CDC data shows a sharp decrease in the number of CDC-funded HIV tests administered in healthcare and non-healthcare settings (43% and 50%, respectively) from 2019 to 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. These concerning drops were seen among groups disproportionately affected by HIV. This data highlights the urgent need to scale up testing and reduce disparities among the people who could most benefit from HIV prevention and care.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has released a final recommendation statement on vitamin, mineral, and multivitamin supplementation to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer. For most vitamins and mineral supplements, more research is needed to make a recommendation for or against taking them to prevent CVD and cancer. The Task Force recommends against taking vitamin E and beta-carotene for this purpose. To view the recommendation, the evidence on which it is based, and a summary for clinicians, click here. The final recommendation statement can also be found in the June 21 online issue of JAMA.

The National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) has shared one of its newest resources, a video that depicts a synchronous teledentistry visit featuring Dr. Yogita Thakur of Ravenswood Family Health Center. It depicts a condensed live, synchronous teledentistry visit utilizing the six steps of an infant oral care visit. Watch the video here.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) offers a selection of best practice guides to help providers make telehealth a successful part of their practice. The latest include Telehealth for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities and Telehealth for Rural Areas. See these and other best practice guides to maximize telehealth delivery. Guides are also available in Spanish.

An estimated 100 million Americans, including four in 10 adults, are saddled with medical debt. It’s a uniquely American dilemma and a problem that keeps families from buying a home, affording a reliable car, or putting money away for their children’s college education. Despite the aims of the Affordable Care Act, medical debt remains a looming crisis, disproportionately affecting Black households and communities. Race contributes to whether households have medical debt, with 27.9% of Black households carrying medical debt compared to 17.2% of white non-Hispanic households. Join the National Consumer Law Center and Community CATALYST for a webinar on July 13, 2022, at 2:00 pm to discuss how Medical Debt impacts Black American Families. Click here to register.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last Thursday announced it will order top-seller Juul to take its e-cigarettes off the shelves in the U.S. market. The move comes amid a push to cap nicotine in cigarettes and signals the Biden administration is escalating its attempt to limit tobacco use. The order impacts the JUUL device and four types of JUUL pods, the FDA said. The decision follows a nearly two-year review by the FDA of Juul’s data as the vaping company sought authorization for its products to stay on the U.S. market, according to the Wall Street Journal. Read more.

The Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Health dramatically and rapidly alters the landscape of abortion access in the U.S. The court on June 24 ruled 6-3 to uphold a Mississippi law that would ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, but also to overturn the nearly half-century precedent set in Roe v. Wade that guaranteed the constitutional right to an abortion. With the Dobbs decision, states can set their own restrictions, so where people live will determine their level of access to abortion. The majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, stated that “the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey [Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 1992] are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.” Read more. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra said HHS would do everything it could to preserve and expand access to abortion. However, the list is short. “There is no magic bullet,” Mr. Becerra said at a morning news conference, “but if there is something we can do, we will find it and we will do it.”

Pennie issued its 2021 Annual Report highlighting a successful health insurance marketplace enrollment period. It includes details and data on the savings provided by the American Rescue Plan, the COVID-19 Special Enrollment Period, and Pennie’s second Open Enrollment Period. Notably, in this year’s report, statistics on identified Pennie Assister enrollment nearly doubled compared to the first Open Enrollment Period in 2021. Medicaid and CHIP referrals and applications attributed to Assisters added to the total enrollment assistance provided by PACHC and the expanded enrollment assister network.