The Commonwealth Fund released a new report April 18 examining racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare access, quality and outcomes across the U.S.

Children's Mercy Kansas City (Mo.) researchers found a way to reduce the time to diagnosis for rare disease by 5.5 months.

Nature walks. Dance classes. Volunteering. These are among the social activities being prescribed across at least 30 programs in the U.S. Social prescribing — or the practice of connecting people with nonclinical activities that target underlying concerns such as isolation, stress and access to healthy foods — is a well-known concept in Britain and is increasingly stirring interest in the U.S., experts told The New York Times in an April 17 report. 

For the first time, the majority of U.S. adults say they are not getting enough sleep, a recent Gallup poll found.

Thirty health systems are participating in a new collaborative through the Institute for Healthcare Improvement that aims to accelerate the adoption of age-friendly care for older adults. 

In recent months, parts of the U.S. have reported outbreaks of pertussis, or whooping cough. While some regional outbreaks are expected each year, health officials are underscoring the importance of boosters in adults to protect infants from severe illness, NBC News reported April 17. 

The Biden administration launched a new global health security strategy April 16 to prepare for future outbreaks, pandemics or biological threats. 

Eighteen of the 599 Magnet-designated hospitals have received the certification at least six times. 

On average, registered nurses' workweeks were 84 minutes longer in 2022 than in 2018, federal data shows.

The FDA has removed social media posts decrying the use of ivermectin for treating COVID-19 following a court ruling, Bloomberg News reported April 16.

Following a spike in emergency department visits among children ingesting unsafe amounts of melatonin, the Council for Responsible Nutrition recommended melatonin manufacturers adjust their labels and formulations. 

Vaccines are in development that target the bird flu strain that infected a Texas resident, an HHS official told Politico in an April 12 report. Earlier this month, state and federal officials confirmed a person in Texas who had worked on a dairy farm tested positive for H5N1. 

The CDC is working with the FDA to investigate at least 19 reports of harmful reactions linked to counterfeit or mishandled Botox injections in nine states. Nine of the patients were hospitalized, the agency said. 

Akron (Ohio) Children's Hospital has expanded its collaboration with Cincinnati Children's to provide a wider range of specialty care for children in eastern Ohio, the organization said April 16. 

From 2022-23, four-year colleges and universities turned down 65,766 qualified applications — not applicants, as people may apply to more than one program — which likely resulted in thousands of applicants being turned away, according to a new report from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. 

As chief clinical officer of UNC Health and president of UNC Physicians in Chapel Hill, N.C., Matt Ewend, MD, keeps his ears peeled for one seemingly innocuous word, as it almost always represents an opportunity to break down barriers and help team members improve their collaboration and communication. 

Enrollment in BSN programs at nursing schools across the U.S. held steady in 2023, though fewer students are entering in master's and PhD programs, according to new data from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. 

The diabetes epidemic continues unabated in this country. Over the past decade, fewer than 50% of people with the condition have met the recommended A1c goal of below 7. In fact, despite the advent of effective new medications and easier-to-use technology in the past 15 years, A1c levels have been going in the absolutely wrong direction — up, not down.

 Last year, New York City saw 24 cases of human leptospirosis — the highest number in a single year. Six cases have been reported so far this year, the city's department of health and mental hygiene said in an April 12 health advisory. 

Smallpox, the only human disease to be fully eradicated, could reappear in the U.S. and across the globe, researchers said in a new report.