trump's order, saying in part, 'Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children and teens in America — we cannot make it easier for guns to fall into dangerous hands … . The safety of our families, our children, our schools, and our communities is not a partisan issue.' Polls consistently show that roughly 60% of Americans favor stricter gun laws. Republicans here are more fixated on bills about the bathrooms in our schools, however, not noticing (or caring) that because of gun violence, fewer kids are in attendance. Reach Montini at For more opinions content, please subscribe.
