Right now, according to public health officials, about half a million U.S. kids have blood lead levels that could harm their health. However, new research finds many more children — hundreds of thousands more — are likely going unidentified.
Injury Control & Violence
Nation’s largest wireless infrastructure provider linked to two worker deaths in eight days
In an eight-day period, two workers lost their lives at communication towers. Their deaths reminded me of the grave hazards in the industry and the subcontracting model that can shield firms from responsibility for the hazards they create.
Investigation reveals how Case Farms poultry plants exploit immigrant workers; Chinese workers who make Ivanka Trump’s clothing line are overworked and underpaid; California lawmakers consider bill to protect salon workers from harmful chemicals; and Trump’s budget would slash funds for combating child and forced labor overseas.
Government
Study: Training parents as immunization advocates a promising approach to vaccine hesitancy
Protecting babies and children against dangerous — sometimes fatal — diseases is a core mission of public health. Everyday, in health departments across the nation, someone is working on maintaining and improving childhood vaccination rates and keeping diseases like measles and mumps from regaining a foothold in the U.S.
House Republicans are trying again to undo the Affordable Care Act, this time by letting states opt out of some of the law’s most popular provisions.
National COSH’s “Dirty Dozen” report profiles 12 employers with horrific safety and labor practices. Of all the fine content in the report two short lines will be sticking with me this Worker Memorial Day.
Food Safety & Nutrition
Demonstration at Perdue chicken plant, Tyson Foods says its sustainability goals will integrate worker safety
Worker advocates and consumers continue to pressure poultry companies to improve conditions for their employees. Perdue accepted petitions from 100,000 consumers while Tyson Foods made promises to increase wages and reduce injuries.
Affordable Care Act
Study: Kids with chronic health problems will face greater financial burdens if forced out of CHIP
More than 8 million U.S. children depend on the Children’s Health Insurance Program for access to timely medical care. The program is authorized through 2019, but its federal funding expires in September and it’s unclear what Congress will do.
Legislation in response to a BuzzFeed News investigation into the Baltimore County Police Department’s failure to appropriately investigate many rape cases clarifies that in Maryland, no means no.
Affordable Care Act
The ACA marketplace is beginning to stabilize. But it can’t withstand federal sabotage.
There was always an assumption that the Affordable Care Act would need time to find its sea legs. That’s why it included measures to shield insurers from the potential profit losses that inherently come with offering millions more people better health coverage at more reasonable prices. Insurers operate on profit margins and the ACA took that into account, for better or for worse.