Indianapolis public health office mismanaged oversight of most contracts, audit finds
The city’s public health office, established in 2016, oversees programs focused on homelessness, violence reduction and behavioral health.
Public Health
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Why Dr. Oz wants you to retire later
Getting the average American to work one year longer by starting earlier or retiring later would generate about $3 trillion for the economy, said the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
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Indy-based, foster youth-focused nonprofit faces $600K state, federal funding loss
The cuts, which represent about 12% of Foster Success’ budget for its Indiana programs, will curb access to basic needs assistance, education and job training, financial empowerment and networking.
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Inspectors find unsanitary conditions at Boar’s Head plant in Indiana
The U.S. Agriculture Department released the inspection records that documented unsanitary conditions at several Boar’s Head deli meat plants, not just the factory that was shut down after a deadly outbreak of listeria poisoning.
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Steer-In restaurant eyes reopening after health department shutdown
A customer’s sighting of a mouse in Steer-In’s dining room led to a call to the health department, restaurant co-owner Casey Kehrer said.
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Articles
Former state Sen. Jim Merritt’s book examines if state is ready for another pandemic
Former state Sen. Jim Merritt has a new book out titled “Lessons Learned: Are We Ready for the Next Pandemic? History Says No.” detailing Indiana’s response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Braun declines to sign needle exchange legislation
A bill letting Indiana counties continue syringe service programs became law Monday without Indiana Gov. Mike Braun’s signature.
Push for tighter rules looms over Indiana needle exchange program
Republican lawmakers are divided over limiting disease spread versus arguments of enabling drug abuse.
EPA says it will no longer consider health costs in pollution regulations
The change is part of the Trump EPA’s broader goal of slashing regulations, saying they are hindering economic growth.
Indiana unveils multiyear rural health plan in newly released federal application
The plan is described as a “collaborative effort” to be jointly led by the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration and the Indiana Department of Health.
Health district takes shape ahead of IU Health hospital completion
The recently established Indy Health District is dedicated to reducing health inequity across Indianapolis. It stretches from St. Clair Street north to 38th Street, encompassing 1,500 acres.
Why many Americans are rethinking alcohol, according to a new Gallup poll
CNBC reported earlier this year that non-alcoholic beer sales were expected to surpass ale as the second-largest beer category worldwide. Retail sales for non-alcoholic beer surpassed $17 billion in 2023.
Nestle says it will remove artificial dyes from US foods by 2026
Nestle joins Kraft Heinz and General Mills as major food companies to pledge they would remove artificial dyes from their U.S. products.
Youth tobacco use continues to decline but nicotine pouches gain popularity
Since 2000, the Indiana Department of Health has surveyed more than 4,800 public middle and high school students every two years to monitor tobacco trends.
Retailers, researchers criticize Indiana plan to exclude soda and candy from SNAP
Gov. Mike Braun and Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith are fans of the new exclusions—and so is U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Indiana health department reports possible record-low infant death rate
If the rate holds after final review, it would be Indiana’s lowest since the state began tracking the measure in 1900.
Council OKs Merkley as director of city’s Office of Public Health and Safety
Andrew Merkley, administrator for the Division of Homelessness Policy and Eviction Prevention, has worked in the Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety since 2020.
Falls by seniors a significant contributor to health care costs, Butler analysis finds
The analysis—conducted and presented by Butler University students—was the winning entry into the recent Total Cost of Care Data Challenge contest.
Indiana joins growing list of states with 3 or more cases of measles
The United States has experienced more than double the number of measles cases it saw in all of 2024.
Trump administration to pull back $11B in COVID funding from local health departments
The Department of Health and Human Services said it would “no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago.”
U.S. reverses plan to shut down free COVID test program
Internal documents show that officials at HHS had been considering whether to continue the program or dispose of millions of tests.
Trump casts psychiatric and weight-loss drugs as threats to children
President Donald Trump has instructed his administration to scrutinize the “threat” to children posed by antidepressants, stimulants and other common psychiatric drugs.
Norovirus: What to know about rising outbreaks of the gastrointestinal ailment
Cases of the illness known as norovirus—which induces miserable bouts of vomiting and diarrhea—are surging across the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
McDonald’s Quarter Pounder back on menu after testing rules out beef patties as E. coli source
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to believe that slivered onions from a single supplier are the likely source of contamination, McDonald’s said in a statement.