Latest news with #CélineGounder
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
HIV prevention drugs are effective, but many who need them are left out
Despite highly effective HIV prevention drugs on the market, only a fraction of those at risk in the U.S. are taking them — or even know they're an option. It's called pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, and it is about 99% effective to prevent HIV infection through sexual contact when taken as prescribed. But only about one-third of the 1.2 million Americans who could benefit from the medication are taking it, according to an estimate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. LaTonia Wilkins told CBS News she never knew PrEP was for people like her, even after she had an HIV scare. "I was dating a guy, and while we were dating, he found out that he was living with HIV," she said, adding that no one talked to her about the medication when she went to get tested. "At the time, I never even heard of PrEP," she said. She didn't start taking it until years later. "I thought PrEP was for gay men or trans women. I didn't know I could take PrEP." Who's at risk for HIV? More than 30,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with HIV — the virus that causes AIDS — every year in the U.S., according to the CDC, and a total of about 1.2 million are living with the infection. And it is not just a problem for any single community — almost a quarter of those infected get it through intimate heterosexual contact, the health agency estimates. Dr. Céline Gounder, a CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, says those considered to be at risk for HIV and who may want to get on PrEP include: People who are having unprotected sex AND who have a partner who has HIV;OR who have multiple sexual partners who have not been tested for HIV;OR who have had an STD in the last six among HIV prevention CDC data also shows a stunning disparity among people considered at risk for HIV. While 94% of White people who doctors say could benefit from it are now on PrEP, less than 13% of Black people and 24% of Hispanic/Latino people who could benefit are receiving it, and less than 15% of women at risk are getting the drug. Dázon Dixon Diallo founded a women's health advocacy group in Atlanta some 40 years ago because she saw Black women were being left behind in the fight against HIV. "I started Sister Love out of anger. Out of anger and frustration that nothing was happening," she told CBS News. Dixon Diallo and her team also stressed the need to normalize conversations about sex and HIV. "We want to acknowledge that people have sex, and that just like anything else that we engage in, there are risks," she says. PrEP prices and accessibility issues The cost of the PrEP medication, clinic visit and lab tests averages more than $5,000 a year, Gounder says. This creates accessibility challenges for people like Wilkins. "If my insurance provider decides, I don't want to cover this anymore, I really don't know what I would do because PrEP costs more than my rent right now," she says. "I have a lot of anxiety about that." A federal appeals court case could also limit insurance for PrEP, with some employers arguing they shouldn't have to pay for drugs that "facilitate behaviors ... contrary to" the employer's "sincere religious beliefs." "This federal court case could end insurance coverage or not require employers to provide insurance coverage for this. You also have Gilead — that's a company that makes these combination pills for PrEP — they're looking to narrow their patient assistance program by the end of 2024. And then on top of that, you have congressional Republicans who have proposed really deep cuts to funding for the CDC's HIV prevention program," Gounder explained on "CBS Mornings." What shocked "Matlock" star Kathy Bates? A new you: The science of redesigning your personality "Somebody Somewhere" star Bridget Everett Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Doctors fear ICE agents in health facilities deter people from seeking care
As the Trump administration continues its push to undocumented immigrants, doctors are hearing that some patients are avoiding getting the health care they need over fears that Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids could take place in medical settings. Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, told "CBS Mornings Plus" on Tuesday that she has not seen any official ICE raids in hospitals, but that ICE agents have been seen in hospitals as well as other health care facilities. That's because detention standards require that ICE detainees be provided medical services, including initial medical and dental screenings, as well as emergency care. "They are often bringing in people that they've detained for medical clearance," said Gounder, who is also a practicing internist and infectious disease expert in New York City. "We see this often with law enforcement. But it is creating an atmosphere of fear. And my colleagues and I have had numerous patients tell us that they hesitated or waited too long to come in for health care." And delays in care matter, Gounder added. Delayed care for a heart attack or stroke, for example, can lead to more loss of heart or brain tissue. Gounder also heard from an emergency medicine physician in Los Angeles who has seen the impact of ICE agents appearing in hospital settings. The agents are arriving with ski masks and looking intimidating to the general patient, affecting the overall health of the community because it's creating an atmosphere of fear instead of of wellness, according to the doctor. The doctor also alleged agents have committed ethics violations, including not showing their identification, not allowing patient privacy during interviews and examinations, preventing doctors from contacting family for necessary medical information and preventing family from visiting. "These are really standard things," Gounder said. "Every patient should have the right to these kinds of provisions for good health care." "If you're a law enforcement official coming into a hospital or health care facility, you need to be identifying yourself as such, you need to be showing your badge or your ID," Gounder said, adding that those who want to enter private patient areas "also need to be showing a judicial warrant." Federal legal standards and privacy protections, including HIPAA and the 4th Amendment to the Constitution, bar unreasonable searches and seizures, including in non-public hospital areas. CBS News has reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for comment. A lot of health care providers don't know what their rights are, Gounder said, prompting at least some hospitals to offer employees guidance on potential ICE encounters. At Bellevue Hospital, for example, where Gounder works, staff were recently given sample prompts for interacting with non-local law enforcement, including ICE agents. The hospital told staff, in part: "We do not require a patient's immigration status to provide care, and we do not share medical or personal information about our patients unless required by law." The presence of ICE agents is not just a concern for physical health, but also mental health. "Think about who has come here as an immigrant, many of them have faced real trauma in their home countries," Gounder said. "So this, what feels like militarization of an emergency room, can be very re-traumatizing and cause some very relevant health impacts." Sneak peek: Who Killed Aileen Seiden in Room 15? Everything we know so far about the deadly Texas floods Search continues for dozens after Texas floods, at least 79 dead with more severe weather expected
CBS News
08-07-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Doctors fear ICE agents in health facilities are deterring people from seeking care
As the Trump administration continues its push to undocumented immigrants, doctors are hearing that some patients are avoiding getting the health care they need over fears that Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids could take place in medical settings. Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, told "CBS Mornings Plus" on Tuesday that she has not seen any official ICE raids in hospitals, but that ICE agents have been seen in hospitals as well as other health care facilities. That's because detention standards require that ICE detainees be provided medical services, including initial medical and dental screenings, as well as emergency care. "They are often bringing in people that they've detained for medical clearance," said Gounder, who is also a practicing internist and infectious disease expert in New York City. "We see this often with law enforcement. But it is creating an atmosphere of fear. And my colleagues and I have had numerous patients tell us that they hesitated or waited too long to come in for health care." And delays in care matter, Gounder added. Delayed care for a heart attack or stroke, for example, can lead to more loss of heart or brain tissue. Gounder also heard from an emergency medicine physician in Los Angeles who has seen the impact of ICE agents appearing in hospital settings. The agents are arriving with ski masks and looking intimidating to the general patient, affecting the overall health of the community because it's creating an atmosphere of fear instead of of wellness, according to the doctor. The doctor also alleged agents have committed ethics violations, including not showing their identification, not allowing patient privacy during interviews and examinations, preventing doctors from contacting family for necessary medical information and preventing family from visiting. "These are really standard things," Gounder said. "Every patient should have the right to these kinds of provisions for good health care." "If you're a law enforcement official coming into a hospital or health care facility, you need to be identifying yourself as such, you need to be showing your badge or your ID," Gounder said, adding that those who want to enter private patient areas "also need to be showing a judicial warrant." Federal legal standards and privacy protections, including HIPAA and the 4th Amendment to the Constitution, bar unreasonable searches and seizures, including in non-public hospital areas. CBS News has reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for comment. A lot of health care providers don't know what their rights are, Gounder said, prompting at least some hospitals to offer employees guidance on potential ICE encounters. At Bellevue Hospital, for example, where Gounder works, staff were recently given sample prompts for interacting with non-local law enforcement, including ICE agents. The hospital told staff, in part: "We do not require a patient's immigration status to provide care, and we do not share medical or personal information about our patients unless required by law." The presence of ICE agents is not just a concern for physical health, but also mental health. "Think about who has come here as an immigrant, many of them have faced real trauma in their home countries," Gounder said. "So this, what feels like militarization of an emergency room, can be very re-traumatizing and cause some very relevant health impacts."
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Certain type of hormone therapy increases breast cancer risk, study finds
Women using a certain type of hormone therapy to treat menopause symptoms could be at higher risk for breast cancer, according to a new study. The study, published Tuesday in The Lancet Oncology, found that estrogen plus progesterone increases the risk of breast cancer in women under 55 with a uterus, while estrogen alone reduces the risk. Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, told "CBS Mornings" Wednesday the study participants, all under age 55, were divided into two groups — women who still have their uterus and those who do not, since they require different types of treatment. A hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus, which may be done for a number of reasons, including abnormal vaginal bleeding, severe pelvic pain, uterine fibroids, severe endometriosis and certain types of cancer. Approximately 600,000 females get hysterectomies in the U.S. each year, according to the Cleveland Clinic. "For the women who do still have a uterus, you have to give estrogen plus progesterone together. Estrogen alone will cause a thickening of the uterine lining, which can cause a different kind of cancer, what we call endometrial cancer. So you have to give the combination," Gounder said. "In women who no longer have a uterus, you can give estrogen alone." And the difference in treatment mattered. "What they found is estrogen alone reduced the risk of breast cancer," she said. "There seems to be a slight increase in risk in breast cancer if you also took progesterone." This research is a "great example of (how) science evolves," Gounder added. It comes after an early 2000s study called the Women's Health Initiative that focused on older women who may not have started hormone replacement therapy until 10 or so years after going through menopause. The study, which raised safety concerns and led to a longtime public misunderstanding around hormone therapy, has since been found problematic in terms of how it was designed. Now healthcare professionals largely consider the treatment option safe and effective. "The newer research is focused on what actually happens in real life, which is women who go through menopause in their 40s or 50s, (and) start treatment around that age," Gounder said. As with most medications, hormone replacement therapy comes with certain risks for some people. The Mayo Clinic notes it can lead to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, blood clots and some cancers. In other cases, however, it can help reduce risk of cancer, prevent bone loss and reduce menopausal symptoms like hot flashes. As the latest study shows, timing and type of hormone therapy can be crucial to potential outcomes, making it important that people consult their doctor and consider family history and other factors when considering treatment options. Gounder said hormone replacement therapy is the most effective treatment for a lot of perimenopausal symptoms, and added, "You really need to sit down and talk to your doctor (to determine) what is the appropriate thing for you." Extended interview: Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi speaks to CBS News after U.S. strikes Details from inside the courtroom as Sean "Diddy" Combs jury announced verdict Split verdict in Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking and racketeering trial | Special Report
CBS News
02-07-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Certain type of hormone therapy increases breast cancer risk, study finds
Women using a certain type of hormone therapy to treat menopause symptoms could be at higher risk for breast cancer, according to a new study. The study, published Tuesday in The Lancet Oncology, found that estrogen plus progesterone increases the risk of breast cancer in women under 55 with a uterus, while estrogen alone reduces the risk. Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, told "CBS Mornings" Wednesday the study participants, all under age 55, were divided into two groups — women who still have their uterus and those who do not, since they require different types of treatment. A hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus, which may be done for a number of reasons, including abnormal vaginal bleeding, severe pelvic pain, uterine fibroids, severe endometriosis and certain types of cancer. Approximately 600,000 females get hysterectomies in the U.S. each year, according to the Cleveland Clinic. "For the women who do still have a uterus, you have to give estrogen plus progesterone together. Estrogen alone will cause a thickening of the uterine lining, which can cause a different kind of cancer, what we call endometrial cancer. So you have to give the combination," Gounder said. "In women who no longer have a uterus, you can give estrogen alone." And the difference in treatment mattered. "What they found is estrogen alone reduced the risk of breast cancer," she said. "There seems to be a slight increase in risk in breast cancer if you also took progesterone." This research is a "great example of (how) science evolves," Gounder added. It comes after an early 2000s study called the Women's Health Initiative that focused on older women who may not have started hormone replacement therapy until 10 or so years after going through menopause. The study, which raised safety concerns and led to a longtime public misunderstanding around hormone therapy, has since been found problematic in terms of how it was designed. Now healthcare professionals largely consider the treatment option safe and effective. "The newer research is focused on what actually happens in real life, which is women who go through menopause in their 40s or 50s, (and) start treatment around that age," Gounder said. As with most medications, hormone replacement therapy comes with certain risks for some people. The Mayo Clinic notes it can lead to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, blood clots and some cancers. In other cases, however, it can help reduce risk of cancer, prevent bone loss and reduce menopausal symptoms like hot flashes. As the latest study shows, timing and type of hormone therapy can be crucial to potential outcomes, making it important that people consult their doctor and consider family history and other factors when considering treatment options. Gounder said hormone replacement therapy is the most effective treatment for a lot of perimenopausal symptoms, and added, "You really need to sit down and talk to your doctor (to determine) what is the appropriate thing for you."
