It’s time for federal lawmakers to catch up with the quickly changing relationship between employers and workers; an upcoming Supreme Court case could upend public-sector unions; New York farmworker loses court case to gain organizing rights, but vows to appeal; and the country’s biggest janitorial company faces new allegations of sexual abuse in the workplace.
The current Congress allowed health centers’ funding to expire on September 30th, leaving many CHCs scrambling to cover their costs and keep providing services to a patient population that includes veterans and CHIP enrollees.
Children's Health
Study finds big differences in infant mortality within Texas cities and between its ZIP codes
As a state, Texas’ infant mortality rate is below the national average, at 5.7 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. But within the state, some communities experience much higher rates, with stark differences between ZIP codes sitting only a few miles apart.
Public health historians Gerald Markowitz and David Rosner have amassed millions of pages of chemical-industry documents. Most were obtained by attorneys through the discovery process. They revealed tactics used by corporate interests to obstruct public health protections. What had been stored in cardboard boxes are now available on-line for researchers, journalists, environmental justice advocates, and you, too.
Yolanda Baron Carmona, 52, and Maria Rodriguez, 46, are celebrating a victory for themselves and all of California’s hotel housekeepers. Soon the state will require lodging establishments to identify and address hazards that put housekeepers at risk of back injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders.
A new analysis from the Union of Concerned Scientists examines the functions of federal science advisory committees over the past year and reports “an unprecedented level of stalled and disbanded scientific advisory committees, cancelled meetings, and dismissed experts” – with profound consequences for our safety and health.
USDA has proposed a scheme to allow pork producers to run their slaughtering lines as fast as they want in exchange for conducting their own inspections. Worker safety and consumer protection will suffer.
Affordable Care Act
After years of steady progress, America’s uninsured rate begins climbing back up
Despite constant undermining from the Trump administration, nearly 8.8 million Americans got covered during the last open enrollment period on HealthCare.gov. That’s nearly as high as the previous enrollment period, and a testament to people’s desire for health coverage. Still, it seems the administration’s actions didn’t go without impact.
President Trump’s despicable comments about immigrants got me thinking about the challenge of conducting research with farmworkers about working conditions. Many are unauthorized or have guestworker visas and likely reluctant to participate.
Two new papers describe the relationship between heat strain, dehydration, and acute kidney injury among U.S. farmworkers. The research describes a current health hazard that will only get worse with heat waves and the changing climate.