Carla K. Johnson
@carlakjohnson.bsky.social
Journalist, recently retired. I covered health care and medical research for The Associated Press.
These Americans know the reality of vaccine-preventable diseases all too well. Important story by @lauraungar.bsky.social apnews.com/article/vacc...
Many forget the damage done by diseases like whooping cough, measles and rubella. Not these families
In the time before widespread vaccination, young children often lost their lives to devastating infectious diseases that ran rampant in America.
apnews.com
Backlog of claims plagues the fast-growing Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program. AP’s Ryan Foley has the story of how it affects families. apnews.com/article/offi...
A Border Patrol agent died in 2009. His widow is still fighting a backlogged US program for benefits
When her husband died during a U.S. Border Patrol training program for new agents, Lisa Afolayan applied for the federal benefits promised to families of first responders whose lives are cut short die...
apnews.com
“Clean sweep” by RFK Jr. of key vaccine advisers to CDC. apnews.com/article/kenn...
RFK Jr. ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory committee
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has removed every member of a scientific committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to use vaccines.
apnews.com
Dr. Casey Means says the nation’s health and food systems are corrupted by special interests. Yet she has promoted dozens of health and wellness products in ways that put money in her own pocket.
Trump's surgeon general pick criticizes others' conflicts but profits from wellness product sales
President Donald Trump’s pick to be U.S. surgeon general has said the nation’s medical and food systems are corrupted by special interests and people out to make a profit at the expense of Americans’ ...
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President Donald Trump’s pick to be the next U.S. surgeon general says the nation’s medical and food systems are corrupted by special interests. Yet Dr. Casey Means has made money by recommending wellness products and hasn’t always disclosed it.
How Trump’s pick for surgeon general uses her big online following to make money
President Donald Trump’s pick to be U.S. surgeon general has said the nation’s medical and food systems are corrupted by special interests and people out to make a profit at the expense of Americans’ health.
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Insightful story by AP's Ali Swenson. Some of Trump's supporters who took him at his word that he would dismantle the "deep state" are getting restless.
Ali Swenson@aliswenson.bsky.social · last yr.Four months in, Trump’s administration hasn’t delivered on his promises to expose and dismantle the “deep state” as much as some of his supporters would like. apnews.com/article/epst...
Biden's sudden diagnosis of aggressive prostate cancer is unfortunately all too common. My story with data journalist Kasturi Pananjady. apnews.com/article/bide...
Biden's sudden diagnosis of aggressive prostate cancer is unfortunately all too common
Former President Joe Biden’s office says that he has been diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer and is reviewing treatment options with his doctors.
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Audit of Maryland autopsies uncovers at least 36 in-custody police deaths that should've been considered homicides. State officials announced their findings following a review spurred by concerns about the former state medical examiner’s testimony in death of George Floyd. apnews.com/article/davi...
Autopsies misclassified deaths in police custody that were homicides, Maryland officials say
An audit of Maryland autopsies has uncovered at least 36 in-custody police deaths that should have been considered homicides.
apnews.com
As the Trump administration resumes collections on defaulted student loans, hundreds of thousands of older Americans with decades-old debts are now at risk of having their Social Security checks garnished. @sedensky.bsky.social has the story. apnews.com/article/stud...
Older people in crosshairs as government restarts Social Security garnishment on student loans
As the Trump administration resumes collections on defaulted student loans, hundreds of thousands of older Americans with decades-old debts are now at risk of having their Social Security checks garni...
apnews.com
Trump's surgeon general pick praised unproven psychedelic therapy, said mushrooms helped her find love
Trump surgeon general pick praised unproven psychedelic therapy, said mushrooms helped her find love
President Donald Trump’s new pick for surgeon general wrote in a recent book that people should consider using unproven psychedelic drugs as therapy and in a newsletter suggested her use of mushrooms ...
apnews.com
Experts say several things could be driving the decline in U.S. overdose deaths: increased availability of naloxone, expanded addiction treatment and shifts in how people use drugs. apnews.com/article/us-o...
US overdose deaths fell 27% last year, the largest one-year decline ever seen
There were 30,000 fewer U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2024 than the year before — the largest one-year decline ever recorded.
apnews.com
Here's a look at the principle of "checks and balances" and previous tests across U.S. history. apnews.com/article/chec...
America’s long history of ‘checks and balances’ is being tested by Trump like rarely before
The principle of “checks and balances” is rooted in the Constitution’s design of a national government with three distinct, coequal branches.
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The email went to grantees working on research related to families, asking them to update their contact information in an attached spreadsheet. But the spreadsheet mistakenly included the department’s secret plans to terminate more than 150 research grants. My colleague Ryan J. Foley has the scoop.
Ryan J. Foley@rjfoley.bsky.social · last yr.apnews.com/article/chil... Email mistake reveals secret plans to end research on Head Start and other child safety net programs
Trump administration's new report, written by unnamed authors, contradicts guidelines for transgender youth. #medsky apnews.com/article/trum...
Trump's health agency urges therapy for transgender youth, not broader gender-affirming health care
The Trump administration is calling for more reliance on psychotherapy for transgender youth instead of broader gender-affirming medical care.
apnews.com
AP's immigration reporter Tim Sullivan tells a beautiful story about a hard-working couple caught up in the confusion and fear rippling through immigrant communities in the Texas Panhandle. apnews.com/article/trum...
Immigrants who came to the Texas Panhandle to work legally have been told they must leave
Confusion and fear are rippling through the immigrant communities of the Texas Panhandle, where newcomers have come for generations to work in its immense meatpacking plants.
apnews.com
Men and women who tested positive for HPV —the virus test causes most cervical cancers — were 33% more likely than those who tested negative to develop cardiovascular disease, according to a meta analysis of 7 studies w/ a total of 250,000 patients www.scientificamerican.com/article/if-h...
If HPV Infection Increases Heart Disease Risk, Can Vaccination Lower It?
A vaccine that blocks infection with the human papillomavirus has helped to lower cervical cancer rates. Researchers want to find out if the shot also prevents heart attacks
scientificamerican.com
Fascinating story by AP's @jnaleccia.bsky.social on efforts to replace artificial dyes in food. apnews.com/article/arti...
How bugs and beet juice could play roles in the race to replace artificial dyes in food
U.S. health officials are pushing to get artificial colors out of the nation's food supply. Sensient Technologies Corp. is one of the world's largest dyemakers.
apnews.com
Speaking at #RxSummit, Kennedy did not address recent budget cuts or layoffs. He talked instead about his spiritual awakening and recovery, mentioned God more than 20 times. apnews.com/article/kenn...
RFK Jr. recounts heroin addiction and spiritual awakening, urges focus on prevention and community
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a personal story of his own heroin addiction and recovery at a conference on drug addiction in Tennessee.
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My colleagues at AP put together this handy guide to RFK Jr.'s claims. apnews.com/article/rfk-...
FACT FOCUS: Examining RFK Jr.'s claims about measles, autism and diet as head of HHS
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made sweeping changes to the Department of Health and Human Services in just a few months at the helm.
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U.S. health officials said they plan to phase out eight petroleum-based artificial colors from the nation's food supply, triggering an overhaul of scores of brightly hued products on American store shelves. @jnaleccia.bsky.social has the story with Matthew Perrone. apnews.com/article/fda-...
RFK Jr. plans to phase out eight artificial dyes from the US food supply
U.S. health officials plan to phase out eight petroleum-based colors from the nation's food supply. The move would trigger an overhaul of scores of products on U.S. grocery store shelves.
apnews.com
Federal COVID-19 website replaced with information supporting the lab leak origin theory apnews.com/live/donald-...
Live updates: Federal judge to pause the Trump administration’s plans for mass layoffs at the CFPB
A federal judge who blocked Donald Trump's administration from dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has ruled that the agency can’t go forward immediately with plans to fire hundreds o...
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Decoding RFK Jr. as he walks a fine line in his rhetoric, @mrsmithap.bsky.social has this important story. apnews.com/article/robe...
Translating what Kennedy's anti-vaccine allies hear in his response to the measles outbreak
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is threading the needle between his agency’s role as a neutral arbiter of science and the rhetoric of anti-vaccine activists.
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A new study, funded by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, suggests that health care systems can reduce suicides through patient screening, safety planning and mental health counseling. apnews.com/article/suic...
Suicides and attempts fall in health systems implementing the 'Zero Suicide Model,' study finds
A new study suggests that health care systems can reduce suicides through patient screening, safety planning and mental health counseling.
apnews.com
Second child dies in Texas measles outbreak apnews.com/article/meas... Second child died from measles-related causes in West Texas, where cases are nearing 500
Second child died from measles-related causes in West Texas, where cases are nearing 500
A second school-aged child in West Texas has died from a measles-related illness. That was confirmed Sunday by a spokesman for UMC Health System in Lubbock, Texas.
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The entire 17-member U.S. government team responsible for the National Survey on Drug Use and Health received layoff notices Tuesday, as part of the overhaul of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. apnews.com/article/hhs-...
Health department layoffs mean that data on drug use and mental health could sit unused
A 50-year-old government survey on drug use may be in jeopardy. The entire 17-member U.S. government team responsible for the National Survey on Drug Use and Health received layoff notices Tuesday, as...
apnews.com
Tuesday's HHS layoffs included many who ran the Head Start early education program. Preschool operators say they have received no communication from the Office of Head Start and don’t know where to go if they have questions. apnews.com/article/head...
After layoffs and funding problems, Head Start leaders fear what comes next
President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday laid off scores of Health and Human Services employees, including many who ran the Head Start early education program.
apnews.com
Today's HHS layoffs include researchers, scientists, doctors, support staff and senior leaders, leaving the government without many of the key experts who have long guided U.S. decisions on medical research, drug approvals and other issues. #medsky #healthpolicysky apnews.com/article/heal...
Mass layoffs are underway at the nation's public health agencies
Employees across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have begun receiving notices of dismissal in a major overhaul expected to ultimately lay off up to 10,000 people.
apnews.com
The proposed overhaul of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services could weaken and possibly eliminate SAMHSA, a little-known agency that's crucial in helping Americans who struggle with their mental health or with addiction. #medsky apnews.com/article/hhs-...
The fate of addiction treatment hangs in the balance with Kennedy's HHS overhaul
The proposed overhaul of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services could weaken and possibly eliminate a little-known agency that's crucial in helping Americans who struggle with their mental h...
apnews.com
Researchers at Columbia University remain in limbo after the Ivy League institution bowed to the Trump administration’s demands for unprecedented changes in a bid to restore some $400 million in federal funds. AP story by Philip Marcelo. apnews.com/article/colu...
Researchers in limbo as Columbia bows to Trump’s demands in bid to restore $400M federal funding
Researchers at Columbia University remain in limbo after the Ivy League institution bowed to the Trump administration’s demands for unprecedented changes in a bid to restore some $400 million in feder...
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