politics
'No place is safe' for federal employees with disabilities 
BRYAN DOZIER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
For many people with disabilities, the way to get a secure job in the federal government is via the half-century-old Schedule A pathway, which helps qualified candidates sail through the otherwise laborious federal hiring process — and helps the federal government meet its mandate of being a "model employer" for people with disabilities. But now, the pathway's mandatory two-year probationary period has left scores of employees with disabilities vulnerable to the Trump administration's stated goal of reducing the federal government's size.
"I was so unlucky for a long time [due to my disability], but I thought [Schedule A] was finally paying off for me. Like God giving back to me," one terminated NIH employee with a physical disability said to STAT's Rose Broderick and Angus Chen. "Now it just makes me feel like no place is safe."
Read more from Rose and Angus about how the cuts have both damaged critical services from the government while also leaving a vulnerable population of disabled workers with fewer options.
aging
The factors influencing when people are diagnosed with dementia
People with lower levels of education, who live alone or in a care home, or who don't have a close relative, are about three years older when they receive an official dementia diagnosis compared to their counterparts, according to a study published Friday in JAMA Network Open that looked at more than 107,000 people in Sweden who were diagnosed with dementia between 2018 and 2022. On top of that, people who had less than a high school education (fewer than nine years) had more comorbidities and took more medications than those with more schooling.
The results could indicate that these populations tend to have more advanced disease or a poorer prognosis, the authors write. They couldn't say what caused the delayed diagnoses, of course, but hypothesized that the risk of losing a driver's license may play a larger role in when to seek care for people who live alone or have fewer family members.
commercial determinants of health
Secret shoppers went to NY's unlicensed dispensaries
Unlicensed dispensaries and smoke shops are significantly less likely than licensed retailers to require age verification before somebody enters a store or makes a purchase, according to a secret shopper study published today in Pediatrics. Shoppers went to 37 dispensaries and smoke shops in New York City, also finding that unlicensed stores more often sold products that appeal to young people like energy drinks, soda, and candy.
Part of the point of legalizing weed is to reduce risk through regulation, the authors write. But in New York, unlicensed retailers outnumber the licensed, regulated ones. In a First Opinion essay last year, three researchers and advocates wrote that, "implementing strong and comprehensive protections for children is not the norm in many states that have legalized recreational marijuana use."
And because we're talking about how easy it can be to get illegal drugs, I must once again remind you of this iconic STAT video.
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