overnor Kathy Hochul today announced the launch of a new Mobile Medication Unit (MMU) which will provide services in the Central New York Region under the direction of the Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). MMUs offer a wide range of addiction services, including medication for addiction such as methadone and buprenorphine. They are designed to reach individuals who may face barriers to accessing traditional treatment, such as proximity to a traditional treatment facility or issues with transportation.
“It should not be a challenge for those battling addiction to get the care they need. We are going to make it easier for those New Yorkers,” Governor Hochul said. “The new Mobile Medication Unit will bring vital services to Central New York, offering hope and support to those who need it most. This is just one step in our ongoing commitment to help every New Yorker on their path to recovery.”
The new mobile unit is the first program able to dispense methadone in Madison County. It is operated by Helio Health and is being supported with $550,000 in federal funding distributed by OASAS.
New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports Commissioner Dr. Chinazo Cunningham said, “Medication for addiction saves lives by significantly reducing the risk of overdose death, and this new mobile unit will give people in the Central New York region another avenue to access the important care they need. Mobile units like this are already making a difference in other parts of the state, and we are looking forward to further expanding this service into more regions as we continue to support the overall health and recovery of all New Yorkers.”
State Senator Nathalia Fernandez said, “Expanding access to treatment saves lives, and this new Mobile Medication Unit is a critical step in reaching people where they are. Too many New Yorkers face barriers to care, and initiatives like this help ensure that lifesaving treatment—including medication for addiction—is available to those who need it. With continued investment and expansion, we can break down obstacles, close gaps in care, and support more people on their path to recovery.”
Madison County Administrator Mark Scimone said, “We are grateful that Madison County residents will now have access to these critical services without the burden of traveling outside the county. The arrival of the Helio Health Mobile Medication Unit ensures that more individuals can receive the care they need, closer to home. This is a significant step forward in expanding local healthcare access and supporting those in our community.”
Services provided through this program include medication for addiction, health assessments and screenings, referrals to other types of care, and various harm reduction services. This mobile unit will be stationed on North Court Street in Wampsville, with possible expansions to additional locations in the future.
This is the third MMU to begin operation in New York State, and the first outside of New York City. The first MMU which opened in the South Bronx in 2024 has served more than 6,600 patients to date.
Eight additional MMUs for Brooklyn, Albany, Newburgh, Utica, Buffalo, Dunkirk, Syracuse, and Ithaca have received funding under this initiative and are in various stages of development, with many on track to begin operation in the coming months. Governor Hochul’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget also includes an additional $2.5 million in funding to further expand the number of MMUs, helping to close gaps in care and provide treatment options to underserved areas.
OASAS oversees one of the nation’s largest systems of addiction services with approximately 1,700 prevention, treatment and recovery programs serving over 731,000 individuals per year. This includes the direct operation of 12 Addiction Treatment Centers where our doctors, nurses, and clinical staff provide inpatient and residential services to approximately 8,000 individuals per year.
New Yorkers struggling with an addiction, or whose loved ones are struggling, can find help and hope by calling the state’s toll-free, 24-hour, 7-day-a-week HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (Short Code 467369).
Available addiction treatment, including crisis/detox, inpatient, residential, or outpatient care can be found on the NYS OASAS website.
The Commission condemns any form of cruelty to animals. In 2023, the Commission adopted a proposal for a regulation on the welfare of dogs and cats and their traceability[1] that aims to raise the level of protection for the welfare of dogs and cats.
The proposal requires animal welfare conditions for all premises or structures, including households, where dogs are bred with a view to placing the offspring on the market[2].
If hunters are breeding dogs at a frequency above the thresholds foreseen by the Commission proposal, these breeding and keeping activities would have to comply with the requirements specified by the EU legal act.
In addition, the proposal foresees that dogs kept in establishments for supply[3] in the Union, including dogs supplied by natural persons, be identified and registered in a national database.
Therefore, if any supply would take place in the context of hunting activities, the dog should be identified and registered. Such a requirement should discourage the abandonment of dogs, as traceability would make it possible to locate the person abandoning the dog. The examination of the Commission’s proposal by the European Parliament and by the Council is ongoing.
Different regulations concern different animal species. As foreseen in the Mission Letter for the Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare[4], the Commission intends to modernise the existing EU animal welfare legislation on the basis of new scientific, social and economic elements during its current mandate.
[2] Article 3 point 5 of the proposal defines ‘placing on the market’ as the keeping of dogs and cats for the purpose of sale, offering for sale, distribution or any other form of transfer of ownership or responsibility for the animal, that is against consideration or at least reimbursement of the costs incurred, including the advertising of animals for the above purposes.
[3] Article 3 point 6 of the proposal defines ‘supplying’ as the transferring of ownership or responsibility for dogs or cats through any means or form, whether for a consideration or not, excluding occasional supplies by natural persons of dogs or cats by other means than via the intermediation of an online platform.
[4] Page 6 of the Mission Letter: https://commission.europa.eu/document/b1817a1b-e62e-4949-bbb8-ebf29b54c8bd_en
1. The ‘Healthier Together’ initiative[1] provides a strategic framework for the Commission’s support to Member States in reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases. Financial support under the EU4Health programme has been provided for collaborative actions between Member States on health determinants, such as nutrition and tobacco, and on mental health. These actions aim at reducing health inequalities and focus on vulnerable groups such as children. The Commission will continue to work with Member States and stakeholders to provide solutions to facilitate healthier food choices. Together with United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), the Commission is developing a prevention toolkit for children to support policymakers in promoting their mental and physical health. In line with the political guidelines and mission letter to the Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare[2], the Commission will step up its work on preventive health with a focus on improving cardiovascular health in the EU, and will propose a European cardiovascular health plan.
2. Ensuring a high level of public health is a fundamental principle of EU food law legislation. Under the General Food Law Regulation[3], all food placed on the EU market must be safe, i.e. not injurious to health or unfit for human consumption. To this end, the General Food Law Regulation lays down the responsibilities of the various actors along the food supply chain and of the Member States’ competent authorities to ensure that food placed on the EU market complies with these requirements. Furthermore, strict EU import rules with respect to food and feed hygiene, consumer safety and animal health status in place aim at assuring that all imports fulfil the same high standards as those required for products originating within the EU.
[3] Regulation (EC) 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety, (OJ L 31, 1.2.2002, p. 1).
COVID-19 vaccines have been authorised to protect against COVID-19. Vaccines are not authorised with the primary goal of reducing disease transmission, which is challenging to assess in clinical studies and requires large-scale real-world data.
Post-authorisation studies indicate that COVID-19 vaccines can reduce virus transmission, though their effectiveness varies over time and across regions due to circulating virus strains and preventive measures[1].
The first COVID-19 vaccines received conditional marketing authorisation based on short-term efficacy, with the duration of protection still being determined.
By 2021, real-world data showed reduced protection over time, particularly with new variants. Ongoing recommendations for booster doses and vaccine updates aim to maintain protection as the virus evolves.
The COVID-19 vaccine contracts that the Commission concluded on behalf of the Member States were based on products which were considered safe and efficacious according to EU pharmaceutical law requirements and authorised based on the European Medicines Agency’s advice.
Studies indicate that vaccine protection declines over time and that this is due, among other factors, to the emergence of new variants. COVID-19 vaccines authorised in the EU are regularly updated to maintain protection as SARS-CoV-2 evolves.
The vaccine contracts allowed and continue to allow Member States to order updated vaccines, once authorised and made available by manufacturers.
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, all vaccines authorised in the EU were highly protective against hospitalisation, severe disease, and death, and delays in their availability could have had severe public health consequences[2].
Tampa, FL ― Acting U.S. Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announced today that the Middle District of Florida (MDFL) collected $47,486,214 related to local criminal and civil matters in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024 (FY 2024). Of this amount, $16,429,786 was collected in criminal cases and $31,056,428was collected in civil actions.
The MDFL’s Civil Division, led by Civil Chief Randy Harwell, recovered a total of $104,533,923 on behalf of federal agencies and programs in affirmative civil enforcement cases during the last fiscal year. This amount has two components. In addition to its recoveries in local civil cases noted above, the District’s Civil Division also joins forces with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and with the Department of Justice Civil Frauds Section to address fraud schemes and illegal practices extending beyond district boundaries. The MDFL’s Civil Division recovered an additional $73,477,495 in FY24 in these jointly handled cases.
“These strong recovery figures show a continued commitment by our office in the critical areas of criminal and civil enforcement,” said Acting United States Attorney Sara Sweeney. “Safeguarding the interests of crime victims, the American taxpayers, and vital public programs will always be a part of our district’s core mission.”
U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the Department’s litigation divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the Department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.
The MDFL’s Asset Recovery Division, led by Chief Laura Taylor, recovered a total of $16,456,189. This amount has two components―criminal monetary penalties and forfeiture. First, in addition to the $16,429,786 in criminal monetary penalties collected in cases prosecuted by the District, the Asset Recovery Division worked with other U.S. Attorney’s Offices and components of the Department of Justice to collect an additional $26,403 in criminal monetary penalties pursued jointly by these offices.
Additionally, the District’s Asset Recovery Division, working with partner agencies, forfeited$35,981,653from criminal and civil asset forfeiture actions in FY 2024. For instance, in FY 2024, $10,604,039 million forfeited in the MDFL was returned to victims of the criminal offenses, and more than $4 million was shared with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.
Significant Affirmative Civil Enforcement Cases
United States ex rel. Jacob v. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Case no. 8:20-cv-858 (M.D. Fla.). This qui tam case alleged that between 2009 and 2020, Walgreens submitted false claims for payment to Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health care programs for prescriptions that it processed but that were never picked up by beneficiaries. Through this practice, Walgreens received tens of millions of dollars for prescriptions that it never actually provided to health care beneficiaries. Collaborating with the Dept. of Justice Civil Frauds Section and the United States Attorneys’ Offices for the District of New Mexico and Eastern District of Texas, we resolved all of the allegations in the qui tam case for $106.8 million.
United States v. Lubin, Case no. 8:21-cv-2231 (M.D. Fla.). This False Claims Act complaint was filed against Dr. Edward Lubin, who was an outlier prescriber of a powerful opioid medication called Subsys which is prescribed primarily for treatment of various oncology conditions. We alleged that Dr. Edward Lubin received kickbacks from the manufacturer of Subsys, Insys, Inc., through a bogus speaker program sponsored by Insys that paid Lubin hundreds of thousands of dollars to incentivize him to prescribe the potent medication. In October 2023, we settled with Dr. Lubin for $1.5 million.
U.S. ex rel. Loscalzo v. Bluestone Physician Services, et al., Case No. 2:20-cv-295 (M.D. Fla.). This qui tam case alleged that Bluestone, a geriatric health care provider for residents of assisted living facilities in Florida, Minnesota and Wisconsin, submitted false claims to the government by billing monthly medical visits that are either unnecessary or upcoded. In collaboration with the Department of Justice Civil Frauds section and the United States Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis, Minnesota, we corroborated the allegations and on June 5, 2024, resolved the claims in the qui tam complaint for $14.9 million, on an ability to pay basis.
Dan Hurt. Daniel Hurt owned and operated Fountain Health Services LLC, Verify Health, Landmark Diagnostics LLC, First Choice Laboratory LLC and Sonoran Desert Pathology Associates LLC, that we alleged submitted false claims to Medicare for cancer genomic (CGx) tests that were not medically necessary and that were procured through illegal kickbacks. From January 2019 to November 2021, Hurt allegedly conspired with telemarketing agents to solicit Medicare beneficiaries for “free” CGx tests; with telemedicine providers to “prescribe” CGx tests that were not medically necessary; with reference laboratories to conduct the CGx tests, and with billing laboratories and a hospital to submit claims for payment to Medicare. Mr. Hurt pled guilty to criminal healthcare fraud offenses and agreed on an ability to pay basis to settle the civil fraud claims for approximately $27 million.
United States v. Robert J. Remington, et al., Case no. 8:24-cv-511 (M.D. Fla.). This False Claims Act case was initiated by a referral from the Veterans Administration Inspector General concerning Jacksonville and Orlando franchises of New Horizons Computer Learning Center. These schools provide federally subsidized educational programs for veterans. The complaint alleged that both franchises violated subsidy program requirements concerning the percentage of student population that were entitled to receive the subsidies. We filed a complaint against the two schools in February 2024, and on July 10, 2024 reached an agreement that resolved all claims in return for $1,350,000.
United States ex rel. GNGH2, Inc. v. Miles Partnership, LLC, Case No. 8:23-cv-649 (M.D. Fla.). In this qui tam, the relator alleged that Miles Partnership, LLC (“Miles Partnership”) obtained a $2 million second draw Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan by failing to disclose that it was required to register under the Foreign Agent Registration Act (“FARA”), 22 U.S.C. § 611 et seq . Any entity required to register under FARA was ineligible for a second draw PPP loan. Based on various contracts it had with foreign tourism boards, including the Bermuda Tourism Authority, the relator alleged that Miles Partnership was required to register under FARA. On Sept. 17, 2024, we settled these claims for $2,281,950.
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer and Research Center. A leading Tampa, Florida cancer research center disclosed issues to the Health and Human Services Inspector General concerning its bills to Medicare associated with clinical oncology trials. Specifically, Moffitt disclosed that it had billed federal healthcare programs for items and services provided as part of clinical trial research that should have been billed to non-government trial sponsors. The research center cooperated extensively with the United States Attorney’s Office, Department of Justice Civil Frauds section, and HHS OIG, ultimately agreeing in January 2024, to pay $19,564,743 to resolve all of the billing issues that it had disclosed.
Baptist Health System A Jacksonville, Florida area hospital network voluntarily disclosed conduct to the Health and Human Services Inspector General that may have violated the federal Anti-Kickback statute. Specifically, Baptist Health disclosed that it had offered discounts to patients as an inducement to purchase or refer Baptist Health services that are reimbursed by federal health programs. Baptist Health cooperated with the government’s investigation into these issues and agreed to resolve them in exchange for $1.5 million.
Priority question for written answer P-000805/2025 to the Commission Rule 144 Gerald Hauser (PfE)
The objection period has been shortened from 18 to 10 months, from the date of notification by the WHO Director-General. According to the answer to question E-001627/2024[1], the notification was given on 19 September 2024.
However, it is important to note that WHO has often applied deadlines incorrectly and in its favour in the past. The organisation has violated Article 55 of the IHR by not submitting the proposed amendments to the Member States in due time.
The 2022 World Health Assembly (WHA) amendments to shorten the deadline from 24/18 to 12/10 months entered into force on 31 May 2024, although the exact date of the notification is not known. Three days does not seem realistic, however. Against this background, we believe that the deadline for objections should be checked.
1.When were the 2022 WHA amendments to reduce the deadline from 24/18 to 12/10 months notified to the EU/Member States?
2.Has the Commission checked the deadline for submitting objections to the IHR amendments?
3.Do amendments become invalid if deadlines such as the four-month deadline for submitting documents before the vote are not met?
Our circadian rhythm – that internal biological clock – requires our internal body temperature to drop at night for quality sleep. The ideal room temperature for sleep is 15°C to 19°C.
Rising outdoor temperatures make this body temperature increasingly difficult to maintain, especially for those without air conditioning. Paradoxically, widespread air conditioning use further contributes to climate change by using fossil-energy, which creates emissions.**
Research shows the impact on our sleep is already measurable. Our 2023 study of 375 Australian adults found people lost 12 minutes per night on the hottest nights compared with the coldest (31°C vs 0.4°C overnight temperatures across the year).
Globally, scientists predict we could lose 50–58 hours of sleep annually per person by the end of the century if warming continues unchecked. This is one way climate change will make geographic inequalities worse.
Rising temperatures make it increasingly difficult to maintain your body’s circadian rhythm, especially for those without air conditioning. Antoniodiaz
2. Climate change is worsening air pollution
Hot and dry conditions typically tend to make air pollution worse. As climate change increases the number of hot days and frequency of heatwaves, the rate of wildfires will increase. This adds another source of air pollution, increasing emissions of harmful greenhouse gases and airborne particles.
Air pollution is linked with poorer health, increased risk of chronic illness and early death.
Air pollution also impacts our sleep through breathing issues, inflammation and potentially disrupting our nervous system’s ability to regulate sleep.
With these extreme events comes widespread upheaval in affected communities. From mass population displacement to loss of shelter, security and essential resources, sleep is likely way down the list of priorities when dealing with natural disasters.
However, sleep disturbances are common after these extreme events. A review of global research on wildfire survivors found two-thirds experienced insomnia and more than a third reported nightmares. These effects persisted up to 10 months after the disaster.
Two-thirds of wildfire survivors experienced insomnia and over a third reported nightmares. Toa55/Shutterstock
Research confirms these climate concerns are linked with sleep disturbances including difficulty falling asleep, insomnia and wakefulness. They occur across the age spectrum, affecting both younger and older adults.
If climate-related concerns or ongoing poor sleep are significantly impacting your life consider consulting a doctor or psychologist.
Tips for getting a good night sleep during hot nights
Fortunately, there are a few simple things you can do to improve your chances of getting a good night’s sleep. They cost nothing or very little and require just a small bit of pre-bedtime planning.
· sleep in the coolest room in the house (this may not be the bedroom)
· keep curtains closed during the day to limit heating from sunlight
· put on a fan – air flow can lower your perception of the temperature (by helping sweat evaporate faster) without actually cooling your room
· select light, breathable bedding (natural fibres work best)
· if outside temperatures drop at night, open the windows to encourage air circulation.
For your body:
· take a cool shower before bed to help lower body temperature
· timing your exercise is important: aim to exercise early in the day
· wear light natural-fibre clothing
· keep a damp towel or spray bottle by your bed to dampen your skin
· stay hydrated but avoid heavy meals before sleeping.
As we adapt to a changing climate, getting a good night’s sleep should be a top priority for our health.
With some practical adjustments to our environments and habits, we can adapt to these changes while advocating for the broader climate solutions that will ultimately help us all rest easier.
Ty Ferguson receives funding from the Medical Research Future Fund and the National Health and Medical Research Council
Carol Maher receives funding from the Medical Research Future Fund, the National Health and Medical Research Council, the National Heart Foundation, the SA Department for Education, Preventive Health SA, the Channel 7 Children’s Research Foundation, the South Australian Office for Sport, Recreation and Racing, Healthway, Hunter New England Local Health District, and the Central Adelaide Local Health Network.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Kirsty Pringle, Atmospheric Scientist and Project Manager, Software Sustainability Institute, University of Edinburgh
Netflix’s new drama Toxic Town tells the true story of a group of women from Corby in Northamptonshire, UK, who gave birth to children with limb differences in the 1980s and 90s. The children were born with shortened arms or legs or missing fingers. The drama follows their battle to uncover the cause and their subsequent fight for justice.
This skilful portrayal of a real-life tragedy isn’t just compelling drama, it’s a stark warning about the dangers of weak environmental protections. With the UK no longer following EU environmental standards and the US rolling back key pollution regulations and scaling down environmental enforcement, the issues at the heart of Toxic Town feel more urgent than ever.
As two atmospheric scientists, we were pleased to see Netflix taking on this recent event in UK history.
Corby’s industrial heritage mirrors that of many English towns: for decades, the town’s steelworks provided jobs. Then in the 1980s they were decommissioned, leaving behind high unemployment and thousands of tonnes of hazardous waste. While many areas have decommissioned steelworks, the difference here is that environmental procedures for decommissioning hazardous waste appear not to have been followed.
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Waste from the steelworks was transported through town in lorries to sites for long-term storage. Despite government advice to ensure their lorries were cleaned and their loads covered to prevent contamination, dirty, uncovered lorries carrying hazardous waste were repeatedly driven through the area, allowing toxic sludge to spill out on to the roads.
Drivers were also paid bonuses for extra loads, which encouraged them to ignore regulations and cut corners. And, as the sludge spilled from their lorries dried, it turned into dust that was carried through the air and inhaled by residents, including pregnant mothers.
Crucially, this dust was not typical air pollution which, while harmful, doesn’t usually come from contaminated land so doesn’t contain high concentrations of heavy metals and industrial chemicals. Yet, to the naked eye, Corby’s toxic dust would have been pretty indistinguishable from everyday grime.
What is clear, however, is that there was a lot of it. During the 2009 court case against what was then Corby Borough Council, which was responsible for the steelworks’ decommissioning, residents recalled the orange dust coating surfaces and filling the air. Many stressed the need to wash their cars frequently as they quickly became coated in dust.
As the show depicts, in 1999 concerns were raised about the impact of the pollution by mothers in the area who had given birth to children with upper limb differences. Northamptonshire Health Authority conducted an initial investigation and concluded the problem was no worse than elsewhere in England and Wales.
Inexplicably, even among environmental researchers, the Corby toxic waste case remains relatively unknown despite being a landmark legal case. It was the first time a link between airborne pollution and limb differences in children was officially established.
The council lost the case and was found liable for public nuisance, negligence and breach of statutory duty. It disputed the verdict but reached a confidential private settlement with the families.
Corby’s story has been dubbed the “British Erin Brockovich”. This is due to its parallels with the famous US environmental lawsuit in which Erin Brockovich, a legal clerk, helped build a case against Pacific Gas and Electric who were fined US$330 million (£415 million) for contaminating the water supply in Hinkley, California.
Why environmental regulation matters
It’s tempting to watch Toxic Town with the reassurance that such a disaster couldn’t happen again. Surely, with modern environmental monitoring and stronger regulations, we are now better protected?
Environmental protections are only as strong as the political will to enforce them. History has repeatedly shown that weak or poorly enforced regulations can lead to catastrophic consequences. For example, the Bhopal gas disaster in India in 1984 saw a toxic gas leak that killed thousands.
The Love Canal incident in the US in the 1970s exposed residents to hazardous waste, causing birth defects and illness. And the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the US in 2010, which became one of the largest marine oil spills in history.
Despite such repeated events, environmental regulation is increasingly dismissed by some politicians and industry leaders as red tape –a bureaucratic burden that hampers industrial and economic growth.
The UK’s exit from the EU means that it no longer needs to adhere to EU environmental regulations, including the Reach law which mandates the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals, It’s the main EU law that governs chemicals to protect both the environment and human health. While not flawless, Reach is considered to be the most robust chemicals regulation in the world and because of global supply chains, it often encourages manufacturers beyond Europe to comply.
The attitude of the new administration in the US to environmental protection laws has caused considerable concern across the global scientific community. There has been a rollback of more than 100 environmental regulations, including 39 relevant to air and water pollution. Most of these rule reversals have already been enacted, just over a month into the new administration.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has had 168 staff placed on leave and environmental groups have warned “that these cuts put minority and lower income families living close to polluting sites at risk”. In parallel, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), another federal agency which monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditions, is facing drastic cuts to it’s staff and budget. These cuts harm the capacity of the US to monitor and enforce environmental regulations.
What happens in the US often sets a precedent for other countries. It is worrying that reducing environmental protection in the US may encourage other countries, including the UK, to follow suit.
So, far from being a thing of the past, we could be witnessing a return to the toxic times seen in Corby if we fail to prioritise stringent environmental safeguards. As solictor Des Collins starkly reminds us at the end of the drama: “A town that is made by burning up red tape and using it as fuel does so much damage.”
Kirsty Pringle receives funding from UKRI.
Jim McQuaid receives funding from UKRI, Horizon Europe, The Royal Society and Defra
Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women globally. But, in part thanks to screening programmes, over 75% of those diagnosed with breast cancer in England now survive for ten years or more.
However, due to a complex combination of racial disparities in the quality of healthcare patients receive, social factors such as poverty, and differences in tumour biology, Black women in the UK are more likely to die from the disease than women from other ethnicities.
Research shows that Black women in the UK are less likely to take part in breast screening programmes but are more likely to die from the disease from late diagnosis. So, why are Black women less likely to attend breast screenings when it could help save their lives?
I was part of a team that reviewed all the studies which examined the barriers to breast cancer screening which Black women in the UK experience.
The review found significant gaps in existing research on breast cancer in the Black community and barriers preventing Black African and Black Caribbean women in the UK in partaking in potentially life-saving breast cancer screenings. We reviewed nearly 1,000 papers, but only eight articles included Black women.
The review found that previous research often grouped Black women from diverse backgrounds together, including Black African and Black Caribbean, masking important cultural nuances and different experiences. Additionally, the limited research available primarily focused on women who either attend screenings or who are ineligible, overlooking the crucial perspectives of those who are eligible but do not participate.
As part of our research, we also wanted to identify any effective interventions to improve screening uptake for Black women – but we found no interventions that exclusively targeted Black women.
Our study found that barriers were physical, emotional, cultural and related to healthcare. Black women who believed breast cancer could be treated if caught early were more likely to attend screening. Some of the key barriers, though, seem applicable to women from all ethnic groups. For example, fear of positive diagnosis.
Cancer diagnosis is often seen as a death sentence but we found that Black women, in particular, are less likely to discuss breast cancer. Our review found that fear, stigma and negative perceptions of cancer contributed to a strong culture of silence which hindered responses to screening.
Our review also found that many Black women who participated in the studies placed a high value on family relationships. Some Black African women, for example, were worried that if they were diagnosed and treated for breast cancer their partner might leave them or that their marriage prospects could be negatively affected because potential partners might think that cancer runs in their family.
Barriers from healthcare structure were also flagged. Black women reported difficulties in attending screening appointments during work hours and lack of evening or weekend appointments prevented some women in full-time employment from attending screening.
The review found that knowledge and awareness of breast cancer could be low, especially among some women born outside the UK, some of whom believed they weren’t vulnerable to breast cancer because they weren’t familiar with it in their country of birth. This shows a need for more culturally sensitive research on breast cancer screening in the Black communities.
To reduce health disparities, then, and to enhance awareness of breast cancer screening, we recommend tailored community health programs and outreach initiatives that resonate with the people they are targeting.
Anietie Aliu is affiliated with University of Surrey
Aliu, A.E., Kerrison, R.S. and Marcu, A. (2025), A Systematic Review of Barriers to Breast Cancer Screening, and of Interventions Designed to Increase Participation, Among Women of Black African and Black Caribbean Descent in the UK. Psycho-Oncology, 34: e70093. https://doi-org.surrey.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/pon.70093
Source: Government of Ireland – Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation
4th March 2025
The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke and Minister of State for Small Businesses and Retail, Alan Dillon attended the inaugural plenary meeting of the Employment Law Review Group (ELRG).
Professor Michael Doherty, Chair of the ELRG welcomed the members before both Minister Burke and Minister Dillon addressed the ELRG.
Minister Burke congratulated members on their appointments and spoke about what the Government wishes to achieve to support workers and conditions
The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke said:
“The Government has a strong record on strengthening workers’ rights. The ELRG will be a valuable resource in conducting ongoing assessments of employment law to ensure our legal framework is fit for purpose and adapts to changes in the evolving contemporary workplace.”
Minister Dillon thanked the members for their commitment to the important role in reviewing and monitoring Ireland’s employment and redundancy laws to ensure they serve their intended function.
Minister of State for Small Businesses and Retail, Alan Dillon said:
“It is very important that the work of the Group balance carefully the need to ensure legislation remains fit for purpose while not placing an undue or additional burden on business, in particular small and medium enterprises.”
The ELRG will work in accordance with the work programme, which will be determined by the Minister after consultation with the Group. During the inaugural plenary, the ELRG discussed items for this work programme as part of this consultation. The relevant legislative enactments which may be considered in the work programme are listed in the appendix below.
Following the meeting, the full membership of the Employment Law Review Group has been announced. The full membership of the group and their nominating bodies, as appointed by the Minister is as follows:
1.
Michael Doherty (Chair)
Nominated by Minister for ETE
2.
Cathy Smith
Nominated by Minister for ETE
3.
Kevin Duffy
Nominated by Minister for ETE
4.
Claire Bruton
Nominated by Minister for ETE
5.
Desmond Ryan
Nominated by Minister for ETE
6.
Anne Lyne
Nominated by Minister for ETE
7.
Deirdre Malone
Nominated by Minister for ETE
8.
Dónal Hamilton
Law Society of Ireland
9.
Mary Paula Guinness
Employment Bar Association
10.
Gavin Smith
Restructuring and Insolvency Ireland
11.
Nichola Harkin
Ibec
12.
Rachael Ryan
ICTU
13.
John Barry
ISME
14.
Áine Maher
DETE
15.
Orlaith Mannion
Department of Social Protection
16.
Jane Ann Duffy
Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
17.
Gwendolen Morgan
Workplace Relations Commission
18.
Lorraine Williams
Chief State Solicitor’s Office
19.
Deirdre O’Kane
Office of the Attorney General
20.
Jim Finn
Courts Service
21.
Appointment Pending
Labour Court
The ELRG’s function is to monitor, review, and advise on all aspects of employment and redundancy law, with a specific focus on promoting good workplace relations in the State, simplifying the operation of employment and redundancy law in the State, and ensuring that the State’s suite of employment rights and redundancy legislation remains relevant and fit for purpose and is updated to reflect international developments.
The ELRG’s focus is expert, technical, and legal rather than representative of stakeholders’ interests. Members will engage with the work programme of the ELRG and contribute to ELRG reports.
ENDS
APPENDIX – List of Relevant Employment and Redundancy Enactments
Part 1 – Acts of the Oireachtas
Payment of Wages Act 1991
Adoptive Leave Act 1995
Protection of Young Persons (Employment) Act 1996
Transnational Information and Consultation of Employees Act 1996
Organisation of Working Time Act 1997
Parental Leave Act 1998
National Minimum Wage Act 2000
Carer’s Leave Act 2001
Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001
Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003
Maternity Protection Acts 1994 and 2004
Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Acts 1973 to 2005
Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Act 2006
Unfair Dismissals Acts 1977 to 2007
Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2011
Protection of Employees (Employers’ Insolvency) Acts 1984 to 2012
Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Act 2012
Redundancy Payments Acts 1967 to 2014
Protection of Employment Acts 1977 to 2014
Terms of Employment (Information) Acts 1994 to 2014
Paternity Leave and Benefit Act 2016
Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019
Sick Leave Act 2022
Part 2 – Provisions of Acts of Oireachtas
Part IV of the Industrial Relations Act 1946
Section 4 (1) of the Protections for Persons Reporting Child Abuse Act 1998
Section 8A (5) of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act 2001
Section 50 of the Competition Act 2002
Section 60 (3) of the Employment Permits Act 2024
Section 8 of the Industrial Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004
Section 55M (1) of the Health Act 2004
Section 27 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005
Section 87 of the Consumer Protection Act 2007
Section 26 (1) of the Chemicals Act 2008
Section 62 (1) of the Charities Act 2009
Section 223 (3) of the National Asset Management Agency Act 2009
Section 38 of the Inland Fisheries Act 2010
Section 20 (1) of the Criminal Justice Act 2011
Section 67 (5) of the Property Services (Regulation) Act 2011
Section 35 of the Further Education and Training Act 2013
Section 41 (1) of the Central Bank (Supervision and Enforcement) Act 2013
Section 12 (1) of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014
Part 2 of the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act 2015
Part 3 of the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023
Section 6(3) of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014
Part 3 – Statutory Instruments
European Communities (Parental Leave) Regulations 2000 (S.I. No. 231 of 2000)
European Communities (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2000 (S.I. No. 488 of 2000)
European Communities (Protection of Employees on Transfer of Undertakings) Regulations 2003 (S.I. No. 131 of 2003)
European Communities (Organisation of Working Time) (Activities of Doctors in Training) Regulations 2004 (S.I. No. 494 of 2004)
Organisation of Working Time (Inclusion of Transport Activities) Regulations 2004 (S.I. No. 817 of 2004)
Organisation of Working Time (Inclusion of Offshore Work) Regulations 2004 (S.I. No. 819 of 2004)
European Communities (Organisation of Working Time) (Mobile Staff in Civil Aviation) Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 507 of 2006)
European Communities (European Public Limited – Liability Company) (Employee Involvement) Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 623 of 2006)
European Communities (European Cooperative Society) (Employee Involvement) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 259 of 2007)
European Union (Cross-Border Conversions, Mergers and Divisions) Regulations 2023 (S.I. No. 233 of 2023)
European Communities (Working Conditions of Mobile Workers engaged in Interoperable Cross-border Services in the Railway Sector) Regulations 2009 (S.I. No. 377 of 2009)
European Communities (Road Transport) (Organisation of Working Time of Persons Performing Mobile Road Transport Activities) Regulations 2012 (S.I. No. 36 of 2012)
European Union (Posting of Workers) Regulations 2016 (S.I. No. 412 of 2016)
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Bill Text (PDF)
Washington (March 4, 2025) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) today reintroduced the bipartisan Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), which would update online data privacy rules for the 21st century and ensure children and teenagers are protected online. Senator Markey first introduced this legislation to update his original COPPA law in 2011 as a member of the House of Representatives and has introduced the bipartisan legislation in every Congress since.
“We need strong modern legislation that keeps pace with the ever-evolving digital landscape and creates a safer online environment by addressing the youth mental health crisis and protecting the personal information of our kids,” said Senator Markey. “Congress must finally pass my Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act to extend these protections to teenagers, block targeted advertising to kids and teens, and give parents of young people an eraser button to protect them from predatory data collection practices.”
“Every kid has an iPad or smartphone. They’re going to use the internet. Parents should be confident they can do it safely,” said Dr. Cassidy. “COPPA 2.0 is the tool that will give parents the peace of mind they need and keep their children’s personal information secure.”
The legislation is also cosponsored by Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Shelly-Moore Capito (R-W.V.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Angus King (I-Maine), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.).
Specifically, the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act would:
Ban targeted advertising to children and teens;
Create an “Eraser Button” by requiring companies to permit users to delete personal information collected from a child or teen;
Establish data minimization rules to prohibit the excessive collection of children and teens’ data;
Revise COPPA’s “actual knowledge” standard to close the loophole that allows platforms to ignore kids and teens on their site; and
Build on COPPA by prohibiting internet companies from collecting personal information from users who are 13 to 16 years old without their consent.
The legislation is endorsed by AASA – the School Superintendents Association, ACCESS Lab – Washington University in St. Louis, Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work, American Federation of Teachers, American Psychological Association, Association of Educational Service Agencies, Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition, Carolina Resource Center for Eating Disorders, Center for Change, Center for Digital Democracy, Center for Humane Technology, Centerstone, CHILD USA, Children’s Justice Fund, Common Sense Media, Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Watchdog, Defending the Early Years, Design It For Us, Early Childhood Work Group, Screen Time Action Network, Eating Disorder Foundation, Eating Disorders Coalition, Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Fairplay, Farrington Specialty Centers, Foolproof, IFEDD – The International Federation of Eating Disorder Dietitians, Inseparable, International Society for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses, Issue One, Lines for Life, Marsh Law Firm PPLC, Mentari, MO Eating Disorders Council, Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association, Inc. (MEDA), National Association for Pupil Transportation, National Association of School Nurses, National Federation of Families, National Parent Teacher Association (PTA), National Rural Education Association, Network for Public Education, P.E.A.C.E (Peace Educators Allied for Children Everywhere), Parents Who Fight, Phone Free Schools Movement, Public Interest Privacy Center (PIPC), Postpartum Support International, Prosperity Eating Disorders and Wellness, Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN), Public Citizen, PEDC, REGO Payment Architectures, Sandy Hook Promise, Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders, Student Data Privacy Project, University of Connecticut Rudd Center for Food Policy & Health, Western Youth Services, Yellowstone Human Trafficking Task Force, and Young People’s Alliance.
“The Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act, reintroduced by Senators Markey and Cassidy and other Senate co-sponsors, is more urgent than ever. Children’s surveillance has only intensified across social media, gaming, and virtual spaces, where companies harvest data to track, profile, and manipulate young users. COPPA 2.0 will ban targeted ads to those under 16, curbing the exploitation, manipulation, and discrimination of children for profit. By extending protections to teens and requiring a simple ‘eraser button’ to delete personal data, this legislation takes a critical step in restoring privacy rights in an increasingly invasive digital world,” said Katharina Kopp, Deputy Director of the Center for Digital Democracy.
“Common Sense Media believes Congress must update the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act to strengthen safeguards for young children and extend vital protections to teenagers. Common Sense applauds Senators Markey and Cassidy for their unwavering commitment to this critical cause. With strong bi-partisan support having carried this legislation through the Senate last year, we are optimistic about securing passage in both chambers this year – America’s families deserve no less. This bill would take decisive action by prohibiting targeted advertising to young users, requiring platforms to acknowledge and protect children on their sites, and prevent companies from exploiting youth vulnerabilities for profit. This time has come for Congress to finally pass this essential legislation,” said James P. Steyer, Founder and CEO of Common Sense Media.
“The Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act is an essential step toward addressing youth mental health and online safety. By expanding critical privacy protections to teens for the first time, banning targeted advertising, and closing loopholes that allow platforms to ignore the presence of underage users, COPPA 2.0 will disrupt the business model that capitalizes on our kids’ attention at the expense of their physical and mental wellbeing. Last year, the Senate demonstrated the importance of this landmark legislation by passing it in a historic 91-3 vote. We applaud Senators Markey and Cassidy for reintroducing it so that Congress can finish the job and pass privacy protections for all youth in the 119th Congress,” said Haley Hinkle, Policy Counsel at Fairplay.
“National PTA is committed to making sure that safeguards are in place to ensure the safety and well-being of children and youth online,” said Yvonne Johnson, President of the National Parent Teacher Association, the nation’s oldest and largest child advocacy association. “That’s why we’ve strongly advocated for COPPA 2.0, which would provide a long-overdue and desperately needed update of federal law to better protect the personal information of children online and ban targeted advertising toward children and teens. Our association applauds Senators Markey and Cassidy for reintroducing this critical legislation.”
“Design It For Us strongly supports Senators Markey and Cassidy reintroducing COPPA 2.0 to better protect the privacy of young people online. As a coalition of young advocates, we are all too familiar with Big Tech’s toxic business model that collects massive amounts of data on young people and uses it to target them with ads and content. Young people deserve the critical protections COPPA 2.0 has to offer, including privacy tools and an eraser button to delete personal information,” said Zamaan Qureshi, Co-Chair of Design It For Us.
“Social media companies generate astronomical profits off our nation’s young people by turning platforms into a playground for advertisers. They are literally selling access to our children with targeted ads designed to prey on kids’ vulnerabilities. A child as young as 13 struggling with an eating disorder will be targeted with a constant stream of deceptive ads for the next miracle diet pill. In what other setting would we ever allow that? Parents across the country are calling for common-sense age restrictions on targeted ads on social media. COPPA 2.0 is a much-needed answer to their call,” said Dr. S. Bryn Austin, Board Member at Eating Disorders Coalition and Director of the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders.
“The Public Interest Privacy Center (PIPC) is proud to support the re-introduction of COPPA 2.0. COPPA 2.0 increases the age of individuals entitled to foundational privacy protections online from children under 13 to teens under 17. In today’s digital world, prioritizing the privacy and safety of children and teens online should no longer be optional. COPPA 2.0 will help to make this a reality,” said Amelia Vance, President of Public Interest Privacy Center.
“AASA is proud to support the re-introduction of COPPA 2.0. This legislation is more important than ever, as it will fill the gap left by the Federal Trade Commission declining to codify long-standing guidance allowing schools to consent to edtech in their recent update to the COPPA Rule. COPPA 2.0 finds the right balance between increasing protections for children and teen privacy online while still allowing schools to provide appropriate, technology-enhanced educational opportunities for all students,” said Dr. David R. Schuler, Executive Director of AASA, The School Superintendents Association.
“Public school educators and parents want kids to learn and thrive in safe, engaging and welcoming schools. However, Big Tech’s dismal failure to erect basic safeguards around its predatory social media products has resulted in a growing plague of loneliness, anxiety and depression. We must pass commonsense regulations and laws to protect children from these dangers, just as we did with lead paint and seatbelts, and as Congress almost did last year before Meta’s last minute opposition lobbying. Sen. Ed Markey’s bill, COPPA 2.0, would protect our kids by modernizing and strengthening privacy laws to reflect the online world they live in now. And it would stop Big Tech’s invasive data practices that track and traumatize kids for profit,” said Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
“For too long, Big Tech has evaded accountability by exploiting young users with manipulative design features and harvesting their data to fuel addictive algorithms. As long as these companies profit from hooking children and exploiting their sensitive data, they will continue to prioritize profits at-all-cost over democracy. The Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act 2.0 shifts this paradigm by introducing critical protections, including data minimization requirements, a ban on targeted advertising to children and teens, and the closure of loopholes that allow platforms to ignore young users on their sites. Congress now has a crucial opportunity to stand with millions of Americans — parents, young people, and advocates — demanding common-sense safeguards for kids online,” said Alix Fraser, Vice President of Technology Reform at Issue One.
“In the absence of a strong federal comprehensive privacy law, it’s critical that we at least protect the most vulnerable people online — kids and teens. Senator Markey and Cassidy’s Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) does this by placing critical limits on the amount of data that can be collected from young users online to what is necessary for the product or service requested by the child or teen. EPIC is proud to support COPPA 2.0,” said Caitriona Fitzgerald, Deputy Director at the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC).
“The Young People’s Alliance supports Senator Markey and Senator Cassidy as they reintroduce COPPA 2.0, a critical step in curbing Big Tech’s exploitative revenue model. Data privacy cuts predatory platforms off at the source, limiting their ability to track, manipulate, and profit off kids. This, alongside banning targeted ads and allowing minors to delete their data will give young people more control over their online experiences, which we are extremely grateful to see,” said Ava Smithing, Advocacy Director at the Young People’s Alliance.
“The Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) is an important piece of legislation to protect young people from harmful and exploitative advertising online. We strongly support this bipartisan bill and applaud the legislators who are working to see that it passes. Kids are not just tiny adults – their young minds are incredibly vulnerable to the content they’re exposed to on social media. This can lead to terrible and tragic outcomes like violence, self-harm, and suicide. As trusted adults, we must do all we can to protect our youth from these kinds of dangerous marketing practices and online materials,” said Mark Barden, Co-Founder and CEO of the Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund and father of Daniel, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.
In December 2024, Senator Markey blasted the decision not to include COPPA 2.0 in the continuing resolution to fund the government through March 14, 2025. In September 2024, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed COPPA 2.0 by a voice vote. In July 2024, the U.S. Senate passed the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act, which included COPPA 2.0, by a 91-3 vote. In July 2023, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee unanimously passed COPPA 2.0.
Therncountry has already taken some bold moves to transform the food system, enablernequitable access to healthy food and physical activity and provide healthyrnmeals to children through the National School Nutrition Programme. rnSpecifically, as part of efforts to create healthier food environments, arnsugar-sweetened beverage tax, introduced in 2018, has helped reduce sugaryrndrink purchases, and regulations to reduce salt in processed foods has reducedrnsalt intake.
Obesityrnchronic care programs now need to be scaled up across all levels of thernhealth system with a focus on community and primary care and referral and backrnreferral to secondary and tertiary care. “The task is now to replan, reorganizernand reorient health services and train health-care providers to expand accessrnto all those in need and offer services where people are, with an impetus neverrnseen before,” said Professor Francois Venter, Director of Ezintsha atrnthe University of the Witwatersrand. “And there are many lessons from ourrnexperience in implementing large scale HIV programmes that are highly relevant,”rnhe added.
Asrnwith the HIV response in the early 2000s, the voices of health advocates andrnresearchers are critical to ensuring a person-centred, rights-based response tornaddressing obesity in South Africa. Robust civil society is a strength of SouthrnAfrican society that can be leveraged to combat obesity. A key player, thernDesmond Tutu Health Foundation (DTHF), expanded the HIV focus of its researchrnand advocacy to cover HIV within the broader health context of NCDs and mentalrnhealth in 2020. “Obesity is the new South African epidemic, with many parallelsrnto HIV. Both require lifelong care and impact every part of society. The samernlevers that drove South Africa’s HIV response – advocacy, community engagement,rncollaboration and long-term commitment – are just as crucial for tacklingrnobesity and sustained action beyond World Obesity Day,” noted DrrnNomathemba Chandiwana, Chief Scientific Officer at DTHF.
Onrnthe same line, the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) has been runningrneducational campaigns on healthy living for decades. As well as educating thernpublic and enabling research, CANSA strives to influence policymakers on cancerrncontrol issues and advocates to protect people’s right to health care.
Torntackle obesity, action is needed across different areas of governmentrnincluding, among others, health, social services, finance, education, trade andrnurban planning. Government efforts can be amplified by collaboration withrnresearchers who can help with problem solving and filling knowledge gaps withrntargeted research. At the same time, supportive non-governmental organizationsrn(NGOs) and community groups – joining forces with the government and scientistsrn– can call for robust, rights-based public health action.
Byrnharnessing the superpower of joint government, civil society and academiarnaction, and building on the hard-won success of HIV programmes, South Africa isrnleading the way and delivering the change that is needed to respond to thernobesity challenge.
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Opened in December 2024, the WHO Academy is moving ahead with it ambition to become the global centre for lifelong learning in health. Last month, it held its inaugural conference in Lyon, France, where learning and health experts from around the world gathered to discuss the role of quality in health learning, training and capacity building.
Currently, there are no widely accepted global standards for high-quality learning courses in health. Building on the World Health Organization’s 75 years of expertise in setting global norms and standards, the WHO Academy aims to promote quality assurance standards in developing, implementing and evaluating learning materials.
“Quality is essential, and it is a key word for the entire operation of the Academy. Providing health and care workers with continuous access to upscaling and rescaling learning is crucial to achieving health for all,” explained Dr David Atchoarena, WHO Academy Executive Director, who also highlighted the Academy’s commitment to bringing together global expertise on learning in public health.
In her keynote address, Professor Asha Kanwar from Beijing Normal University stressed the urgent need to address the projected global shortfall of 11 million healthcare workers by 2030. She also advocated for integrating technology into lifelong learning, including AI-generated and interactive content.
A round table discussion featured global learning and health experts who shared best practices and success stories on improving learning opportunities and implementing online and blended courses. Through a series of in-person workshops in the afternoon, participants shared their inputs on the localization of learning content, the potential of team-based learning and assessments, and what learning recognition of WHO Academy courses could look like to ensure they are well-received by ministries of health or public accreditation bodies in their own contexts.
“It is necessary to construct a shared vision for lifelong learning. Lifelong learning is a right for health workers. Health workers are committed to their training, so we have to take advantage of that. We need to make lifelong learning more relevant for their careers and ensure their training is more relevant. It is not a personal possession but a collective good,” explained conference participant Isabel Dure.
Professor Janusz Janczukowicz from the Medical University of Lodz, Chair of the WHO Academy Quality Committee, concluded the conference by reiterating the importance of interprofessional and team-based learning in providing inclusive and high-quality patient care.
The WHO Academy will promote the incorporation of best practices in learning in the design and delivery of training across WHO to optimize the impact of lifelong learning. The insights from the conference will inform the WHO Academy Quality Standards and Criteria for Learning Programmes, which will be published in 2025.
The WHO Academy offers a range of free courses on its global online platform, open to anyone who would like to register at whoacademy.org.
One of the country’s biggest investigations into student wellbeing is being carried out by psychology students and their teachers at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.
In-depth interviews with more than 100 undergraduate students from minority and marginalised groups such as Māori, Pasifika, Chinese, South Asian, and LGBTQIA+ will inform student support on the nation’s biggest campus, which has 47,000 students. Most of the research is being carried out by nine postgraduate students.
Professor Kerry Gibson, who’s Pākeha, and Dr Sarah Kapeli, of Tongan descent, lead the project, which is backed by University leadership including the Vice-Chancellor and the Māori and Pacific Pro-Vice Chancellors. Recommendations on how to better support students are likely to come later this year and facilitating connection will be key.
“When students come to university it is for more than just a degree. It’s a time when young people are working out who they want to be and how they fit in the world,” said Gibson. “This is more important than ever after Covid had such a disruptive effect on young people’s learning and socialising.”
Rates of mental health problems are increasing among university students, according to international studies.
“Changing the environment so that it supports students better will help their academic success and also help prevent the development of mental health problems in this age group and into adulthood,” Gibson said.
Stresses reported by students in the Auckland study include:
academic pressure academic competition financial insecurity balancing paid work and university work balancing home and family commitments with university feeling disconnected and isolated in a large institution wider worries such as a competitive job market and climate change
“Finding a sense of belonging is central to young people’s success at university and later in life,” said Kapeli. “Feeling comfortable at university is important for all students but can be particularly challenging for marginalised groups of students.”
Challenges for Sāmoan and Tongan students include juggling family-comes-first commitments with university life and working out where self-care fits within collectivist values, say masters students Seulele Vine and Malia Vaka’uta. Pasifika students value Pasifika spaces on campus and highlight the role of religiosity or spirituality in wellbeing.
In the study, interviews, talanoa and kōrero have mostly been conducted by researchers from the same minority or marginalised groups as the interviewees.
Jemma Dixon, Shelby Symons, and Jack Dobson are researching Māori students’ experiences; Skyler Hsieh, Rainbow students; Senuri Panditharatne, South Asian students; and Kahn Tasker, Chinese students. Emma Johnston is studying the impact of existential threats such as climate change.
The first theses based on the research, which began in 2022, were submitted last month.
“For some students, it’s been cathartic,” says Kapeli. “They’ve never been asked questions like this before. We know that some are struggling – they don’t know where to get help or don’t think they can ask for help.”
Also contributing to the project are Kaiwhakaako Mātai Hinengaro Hineatua Parkinson and Dr Roshini Peiris-John, co-director of the University’s Centre for Asian and Ethnic Minority Health Research and Evaluation. The Spencer Foundation, a US organisation funding education research, contributed US$50,000 toward Māori and Pasifika aspects of the study.
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 2
Media Advisory Tuesday, March 4, 2025
Nursing for at least six months may spur beneficial gut bacteria connected to better heart health years later. What An observational study supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that infants who had more diverse bacteria in their gut had lower childhood blood pressure, and this protective association was stronger if they were breastfed for at least six months. The findings published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. For the research, investigators reviewed data from 526 children enrolled in a prospective study in Denmark. They looked for connections between infant gut bacteria, which can be influenced by nutrition and supports a variety of health functions, and childhood blood pressure. To assess this, they collected fecal samples to analyze bacteria in the infants’ intestines during their first week, month, and year of life. Three and six years later, they measured the children’s blood pressure. The researchers found children with more diverse gut bacteria at one month had lower blood pressure six years later. They then assessed the influence of breastfeeding, which was measured in this study for durations of at least six months. They discovered that among children breastfed for at least six months, the blood-pressure lowering effect of having more diverse bacteria in their gut was even stronger. Specifically, those with a greater diversity of gut bacteria throughout the first month of life had systolic blood pressure that was about 2 mm Hg lower six years later if they were breastfed for at least six months. Researchers believe there may be several reasons for these associations. Certain gut bacteria have evolved specialized biologic machinery that allows them to convert otherwise indigestible carbohydrates in breast milk into calories and substances that can be used by the body. Specific Bifidobacterium species, including B. infantis, are superstars when it comes to breaking down these carbohydrates and turning them into short-chain fatty acids that may influence blood pressure and support cardiovascular health. In infants who are not breastfed, bacteria that do not have breast milk carbohydrates to feed on may instead break down carbohydrates that line the intestines. This could result in a condition called a “leaky gut,” where bacteria and fat could enter the bloodstream. A leaky gut has been linked to inflammation and increased blood pressure in adults. Additionally, the researchers found that some types of bacteria, including H. pylori, were present in some infants and these bacteria were linked to increased blood pressure years later. H. pylori, which can be passed from a mother to child, can create persistent levels of low inflammation and may influence a “leaky gut.” To make participants in the study as comparable as possible, the researchers accounted for a mother’s medical history, their diet during pregnancy, pregnancy complications, when and how a child was born, and how long they were breastfed. About 4% to 7% of children worldwide have high blood pressure, which can start when the fetus develops in the womb. These rates have doubled since 2020, which is why researchers are studying factors that may offset these risks and improve cardiovascular health. The study was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) grant K01HL141589. Who Charlotte Pratt, Ph.D., R.D., Acting Chief, Clinical Applications and Prevention Branch, NHLBI Study Liu T, Stokholm J, Zhang M, et al. Infant Gut Microbiota and Childhood Blood Pressure: Prospective Associations and the Modifying Role of Breastfeeding. J Am Heart Assoc. 2025; doi: 10.1161/JAHA.124.037447. About the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI): NHLBI is the global leader in conducting and supporting research in heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders that advances scientific knowledge, improves public health, and saves lives. For more information, visit https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov. 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® ###
Discussions over the future of a primary school in Leeds will continue next week as the authority seeks approval to progress to the next stage of consultation on its possible closure.
Due to low pupil numbers and an increasingly challenging budget position, Leeds City Council has identified that the long-term sustainability of Queensway Primary School in Yeadon is at risk.
A consultation on a proposal to close the school from the end of this academic year took place last month and a report providing an update will be discussed at next week’s executive board meeting (Wednesday March 12).
Senior councillors at the meeting will decide whether to progress to the next stage and publish a ‘statutory notice’ on the proposals, marking the start of a further four-week consultation period where views will continue to be sought.
A final decision is anticipated to take place at the council’s executive board meeting in June 2025.
The latest report highlights how, over the past five years, declining birth rates have led to a significant fall in pupil numbers across the Aireborough school area. Queensway Primary School has significantly felt the impact of reducing numbers, with only 81 children on its roll in October 2024, compared to its admission limit of 210.
Since the number of children at a school determines the funding it receives, this ongoing situation has led to a sharp rise in the school’s budget deficit forecast, which is expected to grow from an estimated £608,000 at the end of 2025/26 to £1.35m by the end of the 2027/28 financial year.
This increasing deficit means the school’s ability to fund the support for all pupils in the longer term, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), is at risk.
The report to the executive board stresses that, should the school close, the council would work closely with partners to ensure families are able to secure alternative school places, with extensive tailored support for pupils with SEND and/or Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive member for children and families, said: “Closing a school is not a decision we take lightly and we absolutely understand the strength of feeling among the school and wider community as these difficult conversations continue.
“We fully recognise the tireless work of everyone involved in championing the school and improving its position. However the falling birth rate has led to an increasingly challenging budget situation and this has long-term implications for the school’s ability to support its pupils.
“As a local authority, we have a responsibility to consider the viability of the school and as such, we are now seeking to progress to the next stage of consultation.
“If this is approved, there will be further opportunity for people to show their support or objection to the proposal during the new statutory notice period.
“I would like to re-emphasise that, should the closure go ahead, we would work closely with all affected families, including providing comprehensive and bespoke support for children with SEND and/or EHCPs to ensure their needs continued to be met.”
To view the report being considered by the executive board visit Council and democracy (agenda item nine).
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3
News story
UK Government releases £129m for reform of NI public services
Secretary of State has welcomed the release of £129 million by the UK Government to support public service transformation in Northern Ireland.
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn MP
The funding is the first tranche of the £235 million transformation fund committed to the Executive, and demonstrates the UK Government’s commitment to improving public services for people in Northern Ireland.
Targeted funding will support six Executive projects across the Departments of Health, Justice, Education and Infrastructure.
UK Government support to deliver Plan for Change.
The funding will see £61m go towards expanding the multi-disciplinary team approach to primary care across Northern Ireland, and support five other projects across justice, education and infrastructure which represent key priorities in the Executive’s Programme for Government.
This is the first tranche of funding to be allocated from the £235 million fund created by the UK Government as part of the financial package that led to the restoration of the Executive in February 2024. It comes in addition to a £1.5 billion increase through the Barnett formula, with £1.2 billion for day-to-day spending, and £270 million for capital investment. This investment shows the Government’s Plan for Change delivering reform and growth for the people of Northern Ireland.
Mr Benn said: “Everyone recognises that the task of stabilising and transforming Northern Ireland’s health and other public services is a priority.
“This allocation of UK Government funding is a really important step towards this, and in this UK Government, the Executive will always have a partner that is committed to supporting this work every step of the way.
“I am delighted that Northern Ireland will this year receive its largest real terms financial settlement since devolution, supporting growth and investment. Today’s additional funding will go directly towards the transformation of public services, which the people of Northern Ireland want to see.”
Background
The funding comes following the recommendations of the Public Sector Transformation Board to fund six projects across health, justice, education and infrastructure.
The Board, comprising officials from the Northern Ireland Civil Service and UK Government, supported by independent experts, provides recommendations to the Executive about approval on £235 million ringfenced funding.
Further funding decisions will be subject to the Public Sector Transformation Board’s recommendations, of which is led and agreed by the Northern Ireland Executive.
The transformation funding is part of the broader £3.3 billion restoration package for Northern Ireland.
Trivikram Reddy, 43, a Waxahachie nurse practitioner previously convicted of wire fraud conspiracy and sentenced to 20 years in 2021, will now forfeit over $40 million from foreign accounts into which he moved the funds, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham.
Following Mr. Reddy’s conviction, the government filed a civil forfeiture action alleging that Mr. Reddy and others transferred and laundered the fraud proceeds to nearly 200 bank accounts located in India. Through forensic financial analysis, the government traced the proceeds to these accounts and obtained seizure warrants to forfeit and restrain the funds. On Monday, March 3, 2025, after Mr. Reddy and two family members stipulated up to $41,237,703.16 of the funds’ return from India, U.S. District Judge Ada Brown issued a judgment ordering the funds to be transferred to U.S. government custody.
According to court documents, Mr. Reddy, a licensed nurse practitioner, devised a scheme to defraud Medicare, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Humana, and Cigna. Mr. Reddy and co-conspirators created false patient bills using the provider numbers of six doctors as the treating physicians on the claims. All the claims were false, as none of the six doctors provided billable services to any of Mr. Reddy’s medical clinics. In response to federal agents’ investigative inquiries, Mr. Reddy and his staff manufactured fake medical records in a failed attempt to justify the false claims. Mr. Reddy pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in October 2020. In May 2021, Judge Brown sentenced Mr. Reddy to 20 years imprisonment and ordered over $50 million in restitution to the victims of his offense.
The civil forfeiture case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dimitri Rocha. Assistant U.S. Attorney Beverly Chapman is handling the restitution. The case was investigated by the FBI Dallas Field office and Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).
Source: The White House
During National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, the First Lady and I offer our heartfelt prayers to every American battling the horrific disease of colorectal cancer, as well as their families, friends, and loved ones. In honor of those we have lost to this colorectal cancer, my Administration is strongly committed to ending our Nation’s chronic disease epidemic and making America healthy again.
Every year, 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with—and 50,000 die from—colorectal cancer making it the leading cause of cancer death among Americans aged 18 to 49. Citizens with inflammatory bowel disease or a personal or family history of the disease face a heightened risk and should talk to their doctor about new advancements in cancer screening. Regular screening is recommended beginning at age 45 as it has been shown that early detection of cancer may result in more effective treatment.
Cancer is a devastating disease, but there is reason for hope. Since 1975, medical advancements have saved an estimated 940,000 Americans from colorectal cancer thanks to the incredible efforts of our exceptional American doctors and researchers. By improving prevention and screening processes we have given our people more precious moments with those they hold dear.
The United States is at the forefront of medical technology—and recently, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first blood test for people at average risk for colon cancer. This advancement is another tool in the toolbox, including the colonoscopy and stool DNA tests—giving citizens the ability to choose the option that works best for them in consultation with their doctor.
My Administration commits to lowering cancer rates and conquering chronic illness, which will create a Nation and a world free of cancer. We solemnly stand beside those who have lost their loved ones to this dreadful disease—and we pray that God provides courage and strength to those still fighting it, and to all those who are touched by its effects. As my Administration continues to push the boundaries of medical innovation, we pledge to build a brighter, healthier future for all Americans.
Derby City Council’s Family Hubs are holding a fantastic free event for children and young people. The first Family Hubs Festival takes place on Monday 10 March at the Museum of Making.
During the day, there’ll be loads of free fun for families with under-fives. Then, from 4pm, there will be youth activities galore for older children to enjoy.
The event kicks off at 11am in the beautiful surroundings of the Museum’s Italian Mill. There’s no need to book – parents, carers and little ones can just turn up and join in with whatever they fancy.
Together with our partners, we’ve planned a full programme of activities that will run until 3pm. These include:
Storytelling with Derby Libraries
Family Hub Programme information and taster sessions with our teams
Nature Connect Sessions with the University of Derby and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust
A Family Hub treasure hunt around the museum
Creative literacy sessions with Bridge the Gap
Sensory Stay and Play for neuro-diverse children
Move Me! taster sessions with CANVAS
Health drop-in sessions with midwifery, health visitors and the infant feeding teams
Plus much more – so why not drop in and join in with the fun? Children will also be provided with a free lunch, while parents and carers can relax with a free hot drink.
Our Family Hubs aren’t just for younger children. From 4pm until 5.30pm you can discover what’s on offer for older ones too. The activities are aimed at 11-19-year-olds, but younger children are welcome to come along with their parents and carers.
There’ll be performances and a variety of workshops including music, sport, breakdancing, wellbeing, art and theatre – and it’s all free. You can even get free chips and hotdogs!
Councillor Paul Hezelgrave, Derby City Council Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Skills, said:
The Family Hubs Festival is a brilliant opportunity for Derby families to come together and discover the wealth of free support and activities available right here in our city, for our youngest children right up to teenagers.
The sheer variety of activities on offer is testament to the strength of our partnerships. From storytelling to breakdancing, health drop-ins to nature sessions, this event shows the comprehensive support our Family Hubs provide. Come along and find out what’s on offer!
The Family Hubs Festival takes place on Monday 10 March at the Museum of Making on Silk Mill Lane, Derby DE1 3AF. Families with under-fives are welcome from 11am until 3pm. From 4pm until 5.30pm, the activities will be aimed at 11-19-year-olds, but younger children can attend with a parent/carer. The free sessions are drop-in – no booking is required.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Alex Fitch, Lecturer and PhD Candidate in Comics and Architecture, University of Brighton
The ultimate villain of DC Comics, the Joker, has been brought to screen many times. From Cesar Romero’s 1960s camp prankster in Batman: The Movie (1966), to Jack Nicholson’s villain-with-flare in Tim Burton’s iconic Batman (1989) and Heath Ledger’s wonderfully textured psychotic criminal in The Dark Knight (2008).
Though he’s never the hero, the “crown prince of crime” usually dominates whatever film he’s in.
Other versions of the character have been less well received. Critics disliked Jared Leto’s take in Suicide Squad (2016), calling the film “shallow”, and many fans loathed his gang-style tattoos and makeup.
Joaquin Phoenix’s downtrodden schizophrenic Arthur Fleck in Joker (2019) was initially championed by audiences and critics. But the film felt disconnected from Joker’s history and more like a critique of poverty and social isolation than a comic book movie.
Phoenix’s reappearance in sequel Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) was widely panned, due to an incoherent plot and unusual choice of the jukebox musical genre.
This is the landscape that welcomes The People’s Joker, a parody film with an LGBTQ+ twist. Written by Vera Drew and Bri LeRose, and directed by and starring Drew in the lead role, it has just started a screening tour of the UK.
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Set in an alternate (unaffiliated and unofficial) DC universe, this semi-autobiographical dark comedy explores Drew’s real-life gender transition, using a fictional alter-ego, “Joker the Harlequin”. This character is used as a metaphor for the difficulties of transgender adolescence.
The film is a re-imagining of Drew’s coming of age story. She moves to Gotham City, trying to launch a comedy act in a place where comedy has been outlawed. After a poor audition, she decides to create “anti comedy”, supported by a slew of recognisable Batman villains such as the Riddler, Mr Freeze and Poison Ivy.
Alternate versions of famous characters
As the film conjures provocative versions of familiar characters – both similar and radically different to previous incarnations seen on screen – The People’s Joker is well timed to compete with changes to the official cinematic superhero universes made by Marvel and DC.
These film universes have leant into multiverse storytelling, with different versions of the same characters (such as Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland’s Spider-Men) leaving their respective universes to team-up or cause havoc.
As such, it seems apt that The People’s Joker name-checks multiple versions of Batman characters, and includes them in the same film.
The trailer for The People’s Joker.
Drew’s character is a mix of both Harley Quinn and the Joker, while a former comic-book Robin, Jason Todd, becomes a Leto-style Joker. The film uses this opportunity to satirise Leto’s characterisation including the “damaged” forehead tattoo that annoyed fans.
Drew dances to a song called Party Woman, a not-so-subtle reworking of Party Man by Prince, which soundtracked the arrival of Nicholson’s Joker in Batman (1989). The film also satirises Phoenix’s dance on a flight of steps in both of his Joker movies.
Reimagining continuity
The People’s Joker mines Batman comic lore and gleefully stirs it up. Todd announces: “Before I was Jason Todd my name was Carrie Kelley” (a young, female iteration of Robin who appeared in Frank Miller’s landmark graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns).
Old speculation around the nature of Batman and Robin’s relationship is also referenced when Todd notes that after he transitioned, Batman made a pass at him.
These name-checks and motifs are cleverly used and a perfect fit for their new context. Smylex (the Joker’s rictus grin inflicting poison) becomes a teen medication riffing on Ritalin, and metaphor for the repression of identity. This ironically also leads Drew to discover that she can use Smylex-induced humour to deflect attention from her secret identity and transition.
A film starring two different versions of the Joker has a surprising precedent. DC Comics has run a storyline since 2016 that suggested Batman had actually come up against three different Jokers. All three then teamed up in a 2020 mini-series.
This goes hand in hand with Joker: Folie à Deux, and the Gotham TV series which both suggest a new Joker will arrive when a previous one dies.
A clip from The People’s Joker.
The People’s Joker matches its anarchic content with stylistic surrealism: blurred backgrounds, extensive use of green screen, bargain basement makeup, periodic slips into animation or action figures, and CGI effects to create the rictus grins. These all give the film a hallucinogenic feel, culminating in an ending where Drew sails through the sky with fifth-dimensional imp Mister Mxyzptlk, floating between an infinite number of possible timelines.
With various superhero franchises leaning into different media, continuities and multiverses, The People’s Joker follows in the tradition of previous re-imagingings of Batman.
As many authorised comic book films are starting to feel like they’re retreading too familiar ground, hopefully the critical appreciation of this film will point towards stranger and more unique comic adaptations yet to come.
Alex Fitch previously received funding from Design Star for PhD research.
Julia Round does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The 50 American individuals and couples who gave or pledged the most to charity in 2024 committed US$16.2 billion to foundations, universities, hospitals and more. That total was 33% above an inflation-adjusted $12.2 billion in 2023, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s latest annual tally of these donations. Media mogul and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg led the list, followed by Netflix co-founder and chairman Reed Hastings, along with his wife, Patty Quillin. Businessman Michael Dell and his wife, Susan Dell, pledged the third most in 2024.
Neither MacKenzie Scott nor Elon Musk, both of whom announced donations large enough to land them on this list, provided enough information for the Chronicle to include them. Musk didn’t name the nonprofits to which he gave stock, and Scott declined to confirm how much money she put into the donor-advised funds through which she gives. Known as DAFs, these funds are savings accounts reserved for charitable giving.
The Conversation U.S. asked David Campbell, Lindsey McDougle and Susan Appe, three philanthropy scholars, to assess the significance of these gifts and to consider what they indicate about the state of charitable giving in the United States.
What trends stand out overall?
Appe: I think it’s good to see that eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, an Iranian-American entrepreneur born in France, with his wife Pam, are among the top 12 donors. Omidyar is the only foreign-born philanthropist on this list who reported giving to democracy promotion in the U.S. through his Democracy Fund. The Omidyars also funded the AI Collaborative, a group that promotes artificial intelligence governance based on democratic values, and their Omidyar Network, an organization promoting responsible technology.
Omidyar is one of seven immigrants among 2024’s top U.S. donors. The others are Herta Amir, who was born in what was then Czechoslovakia; Sergey Brin, a Russian immigrant; the Pagidipati family, which came from India; K. Lisa Yang, who was born in Singapore; Michele Kang, who immigrated from South Korea; and Joe Wen, a Taiwanese immigrant.
In 2024, as in most years, many of these wealthy donors supported prestigious universities and large hospitals and stowed millions in their own foundations and donor-advised funds. Although it’s impossible to predict exactly what their foundations and DAFs will support in the future, history suggests that they’re unlikely to focus on addressing systemic issues such as economic inequality.
McDougle: It doesn’t appear that any of these top 50 donors are Black or Latino. This lack of representation is undoubtedly a reflection of broader societal disparities and may influence how individuals from these groups perceive their own potential as philanthropists.
Philanthropic capacity often correlates with wealth accumulation, and significant gaps in wealth between racial groups are likely to have a direct influence on who we see in the Philanthropy 50. Black families, for instance, possess just 15% of the wealth of white families, while Hispanic families have only about 22%. These wealth disparities likely prevent many Black and Latino Americans from having the wealth necessary to engage in large-scale philanthropy.
This reality highlights the need for the nation’s leading philanthropists to fund initiatives that focus on addressing systemic barriers to economic equality. MacKenzie Scott has been doing this through the millions of dollars she has donated to support racial equity and economic mobility.
Addressing these disparities also involves changing the narrative around who is considered a philanthropist. As I have argued before, underrepresented groups may not always see themselves as philanthropists, partly due to limited resources and the historical portrayal of philanthropy as the domain of the wealthy. But by redefining philanthropy to include a broader spectrum of giving, philanthropy can play a pivotal role in leveling the playing field and creating more opportunities for all.
What surprises you about the biggest donors?
Appe: The absence of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, Google co-founder Larry Page and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer also stands out due to the presence of many other tech billionaires, including Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, on this list.
Campbell: In addition to Elon Musk, a South African immigrant, not making this list for the second year in a row – even though he is the richest person in the world – Jeff Bezos isn’t listed either. Few private citizens have sought to change American society more than they have – Musk most recently through his role in the so-called Department of Government Efficiency and Bezos through actions he takes as the owner of The Washington Post and the founder of Amazon, among other initiatives.
I believe that it is worth asking why neither of these men, who rank among the wealthiest Americans, made the list this year. While Musk gave too little information to make the list, his previous giving choices raise questions about his commitment to philanthropy as a way to advance the public good. In 2022 and 2023, for example, his foundation gave away less money than required by law and supported organizations that benefit him and his interests, such as schools attended by his children.
Do you have concerns about the big gifts these donors provide?
McDougle: The nonprofits receiving these large donations can end up in a precarious situation if that funding suddenly stops. When nonprofits rely too heavily on a few wealthy donors, they may be forced to make abrupt decisions like cutting crucial programs or laying off staff. Obviously, this underscores a core problem with overdependence on these types of major gifts: They can leave nonprofits in a bind and unable to sustain their operations without continued long-term support.
This is particularly problematic if it affects a nonprofit’s ability to engage in long-term planning. As such, when focusing on the giving of the super rich, it is important to consider not just the immediate benefits of their generosity but also the potential instability it can create for the recipients if their gift is not managed strategically.
Campbell: The total given by America’s top donors in 2024 was the sixth-highest in the past decade, after adjusting for inflation. I’d expected to see a larger amount, given that 2024 was the second straight year of stock market gains of 20% or more.
In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, the top donors gave nearly twice as much to charity as they did this past year; and they gave close to $8 billion more than that in 2021. Why haven’t the wealthiest Americans sustained that level?
Giant gifts to universities, museums and hospitals are surely making a meaningful difference in America and the world. But I wonder why these donors tend not to focus on the challenges facing those who have the least.
To be sure, some of these philanthropists use the foundations they or their relatives control to help meet the basic needs of Americans struggling to get by and address issues such as poverty, disease prevention and criminal justice reform. Melinda French Gates, Warren Buffett, and John and Laura Arnold all directed much of their giving in 2024 to those kinds of foundations.
What do you expect or hope to see in 2025 and beyond?
Top philanthropists have been slow to react so far. However, the MacArthur Foundation just announced plans to increase its giving over the next two years. MacArthur president John Palfrey said this is a response to what he called a “major crisis” brought on by the Trump administration’s spending cuts. I will observe whether other foundations or some of the wealthiest Americans follow suit.
Still, philanthropy cannot fill all these gaps. The $60 billion in foreign aid cuts represent a sliver of the trillions the Trump administration wants to slice from the federal budget. If it succeeds, donors will have countless other priorities.
Campbell: Events that took place during the first Trump administration, like the murder of George Floyd, the erosion of democratic norms and the separation of immigrant families, led philanthropists to embrace giving that addressed these issues, notably diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. In the early days of the second Trump administration, prominent donors like Mark Zuckerberg have enthusiastically backtracked on their own DEI policies. I am now watching how other donors position themselves relative to the Trump administration’s objectives – as cheerleaders, combatants or something in between.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Arnold Ventures have provided funding for The Conversation U.S. in the past. The Gates foundation currently provides funding for The Conversation internationally.
David Campbell receives grants from the Learning by Giving Foundation and the Conrad and Virginia Klee Foundation to support the experiential philanthropy course he teaches at Binghamton University. He also serves as the chair of the Klee Foundation board.
Lindsey McDougle and Susan Appe do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
An event highlighting the vast network of organisations who are dedicated to the needs of the most vulnerable residents in the borough of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, was held recently at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre.
Over one hundred people from schools, businesses and organisations attended the ‘Beyond Crisis’ community support networking event, to share good practice across a wide range of services and show the excellent support that is available to those who need it most.
The event – themed ‘food and beyond’ – saw information presented on food insecurity, social supermarkets, suicide prevention, schools’ pastoral work, advice, debt management, social housing and more.It was a fantastic opportunity to show the extensive support that is in place to help those residents who find themselves in a difficult position – and that organisations working together is the way forward to achieve positive outcomes and solutions.
“We are committed to supporting and developing the ‘food and beyond’ support structure and establishing and delivering a range of initiatives aimed at helping those residents who are most in need,” commented the Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Sarah Duffy.
“Life can be challenging, especially with the ongoing cost of living crisis, so it is important that our residents know that help is available and where they can find it. We are so fortunate in our borough to have dedicated and skilled people who have formed a support network meaning we can confidently keep moving forward and beyond each crisis.”
The organisations taking part thoroughly enjoyed the day and new connections were made, ensuring that support continues to build and be available for those who need it.
Lord Mayor, Councillor Sarah Duffy at the PCSP stand with Annette Blaney
Lord Mayor, Councillor Sarah Duffy at the CYPSP stand with CYPSP Valerie Maxwell, Southern Health Trust Jessica Wiley, CYPSP Darren Curtis, Southern Health Trust Yvonne Neill and Southern Health Trust Bronwyn Campbell
Lord Mayor, Councillor Sarah Duffy pictured with Mark Ingham (NIHE)
Lord Mayor, Councillor Sarah Duffy at the PIPS stand with Lisa Daly and Siobhán Brennan
Lord Mayor, Cllr Sarah Duffy at the ABC Environmental Services with Dominic Marsden
Lord Mayor, Cllr Sarah Duffy at the SHSCT stand with Noel Harte and Agnieszka Judkiewicz-Kozak
Lord Mayor, Cllr Sarah Duffy with Samantha McCartney and Jordan Wilson from Café IncreABLE
Lord Mayor, Cllr Sarah Duffy with Via Wings Gail Redmond BEM and Marieanne Verhoeven – Taylor
Lord Mayor, Cllr Sarah Duffy, Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr Kyle Savage and CD Team members Ruth Allen, Allison Reilly, Boyd McClurg, Catherine Harris, Kelly Mallon, Nicola Mahood, and Department for Communities James Elliott.
Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Kyle Savage, Boyd McClurg, Nikki Cinnamond and Jennifer Fearon (Community Advice), Martin Stevenson (The Salvation Army) and Bernadette McNeice (St Vincent de Paul)
Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Kyle Savage with CD Team members Boyd McClurg, Kelly Mallon, Allison Reilly and Catherine Harris
Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Kyle Savage with Noella Murray and Susan Murphy from St John the Baptist College
NINR- Catherine Taylor, George Gillespie, Helen Tomb
Craigavon Area Food Bank Emma Beggs and Andrew Maguire, and Trusell – Denise Callaghan
Staff from Lurgan Junior High School, Cloughan Junior High School and Lurgan College
Community Advice ABC , Nikki Cinnamond (Chair of the Board), Lenard Breen, Jennifer Fearon, Donna Morris and Caroline Caesar.
EASTON, Md., March 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TeraWulf Inc. (Nasdaq: WULF) (“TeraWulf” or the “Company”), which owns and operates vertically integrated, next-generation digital infrastructure primarily powered by zero-carbon energy, today announced that various members of senior management will be participating in the following upcoming conferences and events:
March 5-7, 2025: Bitcoin Ski Summit, Jackson Hole, WY
March 11-12, 2025: Cantor Global Technology Conference, New York, NY
March 16-18, 2025: 37th Annual Roth Conference, Dana Point, CA
March 24-25, 2025: DCD>Connect, New York, NY
March 17-20, 2025: NVIDIA GTC 2025, San Jose, CA
March 26, 2025: DC Blockchain Summit 2025, Washington, DC
April 8-9, 2025: Jones Healthcare and Technology Innovation Conference, Las Vegas, NV
April 14-17, 2025: Data Center World, Washington, DC
April 16, 2025: Jefferies Power x Coin Conference, Virtual
About TeraWulf
TeraWulf develops, owns, and operates environmentally sustainable, next-generation data center infrastructure in the United States, specifically designed for bitcoin mining and hosting HPC workloads. Led by a team of seasoned energy entrepreneurs, the Company owns and operates the Lake Mariner facility situated on the expansive site of a now retired coal plant in Western New York. Currently, TeraWulf generates revenue primarily through bitcoin mining, leveraging predominantly zero-carbon energy sources, including hydroelectric and nuclear power. Committed to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles that align with its business objectives, TeraWulf aims to deliver industry-leading economics in mining and data center operations at an industrial scale.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Such forward-looking statements include statements concerning anticipated future events and expectations that are not historical facts. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as “plan,” “believe,” “goal,” “target,” “aim,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “outlook,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “project,” “seek,” “continue,” “could,” “may,” “might,” “possible,” “potential,” “strategy,” “opportunity,” “predict,” “should,” “would” and other similar words and expressions, although the absence of these words or expressions does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations and beliefs of TeraWulf’s management and are inherently subject to a number of factors, risks, uncertainties and assumptions and their potential effects. There can be no assurance that future developments will be those that have been anticipated. Actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements based on a number of factors, risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, among others: (1) the ability to mine bitcoin profitably; (2) our ability to attract additional customers to lease our HPC data centers; (3) our ability to perform under our existing data center lease agreements (4) changes in applicable laws, regulations and/or permits affecting TeraWulf’s operations or the industries in which it operates; (5) the ability to implement certain business objectives, including its bitcoin mining and HPC data center development, and to timely and cost-effectively execute related projects; (6) failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and/or on acceptable terms with regard to expansion or existing operations; (7) adverse geopolitical or economic conditions, including a high inflationary environment, the implementation of new tariffs and more restrictive trade regulations; (8) the potential of cybercrime, money-laundering, malware infections and phishing and/or loss and interference as a result of equipment malfunction or break-down, physical disaster, data security breach, computer malfunction or sabotage (and the costs associated with any of the foregoing); (9) the availability and cost of power as well as electrical infrastructure equipment necessary to maintain and grow the business and operations of TeraWulf; and (10) other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Potential investors, stockholders and other readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they were made. TeraWulf does not assume any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement after it was made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law or regulation. Investors are referred to the full discussion of risks and uncertainties associated with forward-looking statements and the discussion of risk factors contained in the Company’s filings with the SEC, which are available at www.sec.gov.
SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ushur, a leader in Customer Experience Automation (CXA), today introduced its AI Agent for Member Service, the first-of-its-kind solution purpose-built to revolutionize health plan support. Powered by generative and agentic AI, this solution analyzes data, makes informed decisions and guides members to fast, seamless resolutions. By automating requests with empathetic, real-time assistance, Ushur’s AI Agent empowers health plans to scale service delivery while ensuring more equitable access to care.
With increasing demand for healthcare services and a shortage of resources, health plans are struggling to meet the needs of their members. In fact, despite digital investments, call centers remain inundated with only 25% of members and patients actively engaging with portals and apps, according to the National Institute of Health. Ushur’s AI Agent bridges this gap by offering fast, accurate, and empathetic responses, ensuring that members can access the support they need—at any time—without burdening already overworked customer support teams.
Health plans benefit from Ushur’s AI Agent in multiple ways, including:
Faster Resolutions: Automates common tasks–like benefits explanations, ID card replacements and Primary Care Physician updates–reducing turnaround times and operational costs.
Scalable Support: Manages 24×7 demand and peak periods like open enrollment without requiring additional staff.
Enhanced Member Satisfaction: Provides clear, accurate and empathetic responses that improve satisfaction and experience scores.
Proactive Engagement: Automates two-way updates for appointments, benefits information and claims progress to reduce member frustration and employee burden.
Compliance Adherence: Fully HIPAA-compliant with secure handling of sensitive data, ensuring peace of mind for both health plans and members.
“In our work with highly regulated industries, we recognize the critical importance of innovation rooted in security and trust,” shares Simha Sadasiva, Co-Founder and CEO of Ushur. “Ushur’s AI Agent that we developed is tailored with healthcare-specific guardrails, ensuring compliance and protecting customer data. These safeguards empower health plans to deliver round-the-clock personalized assistance to their members, achieving unprecedented levels of intelligence and efficiency.”
Powered by Ushur’s Customer Experience Automation™ platform, Ushur’s AI Agent seamlessly supports health plans to deliver intelligent, compliant, and empathetic member interactions.
Healthcare-Specific Intelligence: Finely tuned Large Language Models (LLMs) and knowledge graphs ensure precise, policy-driven responses tailored to payer-specific language.
Adaptive Decision Making: A powerful reasoning engine analyzes data from CRMs, enterprise knowledge bases, and other sources to extract insights, determine the best course of action, and dynamically refine recommendations in real time.
Goal-Based Task Completion: Integrates with third-party applications and downstream systems, enabling proactive member support and streamlined resolutions.
Multimodal & Omni-Channel Engagement: Enhances interactions with dynamic elements like geo-location maps and file attachments, while seamlessly transitioning conversations across preferred digital channels, from text and email to voice and web portals.
Empathetic, Context-Aware Conversations: Built-in safeguards handle sensitive topics with care, escalating issues to human resources when needed while simplifying complex healthcare information to a 6th-grade reading level.
Privacy, Accessibility & Compliance: Adheres to HIPAA, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and other regulations to protect Private Health Information (PHI), while supporting multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Portuguese.
Ushur is revolutionizing customer engagement for highly regulated industries with secure, empathetic and AI-driven solutions at scale. The AI Agent for Member Service embodies Ushur’s mission to enhance healthcare access and transform customer experiences for both businesses and the people they serve.
To see how Ushur’s AI Agent can help you provide faster, more equitable care, please visit www.ushur.com or contact us at anthony@scribewise.com.
About Ushur Ushur delivers the world’s first Customer Experience Automation platform built specifically for regulated industries. Purpose-built for delivering ideal self-service, Ushur infuses intelligence into digital experiences for the most delightful and impactful customer engagements. Equipped with guardrails and compliance-ready infrastructure, Ushur powers vertical AI Agents for healthcare, financial services and insurance use cases. Designed for rapid code-less deployment with flexible, advanced capabilities for IT and business teams, enterprises can transform customer and employee journeys at scale, driving faster time-to-value and improved outcomes.
From the use of prescription weight-loss drugs to the unaffordability of food, current socio-economic factors are significantly shaping the future of nutrition.
With the consumption of quality food fundamental to physical health, mental well-being and overall vitality, how can food and health systems be better equipped to adapt to the evolving market drivers?
This session is directly linked to the New Frontiers of Nutrition Initiative at the Centre for Health and Healthcare of the World Economic Forum.
Speakers: Ana Luísa Virgínia, David John Haines, Tolu Oni, Mariam Mohammed Saeed AlMheiri, Johan Westman, Chirag Paswan
The 55th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum will provide a crucial space to focus on the fundamental principles driving trust, including transparency, consistency and accountability.
This Annual Meeting will welcome over 100 governments, all major international organizations, 1000 Forum’s Partners, as well as civil society leaders, experts, youth representatives, social entrepreneurs, and news outlets.
The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. We believe that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to make positive change.
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New York, NY, March 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Spartan Capital Securities, LLC, a premier investment banking firm, is pleased to announce the successful completion of a $15.2 million private placement for Healthcare Triangle, Inc. (Nasdaq: HCTI). Spartan Capital Securities, LLC acted as Co-Placement Agent in this private offering, supporting Healthcare Triangle’s continued expansion and digital transformation initiatives in the healthcare and life sciences industries.
The proceeds from this offering will fund strategic acquisitions, general corporate purposes, and working capital needs, further advancing Healthcare Triangle’s mission to deliver cutting-edge cloud enablement, cybersecurity, and data analytics solutions.
Spartan Capital Securities played a pivotal role in placing $14,200,000 of the private placement, reinforcing its strong position in the investment banking sector.
“We are honored to serve as Co-Placement Agent in this private placement for Healthcare Triangle,” said John Lowry, CEO of Spartan Capital Securities. “Healthcare Triangle is at the forefront of digital innovation in healthcare and life sciences, and this successful transaction reflects both the strength of their vision and Spartan Capital’s dedication to facilitating meaningful investment opportunities. We look forward to supporting Healthcare Triangle’s continued growth and success.”
RBW Capital Partners LLC (a division of Dawson James Securities, Inc.) and Spartan Capital Securities, LLC served as Co-Placement Agents for the offering. Sichenzia Ross Ference Carmel LLP acted as placement agent counsel, while Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP served as counsel to Healthcare Triangle, Inc.
The common stock, pre-funded warrants, series A warrants, series B warrants, and the common stock issuable upon the conversion of these securities have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws. Until registered, these securities may not be offered or sold in the United States or any state absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction where such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under applicable securities laws.
About Spartan Capital Securities, LLC
Spartan Capital Securities, LLC is a premier full-service investment banking firm offering a comprehensive range of advisory services to institutional clients and high-net-worth individuals. Known for its expertise in capital raising, strategic advisory, and asset management, Spartan Capital delivers tailored solutions to meet clients’ financial goals.
PEKIN, Ill., March 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Alto Ingredients, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTO), leading producer and distributor of specialty alcohols, renewable fuels and essential ingredients, announced that management plans to participate at the 37th Annual Roth Conference on March 16th-18th. The conference is being held at The Laguna Cliffs Marriott in Dana Point, CA
Management will conduct one-on-one meetings on March 17th. Interested investors should contact their ROTH representative or Kirsten Chapman of Alliance Advisors Investor Relations at Investorrelations@altoingredients.com
About Alto Ingredients, Inc. Alto Ingredients, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTO) is a leading producer and distributor of specialty alcohols, renewable fuels and essential ingredients. Leveraging the unique qualities of its facilities, the company serves customers in a wide range of consumer and commercial products in the Health, Home & Beauty; Food & Beverage; Industry & Agriculture; Essential Ingredients; and Renewable Fuels markets. For more information, please visit www.altoingredients.com.
We are two physicians whose clinical work and research focuses on the social causes of health and disease. In particular, we’ve seen firsthand how housing instability influences health outcomes.
Homelessness takes many forms, including living on the street or in a car, motel or shelter, or staying temporarily with friends or family. This last scenario is known as “doubling up.”
Our findings suggest that 1 in 4 Denver youth age 14 to 17 experienced some form of homelessness in 2021, and that the number of youth experiencing homelessness in Denver is many times greater than what traditional methods find.
In our study, we used three data sources in what’s known as a multiple systems estimation approach. This approach has been used to count other difficult-to-measure groups of people, including those with substance use disorders or COVID-19. Rarely has it been applied to homelessness.
We combined these datasets to avoid overlap between individuals and counted unique youth present in the data. We then used statistical modeling techniques to estimate those who are “unknown” – meaning not identified in the data. Together, these combined known counts and “unknown” estimates can give a more complete size of the total population.
Among our findings, we noted that 75% to 83% of youth experiencing homelessness in Denver identified as Black/African American or Hispanic.
To count people experiencing homelessness, states and homelessness service providers most often rely on point-in-time counts. In a point-in-time count, local service providers interview and record people experiencing homelessness on one night in January of each year. Typically, only people who are living on the streets or in shelters are counted.
In January of each year, local service providers record people experiencing homelessness. Boston Globe/GettyImages
Point-in-time counts are crucial for policy decisions around homelessness because they help local, state and national organizations and governments allocate resources.
However, point-in-time counts may miss people living in motels, doubling up, those who experience homelessness at other times of the year beyond January, and others. Consequently, many experts and researchers recognize that these counts give incomplete data.
Service providers and governments need new methods to count those experiencing homelessness. From Denver to Washington D.C., they cannot appropriately make decisions or adequately fund evidence-based interventions using incomplete numbers. We believe our methods can be an important piece of the toolbox to improve estimates and better inform policy.
What’s next
Even according to traditional point-in-time counts, homelessness continues to rise significantly across Colorado and nationally. Our results suggest many more youth, and likely persons from all walks of life, are experiencing homelessness than previously known.
Our team is working to use this methodology at the state level in Colorado. We plan to expand our counts to include adults in order to improve estimates among racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ people and other at-risk communities.
At the same time, our results demonstrate that multiple systems estimation can be an important tool in Colorado and nationally. Our team is optimistic that other researchers, service providers and governments will begin to use this method in their localities.
We hope that with a better understanding of the scope of homelessness, legislators and service providers can implement more effective policies to address this hidden crisis.
The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.
Joshua Barocas receives funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. He is affiliated with the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Matthew Westfall 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.
“Violence is just part of the job. Every nurse and health care worker experiences it at some point.”
Sentiments like this echo across American hospitals and health care facilities, capturing a disturbing and growing reality. Though Americans think of nursing as the most trusted profession, we often fail to see that it’s also one of the most dangerous.
Despite these staggering numbers, the full extent of this epidemic may not be fully understood because nurses and other health care workers chronically underreport violent encounters. The American Nurses Association estimates that only 20% to 60% of incidents are accounted for. Additionally, there is no agreed-upon definition for workplace violence or clear way of tracking it on a national level.
As a practicing bedside nurse, I have experienced my fair share of workplace violence. As a professor of nursing, my research shows that violence has become a normalized but underreported part of working in health care and that it affects the care patients receive in pervasive ways.
What really counts as workplace violence in health care?
When people think about workplace violence, they often imagine dramatic physical assaults. Assaults do happen, but violence directed at workers can take many other forms, including verbal threats, intimidation, sexual aggression and bullying.
What makes defining and measuring workplace violence especially difficult in health care settings is the range of people involved. Violence may stem from patients, their families, co-workers or even disgruntled members of the public.
Nurses and health care staff work with people during incredibly stressful moments in their lives. Sometimes patients are experiencing medical conditions that may cause them to act out or be confused, such as dementia, delirium, psychosis or even postoperative reactions to anesthesia.
Too often, nurses who are threatened or hurt at work do not report the event.
Although not all employees can recite their organization’s official definition of workplace violence, ask a nurse whether they have ever experienced a threatening situation at work and they will likely have stories at the ready. In my 14 years of nursing practice, nurses shared many different types of threatening encounters. They reported being screamed at by distraught visitors and having their hair and wrists grabbed by patients who are trying to bite or spit at them. I have personally experienced having objects thrown at me from across the room and being threatened with retribution by patients’ family members.
Nurses also shared more extreme experiences in which they or their co-workers were injured in the course of trying to simply deliver care. Many described the emotional impact of watching a co-worker hurt badly enough to require medical attention.
From my observations, it’s not just the major incidents but the countless small threats or insensitive behaviors that add up over a nurse’s career. These seemingly less-threatening events are much harder to document, and many nurses shrug them off, but the small infractions take a toll when they happen repeatedly.
Breaking the culture of silence
A culture of silence makes such incidents hard to track.
The medical-surgical nursing unit at the hospital where I conducted my research has a healthy and supportive culture. Yet in my ongoing doctoral work, which will be published in May, of the 74% percent of staff that acknowledged experiencing workplace violence in the past year, only 30% reported the event.
When nurses stay silent, whether from fear, futility or institutional pressure, violence becomes an accepted part of the job. Without accurate data, health care facilities don’t understand the true extent of the problem, can’t implement effective safety measures, and struggle to support their workers in meaningful ways.
Nurses also report a lack of support from management, a fear of reprisal or a sense of shame when reporting. Commonly, many nurses simply find reporting tools to be too difficult and time-consuming to use.
That is a huge problem, considering that the United States is projected to have 193,100 nursing job openings per year until 2032, yet will produce only roughly 177,400 new nurses in that time frame. This also has vast repercussions for patient care.
During my nursing career, I observed my peers developing complex strategies to protect themselves while trying to provide compassionate care. Like me, they tended to carefully position themselves near doorways, maintained constant awareness of their surroundings and silently assessed each new interaction for potential risks.
These invisible precautions reflect the far-reaching effects of health care violence. When nurses are hypervigilant about their safety, they have less emotional energy for patient care. When they’re rushing between rooms due to short staffing caused by violence-related turnover, they have less time for each patient. When they are worried about what the next patient encounter may bring, they are increasing their anxiety, fear and stress rather than focusing on delivering quality care.
Creating safer health care together
Each health care visit is a chance for patients and their families to improve nursing care for everyone.
When you visit a hospital or clinic, try to understand the stress that health care workers are under and express your needs and concerns calmly. You never know what your nurse is dealing with in their interactions with other patients. They try to compartmentalize and give you their full attention, but they might also be experiencing a difficult and traumatic situation right next door.
It also helps to share information that might be relevant to caring for your family member, such as whether their medical condition is causing them to act differently than normal. And you should speak up if you witness any forms of aggressive behavior. These actions might seem small, but they support health care staff and help prevent violence in health care settings.
Nurses are trained to keep information private, to be problem-solvers and to bear the burden of the job, so they don’t always seek support. If you have a nurse or health care worker in your family or circle of friends, let them know you care. Supporting their safety validates their work and leads to better care for everyone.
Jason Blomquist is affiliated with the American Nurses Association, Idaho chapter as a member of the board of directors. This affiliation has not influenced or overlapped with the work described in this article.
