Lessons from the pandemic messaging mess

Delivered daily by 10 a.m., Pulse examines the latest news in health care politics and policy.

Jan 20, 2023 View in browser   By Daniel Payne and Krista Mahr With Megan R. Wilson Driving the Day Health experts are looking for new, more impactful ways to communicate pandemic information to the public. | John Minchillo/AP Photo LOOKING FOR THE WORDS — Public health experts, from CDC officials to leading epidemiologists and doctors, say they need better ways to communicate with the public, citing trust issues and ineffective messaging through the pandemic. Now, new approaches are emerging, though some experts worry they're uncommon and not always taken seriously in larger pandemic preparedness discussions. Still, widespread dissatisfaction over Covid-19 messaging means scattered new initiatives could hold clues to the future of public-facing health communications — particularly a move to more local, accessible, regular interactions with the public. Starting a conversation Katelyn Jetelina, epidemiologist and professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center, is among the scientists and doctors who seem to be making breakthroughs. Since creating a much-read newsletter, Your Local Epidemiologist, during the pandemic to explain public health issues, Jetelina has been part of health communications conversations with government officials in the U.S. and abroad. The newsletter started as an email to faculty, students and staff to explain the data trickling in early in the pandemic. It eventually moved online and now has a Spanish-language version. She estimates it's gotten about 300 million hits so far. Approaches like Your Local Epidemiologist's — proactive, explanatory and conversational — have been eyed by CDC officials as it considers how to move beyond pandemic messaging missteps. But Jetelina said messaging changes will likely need to go beyond governments (though she said far more needs to be done on that front) to health systems more broadly, especially at the local level. A local approach In Atlanta, one local expert rethinking public health communication is Jayne Morgan, a cardiologist and executive director of health and community education at Piedmont Healthcare, the largest system in Georgia. She began focusing her efforts on proactive public outreach through the pandemic as the Covid Task Force director for the system — which eventually led to her new role transmitting and translating science both within the system and to the public more broadly. Now, she's arguing that other hospitals should look beyond standard public relations practices by appointing a doctor as a trusted community voice on public health. "The time is now," she said. "I think it has been very clear that there's a need." Moving online And her work moved to social media, too. She began recording videos sitting on her stairs at home and talking about the virus, vaccines and public health — dubbing the series the Stairwell Chronicles. The Stairwell Chronicles have expanded beyond Covid-19 to discuss the gamut of health concerns — from cardiovascular wellness to health equity. Her videos often raise new audience questions, which lead to new videos. Without proactive, ongoing information from health systems, politicized messages have become dominant, Morgan said. "People go to these news outlets because there's no other place to go," she said. "That gave naysayers an open lane to create a lot of damage." WELCOME TO FRIDAY PULSE. Single-use coffee pods might be more environmentally friendly than old-school drip coffee makers, according to a new analysis. Consider us confused. Tell us something else that would surprise us — preferably a tip! Drop us a line at dpayne@politico.com and kmahr@politico.com. TODAY ON OUR PULSE CHECK PODCAST, Ruth Reader talks with Ben Leonard about Congress' notice to HHS that the agency needs to better oversee its funding of research into "enhanced potential pandemic pathogens" — and why this adds fuel to a contentious debate in Washington, D.C., over so-called gain-of-function research. Listen to today's Pulse Check podcast Providers Nursing homes reported a high number of Covid-19 cases in the pandemic's first year. | Ted S. Warren/AP Photo IG FINDS EXTREME COVID SPREAD, NEED FOR MORE PROTECTIONS IN NURSING HOMES — The Office of Inspector General at HHS has found that more than 1,300 nursing homes had high infection rates — 75 percent or more of Medicare beneficiaries — in the pandemic's first year, according to a new report. Facilities with high infection rates also had higher mortality rates, nearly double the average of other nursing homes. For-profit facilities were disproportionately represented in the groups of nursing homes with the highest infection rates. The analysis urged new action to protect residents in a future public health emergency, saying staffing ratios and infection control measures should be reevaluated. "The administration recently announced a major initiative to improve safety and quality of care in nursing homes," the report said. "The findings in this report lend urgency to the administration's initiative." More than 1.4 million Covid-19 confirmed cases and 162,000 deaths have been reported in U.S. skilled nursing facilities, according to CMS. Meanwhile… NURSING HOME WORKFORCE WOES CONTINUE — Nursing homes have lost more than 200,000 workers since the start of the pandemic, according to a new analysis from provider groups. The report, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, found nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and other health centers for the elderly to have bigger losses compared to other health providers. The shortages are an extreme example of an issue of concern across health organizations, especially those working with patients directly — and will continue to be a priority for lobbyists in the coming year. But it's not all bad news… FILTRATION FINDINGS — New research from the Mayo Clinic and Delos' Well Living Lab has found that portable air filtration units significantly reduce the risk of virus transmission in skilled nursing facilities. The study, conducted last year at a skilled nursing facility in Rochester, Minnesota, found that portable air filtration units reduced both the accumulation of virus on surfaces and the particles in the air by seven times. The researchers said their findings indicated that standalone air purification units are an "effective component of an overall strategy to reduce transmission" and could be used in comparable indoor spaces, like "offices, conference rooms, hotel lobbies, classrooms, and small apartments."   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     Public Health FEMALE CANCER SURVIVORS FACE FASTER AGING — Women who survive cancer experience key aging factors faster, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published in JAMA Oncology. The study, which included more than 9,000 postmenopausal women, found the trend across all cancer types, with the biggest effect in those with lung, endometrial or colorectal cancers that had spread. And five years after diagnosis, survivors of most cancers had physical function levels below that of those who had remained cancer-free. Lobby Watch NABIP CEO STEPS DOWN — Janet Trautwein, the CEO of the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals, will step down at the end of 2023 after 26 years at the organization, Megan reports. "The organization would not be where we are today without her leadership," said Kelly Fristoe, NABIP's president, in a statement. "She has laid the foundation for sustained growth and success as NABIP moves forward." The group, which represents insurance brokers and others in the industry, recently rebranded from the National Association of Health Underwriters, which Trautwein told Megan at the time better reflected their more diverse membership. The board has hired a search firm to find a replacement, and NABIP plans to have a new CEO in place before its annual convention in June, it said in a statement. Names in the News Clare Pierce-Wrobel has left HHS to serve as a policy adviser on the Domestic Policy Council. Kacey Wulff is now counselor to the secretary at HHS. Brian Kaplun is now senior adviser to the chief of staff at HHS. Ben Pearlman joined the National Association of Chain Drug Stores as director of state government affairs. Most recently, he served as senior director of government and public affairs for Shipt, Inc. 340B Health announced three new board members: Meetali Desai, Rosland Fisher McLeod and Tim Lynch. What We're Reading Pharmacies could face legal questions over distributing abortion pills in restrictive states, Pulse alum Sarah Owermohle reports for STAT. The New York Times' Choe Sang-Hun reports on providers serving an aging South Korean population — often by boat. Barak Richman argues in a POLITICO opinion piece that antitrust strategies could be a key to lowering health costs, especially in hospitals.   JOIN TUESDAY TO HEAR FROM MAYORS AROUND AMERICA: 2022 brought in a new class of mayors leading "majority minority" cities, reshaping who is at the nation's power tables and what their priorities are. Join POLITICO to hear from local leaders on how they're responding to being tested by unequal Covid-19 outcomes, upticks in hate crimes, homelessness, lack of affordable housing, inflation and a potential recession. REGISTER HERE.       Follow us on Twitter Dan Goldberg @dancgoldberg Katherine Ellen Foley @katherineefoley Lauren Gardner @Gardner_LM Ben Leonard @_BenLeonard_ David Lim @davidalim Krista Mahr @kristamahr Megan Messerly @meganmesserly Alice Miranda Ollstein @aliceollstein Carmen Paun @carmenpaun Daniel Payne @_daniel_payne Ruth Reader @RuthReader Erin Schumaker @erinlschumaker Megan R. Wilson @misswilson   Follow us

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