What We're Reading: Home-Dialysis Device Trial; Title X Funding; EPA Allows Pesticide Use

CVS Launches Trial for Home-Dialysis Device

Illinois Planned Parenthood Will Defy Title X Rule

EPA Will Allow Use of Pesticide Linked to Health Issues

In an unexpected move into kidney care, CVS has initiated a clinical trial for a new device that would allow people with kidney disease to receive dialysis at home, reported The Wall Street Journal. The move comes shortly after the Trump administration announced the Advancing American Kidney Health initiative, which seeks to move more dialysis into the home. CVS is planning to offer home dialysis services with the new device as well as through peritoneal dialysis. Alan Lotvin, executive vice president at CVS, said that the company is looking to implement a broader approach to kidney care, including managing the care of those with renal decline who aren’t yet eligible for dialysis.The Trump administration announced this week that its new family planning rule that denies Title X funds from providers that offer or make referrals for abortion will go into effect immediately. The Chicago Tribune has reported that in reponse, Planned Parenthood of Illinois plans to stop accepting Title X funding so providers can discuss abortion as an option when counseling pregnant women. Between September 2018 and March 2019, Planned Parenthood of Illnois received nearly $2.5 million in funding, and it was slated to receive another $3.5 million in funding between April 2019 and April 2022.The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that it will continue to allow the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos, which has been linked to health issues in children, on US-grown fruits and vegetables. According to Reuters, the agency denied a petition from dozens of environmental groups, who said studies indicate exposure to the pesticide is linked to low birth weight, reduced IQ, attention disorders, and other issues in infants and children. In 2015, the Obama administration’s EPA banned the use of the pesticide, but the decision was reversed in 2017 by Scott Pruitt, Trump’s first EPA administrator.