A new study in the American Journal of Public Health shows that proposed bills aiming to reduce vaccine access, weaken vaccination requirements, and increase vaccine exemptions increased dramatically in state legislatures from 2021-2023, at times exceeding the number of bills seeking to strengthen vaccine access and mandates. At least 40 percent of bills introduced in each full legislative cycle after the start of the pandemic have been antivaccine-related. Republican lawmakers sponsored 86 percent of the antivaccine bills introduced during this period. Democratic lawmakers introduced 54 percent of provaccine bills, which are bills that supported an increase in access to, or funding and promotion of, vaccines across state legislatures. 

Pediatricians who participated in the collaborative mental health program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago were more likely to diagnose and treat anxiety and depression in kids without reliance on additional support from specialists, according to a study published in Academic Pediatrics. Findings suggest that the program – called Mood, Anxiety, ADHD Collaborative Care (MAACC) – successfully prepares pediatricians to manage these conditions independently, so that more children can access care despite the ongoing shortage of pediatric mental health professionals.