| | | | |  | | By Erin Schumaker, Gregory Svirnovskiy, Daniel Payne and Ruth Reader | | | | | 
Sparing rats and other lab animals is NIH's aim. | China Photos/Getty Images | The National Institutes of Health, the world’s largest funder of biomedical research, will prioritize investing in so-called “novel alternative methods” of research that don’t rely on animal testing. “These complementary, non-animal-based approaches hold tremendous promise,” NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli wrote Thursday on X. Such methods include computation modeling and predictive technologies, cell-free methods and cell-based models. The NIH already has a foundation of such work, Bertagnolli noted in a statement, pointing to cells and tissues grown on chips, AI models for neurodegenerative disease and biochemical screening for skin irritation. Bertagnolli's statement said she has accepted the recommendations of an advisory committee working group, which then-acting NIH Director Lawrence Tabak convened in 2022. The group, which reported on its findings in December, recommended that the NIH develop and promote alternative research methods, plus establish, support and maintain infrastructure around them. Even so: NIH researchers often use those methods in tandem with animal studies. The working group was formed after Congress directed the NIH to assess alternative research methods to better understand gaps in them and additional needs. Some members of Congress have also called for a review of animal-based research at NIH and the discontinuation of animal testing.
| | | | CONGRESS OVERDRIVE: Since day one, POLITICO has been laser-focused on Capitol Hill, serving up the juiciest Congress coverage. Now, we’re upping our game to ensure you’re up to speed and in the know on every tasty morsel and newsy nugget from inside the Capitol Dome, around the clock. Wake up, read Playbook AM, get up to speed at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report, and fuel your nightly conversations with Inside Congress in the evening. Plus, never miss a beat with buzzy, real-time updates throughout the day via our Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here. | | | | | | | | | 
Great Falls, Va. | Shawn Zeller/POLITICO | This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. Though we humans can live without an appendix, it's not useless because it supports the immune system and serves as a repository for good bacteria, NPR reports. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com, Daniel Payne at dpayne@politico.com, Ruth Reader at rreader@politico.com or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp.
| | |  Telehealth availability varies by the state. | AP Photo | | Telehealth services for mental health are easier to get in some states than others. How so? Researchers at the nonprofit RAND Corporation discovered the differences when they called almost 2,000 mental health facilities across the country seeking to book virtual appointments. Of the 1,400 they reached, 80 percent offered telehealth. But while every facility contacted in Maine and Oregon offered remote services, less than 50 percent did in Mississippi and South Carolina. Wait times varied, too. It took over two months to get a telehealth appointment in Maine but just four days in North Carolina. The average wait time nationwide was two weeks. Private facilities, the researchers found, were two times likelier to offer telehealth services than their publicly funded peers. RAND published its findings in JAMA Health Forum.
| | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S GOVERNORS SUMMIT: Join POLITICO on Feb. 22 to dive into how Governors are wielding immense power. While Washington remains gridlocked, governors are at the center of landmark decisions in AI and tech, economic development, infrastructure, housing, reproductive health and energy. How are they setting the stage for the future of American politics, policies and priorities? How are they confronting major challenges? Explore these questions and more at the 2024 Governors Summit. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | |  Pritzker wants to make it easier to access mental health services. | Getty Images | Illinois is partnering with Google to offer artificial-intelligence-powered online therapy. The state plans to launch a mental health care portal for families and their children called BEACON, short for Behavioral Health Care and Ongoing Navigation, this summer. The portal will use Google’s AI to help guide patients to care resources. Right now, those resources are scattered across different agencies, providers and websites, Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, said in a press release. As a result, patients have difficulty finding them and maintaining treatment. BEACON aims to be a centralized portal and entry point that streamlines families’ search for therapy and lets them upload children’s documents for processing. Why it matters: Kids’ mental health is suffering. More than 17 million people under 18 have or have had a mental health disorder, according to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. And 80 percent of kids with an anxiety disorder don’t get treatment, says the Child Mind Institute. BEACON is one piece of Pritzker’s Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative, which he launched in March 2022. The initiative aims to increase resources for youth in need, speed intervention and boost accountability and transparency in the behavioral health system. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
