Public Health News Round Up, May 19, 2025

by Jon Scaccia May 19, 2025

Time is Running Out—Sustain Public Health Today!

Receive trusted insights that empower you to make immediate community impacts. Our fully independent, self-funded work depends on your subscription. 🔥 Your action matters—share this blog right now to expand our critical network of changemakers!

Cracks emerge in MAHA-MAGA alliance as RFK Jr. builds out his team of health ‘renegades’

In Washington, a mix of food influencers, organic farmers, and anti-vaccine advocates gathered for the launch of the MAHA Institute, highlighting a growing movement combining Trump’s MAGA vision with alternative health ideologies. Although aiming to overhaul the health agency through deep cuts and new leadership, tensions are rising between traditional Trump allies and MAHA supporters, as well as within MAHA itself, revealing cracks in their unity and raising concerns over communication and leadership within the health department.

Gleason score 9: How aggressive is Biden’s prostate cancer?

Joe Biden, aged 82, has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of metastatic prostate cancer that requires hormone-sensitive treatment, with discussions underway about his therapeutic options. Amid solidarity from political figures like Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, and Hillary Clinton, Biden faces his diagnosis with a personal and historical focus on cancer advocacy and research, drawing support from his leadership with the Cancer Moonshot Initiative.

Housing, nutrition in peril as Trump pulls back Medicaid social services

The article highlights the experimental shift in Medicaid policy initiated under President Trump, allowing states to use funds for nontraditional social services like housing and nutrition, which was expanded under Biden but is now being rolled back by Trump in his second term. This rollback has sparked confusion and concern across states, as many believe that addressing social determinants of health is crucial for preventing illness and reducing healthcare costs, while the administration argues for a return to traditional Medicaid functions.

Medicaid payments barely keep hospital mental health units afloat. Federal cuts could sink them

Spencer Hospital’s continued commitment to its inpatient psychiatric unit, despite financial losses, highlights the critical role Medicaid plays in mental health care accessibility. With potential Medicaid funding cuts on the horizon, the plight of hospitals like Spencer—which serve a large population of Medicaid beneficiaries—emphasizes the urgent need for sustained support to avoid exacerbating the already severe national shortage of mental health services.