The New York Times (5/4, D9, Megdal, Subscription Publication) reports that concussion activists are concerned that FIFA is not properly addressing the issue of head injuries to players, despite progress in both recognition and treatment. Although FIFA has considered rule changes such as mandatory stoppages and temporary substitutions for players with head injuries, no such rules have been adopted, leading to widely varying treatment, with players and coaches often determining if an injury requires removal.

Related Links:

— “Competitive Environment Complicates Decisions About Head Injuries,” Howard Medal, New Yrk Times, May 3, 2015.

In a nearly 1,400-word story, the New York Times (5/4, A1, Bosman, Subscription Publication) reports on its front page on “an unfolding crisis” of suicides taking place among young people on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Since December, “nine people between the ages of 12 and 24 have committed suicide.” In addition, “at least 103 attempts by people ages 12 to 24 occurred from December to March, according to the federal Indian Health Service.” The Times points out that “tribe officials, clergy members and social workers say they cannot remember such a high rate of suicides and attempts in such a short period on the reservation.” In a statement, Ron Cornelius, the Great Plains director of the IHS, said this agency “is committed to working with the tribe to address this heartbreaking problem.”

Related Links:

— “Pine Ridge Indian Reservation Struggles With Suicides Among Its Young,” Julie Bosman, New York Times, May 1, 2015.

MedPage Today (5/2, Peck) reported that the American College of Physicians is “promoting its coalition of 36 medical, legal, and community organizations, all of which have now signed on to a document titled ‘Firearm-Related Injury and Death in the United States: A Call to Action from 8 Health Professional Organizations and the American Bar Association.” Among the groups that have signed on are the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American College of Emergency Physicians. Meanwhile, “ACP Executive Vice President Steven Weinberger, MD, said a number of other medical groups – including the American Medical Association – are considering signing on but are awaiting review and approval from their governance bodies.”

Related Links:

— “Taking Aim at Gun Violence: ACP Builds Coalition,” Peggy Peck , Medpage Today, May 1, 2015.

The AP (5/6, Yen) reports that a bipartisan group of senators is calling for an independent investigation into mismanagement by the Department of Veterans Affairs. A report by Sens. Dean Heller (R-NV) and Bob Casey (D-PA) on Wednesday concludes that VA efforts haven’t been enough to reduce backlogs, and the lawmakers plan to introduce legislation requiring the Government Accountability Office to conduct an inquiry into each of the VA’s 56 regional offices.

Related Links:

— “ARE BUNGLED VA CLAIMS SYSTEMIC? SENATORS WANT AGENCY REVIEW,” Hope Yen, Associated Press, May , 2015.

In an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times (4/23), author John Bateson, who for 16 years was the executive director of a San Francisco Bay Area suicide prevention center, calls the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act “commendable,” but says “it won’t come close to ending military suicides.” According to Bateson, “That would require radical changes in the policies, procedures, attitudes and culture in two of our biggest.

Related Links:

— “Op-Ed Support our troops? Dealing with PTSD requires commitment,”John Bateson, Los Angeles Times, April 22, 2015.

HealthDay (4/23, Preidt) reports that research published April 21 in Circulation: Heart Failure suggests that “depression seems to increase the risk of hospitalization and death in black heart failure patients.” In the large study, investigators found that “even moderate depressive symptoms appeared to boost the risk of hospitalization or death for black patients.”

Related Links:

— “Depression Tied to Worse Outcomes for Black Patients With Heart Failure,”Robert Preidt, HealthDay, April 22, 2015.

In a 2,050-word piece, Kaiser Health News (4/23, Gorman) reports, “Because they may not see depression as a brain disease or fear stigma, many Asian immigrant families don’t reach out for help until there is a crisis, experts say.” Even when families seek help, “they often find both medication and psychotherapy a poor fit.” When it comes to the treatment of depression in teenagers, “parents sometimes stand in the way…intentionally or not, because of the high standards they set.” Ranna Parekh, MD, director of the American Psychiatric Association’s division of diversity and health equity, said, “It takes a few generations before they can finally be free.”

Related Links:

— “When Depression And Cultural Expectations Collide,”Anna Gorman, Kaiser Health News , April 22, 2015.

Major domestic and British newspapers, wire sources, and Internet medical outlets cover a study demonstrating no association between the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism, not even in children at high risk for autism.

The Wall Street Journal (4/22, Whalen, Subscription Publication) reports that a study published April 21 in the Journal of the American Medical Association reveals no association between the MMR vaccine and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children.

The Los Angeles Times (4/22, Healy) “Science Now” blog reports that the “study of nearly 100,000 children found that toddlers known to have an elevated risk of autism were no more likely to be diagnosed with the disorder if they” received the MMR vaccine than if they did not. In addition, “the diagnosis rate for high-risk children who were vaccinated was the same as for immunized children with no family history of the disorder.” By failing to find any association “between the MMR vaccine and autism spectrum disorders…in children with an older sibling who had the disease, the study leaves no doubt that the two are not connected, experts said.”

Related Links:

— “Another Study Shows No Link Between MMR Vaccine and Autism,”Jaenne Whalen, The Wall Street Journal, April 21, 2015.

The New York Times (4/21, A14, Pear, Subscription Publication) reports that the Medicare bill signed last week by President Obama will end the imprinting of Social Security numbers on Medicare cards. Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX), who pushed for the change, said, “The Social Security number is the key to identity theft, and thieves are having a field day with seniors’ Medicare cards.” Congress provided $320 million over four years to pay for the change. The Times adds that the inspector general of Social Security in 2008 called for immediate action to remove Social Security from Medicare cards, but HHS has “lagged behind other federal agencies” in removing the numbers from identification cards, the Government Accountability Office said.

Related Links:

— “New Cards for Medicare Recipients Will Omit Social Security Numbers,”Robert Pear, The New York Times, April 20, 2015.

The Washington Examiner (4/20, Cunningham) reported that Medicaid plans got an “initial roadmap from the federal government earlier this month, with a rule proposing directions for how they should conform to a 2008 law known as mental health parity.” The law requires insurers to cover mental health services on the same level as physical health services. Notably, the rule does not lift “a longstanding federal ban on using federal Medicaid dollars for stays in private psychiatric hospitals and state mental hospitals.” According to the article, this “has some mental health advocates worried, amid recent concerns that the seriously mentally ill are getting marginalized.” Harsh Trivedi, MD, chairman of the American Psychiatric Association’s Council on Healthcare Systems and Financing, “said the APA wants the final rule to be clearer on exactly how insurers must ensure parity for long-term care for” people with mental illnesses.

Related Links:

— “Psych wards not covered by Medicaid mental health rule,”Paige Cunningham, The Washington Examiner, April 20, 2015.