The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children is facing a funding crisis as the government shutdown threatens to extend into November, and millions of families may lose benefits starting Nov. 1, according to the National WIC Association. The USDA has indicated it will use tariff revenue to fund WIC for now, but it's unclear how long these resources will last.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found an AI-based diabetes prevention program was as effective as a human-led virtual program in helping adults with prediabetes maintain an A1C of less than 6.5%. The app program had higher completion rates and was seen as potentially more accessible for people with busy schedules. Study volunteers received a Bluetooth-enabled scale along with instructions for downloading an app that delivered push notifications.

AI chatbots should not be considered safe companions for children and adolescents, clinical psychiatrist Jonathan Slater writes. Slater cites research showing that 64% of kids ages 9 to 17 have used AI chatbots, with many viewing them as friends, even though they can contribute to social and emotional issues. Slater suggests that health care providers screen for AI chatbot use and discuss its implications during routine assessments of youth health and mental health.

A study in JAMA Network Open found that poverty, environmental risks and housing issues were factors affecting cancer screening rates. Using machine learning to analyze Medicare data, researchers found that smoking rates were a primary factor for lung and colorectal cancer, while race was significant for breast and prostate cancers.

A study of close to 25 million privately insured adults found colorectal cancer screening trends shifted after the onset of the pandemic, with decreases in colonoscopy and fecal immunochemical test use and a rise in stool DNA testing. The research, published in JAMA Network Open, found disparities in screening preferences by sex, socioeconomic status and metropolitan versus nonmetropolitan residence.

Women with kidney failure were less likely to receive a living donor transplant than men, according to a study in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases based on an analysis of data from 2.3 million adults from 1997 to 2020. "Women may be judged more harshly than men for the same set of comorbid conditions, such as obesity," researcher Jessica Harding said.

About 25.7 million people in the US have limited English proficiency, which can be a barrier to health care. Health care providers can improve equity by documenting each patient's preferred language and having certified medical interpreters available. Language-concordant care can reduce hospital lengths of stay, complication risk and readmissions, says Cindy Hou, infection control officer at Jefferson Health New Jersey.

Florida is moving to end decades of childhood vaccination mandates, a decision supported by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo. This shift marks a significant policy change in a state that already has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the US, with only about 89% of kindergartners fully vaccinated. The move has sparked concerns about potential increases in vaccine-preventable diseases.

Join us on Monday, November 10, from 1 to 2 p.m. ET for TEFCA Readiness: Empowering Health Plans to Lead in Interoperability as Surescripts discusses the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement and equips you to navigate the evolving health information ecosystem. Gain a clear understanding of TEFCA's current status and future direction -- plus practical tools to assess your organization's readiness.