What We’re Reading: Emergency Abortion Access; Ineffective Cold Medication Ingredient; Nursing Home Care Quality

Legal Actions Seek Assurance of Abortion Access for Emergencies

Several legal challenges were filed Thursday including patients and doctors in the states of Idaho, Tennessee, and Oklahoma, who claim that the abortion bans in place there are preventing women with serious pregnancy complications from getting abortions despite obvious medical need, according to The New York Times. The cases were filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights and represent an expansion of legal strategies that abortion rights groups have launched in recent months. The cases don’t intend to remove the bans, but to gain legal clarity and make sure that patients in those situations are excused from state abortion bans. Fourteen states have laws in place that outlaw most abortions.

Cold Medication Ingredient Found Ineffective

An FDA advisory committee Tuesday concluded that an ingredient in common cold medications is not effective at decongestion, presenting the possibility that popular decongestants could be taken from American store shelves, reported The Washington Post. Phenylephrine, the ingredient, has been used for years and is present in dozens of medications. The FDA estimates that customers bought over 240 million bottles or packages of over-the-counter products containing the ingredient, at a cost of $1.76 billion in 2022. The FDA had confirmed the efficacy of the ingredient as recently as 2007, but more recent studies led its staff to confirm that the ingredient isn’t an effective nasal decongestant when taken orally, but no safety concerns were identified.

Nursing Homes Score Low on Care Quality

Data from a Gallup Panel survey discovered that 36% of Americans rate the country’s nursing home quality as a grade of “D” or “poor,” and 33% of the respondents gave nursing homes a grade of “C” or “satisfactory,” while just 1% gave a grade of “A” or “excellent,” according to The Hill. Other findings were that 70% of Americans would be uncomfortable living in a nursing home, and 61% would be uncomfortable with a relative’s admittance to one. The Biden administration announced new staffing proposals for nursing homes, including that facilities have a registered nurse on site at all times and that residents receive at least 2.5 hours of care from a nurse aide each day, aimed at fighting negative health outcomes and workplace burnout in nursing homes.