Category: Health

MIL-OSI United Nations: 20 May 2025 Departmental update African health leaders and global partners unite to confront rising threat of antimalarial drug resistance

Source: World Health Organisation

Health leaders from malaria-endemic African countries and global partners called today for intensified action to counter antimalarial drug resistance – a growing challenge that threatens to undermine hard-won progress against one of Africa’s deadliest diseases.

Meeting on the margins of the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly, the high-level gathering turned a spotlight on the urgent need for coordinated action to contain the spread of resistance to frontline malaria medicines.

“Antimalarial drug resistance is a threat to every community on this continent, noted Dr Sabin Nsanzimana, Minister of Health of Rwanda. “It demands a shared response, rooted in science, solidarity and speed.”

Led by the Government of Rwanda, the side event brought together a powerful coalition of co-hosts, including Eritrea, Ethiopia, Namibia, South Sudan, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia. Supporting partners included World Health Organization (WHO), Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), the RBM Partnership to End Malaria and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

A race against time to preserve life-saving malaria treatments

Containing antimalarial drug resistance is a critical public health priority – particularly in the African Region, which shoulders 95% of the global malaria burden. According to WHO’s latest World malaria report, 4 East African countries – Eritrea, Rwanda, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania – have confirmed the presence of partial resistance to artemisinin, the core compound of the most effective treatments for P. falciparum malaria. Resistance is also suspected in other countries, including Ethiopia, Namibia, Sudan and Zambia.

Drug resistance has been driven by several factors, such as the use of substandard or counterfeit medicines and treatment regimens that are not followed to completion. Protecting the efficacy of artemisinin-based antimalarial drugs is now a race against time. With heavy dependence on artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) in Africa, full-blown treatment failure could have very serious consequences.

In 2022, WHO released a dedicated strategy to confront antimalarial drug resistance in Africa. It reinforces the critical need for close collaboration with National Malaria Programmes, research institutions, and other partners to map the presence of antimalarial drug resistance, monitor drug efficacy and ensure patient access to effective treatments.

“Drug resistance is a growing threat that demands urgent, collective action,” said Dr Daniel Ngamije, Director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme. “We must act decisively and in solidarity to preserve the tools we have and to ensure access to effective – treatments for all in need.”

Urgent need to diversify malaria treatment options

In most malaria-endemic countries in Africa, artemether-lumefantrine (AL) accounts for more than 80% of the malaria treatment market in the public sector. To protect efficacy of AL and other artemisinin-based therapies, WHO has called for diversification of currently used ACTs (see box below). One approach is the use of multiple first-line therapies, which could reduce drug pressure and delay resistance. Next-generation therapies may include triple ACT combinations or non-artemisinin-based drugs.

However, some alternative ACTs with favorable safety and efficacy profiles are more expensive than AL, placing them out of reach for many endemic countries. Innovation must not only deliver next-generation treatments but also ensure they are accessible and affordable.

“Innovation is critical in the fight against drug resistance,” said Dr Martin Fitchet, CEO of MMV. “With our partners, we’re developing next-generation antimalarials that could reach patients by 2027 – while acting now to preserve the power of today’s treatments. Both are vital to outpace resistance and keep saving lives.”

Together with countries and other partners, global funders are working to expand access to alternative treatments and bolster efforts to detect and mitigate resistance. In a joint donor statement issued in September 2024, the Gates Foundation, the Global Fund, UNITAID and the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative noted that time is of the essence:

“It’s all too easy with a sweeping problem like resistance to only wake up to the scale of it too late,” notes Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund and a panelist in today’s discussion.

WHO-recommended artemisinin-based combination therapies

ACTs combine an artemisinin derivative (artesunate, artemether or dihydroartemisinin) with a partner drug. The role of the artemisinin compound is to reduce the number of parasites during the first 3 days of treatment, while the role of the partner drug is to eliminate the remaining parasites and cure the infection. WHO currently recommends 6 ACTs as first and second-line treatment for uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria:

● artemether-lumefantrine (AL)
● artesunate-amodiaquine (AS-AQ)
● artesunate-mefloquine (AS-MQ)
● artesunate-pyronaridine (AS-PY)
● artesunate+sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (AS+SP)
● dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHA-PPQ)

Momentum builds for national action on antimalarial drug resistance

Panelists in today’s discussion echoed the commitments of the 2024 Yaoundé Declaration for strong leadership in malaria-endemic countries, greater regional collaboration and sustained support from global partners. These actions will not only help to accelerate reductions in malaria mortality, but also contribute towards curbing drug resistance.

Many speakers recognized the urgent need for robust surveillance systems and timely sharing of data on drug-resistant malaria. As Professor Dyann Wirth, Chair of the WHO Malaria Advisory Policy Group, noted:

“Data needs to be shared in a timely way so that researchers share it with policymakers – and then policymakers are able to use that data to make decisions.”

Health leaders also called for more predictable, sustainable financing to close critical gaps in health services and surveillance – including through increased domestic resource mobilization and continued support from international partners.

Stepping up collective action, aligned with country priorities

To bolster country-driven efforts, coordinated support from global partners is vital. The “Big Push” initiative is bringing together governments, communities and other partners in a shared effort to revitalize malaria control.

“The Big Push represents a new era of partnership – one that is country-driven and community-led,” said Dr Michael Charles, CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria.

The Big Push calls for a clear accountability mechanism and increased investment in malaria responses. It further highlights the critical role of data-driven decision-making, resilient primary health care systems and meaningful community engagement.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

May 21, 2025

MIL-OSI United Nations: 20 May 2025 Note for Media Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly – Daily update: 20 May 2025
Source: World Health Organisation

World Health Assembly adopts historic Pandemic Agreement to make the world more equitable and safer from future pandemics
- Agreement’s adoption follows three years of intensive negotiation launched due to gaps and inequities identified in national and global COVID-19 response.
- Agreement boosts global collaboration to ensure stronger, more equitable response to future pandemics.
- Next steps include negotiations on Pathogen Access and Benefits Sharing system.
Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) today formally adopted by consensus the world’s first Pandemic Agreement. The landmark decision by the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly culminates more than three years of intensive negotiations launched by governments in response to the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and driven by the goal of making the world safer from – and more equitable in response to – future pandemics.

Related documents

A78/10 Add.1, Outcome of informal consultations of Member States, Draft resolution on the WHO Pandemic Agreement

World Health Assembly commits to historic 20% increase in Assessed Contributions (membership fees), approves WHO’s Base Programme Budget for 2026–2027 of US $4.2 billion

Delegates at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly (WHA78) approved the base programme budget of US$ 4.2 billion for 2026–2027, the first to be fully developed based on the Fourteenth General Programme of Work, 2025–2028 (GPW 14), the global health strategy for the next four years. GPW 14 prioritizes advancing health equity and strengthening health systems resilience.

The budget presented to WHA78 committee A was decreased from the initial US$ 5.3 billion presented to the executive board in February given the challenging financial context. While decreasing some regional budgets and headquarters budgets, Member States agreed to try to preserve country level budgets to the extent possible. The budget will allocate resources to enhance technical cooperation, foster partnerships and support the achievement of national and global health targets. The proposed programme budget 2026–2027 also reaffirms the indispensable role of multilateralism in addressing today’s complex and interconnected health challenges.

Member States also approved the gradual second 20% increase of the assessed contributions (AC), or membership fees which had been previously adopted by the Member State Working Group on sustainable financing. This ensures that WHO funding is not only predictable, but also resilient and flexible, which is critical given the rapidly changing financial landscape.

Member States also had the opportunity to review the implementation of governance reform. In a time of geopolitical tension and rising inequalities, WHO remains a vital platform for cooperation, solidarity and coordination in global health

World leaders pledged significant contributions to the WHO Investment Round at a high-level pledging event Tuesday evening, another key step in WHO’s journey to sustainable financing.

Related documents

A78/6, Proposed programme budget 2026–2027 (Corrigendum 1) (Add.1)

A78/37, Report of the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee of the
Executive Board to the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly

A78/INF./8, General Programme of Work, 2025–2028: baselines and
targets for outcome and output indicators

A78/4, Consolidated report by the Director-General

A78/5, Governance reform (Add.1)

A78/39, Governance reform, Process of handling and investigating potential allegations against WHO Directors-General

High Level Segment and Director-General Awards

During the high-level segment, delegates heard from H.E. João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President of Angola and Chairperson of the African Union; H.E. Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia; and H.E. Liu Guozhong, Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China. Video statements were made by a number of world leaders across the globe.

Egyptian opera singer Farrah El-Dibany and Soprano singers Elaine Vidal and Eunice Miller of the Philippines performed at the Health Assembly on Tuesday morning.

The Director-General also presented Global Health Leader’s awards to Professor Sir Brian Greenwood and Professor Awa Marie Coll Seck for their pivotal work in malaria control and beyond.

The Assembly started on Monday 19 May 2025 under the theme “One World for Health”.

The election of officials took place on Monday morning. Dr Teodoro Herbosa of the Philippines became the President of the Health Assembly. The elected Vice-Presidents are Dr Jalila bint Al Sayyed Jawad Hassan of Bahrain, Dr Sayedur Rahman of Bangladesh, Mr Jaime Hernán Urrego Rodríguez of Colombia, Dr Judit Bidlo of Hungary and Dr Louise Mapleh Kpoto Liberia.

H.E. Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, Federal Councilor of the Swiss Confederation, addressed the Health Assembly on behalf of the host country.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, WHO Director-General, delivered his report to the Assembly.

MIL OSI United Nations News –
May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: CWA Blasts Treasury Report on SHBP, Slams Gross Mismanagement by the State and Efforts To Take Away Healthcare from Working People

Source: Communications Workers of America

TRENTON, N.J. ‒ The Communications Workers of America (CWA) union strongly rejects the New Jersey Department of Treasury’s attempt to wash its hands of the deepening crisis in the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP), threatening healthcare for hundreds of thousands of public sector workers.

In a newly released report, the Treasury Department declares that the SHBP has reached a breaking point, becoming unsalvageable due to shrinking enrollment, governance concerns, and increasing costs. While CWA agrees the SHBP needs massive overhaul, the report is nothing more than a deflection of blame by the very entity that has mismanaged the system for over a decade and a refusal to address the real drivers of increasing costs and long-term instability: profit-driven healthcare.

“Let’s be clear: the SHBP is in serious trouble, and immediate, bold reforms are necessary,” said Dennis G. Trainor, Vice President of CWA District 1. “Treasury’s answer to this crisis is to scapegoat public sector workers—the very people who keep our communities running—instead of taking on the powerful corporate interests that are bleeding the system dry and overcharging taxpayers by millions of dollars every year.”

CWA has repeatedly pushed back against the administration’s attempt to shift costs onto workers and reduce the quality of care. Just last year, CWA and other public worker unions gave the Administration nine proposals that could have saved well over $200 million. The State rejected all of them and continued to prioritize the price hikes set by insurance companies.

CWA has fought for common-sense cost control and solutions like claims auditing, enforcing existing contracts with insurance carriers, and fair pricing that would rein in the costs of care overall, generating enormous savings for the State, local governments, and workers. Instead, Treasury has sidelined labor voices, shut down opportunities for meaningful reform, and allowed hospital CEOs to pad their margins at the expense of public workers and local governments.

CWA is calling on State leadership to reject false narratives and embrace real solutions that rebuild a health benefits system that delivers on its original promise: high-quality, affordable care where the State uses its size and bargaining power to set prices and control costs.

Public sector unions, including CWA, AFSCME NJ, the NJ AFL-CIO, AAUP-AFT, AFT New Jersey, The Council of New Jersey State Colleges, URA-AFT, HPAE, IFPTE Local 195, IFPTE Local 194, IFPTE Local 196, and IFPTE Local 196-12 are calling on the State legislature to pass a comprehensive healthcare reform bill that will address affordability and rapidly rising costs, and increase governance and transparency in the State health plan.

“Our members didn’t create this mess—but we’re the ones being asked to pay for it,” Trainor added. “Based on the poor track record of mismanagement by the State, it’s not surprising that this report sides with the insurance carriers and hospitals charging unsustainable prices rather than the workers and local governments paying the bills. We need bold leadership and serious partnership to fix the SHBP. That starts with honesty, accountability, and a seat at the table for the workers who have the most at stake.”

Since 2022, healthcare premiums for State workers have increased by 40%, while local government workers have seen a 59% compounded increase. The unions representing State and Local government employees say that these drastic increases are untenable for the workers and are a core driver of the affordability crisis facing New Jersey’s public sector working families.

“CWA and other unions continue to offer real solutions, including measures other states have used to negotiate better prices with insurance carriers, control year-over-year increases, and provide high-quality healthcare to thousands of working families,” said Rebecca Miller, Legislative Director, CWA District 1. There is enormous potential to reduce costs through partnership instead of playing the blame game.”

Controlling costs and making healthcare more affordable for tens of thousands of workers will reduce costs for taxpayers, save State and Local government money, and ensure that New Jerseyans who have dedicated their careers to supporting the State have access to the affordable, high-quality healthcare that they deserve.

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About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

cwa-union.org @cwaunion

MIL OSI USA News –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Biden is getting prostate cancer treatment, but that’s not the best choice for all men − a cancer researcher describes how she helped her father decide

Source: The Conversation – USA – By Luisel Ricks-Santi, Senior Associate Vice President Community Health, Education and Training, Old Dominion University; Associate Professor of Pharmacy, University of Florida

Joe Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative had funded hundreds of cancer research projects across the country. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

“Me encontraron càncer en la pròstata,” my father told me. “They found cancer in my prostate.”

As a cancer researcher who knows very well about the high incidence and decreased survival rates of prostate cancer in the Caribbean, I anguished over these words. Even though I study cancer in my day job, I struggled to take in this news. At the time, all I could muster in response was, “What did the doctor say?”

“The urologist wants me to see the radiation oncologist to discuss ‘semillas’ (seeds),” he said. “They are recommending treatment.” Many men, including former President Joe Biden, whose case is advanced, do choose with their doctors to treat prostate cancer.

However, I understood from my work that not undergoing treatment was also an option. In some cases, that is the better choice.

So I took it upon myself to educate my father on his disease and assist him with the life-changing decisions he would need to make. Our journey can give you a preview of what a cancer diagnosis can be like.

Prostate cancer diagnosis

Prostate cancer was not a new topic for my father and me. His battle with his prostate health started over 10 years ago with an initial diagnosis of benign prostate hyperplasia, or BPH.

The prostate gets bigger with age for a number of reasons, including changing hormone levels, infection or inflammation. Two of the most frequent symptoms of BPH are difficulty urinating and a sudden, urgent need to urinate, both of which my father experienced.

Although research suggests that the factors that contribute to BPH similarly contribute to prostate cancer, there is no evidence that an enlarged prostate will necessarily develop into cancer.

Prostate cancer diagnoses have risen in the U.S. in recent years.

Upon my father’s initial BPH diagnosis, I asked about his PSA levels, the amount of prostate-specific antigens in his blood. PSA is a protein that both normal and cancerous prostate cells produce, and elevated amounts are considered red flags for prostate cancer. When combined with a digital rectal exam, a PSA test can allow doctors to more accurately predict a person’s risk of having prostate cancer.

My father said his PSA levels were elevated but that the doctors would begin active surveillance, what he called “watchful waiting,” and monitor his PSA every six months to see if it rose.

After several years of monitoring his PSA, doctors found my father’s PSA level had doubled. He then got a biopsy that indicated he had intermediate-risk prostate cancer.

Cancer risk categorization

After his diagnosis, my father was faced with the decision of how to proceed with treatment. I explained that categorizing how aggressive the cancer is and how far it has spread can help determine the best course of treatment.

Prostate cancer can be grouped into four stages. Stages 1 and 2, when the tumor is still confined to the prostate, are considered early-stage or intermediate risk. Stages 3 and 4, when the tumor has spread beyond the borders of the prostate, are considered more advanced and high risk.

Some patients with early-stage or intermediate-risk prostate cancer undergo additional treatment, including surgery, radiation or radioactive seed implants called brachytherapy. Patients with late-stage prostate cancer typically undergo hormone therapy along with surgery or radiation, or chemotherapy with or without radiation.

Although I was not surprised by my father’s diagnosis, given his advanced age and his battle with prostate disease over the past decade, I still struggled emotionally. I struggled with our conversations about what “curing” his cancer meant and how to explain his treatment options to him. I wanted to ensure he would have the best outcome and could still live his best life.

Our initial inclination was to undergo active surveillance. That meant we would monitor his PSA every six months instead of immediately starting treatment. That is appropriate for patients with early-stage and less aggressive tumors.

Prostate cancer screening problems

My father was leaning on me to help him decide how to proceed. I felt overwhelming anxiety because I did not want to fail him or my family. Even with all my expertise studying cancer genetics and working with cancer patients, I couldn’t help second-guessing our decisions, and I sometimes questioned our decision not to immediately treat his cancer.

Some people diagnosed with prostate cancer don’t immediately start treatment, because many of the tumors found through PSA testing grow so slowly that they are unlikely to be life-threatening. Detecting these slow-growing tumors is considered overdiagnosis, because the cancer ultimately will not harm the patient during their lifetime. Nearly half of all patients with prostate cancer are overdiagnosed, often leading to overtreatment.

Research suggests that many prostate cancer patients undergo unnecessarily aggressive treatments, which are often associated with significant harms, like urinary and bowel incontinence, sexual impotence and, in some cases, death. Several studies in the U.S. have shown that patients with early-stage prostate cancer generally have a good prognosis, and the cancer rarely progresses further. With careful observation, most will never need treatment and can be spared the burdens of unnecessary therapy until there are clear signs of progression.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended personalized PSA-based screening in 2018 to avoid overdiagnosis and overtreatment.

Overdiagnosis and overtreatment of prostate cancer led the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to recommend against PSA-based screening in 2012, with caveats for high-risk groups including African American men and those with a family history of prostate cancer. The recommendation was updated in 2018 to make screening a personal choice after discussion with a clinician.

Those recommendations have resulted in reduced screening and increased prostate cancer diagnoses. Given that Black men are more likely to see the cancer progress to aggressive forms of the disease after initial diagnosis, this may worsen existing health disparities.

Developing tests that better identify patients at risk of dying from prostate cancer can decrease overtreatment. In the meantime, educating patients can help them decide if screening is appropriate for them. For underserved and marginalized communities, community outreach can help improve health literacy and enhance awareness and screening.

When I looked through my father’s stack of medical records, I found a beacon of light that eased my apprehension. His doctor had ordered a genetic test that estimates how aggressive a tumor may be by measuring the activity of specific genes in cancer cells. An increase in gene activity linked to cancer would indicate that it is likely to grow fast and spread.

The test predicted that my father’s risk of dying from the disease in the next five years was less than 5%. Based on these results, we both understood that he had adequate time to make a decision and seek additional guidance.

My father ultimately decided to continue active surveillance and forgo immediate treatment.

Because of disparities in access to screening and treatment, African American men are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer.
FG Trade/E+ via Getty Images

Surviving prostate cancer

I still worry about my father’s diagnosis, because his cancer is at risk for progression. So every six months, I inquire about his PSA levels. His doctors are monitoring his PSA levels as part of his survivorship plan, which is a record of information about his cancer diagnosis, treatment history and potential follow-up tests.

My father’s decision to undergo active surveillance was controversial among our friends and family. Many were under the impression that prostate cancer required immediate treatment. Several shared successful treatment stories, sometimes followed by stories of adverse treatment-related side effects.

To date, my father believes that active surveillance was the best decision for him and understands that this may not be the same for someone else. Talk to your doctor to see what the best options are for you or your loved ones.

This is an updated version of an article originally published on Aug. 8, 2023.

Luisel Ricks-Santi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Biden is getting prostate cancer treatment, but that’s not the best choice for all men − a cancer researcher describes how she helped her father decide – https://theconversation.com/biden-is-getting-prostate-cancer-treatment-but-thats-not-the-best-choice-for-all-men-a-cancer-researcher-describes-how-she-helped-her-father-decide-257071

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Beyer, Fitzpatrick Introduce Barriers to Suicide Act

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), bipartisan leaders on mental health and suicide prevention, today introduced the Barriers to Suicide Act. This legislation would create grants to help state and local governments fund nets and barriers that have been shown to reduce suicide on bridges and other high-risk infrastructure.

“Research has shown that means restriction is one of the most effective strategies for reducing suicides, the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States. Our Barriers to Suicide Act is commonsense, bipartisan legislation that would strengthen America’s response to the epidemic of suicide and save lives,” said Rep. Beyer. “Congress can help state and local governments by stepping up to provide critical funding to build life-saving infrastructure in communities across the country. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and will continue to pursue legislative solutions to prevent suicide, including through my work as co-Chair of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus and its Suicide Prevention Task Force.”

“More than 1,000 lives are lost to suicide on our railways each year. In our community, that crisis recently took three of our own—one to suicide, and two more in a brave attempt to save him. It was a devastating loss that shook us to our core,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick. “We can’t accept tragedy as the cost of inaction—not when solutions exist. That’s why Representative Beyer and I are introducing the Barriers to Suicide Act. As Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Mental Health Task Force, I’m working to equip communities with funding for proven, life-saving barriers at rail stations and other high-risk sites. We can’t bring back those we lost—but we can act in their memory, and we can save lives with the tools we know work.”

“The Barriers to Suicide Act meets a critical need to prevent suicide by investing in proven strategies to make public spaces safer for people in crisis,” said Hannah Wesolowski, Chief Advocacy Officer at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). “By funding evidence-based design and infrastructure improvements in high-risk settings, this legislation takes a proactive approach to suicide prevention. NAMI thanks Reps. Beyer and Fitzpatrick for their leadership and supports this important legislation.”

“In 2023, more than 49,300 lives were lost to suicide in the United States, including 1,297 deaths by falling. Research shows that these deaths are preventable by reducing access to lethal means,” said Laurel Stine, J.D., M.A., Executive Vice President and Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (ASFP). “Bridge barriers deter suicide and give individuals time to seek care and support. We commend Representative Beyer and Representative Fitzpatrick for championing this lifesaving legislation.”

“Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S., and too many occur at predictable, preventable locations. Research shows that physical barriers on bridges and high structures can reduce suicide deaths at those sites by up to 90%,” said Erich Mische, CEO at the Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE). “Congressmen Don Beyer and Brian Fitzpatrick are showing the bipartisan leadership this crisis demands through the Barriers to Suicide Act of 2025. There should be no trade-off between saving money and saving lives. It’s time we apply the same safety standards to suicide prevention that we already expect in our public infrastructure—to protect the people we love.”

The Barriers to Suicide Act would establish a competitive grant program for states and localities to apply for federal funding to install nets and barriers on bridges, buildings, parking garages, and at rail stations. Project funding would be made eligible under the National Highway Performance Program. This bill would also authorize a study to identify additional strategies to reduce jumping deaths.

Over 49,000 Americans died by suicide in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Falling deaths are a common cause of suicide, and restricting access to lethal means allows time for a feeling of crisis to pass, allowing people experiencing suicidal thoughts to seek help. Studies show that installing physical barriers and nets on bridges commonly used for suicide, for instance San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, can save lives. Suicide prevention advocates have worked to raise awareness of suicide prevention barriers in the National Capital Region in recent years.

The Barriers to Suicide Act is cosponsored by Reps. Andre Carson, Sharice Davids, Marcy Kaptur Betty McCollum, Gwen Moore, Seth Moulton, Jamie Raskin, Shri Thanedar, Lori Trahan, and Bonnie Watson Coleman.

It is endorsed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (ASFP), the Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE), the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists (AAPP), the Kennedy Forum, and the National Association of Social Workers.

Text of the Barriers to Suicide Act is available here.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Hurricane Helene Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP) Ending May 31
Source: US State of North Carolina

Headline: Hurricane Helene Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP) Ending May 31

Hurricane Helene Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP) Ending May 31
jawerner
Mon, 05/19/2025 – 11:01
The Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP), launched in response to Hurricane Helene, will officially end on May 31, 2025. The U.S. Health and Human Services program has provided temporary, no-cost access to prescription medications and vaccines as well as certain medical supplies and forms of equipment for uninsured individuals impacted by the storm.

“This federal emergency assistance program provided life-saving resources for our residents who needed it most,” said State Pharmacist Amanda Fuller Moore, PharmD. “While this program is temporary, our commitment to supporting western North Carolina in their continued recovery is not.”

Uninsured residents located in counties affected by Helene were able to request medications and medical supplies at any EPAP-participating pharmacy. Since its activation on October 4, 2024, more than 11,700 EPAP claims have been processed for more than 800 individuals residing in the 20 impacted counties across the western region. These claims covered prescription medications, medical equipment like crutches and walkers, and even diabetic supplies.

This no-cost resource assistance program was possible through partnership with HHS, FEMA, North Carolina Emergency Management, and local pharmacies and health care providers. A memo has been sent to all EPAP stakeholders to notify them of the program’s upcoming end date.

As western North Carolina continues to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Helene, NCDHHS remains committed to providing the resources necessary to improve the health and safety of all North Carolinians. Residents who have relied on the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program and need continued prescription and medical supply assistance should consider the following resources:
- Apply for health care coverage through NC Medicaid
- Access free or low-cost medications at participating free and charitable clinics, community health centers, and rural health centers through the NC Medication Assistance Program
- Access the NC MedAssist Free Pharmacy Program, which provides free prescription medications to North Carolina residents who are uninsured and fall at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level
- Visit the federal Health Insurance Marketplace to apply for coverage
Additional Hurricane Helene recovery resources are available online at ncdhhs.gov/helene.

El Programa de asistencia de emergencia para medicamentos recetados (EPAP), lanzado en respuesta al huracán Helene, finalizará oficialmente el 31 de mayo de 2025. El programa del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de los Estados Unidos ha proporcionado acceso temporal sin costo a medicamentos recetados y a vacunas, así como a ciertos suministros médicos y aparatos para las personas sin seguro afectadas por la tormenta.

“Este programa federal de asistencia de emergencia proporcionó recursos para salvar vidas a nuestros residentes que más lo necesitaban”, dijo la farmacéutica estatal Amanda Fuller Moore, PharmD. “Si bien este programa es temporal, nuestro compromiso de apoyar al oeste de Carolina del Norte en su recuperación continua no lo es”.

Los residentes sin seguro ubicados en los condados afectados por Helene pudieron solicitar medicamentos y suministros médicos en cualquier farmacia participante en EPAP. Desde su activación el 4 de octubre de 2024, se han procesado más de 11,700 reembolsos de EPAP para más de 800 personas que residen en los 20 condados afectados de la región occidental. Estas reclamaciones cubrían medicamentos recetados, equipos médicos como muletas y andadores, e incluso suministros para diabéticos.

Este programa de asistencia de recursos sin costo fue posible a través de la colaboración con Salud y Servicios Humanos (HHS), Agencia Federal para el Manejo de Emergencias (FEMA, por sus siglas en inglés), Departamento de Gestión de Emergencias de Carolina del Norte (North Carolina Emergency Management), farmacias y proveedores de atención médica locales. Se ha enviado un memorando a todas las partes interesadas del EPAP para notificarles la próxima fecha de finalización del programa.

A medida que el oeste de Carolina del Norte continúa recuperándose de la devastación del huracán Helene, el Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte (NCDHHS, por sus siglas en inglés) sigue comprometido a proporcionar los recursos necesarios para mejorar la salud y la seguridad de todos los habitantes de Carolina del Norte. Los habitantes que han confiado en el Programa de Asistencia de Recetas de Emergencia y necesitan asistencia continua con recetas y suministros médicos deben considerar los siguientes recursos:
- Solicite cobertura de atención médica a través de NC Medicaid
- Acceda a medicamentos gratuitos o de bajo costo en clínicas gratuitas y caritativas participantes, centros de salud comunitarios y centros de salud rurales a través del Programa de Asistencia de Medicamentos de NC
- Acceda al Programa de Farmacia Gratuita NC MedAssist, que proporciona medicamentos recetados gratuitos a los habitantes de Carolina del Norte que no tienen seguro y se encuentran en o por debajo del 300% del Nivel Federal de Pobreza
- Visite el sitio web: Mercado de seguros médicos federal para solicitar cobertura
Los recursos adicionales de recuperación del huracán Helene están disponibles en línea en el sitio web: ncdhhs.gov/helene.
May 20, 2025

MIL OSI USA News –
May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: NIH researchers develop biomarker score for predicting diets high in ultra-processed foods

Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 2

News Release
Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Poly-metabolite scores could reduce reliance on self-reported dietary data in large population studies.
For the first time, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) identified patterns of metabolites in blood and urine that can be used as an objective measure of an individual’s consumption of energy from ultra-processed foods. Metabolites are left after the body converts food into energy, a process known as metabolism. Scientists used these data to develop a score based on multiple metabolites, known as a poly-metabolite score, that has the potential to reduce the reliance on, or complement the use of, self-reported dietary data in large population studies. The findings appeared May 20, 2025, in PLOS Medicine.
“Limitations of self-reported diet are well known. Metabolomics provides an exciting opportunity to not only improve our methods for objectively measuring complex exposures like diet and intake of ultra-processed foods, but also to understand the mechanisms by which diet might be impacting health,” said lead investigator Erikka Loftfield, Ph.D., M.P.H., of NIH’s National Cancer Institute.
Diets high in ultra-processed foods, which are defined as ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat, industrially manufactured products, typically high in calories and low in essential nutrients, have been linked to increased risk of obesity and related chronic diseases, including some types of cancer. Large population studies quantifying the health effects of ultraprocessed foods typically rely on self-reported data from dietary questionnaires. Such measures may be subject to differences in reporting and may not account for changes in the food supply over time. As a result of this study, researchers now have an objective measure of ultra-processed food intake to help advance the study of associations between ultra-processed foods and health outcomes.
In the new study, the researchers used data from several existing studies to identify metabolites and patterns of metabolites in blood and urine that were related to ultra-processed food intake. Observational data came from 718 older adults who provided biospecimens and dietary information over a 12-month study period. Experimental data came from a small clinical trial of 20 adults at the NIH Clinical Center who consumed a diet high in ultraprocessed foods (80% of energy) and a diet comprised of no ultraprocessed food (0% of energy) for two weeks each in random order.
The researchers found hundreds of metabolites that correlated with the percentage of energy from ultra-processed foods in the diet. Using machine learning, researchers identified metabolic patterns associated with high intake of ultra-processed foods and calculated poly-metabolite scores for blood and urine separately. Additional tests found that these scores could accurately differentiate within trial subjects between the highly processed diet phase and the unprocessed diet phase.
Study participants were older U.S. adults whose diets may vary from other populations, as a result, findings will need to be replicated in other age groups. Researchers recommended that these poly-metabolite scores be evaluated and improved in populations with different diets and a wide range of ultra-processed food intake. Additionally, future research should examine the association of these poly-metabolite scores and the risk of diseases such as cancer and type 2 diabetes.
About the National Cancer Institute (NCI): NCI leads the National Cancer Program and NIH’s efforts to dramatically reduce the prevalence of cancer and improve the lives of people with cancer. NCI supports a wide range of cancer research and training extramurally through grants and contracts. NCI’s intramural research program conducts innovative, transdisciplinary basic, translational, clinical, and epidemiological research on the causes of cancer, avenues for prevention, risk prediction, early detection, and treatment, including research at the NIH Clinical Center—the world’s largest research hospital. Learn more about the intramural research done in NCI’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI website at cancer.gov or call NCI’s Cancer Information Service, at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®

References
Abar L, Steele EM, Lee SK, Kahle L, Moore SC, Watts E, et al. (2025) Identification and validation of poly-metabolite scores for diets high in ultra-processed food: An observational study and post-hoc randomized controlled crossover-feeding trial. PLoS Med 22(5): https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004560

###

MIL OSI USA News –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: READING – Shapiro Administration to Highlight Women’s Health Month, Launch Survey to Help Administration Better Understand Barriers to Women’s Health Care

Source: US State of Pennsylvania

May 21, 2025 – Reading, PA

ADVISORY – READING – Shapiro Administration to Highlight Women’s Health Month, Launch Survey to Help Administration Better Understand Barriers to Women’s Health Care

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID), along with the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Human Services (DHS), and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), will highlight Women’s Health Month by reminding Pennsylvania women about the importance of no-cost preventative health services available through their insurance. PID will also launch a new survey to help the Department better understand barriers to women’s health coverage.

Since taking office, Governor Josh Shapiro has prioritized addressing maternal and women’s health. That’s why the Governor’s 2025-2026 budget proposal includes $5 million to fund maternal health initiatives including universal postpartum screenings. In the 2023-24 budget, the Governor worked to secure the first-ever investment in addressing maternal mortality with $2.3 million to expand maternal health programming and for the implementation of prevention strategies to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity. Governor Shapiro built on that success by securing a $2.6 million increase in the 2024-25 budget for maternal mortality prevention, managed through the Department of Health.

WHO:
Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Michael Humphreys
Tara Trego, DOH Director, Bureau of Family Health
Sally Kozak, DHS Deputy Secretary, Office of Medical Assistance Programs
Kelly Primus, DDAP Deputy Secretary
Ashley Walkowiak, Executive Director, Advisory Commission on Women

WHEN:
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 2:00 PM

WHERE:
Berks Community Health Center
1110 Rockland St.
Reading, PA 19604

RSVP:
Press who are interested in attending must RSVP to ra-in-press@pa.gov.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: 20 May 2025 News release In historic move, WHO Member States approve 20% funding increase and 2026–27 budget

Source: World Health Organisation

In a show of support for a sustainably financed World Health Organization, WHO Member States today approved a 20% increase in assessed contributions (membership dues) as they endorsed the Organization’s 2026–27 budget of US$ 4.2 billion.

This is the second such 20% increase in assessed contributions to WHO, the previous being agreed as part of the 2024–25 budget. It comes as governments are facing financial constraints and economic headwinds and demonstrates Member States’ fundamental support for global health solidarity and the critical role of WHO.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, and other senior leaders thanked Member States for their support and partnership, noting their profound vote of confidence in WHO’s mission and their commitment to health security and resilience worldwide.

Insufficient levels of predictable funding of WHO has hindered its ability to carry out long term projects and support its global operations to promote health for all. This, in addition to over reliance on funding from a small set of traditional donors, was identified as a major organizational challenge in WHO’s Transformation initiative that launched in 2017.

In 2022, WHO Member States agreed an historic increase in their assessed contributions by gradually increasing their membership dues to represent 50% of WHO’s core budget by the 2030–2031 cycle, at the latest. In the 2020–2021 biennium, assessed contributions represented only 16% of the approved programme budget.

While this work began years ago, due to recent changes in the global financial landscape, sustainable financing is more important than ever before. WHO’s originally approved 2026–27 programme budget was downsized 22% (from US$ 5.3 billion to US$ 4.2 billion) due to financial constraints.

Today’s approval of WHO’s base programme budget of US$ 4.2 billion for 2026–2027 is the first to be fully developed based on the Organization’s Fourteenth General Programme of Work, 2025–2028 (GPW 14), its global health strategy for the next four years.

Note to editor

At its meeting in January 2021, WHO’s Executive Board established the Sustainable Financing Working Group to begin work on a path towards resolving the widening gap between the world’s expectations of WHO and the financial resources available to us to meet them.

In addition to increasing Member State assessed contributions to WHO, several other resource mobilization initiatives are being undertaken to support WHO’s activities. These include the establishment of the WHO Foundation, diversification of WHO’s donor base, and staging of its first Investment Round, including today’s high-level pledging event.

Ensuring WHO has sustainable levels of financing is critical for it to continue responding to health emergencies, increasing health-care access, and ensuring people are living healthy lives.

The Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly marks a key moment in the transformation of WHO to become a more efficient and effective organization, made possible by contributions from partners across the globe.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins Announces Farmers First Initiative, Approves Nebraska SNAP Waiver During Tour of Ag Businesses with Gov. Pillen
Source: US State of Nebraska

. Pillen

LINCOLN, NE – Today, Governor Jim Pillen hosted U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on a day-long visit that included three separate stops and two significant announcements. He was joined in the visits by Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) Director Sherry Vinton and U.S. Congressman Adrian Smith.

“I’m pleased that Sec. Rollins has had the opportunity to experience the depth and breadth of Nebraska agriculture and what our state is doing to help feed the world and save the planet,” said Gov. Pillen. “Today, she heard from a diverse group of producers, visited a typical multi-generational Nebraska family farm, and got a first-hand look at what sets our state apart for the future — value-added agriculture. I’m glad we could make these connections and look forward to continuing the work that makes Nebraska the innovative agricultural leader it is, between crop, livestock and ethanol production.”

The ag tour kicked off at the Cargill Bioscience 650-acre facility in Blair this morning. That facility is Cargill’s largest and directly employs approximately 600 Nebraskans while processing over 340,000 bushels of corn daily to produce products such as fuel grade ethanol, corn gluten meal and meat for poultry, pet food and cattle feed. The company also makes sweetener, corn syrup and other corn-based products such as enzymes, biopolymers, and amino acids.

Upon arriving at Wholestone Farms in Fremont, Sec. Rollins took a few minutes to greet employees waiting inside. The group witnessed part of the plant’s hog processing operation and later gathered in the staff cafeteria with members of the media. There. Sec. Rollins signed off on Nebraska’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) waiver request, excluding soda and energy drinks from the list of approved purchases. Nebraska submitted its waiver in early April and is the first state in the nation to have its application approved by the USDA, effective Jan. 1, 2026.

“Today’s waiver to remove soda and energy drinks from SNAP is the first of its kind, and it is a historic step to Make America Healthy Again. Under President Trump’s leadership, I have encouraged states to serve as the ‘laboratories of innovation.’ Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and Governors in Iowa, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, West Virginia, and Colorado are pioneers in improving the health of our nation,” said Sec. Rollins.

“There’s absolutely zero reason for taxpayers to be subsidizing purchases of soda and energy drinks. SNAP is about helping families in need get healthy food into their diets, but there’s nothing nutritious about the junk we’re removing with today’s waiver. I’m grateful to have worked with Secretary Rollins and the Trump Administration to get this effort across the finish line. It is a tremendous step toward improving the health and well-being of our state. We have to act because we can’t keep letting Nebraskans starve in the midst of plenty,” said Gov. Pillen.

Gov. Pillen, Sec. Rollins, Rep. Smith and NDA Dir. Vinton wrapped up their tour of ag businesses with a stop in the afternoon at Ohnoutka Family Farm in Valparaiso. There, the group engaged in a roundtable with invited producers from across the state. Discussion hit on a variety of topics, from tariffs to grants, water quantity and quality, educating youth about agriculture and keeping generational farming going in Nebraska. Prior to the roundtable event, the group was greeted by youth from the local FFA chapter.

Following the roundtable, Sec. Rollins made her second announcement – a policy initiative aimed at supporting small family farms. Called Farmers First, the program is part of the USDA’s Make Agriculture Great Again agenda and outlines 10 action items that aim to help the 86 percent of small family farms across the nation.

“Welcoming Secretary Rollins to Nebraska alongside Governor Pillen provided a tremendous opportunity to showcase Nebraska’s world-leading livestock, crop, and biofuels producers,” said Rep. Smith, who represents the state’s third district. “As we mark 163 years since the signing of the Homestead Act, agriculture remains the economic driver of our state and the nation’s Heartland. USDA’s new Farmers First strategy will expand markets, deliver regulatory relief, promote long-term certainty, and ensure the accessibility of USDA resources for American farming families working tirelessly to feed and fuel the world. I will continue to work with Secretary Rollins and President Trump to unleash prosperity for generations to come.”

Some of the efforts in the Farmers First initiative include:
- Streamlining Processes: Simplifying USDA applications, like the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP), to reduce barriers for farmers
- Credit and Land Access: Reforming loan programs and using tools like the Agricultural Land Easement (ALE) to help farmers buy and protect land
- Farm Transitions: Calling on Congress to adjust tax policies, like expanding Section 179, to ease passing farms to the next generation
- Market and Infrastructure: Prioritizing local farmers in procurement and reforming programs to ensure funds reach producers, not special interests
- Labor Access: Working with other agencies to address labor shortages, including exploring visa reforms for agricultural workers
- Risk Management: Making USDA programs simpler and launching a disaster portal for better access to assistance
- Energy and Regulations: Supporting affordable energy and reviewing environmental permitting to lower costs for farmers
“Our family-owned farms and ranches are at the heart of agriculture in America and are the backbone of the economy in states like Nebraska. Generations of producers have passed down the love of farming, strongly rooted values, and common-sense stewardship of our land and water to the next generation,” said Gov. Pillen. “I’m glad that Secretary Rollins and the USDA are highlighting the value and importance of family owned and small operations as part of our efforts to put Farmers First. I look forward to this tremendous initiative, and I am thrilled that she chose to launch it from a family farm right here in Nebraska.”

More information about the Farmers First initiative can be found here:

View the Farmers First: Small Family Farms Policy Agenda

Cargill Tour

Wholestone Tour

Wholestone News Conference

Ohnoutka Family Farm Roundtable

Ohnoutka Family Farm News Conference

Ohnoutka Family Farm

MIL OSI USA News –
May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Gov Pillen Joins Sec Rollins as She Approves First-in-the-Nation Waiver to Restrict Soda & Energy Drinks from Food Stamps in Nebraska

Source: US State of Nebraska

.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins in Nebraska today as she signed the first-in-the-nation waiver to amend the statutory definition of food for purchase for Nebraska’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Effective January 1, 2026, taxpayers will no longer be subsidizing the purchase of soda or energy drinks in the State of Nebraska.

“There’s absolutely zero reason for taxpayers to be subsidizing purchases of soda and energy drinks. SNAP is about helping families in need get healthy food into their diets, but there’s nothing nutritious about the junk we’re removing with today’s waiver. I’m grateful to have worked with Secretary Rollins and the Trump Administration to get this effort across the finish line. It is a tremendous step toward improving the health and well-being of our state. We have to act because we can’t keep letting Nebraskans starve in the midst of plenty,” said Governor Jim Pillen.

“Today’s waiver to remove soda and energy drinks from SNAP is the first of its kind, and it is a historic step to Make America Healthy Again. Under President Trump’s leadership, I have encouraged states to serve as the ‘laboratories of innovation.’

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and Governors in Iowa, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, West Virginia, and Colorado are pioneers in improving the health of our nation,” said Secretary Rollins.

Prior to this waiver, SNAP recipients could buy anything except alcohol, tobacco, hot foods, and personal care products. This historic action adds soda and energy drinks to the list of products excluded from SNAP purchases in the state of Nebraska.

As part of the Make America Healthy Again agenda, this historic action seeks to reverse alarming disease trends across the country. Prediabetes now affects one in three children ages 12 to 19; 40% of school-aged children and adolescents have at least one chronic condition; and 15% of high school students drink one or more sodas daily.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Carmanville — RCMP NL responds to disturbance and house fire at residence in Davidsville, woman arrested

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

A middle-aged woman was arrested by RCMP NL on May 19, 2025, after police responded to a disturbance and residential fire at a home in Davidsville.

Shortly after 5:00 p.m. on Monday, police received a report of a residential disturbance. A woman inside the home threatened another occupant and was damaging the property. As officers were responding, they received further information that the home was now on fire.

Upon arrival at the residence in Davidsville, police determined that the home, which was fully engulfed in flames, had been safely vacated and that no one was injured. The woman was arrested for uttering threats and was transported to the James Paton Memorial Regional Health Centre in Gander for an assessment under the Mental Health Care and Treatment Act. She was committed into care at the hospital.

Fire and Emergency Services were engaged. The investigation is continuing with further charges possible.

MIL Security OSI –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Bedner Growers, Inc. Recalls Cucumbers Because of Possible Health Risk

Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

Summary

Company Announcement Date:
May 19, 2025
FDA Publish Date:
May 20, 2025
Product Type:
Food & BeveragesFoodborne Illness
Reason for Announcement:

Recall Reason Description
Salmonella

Company Name:
Bender Grower’s, Inc.
Brand Name:

Brand Name(s)
No Brand Name

Product Description:

Product Description
Cucumbers

Company Announcement
Bedner Growers, Inc. of Boynton Beach, Florida is voluntarily recalling cucumbers sold at Bedner’s Farm Fresh Market between April 29, 2025, and May 14, 2025 because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
The recalled cucumbers were sold directly to consumers at the three Bedner’s Farm Fresh Markets locations in Florida (Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, and West Palm Beach). Because the recalled cucumbers do not bear any stickers or other labeling, customers should discard and not consume any cucumbers that were purchased at these locations between April 29, 2025, and May 14, 2025.
The recalled cucumbers also were sold to a wholesale distributor, which has been directed to further contact its customers with recall instructions.
The cucumbers are being recalled because they have been linked by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to a Salmonella outbreak that has resulted in 26 illnesses in AL, CA, CO, FL, IL, KS, KY, MI, NC, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, and VA.
This recall does not include any cucumbers currently available for sale at Bedner’s Farm Fresh Markets after May 14, 2025, nor does it include any other agricultural products. All cucumbers currently available for sale at Bedner’s Farm Fresh Markets were not grown by Bedner Growers, Inc., as the company is no longer producing, packing, or selling any cucumbers because the growing season has concluded.
Consumers who have purchased the recalled products may obtain additional information by contacting Bedner Growers, Inc. at 866-222-9180, M-F 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EDT.
Bedner Growers, Inc. is conducting this recall in coordination with the FDA.

Company Contact Information

Consumers:
Bedner Growers, Inc
866-222-9180

Content current as of:
05/20/2025

Regulated Product(s)

Topic(s)

Follow FDA

MIL OSI USA News –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: English schools to increase mental health support – why they need to get children involved in designing it

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Gemma McKenna, Fellow – Medical Sociology, University of Birmingham

BalanceFormCreative/Shutterstock

The UK government has announced the continuing rollout of the provision of mental health support teams in schools in England, with the intention of providing six in ten pupils with this support by March 2026.

One in five children over the age of eight has a probable mental health condition in England today. Mental health support teams are needed to support children and young people early with their mental health and wellbeing to help prevent problems escalating.

Mental health support teams are made up of experts who work with a number of schools in their local area. They collaborate with school staff, provide group or one-to-one sessions for pupils, parents and carers, and help schools create a culture that promotes mental health and wellbeing.

With colleagues, I work on research investigating mental health in schools. This has involved assessing the early progress of the mental health support teams – the first ones were created between 2018-19 as part of the then Conservative government’s trailblazer initiative, which aimed to test out approaches and solutions to complex societal problems in specific regions.

Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

Our research looked in particular at one of the key purposes of the mental health support teams – to help schools set up or improve a “whole school” approach to mental health support.

A whole school approach means that all areas of the school or college work together to put mental health and wellbeing at the heart of their school community. This contrasts to standalone mental health activities that aren’t grounded within the everyday school culture. For instance, a school might hold an assembly on wellbeing but continue to implement a behaviour policy that heavily relies on punishment and therefore risks affecting children’s wellbeing.

School culture

Well-designed and implemented whole school approaches can have positive effects on children and young people’s wellbeing and contribute to the prevention and reduction of mental health problems. We also know that children are more likely to achieve at school if they feel like they belong, can participate and have autonomy, all fostered by the whole school approach.

An example of a whole school approach is identifying and supporting children and young people early with mental health support. It can include “global learning”, where learning about mental health and wellbeing becomes a core part of schools’ assemblies, clubs and project-based learning. However, these are just some of a number of combined approaches to a whole school approach.

In our research, children and young people in schools and colleges where mental health support teams had helped put whole school approach activities in place, told us that they were visible and felt seen. Teachers reached out to them about their wellbeing, either in classrooms through emotional check-ins, or through special lessons focused on mental health attached to curriculum teaching.

Feeling like there was somewhere to go, someone to talk to, and be heard, made a clear difference to children and young people.

However, we found that some schools were not including children and young people in their development of whole school mental health strategies. In one of the participating schools, mental health support team work was only known about by the child who had experience of the team. In this school, there was no discernible whole school work being undertaken in addition to direct support.

The key missing ingredient to really support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing is for them to feel that they have agency – some input – into the activities that help them.

Feeling that they have agency and input into decisions that affect them is good for children’s wellbeing.
Nadya Lukic/Shutterstock

Also, involving children in developing activities like this can help them to feel valued and included. This in itself is good for mental health.

Creating together

With my colleagues at The University of Birmingham’s Institute of Mental Health Youth Advisory Group and National Children’s Bureau, we worked with children and school staff to put together England’s first guide to creating a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing in schools with pupils. The set of resources include a structured classroom activity, introductory video and practical guide.

The classroom activity prompts a creative conversation with children about what wellbeing means to them, how their school supports their wellbeing, and what more the school could do. The guide includes practical suggestions about how to talk to pupils about mental health and wellbeing at school in a safe, supportive and inclusive way. It also offers ideas about how to use the information from the classroom activity to support pupils.

The activity itself asks children to reflect on where and how their wellbeing is supported at school, alongside a focus on the people, places and practices that might help them. The overall aim is to develop a child-centred, whole school approach, one which focuses on the things that matter most to children about their emotional wellbeing.

Whole school approaches could provide schools with a more holistic way of supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. Involving them in all areas of design and implementation could help to keep wellbeing and mental health at the heart of schools.

Gemma McKenna receives funding from University of Birmingham, Impact Fund.
Affiliations include: Health Services Research UK ,HSR UK, https://hsruk.org/
TONIBOBANDLOU CIC https://www.tonibobandlou.com/

– ref. English schools to increase mental health support – why they need to get children involved in designing it – https://theconversation.com/english-schools-to-increase-mental-health-support-why-they-need-to-get-children-involved-in-designing-it-252121

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Florida Ophthalmology Practice Agrees to Pay $615,000 to Resolve Allegations of Fraudulent Claims to Medicare and Medicaid for Cranial Ultrasounds

Source: US State Government of Utah

Pinellas Eye Care, P.A. doing business as Gulfcoast Eye Care (“Gulfcoast Eye”), an ophthalmology practice with offices in Pinellas Park, Palm Harbor, and St. Petersburg, Florida, has agreed to pay $615,000 to resolve alleged violations of the False Claims Act and an analogous Florida statute arising from its billing for trans-cranial doppler ultrasounds (“TCDs”) provided through a kickback arrangement with a third party. Gulfcoast Eye has agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department’s ongoing investigations of other participants in the alleged scheme.

The settlement resolves allegations that Gulfcoast Eye knowingly submitted, and caused the submission of, false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for medically unnecessary TCDs. Gulfcoast Eye and a third-party provider of TCD services performed TCDs on thousands of patients and billed Medicare and Medicaid hundreds of dollars per test. Before the patients received the results of the test, Gulfcoast Eye and the third-party provider identified the patients as having received a serious diagnosis — most commonly of occlusion and stenosis of their cerebral arteries — that could qualify the patient for reimbursement of a TCD by Medicare or Medicaid. However, nearly all patients who received TCDs never had occlusion and stenosis of cerebral arteries, and that diagnosis was accordingly not reflected in the patient’s medical history or in the TCD results. Gulfcoast Eye paid the third-party TCD provider based on the volume or value of tests ordered and referred the patients to the TCD provider’s preferred radiology group for the TCD’s professional component.

The United States alleged that, as a result of this scheme, Gulfcoast Eye submitted, or caused the submission of, false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for TCDs that were medically unnecessary, that were premised on false diagnoses, and that resulted from violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law. Of the $615,000 total settlement amount, $602,046 is to be paid to the United States, and $12,953 is to be paid to the State of Florida for its share of Medicaid, which is a jointly funded federal and state program.

“Patients trust their healthcare providers to administer reliable and competent care consistent with their medical needs and ethical standards,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “When this relationship is exploited for personal gain or greed, the integrity of our healthcare system is compromised. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to protect patients from potential harm and maintain the integrity of our federal programs.”

“Kickback schemes will always be an investigative priority for the FBI,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor of the FBI Tampa Field Office. “Our mission is to protect the American people which includes safeguarding them from deceitful actions threatening our nation’s federal healthcare system.”

“Kickback arrangements can corrupt legitimate medical decision-making and undermine the integrity of federal healthcare programs,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan P. Lynch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG, working with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate improper billing and kickback schemes to protect both Medicare and Medicaid as well as those served by these programs.”

The civil settlement resolved a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the Government’s recovery. The qui tam was filed by a whistleblower who will receive $116,850 in connection with the settlement.

The settlement was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, with assistance from HHS-OIG and the FBI. The United States previously resolved allegations that another ophthalmology practice in Florida engaged in a similar scheme with the same third-party TCD provider.

The government’s pursuit of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to HHS at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

Trial Attorney Nelson Wagner in the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and Assistant United States Attorney Mamie Wise for the Middle District of Florida handled the matter.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: 20 May 2025 Departmental update WHO launches global accelerator for Paediatric Formulations Strategic Roadmap 2025–2030
Source: World Health Organisation

The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced the launch of the Global Accelerator for Paediatric Formulations (GAP-f) Strategic Roadmap 2025–2030, a comprehensive five-year plan to transform the development and delivery of essential medicines for children worldwide.

Unveiled during a high-level side event at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly, the roadmap outlines an ambitious “30 by ’30” commitment to assess priorities in 10 high-burden diseases, accelerate 10 priority medicines, and strengthen paediatric medicine ecosystems in 10 countries by 2030.

“Children have been waiting too long for medicines that meet their specific needs,” said Dr Jeremy Farrar, Chief Scientist at WHO. “This strategic roadmap represents a turning point in our collective efforts to ensure that no child is denied access to life-saving treatments simply because appropriate medicines don’t exist or aren’t accessible.”

Addressing critical gaps in paediatric medicines

Despite significant advances in global health, children continue to face substantial barriers in accessing appropriate medications. The GAP-f network, founded in 2020, aims to address these challenges by fostering collaboration among stakeholders to identify gaps, set priorities and accelerate the research, development and delivery of high-quality, affordable and accessible medicines for children.

The five-year strategy focuses on two main strategic axes:
1. aligning and coordinating: unifying global efforts around shared priorities with structured coordination
2. enabling and collaborating: translating priorities into impact through partnerships and innovation.
These approaches will be applied across four critical lifecycle areas: portfolio prioritization, clinical research, product development and regulatory processes, and access and delivery. Disease areas of focus will be expanded through applying an agile prioritization framework driven by unmet needs and opportunity for impact. Across the life cycle, GAP-f will continue to engage with an ecosystem approach, forging new collaboration and partnerships with the private sector, funders, regulators, countries, civil society and health-care workers around the world.

“Closing the paediatric medicines gap is not just a matter of innovation – it’s a matter of equity, efficiency and shared responsibility,” said Dr Philippe Duneton, Executive Director, Unitaid. “The new GAP-f strategy sets a bold course toward systemic change, but we will only succeed through strategic coordination, aligned investments and strong partnerships. Unitaid is proud to stand with GAP-f and our global partners to turn innovation into access, and to ensure that no child is left behind.”

Collaborative implementation

The GAP-f model has already demonstrated sound progress. Its approach is anticipated to accelerate access to certain medicines by more than 10 years, as inspired by work in the HIV community on paediatric dolutegravir.

The initiative brings together around 30 key global health organizations and builds on a broad range of skills and expertise resulting from longstanding commitment to child health, innovation and access.

The roadmap outlines specific objectives, including:
- using data-driven frameworks to identify unmet paediatric needs
- improving clinical trial design and throughput
- promoting accelerated matching of technologies for paediatric drug delivery
- fostering regulatory efficiencies and harmonization
- strengthening product introduction and demand generation.
Accelerating access to save lives

In alignment with GAP-f strategic direction, WHO is launching a three-year initiative to strengthen the paediatric medicines ecosystem across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. Undertaken in partnership with Temasek Foundation, this work will drive innovation and improve access to essential paediatric treatments for high-burden conditions.

This initiative presents a unique opportunity to pivot to an integrated national and regional approach, ensuring tangible improvements in countries while generating insights for other regions. By documenting and scaling successful models, WHO and its GAP-f partners will collaborate with national programmes, academic institutions and child health centres to accelerate impact. Efforts will be staged for rapid, measurable improvements, particularly in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, while shaping a sustainable framework for broader regional and global collaboration and adoption.

“This meaningful initiative will accelerate the development and availability of child-friendly medicine formulations – crucial in improving health outcomes for millions of children affected by treatable and preventable diseases,” said Mr Ng Boon Heong, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Foundation. “The programme will also promote data and knowledge sharing, that can inspire more partnerships and follow on funding. We look forward to more such collaborations that not only strengthen the work of institutions like WHO, but also help close urgent health gaps across Asia and beyond.”

About GAP-f

The Global Accelerator for Paediatric Formulations (GAP-f) is a multi-stakeholder initiative that contributes to universal health coverage by fostering collaboration to identify gaps, set priorities and accelerate the research, development and delivery of high-quality, affordable and accessible medicines for children.

MIL OSI United Nations News –
May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Harbour Grace — Harbour Grace RCMP arrests two vehicle occupants after responding to call for service in Carbonear

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Two occupants of a vehicle were arrested by Harbour Grace RCMP after police responded to a call for service in Carbonear on May 16, 2025.

Shortly before 9:00 a.m. on Friday, Harbour Grace RCMP received a request to assist paramedics who were responding to reports of an unresponsive man and woman, both found in a vehicle on Lemarchant Street in Carbonear. Police attended the scene and observed the unresponsive occupants inside the vehicle. A man was in the driver seat with the engine running and the vehicle still in gear. An officer put the vehicle in park and turned off the engine.

The driver, a 36-year-old Carbonear man, became responsive and displayed signs of drug impairment. He was arrested and was transported to Carbonear General Hospital where blood samples were obtained as part of a drug impaired driving investigation. Officers await the results of the testing to determine if charges of drug impaired driving are appropriate.

The passenger, a 33-year-old Bell Island woman, was found in breach of conditions of a release order and she was arrested.

Various illicit and prescription drugs, drug paraphernalia and other items consistent with drug trafficking were seized from the vehicle, along with a number of weapons. The vehicle was seized and impounded.

Both individuals were held in police custody and later released.

The investigation is continuing. A number of charges under the Criminal Code and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act are expected.

MIL Security OSI –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: PASSED: Fischer, Bennet Resolution Promoting Mental Health in Ag Industry and Workforce

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer
The Senate unanimously approved U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Michael Bennet’s (D-Colo.), bipartisan resolution designating May 29th as ‘Mental Health Awareness in Agriculture Day.’“Daily uncertainties and extreme stress lead to higher levels of anxiety and depression among Nebraska’s agricultural producers and workforce. Our resolution recognizes these unique challenges and supports the farmers, ranchers, and workers who perform the essential work of producing high-quality food, fuel, and fiber,” said Fischer.“From severe drought to increased costs, unprecedented challenges are taking a toll on the mental health of Colorado’s farmers, ranchers, and farmworkers. I’m grateful to stand with Senator Fischer and my Senate colleagues to raise awareness about our country’s mental health crisis and work together to expand access to care for communities across the country,” said Bennet.In addition to Fischer and Bennet, the resolution is cosponsored by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and U.S. Senators Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.). The full text of the resolution can be found here.
Click
here to learn about national resources available for those in need of assistance.Click here to learn about Nebraska resources available for those in need of assistance.
National Stakeholder Support:
Agricultural Retailers Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, Farm Credit Services of America, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, National Farmers Union, National Pork Producers Council, and National Rural Health Association.Click here to view statements of support from national stakeholders.
Nebraska Stakeholder Support:

Nebraska Agri-Business Association, Nebraska Cattlemen, Nebraska Cooperative Council, Nebraska Corn Growers Association, Nebraska Farm Bureau, Nebraska Farmers Union, Nebraska Pork Producers Association, Nebraska Rural Health Association, Nebraska Soybean Association, and Nebraska Wheat Board.
Click here to view statements of support from Nebraska stakeholders.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins Questions HHS Secretary Kennedy on Elimination of LIHEAP

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
Click HERE to watch and HERE to download.
Washington, D.C. – At a hearing to review the Fiscal Year 2026 budget request for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Appropriations Committee, questioned HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on the proposed elimination of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
During the Q&A, Secretary Kennedy committed to funding LIHEAP if appropriated by Congress for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026.
At the urging of Senator Collins, HHS released more than $400 million in FY 2025 funding for LIHEAP earlier this month. Maine has received $41.6 million in FY 2025 LIHEAP funding.
Q&A with Secretary Kennedy:
Senator Collins:
The LIHEAP program, which we’ve talked about, is absolutely vital for thousands of older Mainers and low-income families. It helps them avoid the constant worry of having to choose between keeping warm, buying essential foods and medications, and other basic necessities.
Now, I was pleased to see the release of the rest of the Fiscal Year 2025 funds, but the Administration’s new budget seeks to eliminate what is truly a critical program.
Will you work with this Committee in trying to restore LIHEAP so that we can avoid, literally, seniors and low-income families not being able to keep warm in the winter?
Secretary Kennedy:
Yeah, absolutely, and I’m from New England myself. My brother, for 40 years, has run Citizens Energy, which provides low-cost home heating oil to families in New England. And so many people have come to me over the years and said to me, thank you, your brother saved my life because I didn’t have to choose between food and heat.
I was on the Navajo reservation three weeks ago, and Navajo President Buu Nygren said to me, at this point, if we cut LIHEAP, Navajo will die from it. So, I understand the critical historical importance of this program.
President Trump’s rationale and OMB’s rationale is that President Trump’s energy policies are going to lower the cost of energy so that everybody will get lower cost heating oil, and in that case, this program would simply be another subsidy to the fossil fuel industry.
If that doesn’t happen, and Congress chooses to appropriate the money, I, of course, will spend it. I’ve already directed the spending of $400 million in this year’s budget. Do that, and I will work with you to make sure that those families do not suffer in that way.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Burlison Opens Hearing on the IRA’s Threat to Energy and Medicine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Eric Burlison (R-Missouri 7th District)

WASHINGTON—Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Chairman Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) delivered opening remarks at today’s hearing on “Mandates, Meddling, and Mismanagement: The IRA’s Threat to Energy and Medicine.” In his remarks, Subcommittee Chairman Burlison highlighted how the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) increased energy subsidies that cost taxpayers billions, funneled money into the Democrats’ radical energy agenda, and stifled free market competition that would have lowered energy prices. At today’s hearing, the panel will hear from experts on how the IRA failed to curb inflation and created corruption.

Below are Subcommittee Chairman Burlison’s remarks as prepared for delivery.

Today we are here to provide critical oversight of the policies and subsidies instituted through the Inflation Reduction Act, or the “IRA.”

Signed into law under the Biden Administration in 2022, this misleadingly-named legislation passed with zero Republican votes.

Three years later, the projected costs continue to balloon—with rounding errors in the billions—all while creating runaway subsidies and unnecessary distortions within energy and health care markets.

In January of this year, the Director of the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the IRA’s energy subsidies would increase U.S. budget deficits by $825 billion over the next ten years.

That is more than three times the initial ten-year estimate of roughly $270 billion rendered by CBO and the Joint Committee on Taxation.

How did CBO and the JCT get these numbers so wrong?

Other estimates show an even grimmer picture of the IRA’s long-term economic impacts on the federal budget.

Recent analysis by the Cato Institute shows that energy subsidies included in the IRA may cost “between $936 billion and $1.97 trillion over the next ten years, and between $2.04 trillion and $4.67 trillion by 2050.”

These are chilling estimates that extend far beyond what was previously projected.

I would like to enter this report, entitled “The Budgetary Cost of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Energy Subsidies,” from the CATO institute into the hearing record so that others may review these findings.

Without objection, so ordered.

These subsidies didn’t just happen to create distortions in energy markets: they distorted markets by design.

The IRA funnels money to so-called “clean” energy organizations that would not be able to compete on their own without these subsidies.

The Biden Administration was blatantly picking winners and losers in the economy.

The federal government slammed a fist on the economic scale to stifle free market competition that allows for the most reliable, cost-effective sources to compete on an open playing field—all in the name of unproven, hyperbolic, and extreme climate alarmism.

The kicker? These IRA subsides, coming from the party that purports to be “against the oligarchy” and fighting the billionaires, created tax loopholes that carved out eleven thousand dollars, on average, for the top 1% through tax credits, while failing to demonstrate tax savings of more than $100 for the bottom quintile of American taxpayers.

The IRA paid out to the rich, all under the guise of climate change.

There are also implications for the future of our tax code and prescription drug costs.

The IRA has already led to a more convoluted web of tax subsidies, creating additional burdens for compliance.

For health care under the IRA, the Biden Administration’s “pill penalty” will ultimately increase drug costs and federal expenditures on Medicare.

We have an opportunity to take a hard look at these provisions to carefully evaluate whether these tax credits and programs are achieving their intended results, and whether taxpayer dollars would be better spent elsewhere.

Doing so has the potential to save taxpayers over $1 trillion dollars, ease inflation, stimulate economic growth by allowing for free market competition, and make energy affordable again.

This Republican majority is committed to protecting taxpayer dollars, instituting necessary health care reforms, and stopping wasteful “Green New Deal” energy policies that are out of touch with the every-day needs of Americans.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: Community-led service supports people in crisis in Comox Valley
Source: Government of Canada regional news

People experiencing a mental-health or substance-use crisis in the Comox Valley now have access to more services to help them stabilize and connect to the support they need.

“This service in the Comox Valley is helping people in crisis get timely, compassionate support from those who truly understand their experience,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “By combining clinical expertise with the knowledge of people who have lived through similar challenges, this community-led approach offers a more empathetic and effective response that can make a real difference in someone’s path to recovery.”

Crisis Response, Community-Led (CRCL, pronounced “circle”), formerly known as Peer Assisted Care Teams, is a mobile, community-led crisis service that serves people 13 and older experiencing a mental-health or substance-use crisis, which might include thoughts of suicide or self-harm, feelings of grief, panic or anxiety, and/or acting or feeling in ways that are distressing.

“In the Comox Valley, we have witnessed CRCL represent a transformative approach to mental-health crisis response, centred around compassion and lived experience,” said Sarah Delaney-Spindler, senior director, AVI Health and Community Services. “By meeting individuals where they are, CRCL has provided immediate, person-centred support that fosters healing and connection within our communities. We have seen in action the impacts of CRCL and its low-barrier, compassionate approach connecting individuals in community with resources and support.”

A person in crisis may contact CRCL for support directly, or friends, family members or bystanders may reach out if concerned about the well-being of someone else. The team is made up of responders with a combination of mental-health professionals and people with lived experience who are trained in providing trauma-informed, culturally safe crisis support.

“We’ve lost too many of our people to trauma, addiction and a system that wasn’t built for us,” said Nicole Rempel, Elected Chief Councillor, K’ómoks First Nation. “Our communities are grieving and asking for help, but what we’re met with is silence, delay or criminalization. The CRCL program is a step toward something different: a trauma-informed, culturally safe approach that recognizes the strength and wisdom already in our communities. We are not just piloting a program, we are decolonizing a system that has failed our people. This is how we reclaim care: by building something our communities can trust, and that other Nations can build upon too. This is not just a pilot, it’s a path forward.”

The CRCL team helps de-escalate the situation, ensures and plans for the safety of the person in crisis, and connects them to services to support their long-term needs. This service also helps free up policing resources to focus on crime and prevents demand on hospital emergency departments by supporting people in the community.

The Comox Valley CRCL is operated by AVI Health and Community Services in partnership with K’ómoks First Nation, with oversight and support from the Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division. The service soft-launched in October 2024, focusing on providing care to the K’ómoks First Nation. In December 2024, it expanded to serve people in Cumberland, Courtenay and Comox. Since the service launched, more than 100 people have been supported.

In addition to the Comox Valley service, there are four CRCLs in operation in Victoria, North and West Vancouver, New Westminster and Prince George.

Expanding CRCL is part of the Province’s Safer Communities Action Plan and supports the plan’s goal of creating safe, healthy communities for everyone. Enhancing supports for people living with mental-health and addiction challenges is an integral part of government’s work to build a full continuum of mental-health and substance-use care that works for everyone.

Quotes:

Amna Shah, parliamentary secretary for mental health and addictions –

“Everyone deserves to feel supported and safe during a mental-health or substance-use crisis. CRCL offers a person-centred approach that meets people where they are, providing care that is rooted in compassion, understanding and community. This model helps reduce stigma and ensures people get the help they need, when they need it most.”

Jonny Morris, CEO, Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division –

“By providing a mental-health response to a mental-health crisis, CRCL teams are changing and saving lives in the communities they serve. Collectively, teams have responded to more than 10,000 calls since January 2023, resolving almost 99% of calls without the need for police involvement. We are grateful to the Province of B.C. and CRCL teams for helping to create this network of support.”

Quick Facts:
- CRCL launched in North and West Vancouver in 2021 and expanded to Victoria and New Westminster in January 2023.
- In July 2023, government announced the expansion of CRCL to Comox Valley, Prince George, where it launched in August 2024, and to Kamloops, where it is in development.
- CRCL teams have responded to more than 10,000 calls since January 2023.
- In 2024, teams responded to almost 6,000 calls, 99% of which did not require police involvement.
- CRCL is creating a growing, specialized workforce of crisis responders in B.C., employing more than 100 people in six communities in B.C.
Learn More:

To learn more about CRCL, visit: https://crcl.ca/

To learn more about mental-health and substance-use supports in B.C., visit: https://helpstartshere.gov.bc.ca/

MIL OSI Canada News –
May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: NCDHHS, Partners Highlight Importance of HIV Work Amid Federal Funding Cuts
Source: US State of North Carolina

Headline: NCDHHS, Partners Highlight Importance of HIV Work Amid Federal Funding Cuts

NCDHHS, Partners Highlight Importance of HIV Work Amid Federal Funding Cuts
hejones1
Tue, 05/20/2025 – 10:08
Today the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services joined the NC AIDS Action Network for an event to raise awareness about the important work underway to end the HIV epidemic in North Carolina. State leaders and advocates highlighted the progress at-risk due to expected cuts at the federal level.

“Over the past few decades, we have made tremendous progress together toward the goal of eliminating HIV both globally and here in North Carolina,” said North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. “Sustained funding is essential, not only to prevent the spread of HIV but also to support the health and well-being of North Carolinians living with the virus. Cuts would reverse hard-won gains and increase long-term costs for our state. Now more than ever, we must renew our commitment to supporting people living with HIV and protecting the public health of our communities.”

HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. It’s often spread through sexual contact or sharing needles, syringes or other drug injection equipment. While there is currently no effective cure, those who receive HIV treatment can live long, healthy lives and will not transmit infection.

As of December 31, 2024, there were 38,634 people living with HIV in North Carolina with 1,385 people newly diagnosed with HIV last year. While it’s estimated that 85% of those living with HIV across the state are aware of their diagnosis, there are still thousands who are unaware. Proposed budget cuts would decrease access to HIV testing, meaning more people would remain unaware of their status and be unable to take the actions needed to protect their own health and avoid further transmission.

For those living with HIV, care is prevention. People who receive treatment and are virally suppressed don’t transmit the disease. NCDHHS’ Division of Public Health conducts individualized outreach to people living with HIV and HIV care providers to improve access to supportive and culturally appropriate care. Additional efforts include reducing stigma associated with HIV care and testing, ensuring access to free testing options, and improving awareness and access to the range of tools that are now available to prevent the spread of HIV — including condoms and pre-exposure prophylaxis or “PrEP,” the medication that prevents HIV infection. Access to these prevention options that contribute to decreased potential for disease spread are threatened by budget cuts.

NCDHHS’ most recent award from the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) Ryan White Program, received in April, was approximately half of what had been awarded in previous years. Future funding is currently uncertain, and the proposed federal budget suggests no funding for HIV prevention activities.

If cuts proceed, impacts could include:
- An increase in HIV transmission due to decreasing investment in promising new HIV prevention methods (like long-acting PrEP), decreased access to care that prevents transmission, and increased time with undiagnosed disease.
- Increase in HIV transmissions because individualized outreach that helps people with HIV access care and helps exposed partners get testing will end.
- Decreased ability to detect outbreaks early and prevent tragic outcomes.
Cuts to this vital funding in North Carolina would be detrimental to all parts of the state, particularly in rural counties. Additionally, congressional proposals to reduce Medicaid funding and implement eligibility restrictions could jeopardize state public health infrastructure and infectious disease programs in North Carolina. Medicaid is the single-largest provider of insurance coverage for people living with HIV. Eroding access to Medicaid coverage could result in increased HIV cases and deaths. In North Carolina, Medicaid Expansion has given many people with HIV access to comprehensive health care, some for the first time.

Hoy, el Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte se unió a la Red de Acción contra el SIDA de Carolina del Norte para un evento para crear conciencia sobre el importante trabajo en curso para poner fin a la epidemia de VIH en Carolina del Norte. Los líderes y defensores estatales destacaron el progreso que se encuentra en riesgo debido a los recortes esperados a nivel federal.

“En las últimas décadas, hemos logrado un progreso tremendo juntos hacia el objetivo de eliminar el VIH tanto a nivel mundial como aquí en Carolina del Norte”, dijo el secretario de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte, Dev Sangvai. “Es esencial que la financiación sea sostenida, no solo para prevenir la propagación del VIH, sino también para apoyar la salud y el bienestar de los habitantes de Carolina del Norte que viven con el virus. Los recortes revertirían los logros conseguidos con tanto esfuerzo y aumentarían los costos a largo plazo para nuestro estado. Ahora más que nunca, debemos renovar nuestro compromiso de apoyar a las personas que viven con el VIH y proteger la salud pública de nuestras comunidades”.

El VIH, o virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana, es un virus que ataca el sistema inmunitario del cuerpo. A menudo se propaga a través del contacto sexual o compartiendo agujas, jeringas u otro equipo de inyección de drogas. Si bien actualmente no existe una cura efectiva, aquellos que reciben tratamiento contra el VIH pueden vivir vidas largas y saludables y no transmitirán la infección.

Al 31 de diciembre de 2024, había 38,634 personas viviendo con VIH en Carolina del Norte con 1,385 personas recién diagnosticadas con VIH el año pasado. Si bien se estima que el 85 % de las personas que viven con el VIH en todo el estado son conscientes de su diagnóstico, todavía hay miles que no lo saben. Los recortes de presupuesto propuestos disminuirían el acceso a las pruebas del VIH, lo que significaría que más personas desconocerían su estado y no podrían tomar las medidas necesarias para proteger su propia salud y evitar una mayor transmisión.

Para quienes viven con el VIH, la atención es la prevención. Las personas que reciben tratamiento y tienen supresión viral no transmiten la enfermedad. La División de Salud Pública del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Carolina del Norte (NCDHHS, por sus siglas en inglés) lleva a cabo un alcance individualizado a las personas que viven con el VIH y a los proveedores de atención del VIH para mejorar el acceso a la atención de apoyo y culturalmente apropiada. Los esfuerzos adicionales incluyen reducir el estigma asociado con la atención y las pruebas del VIH, garantizar el acceso a opciones de pruebas gratuitas y mejorar la conciencia y el acceso a la variedad de herramientas que ahora están disponibles para prevenir la propagación del VIH, incluidos los condones y la profilaxis previa a la exposición o “PrEP”, el medicamento que previene la infección por VIH. El acceso a estas opciones de prevención que contribuyen a disminuir el potencial de propagación de enfermedades se ve amenazado por los recortes de presupuesto.

El premio más reciente del NCDHHS del Programa Ryan White de la Administración de Servicios de Recursos de Salud (HRSA, por sus siglas en inglés), recibido en abril, fue aproximadamente la mitad de lo que se había otorgado en años anteriores. El financiamiento futuro es actualmente incierto, y el presupuesto federal propuesto sugiere que no habrá fondos para actividades de prevención del VIH.

Si los recortes continúan, los impactos podrían incluir:
- Un aumento en la transmisión del VIH debido a la disminución de la inversión en nuevos métodos prometedores de prevención del VIH (como la PrEP de acción prolongada), la disminución del acceso a la atención que previene la transmisión y el aumento del tiempo con enfermedades no diagnosticadas.
- Aumento de las transmisiones del VIH porque terminará el alcance individualizado que ayuda a las personas con VIH a acceder a la atención y ayuda a las parejas expuestas a hacerse la prueba.
- Disminución de la capacidad para detectar brotes a tiempo y prevenir resultados trágicos.
Los recortes a este financiamiento vital en Carolina del Norte serían perjudiciales para todas las partes del estado, particularmente en los condados rurales. Además, las propuestas del congreso para reducir los fondos de Medicaid e implementar restricciones de elegibilidad podrían poner en peligro la infraestructura de salud pública estatal y los programas de enfermedades infecciosas en Carolina del Norte. Medicaid es el proveedor más grande de cobertura de seguro para personas que viven con el VIH. Reducir el acceso a la cobertura de Medicaid podría resultar en un aumento de los casos y muertes por VIH. En Carolina del Norte, la expansión de Medicaid ha dado a muchas personas con VIH acceso a atención médica integral, algunas por primera vez.
May 20, 2025

MIL OSI USA News –
May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI United Nations: 20 May 2025 News release Director-General’s Award for Global Health given to Professor Awa Marie Coll Seck and Professor Sir Brian Greenwood

Source: World Health Organisation

In recognition of their lifetime achievements in global health, specifically in malaria elimination and beyond, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has given his Award for Global Health this year to Professor Awa Marie Coll Seck and Professor Sir Brian Greenwood.

The Director-General’s Award for Global Health, established in 2019, was conferred during the High-Level segment on Tuesday, 20 May, at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly and this year included an honorary lifetime achievement award to each recipient.

“Their invaluable contributions have helped to alleviate the burden of malaria and other vaccine-preventable diseases and to build sustainable health system capacity in Africa,” said Dr Tedros.

Noting Professor Coll Seck’s achievements, Dr Tedros said, “While serving as Senegal’s Minister of Health, Professor Awa Marie Coll Seck led landmark reforms, expanded universal access to care and integrated disease control programmes.”

In addition to making significant contributions to scientific literature, Professor Coll Seck was, from 2004–2011, the Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria (RMB) partnership, where she mobilized political will to accelerate malaria interventions in low-income countries.

She has also been active on several high-profile boards and advisory groups, including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, PATH, and other international NGOs and initiatives working on health financing, vaccines, and health system strengthening. She is currently the President of Forum Galien Afrique.

Professor Coll Seck was born in Senegal and trained as a physician with a specialization in infectious diseases. She earned her medical degree from the University of Dakar and pursued further specialization in bacteriology and virology in France.

“I’ve had the privilege of contributing to notable progress but I’ve also borne witness to ongoing challenges and emerging emergencies whether they be in terms of climate, demography or technology. This prize is all the more important in that it symbolizes trust in the values that I defend: solidarity between peoples, science in the service of humanity and the leadership of women in the health system,” said Professor Coll Seck.

Professor Greenwood is best known for his pivotal work in malaria control. He has also played a central role in shaping global health policy and research strategies, serving on numerous advisory boards, including those of WHO.

“Over the last five decades, Professor Sir Greenwood performed pioneering research and made major contributions to infectious disease control. His work on malaria has been instrumental in shaping modern approaches to control this devastating disease. His contributions range from the introduction of insecticide-treated bed nets to groundbreaking trials for the RTS,S malaria vaccine, the first vaccine to be recommended for widespread use,” said Dr Tedros.

Professor Greenwood’s early career focused on infectious disease research in Nigeria and The Gambia, where he lived for decades and led a multidisciplinary programme targeting diseases like malaria, pneumonia, measles, and HIV2. In The Gambia, he demonstrated the effectiveness of insecticide-treated nets in reducing child mortality and morbidity and contributed to malaria control through seasonal antimalarial drug administration.

In 1996, Professor Greenwood returned to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, continuing his research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He contributed to the successful use of the MenAfriVac vaccine in the African meningitis belt, which helped stop epidemics in Chad. He also advocated for combining seasonal vaccination with seasonal malaria chemoprevention.

Reflecting on his career, which began in Nigeria as a young doctor about 60 years ago, Professor Greenwood said, “The pediatric wards were full of measles, meningitis, malaria, polio, there were still even occasions with smallpox coming to hospital. The under-5 child mortality was about 400 per thousand in parts of west Africa. So, how that’s changed in one person’s lifetime. Many of those diseases are not gone but are much reduced and there has been a dramatic improvement in under-5 child mortality. In The Gambia where I also worked, that’s now 40, a 10-fold drop.”

MIL OSI United Nations News –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Hospitals need to be prepared for war – report

Source: Anglia Ruskin University

Ambulances parked near a hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine

Hospitals need to learn lessons from Ukraine and Syria as they increasingly become targets for military activity during times of conflict, according to research carried out by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and published by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The 96-page guidance document for underground shelters in hospitals, informed by research led by Dr Nebil Achour, is the first of its kind ever published and is based on the experiences of 617 Ukrainian hospitals during the ongoing war and other international health facilities in warzones.

The research draws on lessons learned from the conflict in Ukraine as well as Syria, and cites an urgent need for renovations, structural upgrades and adherence to standards in hospitals across the world.

Since the start of the conflict in February 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) has documented more than 2,300 attacks on health care facilities across Ukraine, severely disrupting the delivery of services and endangering the lives of patients and staff.

Despite the shelling, damaged infrastructure, and lack of essential equipment, health professionals have continued to provide care under emergency conditions.

Many hospitals have been forced to repurpose older underground shelters, many built during the Cold War, as makeshift health-care facilities to continue serving the population amidst the conflict.

While the majority (82%) of hospitals in Ukraine have shelters, approximately 70% of hospitals have 20 or fewer beds in their shelters, therefore giving them very limited capacity and ability to deal with mass casualties.

A quarter of shelters had modifications such as new ventilation systems, water and power supply networks, and showers and toilets. A total of 57% reported minor modifications such as flooring, painting and furniture, and 19% did not report any work at all.

Findings suggest that there are many difficulties facing the renovation and improvement of shelters, such as shortage of human resources, time, know-how and finance.

Irina Stanislavovna Tkachenko, medical director at Mykolaiv Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital, stated in the report: “One of our biggest challenges has been converting our old Soviet-era basements into makeshift shelters. These shelters were not originally intended for such use, so we had to quickly adapt them – cleaning out debris, installing water supplies, and creating spaces for incubators and medical equipment.

“The situation became even more complicated when people from the nearby community sought refuge during air raids. While we couldn’t turn them away, we simply didn’t have enough room to accommodate everyone.”

Iryna Dyuzhnyk, Deputy Director of General Affairs at Children’s Hospital #5 in Zaporizhzhia, said: “When the war began, we quickly realized that while we had a functioning shelter, it was not in a condition to handle the demands of this situation. We had to act swiftly.

“With support from international partners and funds allocated by our city council, we were able to transform it into a fully autonomous anti-radiation shelter. Now, it’s supported by a diesel-powered generator, a ventilation system, patient rooms, an operating theatre, sanitary facilities and a stockpile of necessary medical supplies.”

The WHO report provides actionable steps and a detailed checklist for repurposing existing structures and operating shelters to maintain health services during challenges such as structural damage, infectious diseases, cases of radiation poisoning and significant increase in patient numbers.

“With political uncertainty growing across the world, this first-ever guidance of its kind is timely. Even countries such as the UK should be prepared to learn lessons from Ukraine and Syria during these times.

“Our research is designed to assist hospitals and health authorities in enhancing and expanding their underground shelters to offer protection and maintain health services during crises, including those involving chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear events.

“Hospital shelters are very important in a world of turbulent political environment and high risk of conflicts. These must be designed and operated according to stricter resilience standards to allow health services to continue.

“Hospital staff, no matter of their professions and hierarchical level, also need to be trained to deal with disasters of all types, natural and manmade.”

Dr Achour, Associate Professor in Disaster Mitigation at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Capito, Warner Introduce Bill to Improve Early Assessment, Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), reintroduced the Concentrating on High-Value Alzheimer’s Needs to Get to an End (CHANGE) Act, bipartisan legislation to encourage early assessment and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. Companion legislation was also introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Linda Sanchez (D- Calif.), Darren LaHood (R-Ill.), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), and Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.).
“As we continue to search for breakthroughs in the fight against Alzheimer’s, we must ensure our health care system is doing its part to identify the disease earlier and connect patients and families with the tools they need. The CHANGE Act focuses on practical improvements—like earlier screening and detection—that can make a meaningful difference right now. I’m proud to reintroduce this bill to help improve outcomes, ease the burden on caregivers, and move us closer to ending this devastating disease,” Senator Capito said.
“Having watched my mother battle Alzheimer’s for a decade before her passing, I know this is a devastating disease that impacts not just the individual, but the entire family. Our legislation is key to helping secure an early diagnosis that will allow for better care, earlier access to treatment, and more support for families navigating this difficult journey,” Senator Warner said.
“Like countless families across the country, mine has personally felt the heartbreaking toll of Alzheimer’s,” Representative Sánchez said. “Having lost both of my parents to this cruel disease, I understand how critical early diagnosis can be. Our bipartisan, bicameral bill would early assessments and offer crucial resources for families. As our population continues to age and diagnoses expected to rise, we can’t afford to wait.”
“Alzheimer’s affects millions of Americans, and we must be relentless in our search for a cure,” Representative LaHood said. “I am proud to work alongside Rep. Sánchez to reintroduce the CHANGE Act to strengthen existing tools within Medicare, helping to streamline and broaden the ability for earlier diagnosis of dementia. It is critical that Congress find ways to support patients, their families, and caregivers.”
“We need a comprehensive approach to tackle the devastating impact of Alzheimer’s and to support the millions of Americans battling against this disease. Early detection and intervention are crucial to improve care and prolong the life of loved ones,” Representative Matsui said. “The CHANGE Act provides important tools to deliver early support and high-value care. I applaud my colleagues for advancing this bipartisan effort as we continue taking steps forward to prevent, treat, and put an end to Alzheimer’s.”
“As research continues to yield advancement in the development of more treatment options for patients with Alzheimer’s, we know that early detection, diagnosis and intervention offers the best promise for disease management,” Representative Bilirakis said. “My family has coped with the devastating impacts of this horrific disease for more than a decade, so I understand the toll it takes on the patient and his or her loved ones as it progresses. We owe it to our fellow Americans to develop a system of care that prioritizes education, screening and assessment so that patients can enjoy the best possible quality of life.”
The CHANGE Act is endorsed by: UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, American Academy of Neurology, Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, Alliance for Aging Research, Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, Gerontological Society of America, American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, Latinos Against Alzheimer’s, and USAging.
“The reintroduction of the CHANGE Act is a powerful display of bipartisan, bicameral leadership stepping up to confront the growing Alzheimer’s crisis. Senators Capito and Warner, along with Representatives Sánchez, LaHood, Matsui, and Bilirakis, recognize that early detection and timely intervention are extremely important to improving outcomes for patients and reducing strain on families and our healthcare system. UsAgainstAlzheimer’s proudly supports this legislation, which shifts our country’s approach from reacting too late to acting early—where we have the greatest chance to change lives and make a difference,” George Vradenburg, CEO and Founder of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, said.
BACKGROUND:
Approximately 7.2 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s disease in 2025. That number could grow to a projected 13.8 million by 2060. The direct financial costs of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias will also continue to increase exponentially, with projections indicating they will reach just under $1 trillion by 2050.
The CHANGE Act would better utilize the existing Welcome to Medicare initial exam and Medicare annual wellness visits to screen, detect, and diagnose Alzheimer’s and related dementias in their earliest stages.
Now, as new treatments are approved and glimpses at what could be on the horizon for those living with the disease emerge, ensuring screening and diagnosis is taking place is more essential than ever. An early documented diagnosis communicated to the patient and caregiver enables early access to care planning services and available medical and non-medical treatments and optimizes patients’ ability to build a care team, participate in support services, and enroll in clinical trials. It also would allow this devastating disease to be caught in its earliest stages, and ensure appropriate access to treatment.
Legislative text is available here.

MIL OSI USA News –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: VIDEO: Capito Opening Statement at Hearing Reviewing HHS Budget Request

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito
[embedded content]
Click here or on the image above to watch Chairman Capito’s opening remarks from the hearing.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), held a hearing with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to consider the president’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request, as well as the many priorities of the agency.
Below is the opening statement of Chairman Capito as prepared for delivery:
“Good morning. This is our first Labor-HHS Subcommittee hearing for fiscal year 2026 and the first hearing in my new role as chair.
“Vice Chair Baldwin and I have served together for several years on this committee, and I look forward to continuing to work with you in our new roles.
“I also want to take a moment to recognize Senators Collins and Murray.
“As the Chair and Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee, they are committed to regular order and maintaining our track record of writing and passing bipartisan appropriations bills in a timely manner.
“Today’s budget hearing is a first step in that process.
“Secretary Kennedy, thank you for being here today.
“I know that we all share the goal of improving the health of Americans. This hearing is an important opportunity for the subcommittee to hear from you on HHS’s budget proposal and better understand your priorities for fiscal year 2026.
“You have taken the helm of a large agency with thousands of dedicated career staffers whose work each day makes Americans healthier and safer and ensures our global leadership in science and biomedical research.
“In your first few months as secretary, you have made many changes at the department that will lead to a healthier America. This committee looks forward to hearing more from you on details of your proposed reorganization for HHS and working together to Make America Healthy Again.
“HHS has always worked with Congress when considering and designing reorganizations, and I encourage you and your staff to work closely with Congress as you move forward.
“Your fiscal year 2026 budget proposes a reduction in funding for HHS of over 26%. I commend you and President Trump for taking a careful look at each and every program at the department and I look forward to reviewing your full budget request hopefully very soon.
“This committee wants to work with you on improving HHS so that the agency can be more efficient and fund the best science. I am concerned that our country is falling behind in biomedical research – this should be a concern that we all share and make investments in. Investing in biomedical research has proven to save lives while exponentially strengthening the U.S. economy.
“NIH-funded basic research is also behind many of the 600+ new cancer treatments the FDA has approved over the last 20 years. NIH-funded research led to the development of buprenorphine – a medication treatment for opioid addiction. NIH-funded research led to the development of the first overdose naloxone nasal spray – Narcan.
“For almost a decade, this committee has increased funding toward the goal of finding treatments and a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. This goal is very personal to me since both of my parents lived with and eventually succumbed to the disease.
“These investments have allowed NIH to fund research into a wide variety of potential causes of the disease, and build evidence for prevention based on a healthy lifestyle. NIH-funded research on the amyloid protein led to the development of FDA-approved Alzheimer’s drugs in 2023 and 2024 to slow progression of the disease.
“All of this research is important, and I look forward to working with you to continue robust and diversified Alzheimer’s disease research.
“Wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars must end, and I applaud you taking a hard look at what federal research dollars are funding.
“I encourage you to ensure the fiscal year 2025 funding Congress has already appropriated is spent in a timely manner, in particular for the vital biomedical research which could lead to lifesaving breakthroughs in science. Too many American families are waiting for a cure. We have a responsibility to make sure their taxpayer dollars fund critical research.
“You and I have talked about the importance of the NIOSH coal programs to West Virginia and how the work conducted by NIOSH in Morgantown is unique across the federal government. I am pleased that you brought some of these specialized NIOSH employees back to work earlier this month and then, just last week, reversed their RIFs so that their return to the office will not be temporary.
“Your decision to return NIOSH staff to the office meant that the Firefighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program could issue the final report on the December 27, 2020 fire that killed a 30-year-old firefighter and injured three others. Senior Airman Logan Young was one of many who responded to the Kearneysville fire. I’m glad NIOSH was able to finish their investigation and issue their recommendations and final report.
“While your action last week was a good first step, there are other divisions within NIOSH with specialized staff who conduct essential, unique work. I support the president’s vision to right size our government, but as you and I have discussed, I do not think eliminating NIOSH programs will accomplish that goal. I encourage you to look closely at all of NIOSH’s offices and bring back additional critical staff.
“West Virginia—my home state—continues to rank above the national average in both new cancer diagnosis and deaths. We are thankful for the work performed by the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and I look forward to learning more about how this important work will be continued under the administration for a Healthy America.
“Substance abuse challenges also continue to be a real problem facing West Virginia and the nation.
“SAMHSA grant funding has played an important role in West Virginia, and I want to understand how the budget proposal will impact my state. I look forward to learning more from you today about your vision for these important programs.
“Rural health care is a top priority for this body. CDC data show that rural Americans are more likely to suffer from higher rates of diabetes and are more likely to die from cancer, heart disease, and stroke than urban Americans. This is unfortunately especially true in my home state, which also leads the nation in rates of diabetes and heart disease.
“Improving rural health outcomes goes hand-in-hand with investing in the health care workforce to meet the physical and mental health needs of Americans.
“HRSA has been a trusted Federal partner on rural health issues for decades. HRSA has funded critical rural health capacity building and other initiatives across the country and administers the healthcare workforce programs that help bring medical providers into local communities. You have proposed moving HRSA to the new AHA, and I would like to learn more about how your budget proposal would invest in rural America.
“We have a difficult task ahead of us this year, but it is my hope that we will come together, just as we have done in prior fiscal years, to use our limited resources in the most efficient and effective way to support the health and well-being of all Americans.
“Secretary Kennedy, I look forward to your testimony.”

MIL OSI USA News –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Florida Ophthalmology Practice Agrees to Pay $615,000 to Resolve Allegations of Fraudulent Claims to Medicare and Medicaid for Cranial Ultrasounds

Source: United States Department of Justice

Pinellas Eye Care, P.A. doing business as Gulfcoast Eye Care (“Gulfcoast Eye”), an ophthalmology practice with offices in Pinellas Park, Palm Harbor, and St. Petersburg, Florida, has agreed to pay $615,000 to resolve alleged violations of the False Claims Act and an analogous Florida statute arising from its billing for trans-cranial doppler ultrasounds (“TCDs”) provided through a kickback arrangement with a third party. Gulfcoast Eye has agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department’s ongoing investigations of other participants in the alleged scheme.

The settlement resolves allegations that Gulfcoast Eye knowingly submitted, and caused the submission of, false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for medically unnecessary TCDs. Gulfcoast Eye and a third-party provider of TCD services performed TCDs on thousands of patients and billed Medicare and Medicaid hundreds of dollars per test. Before the patients received the results of the test, Gulfcoast Eye and the third-party provider identified the patients as having received a serious diagnosis — most commonly of occlusion and stenosis of their cerebral arteries — that could qualify the patient for reimbursement of a TCD by Medicare or Medicaid. However, nearly all patients who received TCDs never had occlusion and stenosis of cerebral arteries, and that diagnosis was accordingly not reflected in the patient’s medical history or in the TCD results. Gulfcoast Eye paid the third-party TCD provider based on the volume or value of tests ordered and referred the patients to the TCD provider’s preferred radiology group for the TCD’s professional component.

The United States alleged that, as a result of this scheme, Gulfcoast Eye submitted, or caused the submission of, false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for TCDs that were medically unnecessary, that were premised on false diagnoses, and that resulted from violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law. Of the $615,000 total settlement amount, $602,046 is to be paid to the United States, and $12,953 is to be paid to the State of Florida for its share of Medicaid, which is a jointly funded federal and state program.

“Patients trust their healthcare providers to administer reliable and competent care consistent with their medical needs and ethical standards,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “When this relationship is exploited for personal gain or greed, the integrity of our healthcare system is compromised. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to protect patients from potential harm and maintain the integrity of our federal programs.”

“Kickback schemes will always be an investigative priority for the FBI,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor of the FBI Tampa Field Office. “Our mission is to protect the American people which includes safeguarding them from deceitful actions threatening our nation’s federal healthcare system.”

“Kickback arrangements can corrupt legitimate medical decision-making and undermine the integrity of federal healthcare programs,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan P. Lynch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG, working with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate improper billing and kickback schemes to protect both Medicare and Medicaid as well as those served by these programs.”

The civil settlement resolved a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the Government’s recovery. The qui tam was filed by a whistleblower who will receive $116,850 in connection with the settlement.

The settlement was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, with assistance from HHS-OIG and the FBI. The United States previously resolved allegations that another ophthalmology practice in Florida engaged in a similar scheme with the same third-party TCD provider.

The government’s pursuit of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement can be reported to HHS at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

Trial Attorney Nelson Wagner in the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and Assistant United States Attorney Mamie Wise for the Middle District of Florida handled the matter.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

MIL Security OSI –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: North District Hospital announces incident of nurse suspected to have been indecently assaulted

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

North District Hospital announces incident of nurse suspected to have been indecently assaulted
A nurse was suspected to have been indecently assaulted in a medical ward at 4.10pm today. Upon receiving the report from the nurse, the hospital reported the incident to the Police immediately. A 59-year-old male patient was subsequently arrested by the Police in the ward.

NDH is highly concerned about the incident. The hospital strongly condemns the suspected indecent acts against its staff, resolutely adopts a zero-tolerance attitude towards this incident, and will follow up seriously while fully co-operating with the Police’s investigation. The hospital has expressed sympathy and provided support to the nurse concerned.

The hospital has reported the incident to the Hospital Authority Head Office via the Advance Incident Reporting System.
Issued at HKT 22:59

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CategoriesMIL-OSI

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: IAM Victory at Boeing

Source: US GOIAM Union

How did a union of 33,000 aircraft workers win a battle that set a new standard in the aviation industry with a 40% pay increase over four years? What strategies did they use to score a guarantee of building Boeing’s next commercial aircraft? What tactic did they use to defend their ground in a battle for retirement savings, not to give another inch of territory that had already been taken from them?

“If it ain’t Boeing, I ain’t going.”

This was the catchphrase during the heyday of commercial aviation in North America from the 1930s through the 1970s. Boeing aircraft were dominating the skies with silver bottom planes that denoted the quality engineering and manufacturing it took to build a transportation marvel.

A job at Boeing in the Pacific Northwest was a key to the lock on a comfortable middle-class life for many families. And those jobs had been union jobs for generations, thanks to the foresight of early Boeing workers in 1936 who organized with the IAM.

But the chase for middle-class life started racing uphill in the early 1980s. More recently, staggering inflation put even higher demands on workers’ salaries and compensation with exponential growth in the cost of living. Health insurance, housing, groceries, and energy prices grew faster than wage and benefit increases. The ability to retire with dignity and financial stability was becoming an afterthought. The bar for the middle class wasmoving higher and higher, and someone had to take a stand and choose a battlefield for a fight to begin.

Thirty-three thousand IAM members from District 751 and W24 were ready.

These members had been held in limbo for two contract cycles. They weathered two extensions of previous collective bargaining agreements, riddled with threats to move their work elsewhere, while Boeing stopped pension contributions. Meanwhile, since 2010, Boeing has sent $83 billion in profits to Wall Street, according to the Seattle Times. It had told its world-class workforce that cuts to worker compensation were necessary.

Preparation and planning were key to readiness. Both districts focused on communication; putting the plan up front for all members to see. Face to face discussions, surveys, emails, and dropbox suggestions were used to gauge membership needs. District 751 Aero Mechanic printed road maps of the contracts back to 1952 -showing the history of contract wins and path of growth. W-24 held contract input and listening sessions at Mt. Hood community college.
Shop stewards encouraged “swag days” when union members would wear the same union gear to mark solidarity.

“This is our future, our fight, and we are ready for it,” said IAM District 751 President and Directing Business Representative Jon Holden. “We have spent the last decade listening to members tell us what’s important to them and their families. Many changes are necessary to address the membership’s priorities. We are creating a proposal to address a comprehensive list of membership demands.”

Noted union organizer and author Marshall Ganz once said, “Movements have narratives. They tell stories because they are not just about rearranging economics and politics. They also rearrange meaning. And they’re not just about redistributing the goods. They’re about figuring out what is good.”

And what a story IAM members working for Boeing in the Pacific Northwest would have to tell.

“IAM members are the most dedicated, skilled, and experienced aerospace union in the world,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Robert “Bobby” Martinez. “We could not settle for anything less than the respect and family-sustaining wages and benefits that our members at Boeing need and deserve.”

It was time for a bold move.

A July 2024 rally at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, the only sports venue in the area with enough capacity to hold the IAM’s Boeing membership in the area, saw a strike sanction vote pass by 99.9%.

Boeing workers had decided this negotiation cycle was their chance—no more extensions to an existing agreement. Boeing management had made a series of high-profile blunders over the past decade, against the advice of its own workers.

On Sept. 13, 2024, over 96% of Boeing IAM workers voted no on Boeing’s first contract offer. The path was set. Game on!“Our membership’s ‘no’ vote was a clear mandate. Boeing had to stop undervaluing its workforce,” IAM International President Brian Bryant said after the vote. “Our strength lies in our unity, and we do not back down.”

Strike lines were set. Burn barrels were put in place. News media covered the strike from Seattle to Europe, where Boeing’s competitor, Airbus, was watching. The fight was on 24/7, and these workers were together.

And the legacy of some past members stepped up at just the right time.

IAM District 751 member Keith Olsen passed away from cancer in 2020. He left behind two children, Hawken and Bailey. Their mother, Arlene, saw her children take action no one expected. Bailey, now 16, shared, “When the strike started, my brother Hawken asked, ‘If Dad were alive, would he be out there?’” Bailey continued, “When I said yes, [Hawken] immediately wanted to join. He’s autistic, and the honking and crowds worried me, but he had so much fun. He kept telling everyone, ‘This is for my Dad.’”

33,000 moms, dads, union brothers, sisters, and siblings knew what was at stake if they folded under pressure.

A rejection of a Boeing offer on Oct. 23 ratcheted up the stakes. IAM leaders met with workers and listened to their objections to Boeing’s offers. It just wasn’t good enough, was the consensus.

“Our membership spoke loudly and clearly about what they wanted in this agreement,” said IAM District 751 President and Directing Business Representative Jon Holden. “We stand strong until those needs are addressed.”

As the strike continued past its 50th day, striking workers’ determination was further tested. Each day, one day longer, one day stronger.
The strike was rearranging the meaning of solidarity. As Marshall Ganz described it, the narrative was figuring out what was good.

“That means that we all needed to come together, stay informed, and take action as a group. There’s no way they’re gonna wait us out,” said District W24 President and Directing Business Representative Brandon Bryant. “We’re going to be here as long as it takes. We’ve got plenty of support for a long time.”

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal rallied with striking District 751 members on Oct. 15. Sen. Patty Murray and Reps. Adam Smith and Rick Larsen joined a support letter from Cantwell and Jayapal that called on the two sides to “expeditiously work out a fair and durable deal that recognizes the importance of the machinist workforce to Boeing’s future.”

The continuing strike’s economic impact on the overall U.S. economy did not go unnoticed. The Seattle Times reported that Boeing and its suppliers had lost $9.7 billion by early November.

Julie Su, then the Acting Labor Secretary, visited Seattle three times and gathered management and union leaders in late October.

“There was a real history here where the prior leadership of the company had undervalued and undermined the relationship between management and the machinists,” Su told Axios News. “And so the workers felt that.”

As day 53 of the strike ended, a deal was reached. Solidarity had won a new agreement.

“This means growth and stability for Boeing workers. Our members went on strike for better wages and working conditions –and they won by staying united and exercising democracy in the workplace,” said IAM Resident General Vice President Jody Bennett said, “They hit the streets, held strong, and have been rewarded with an excellent contract. This dedicated frontline workforce does not just deserve these provisions —they are also overdue. This contract will set a new standard for aerospace across the region, the nation, and the industry.”

Boeing workers in South Carolina, who are just like our members; facing the same employerand performing the same work, where Boeing moved some production lines to avoid union power in the right to work for less state, saw gains in their compensation packages influenced by the District 751 and W24 fight.

“Our members fought courageously for what they deserve, and this victory proves the power of collective bargaining,” said IAM International President Brian Bryant. “IAM Boeing workers will help make the case to Boeing South Carolina workers on how we helped raise their wages and benefits at Boeing and the entire industry. We look forward to the conversations on the ground in Charleston about how the IAM can make their workplace stronger.”

“This experience changed me. It wasn’t just about standing up to the company -it was about standing up for each other, for every worker who deserves respect and fairness. Our strength is our solidarity, and we proved that every day on the line.”, said District 751A member Chris McQueen as she returned to work after the 53 day strike.

Members knew that standing up meant that more than just their current battle was won, it meant the door was open to change things for the future, together.

“Education is power, and by equipping our members with the right tools and information, we build a more united and informed union. Together, we are shaping a stronger future for all IAM members and the entire aerospace industry,” said 751 President Holden. “From our family members to the flying public, we want everyone to be proud of this company once again. We are the watchdog with a unique opportunity to make things better for all.”

Any movement starts with a step, and a step in the right direction tells a new story with new chapters yet to come.

It was a fight worth winning.

SIDEBAR
Historic Agreement:
IAM District 751 and W24 Members are now the best compensated aerospace workers in the industry.

* 38% general wage increase over four years, which compounds to 43.65% over the life of the agreement
*401(k) employer match of 100% up to 8%-$12,000 ratification bonus
*AMPP incentive plan is reinstated, with a guaranteed minimum annual payout of 4%
*Special company retirement contribution of 4% into 401(k) maintained
*$105 pension multiplier per year for those vested in the pension plan
*Call-in language back to current contract
*New long-term disability plan and big improvement to short term disability plan-Health care cost containment
*Improved overtime rules
*Key job security provision for IAM members to build the next Boeing commercial aircraft in the Pacific Northwest
*Additional Job Security language maintaining the headcount of Facilities and Maintenance members in the Collective Bargaining Agreement

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MIL OSI USA News –

May 21, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK adopts historic Pandemic Agreement
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

Press release

UK adopts historic Pandemic Agreement

Better protections for British public and NHS thanks to deal adopted at the World Health Assembly in Geneva.
New Agreement will protect British public and NHS from future global health threats while preserving UK sovereignty

Pandemic Agreement will safeguard lives and UK economy by improving world’s collective ability to prevent, prepare for, detect and respond to global disease threats

This follows long negotiation process to ensure agreement is firmly in UK’s national interest

The British people, our NHS and the economy will be better protected against future global health threats thanks to a new World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement adopted by the UK today.

The deal marks a significant step forward in stronger domestic and global prevention by improving the way countries around the world work together to detect and combat pandemic threats.

The UK government has been actively engaged in negotiations to ensure a strong final agreement. The Agreement adopted at the World Health Assembly in Geneva respects national sovereignty while encouraging nations to work together more effectively to address shared global health threats, in turn helping strengthen our national security which is a key part of this government’s Plan for Change. There are no provisions that would give the WHO powers to impose domestic public health decisions on the UK.

Minister of State for International Development Baroness Chapman said:

The Pandemic Agreement is a great example of the UK working with our partners to support countries combat disease and strengthen their health systems. Acting together will help us to prevent pandemics, and prepare for and respond to any future pandemic threats.

Diseases cross borders, and our diplomacy must too, if we are to prevent a repeat of the devastation caused by Covid-19. That’s why this agreement will make the world a healthier and safer place.

Health Minister Ashley Dalton said:

COVID-19 showed us the vital importance of international cooperation to save lives. This landmark agreement will help protect British people from future pandemic threats and safeguard our health system, supporting our mission to build an NHS fit for the future.

Our national interest and the safety and wellbeing of the British public will always be our first priority. This agreement maintains our sovereignty while ensuring the NHS and the UK as a whole will be better prepared for possible future global health emergencies, through stronger early warning systems and faster response capabilities.

Our world-class life sciences sector will also benefit from increased innovation in vaccines and treatments, boosting growth and improving care for patients across the UK.

UKHSA Chief Executive Dame Jenny Harries said:

It is gratifying to see the Pandemic Agreement adopted. It is clear that international co-operation and collaboration must be at the very heart of our pandemic preparedness strategy if it is to be effective, and this agreement is a welcome step towards making the world a safer place from pandemic threats.

UKHSA has consistently been committed to sharing data and analysis on pathogens with pandemic potential with our international partners, and we will continue to do so as we work to develop the global capacity to respond to emerging threats to public health.

This is also good news for scientific innovation and the UK’s world-leading life sciences industry, opening the door to enabling high quality vaccines to be delivered faster in the next pandemic.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had an enduring impact on lives and livelihoods around the world. Thousands of families in the UK lost loved ones, children missed out on pivotal learning and development opportunities, and businesses were forced to close their doors. The estimated cost of the UK government’s COVID-19 measures was over £300 billion.

The new Pandemic Agreement will help avoid a repeat of this devastation by creating a framework for countries to take action together to better prevent pandemics – by improving disease surveillance so we can detect and respond to new health threats sooner, and by speeding up innovation of life-saving vaccines and treatments.

The aim is to prevent pandemic threats from emerging in the first place and stopping them in their tracks when they do.

It will facilitate swifter pathogen and pathogen data sharing so we can act quickly to prevent further spread. It will also enable the UK to develop vaccines, treatments and tests faster, which will help save lives and drive economic growth in our world-leading life sciences sector.

124 member states agreed to adopt the Pandemic Agreement today, demonstrating strong international commitment to multilateralism and collective action to strengthen global health security.

The final text represents a strong outcome for the UK. Key wins include:

Commitments on pandemic prevention, including for health, animal, and environmental sectors to collaborate through a “One Health” approach – a major step toward preventing disease spillover from animals to humans;

Provisions that will foster innovation, enhance global research and development, and strengthen supply chains;

The Pandemic Agreement paves the way for a new and voluntary Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system which should see pharmaceutical companies get faster access to the pathogens and genetic sequences that they need to create new vaccines, treatments and tests to respond to a pandemic. In return, manufacturers who voluntarily sign up to the system – not the government – will share a portion of their production with the WHO to allocate where it is most needed;

The PABS system is entirely voluntary for pharmaceutical companies, who may choose to join to gain faster access to pathogen data for innovation. There are no requirements placed on governments to share vaccines or treatments they have purchased.

The Pandemic Agreement does not include any provisions that would give the WHO powers to impose domestic public health decisions on the UK. The sovereignty of states is one of the guiding principles of the Agreement.

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Published 20 May 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
May 21, 2025

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