Measles is Surging, GLP-1 Shakeups, ToRCH, and Addressing Disparities in Kidney Transplants
March 17, 2026
It has been a high-stakes week for population health. From regulatory crackdowns on "miracle drugs" to a significant shift in how we approach rural care, the landscape of population health is shifting beneath our feet.
Here is your quick briefing on some of the biggest stories from the past week (March 10–17, 2026).
1. Give Me a Break - The Measles Crisis Hits a Breaking Point
The U.S. has surpassed 1,300 measles cases this year, a staggering number that has health officials on high alert. The conversation has turned particularly somber as doctors warn of SSPE (Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560673/), a fatal brain complication that can haunt patients for years after they recover from the initial virus. It’s a stark reminder that gaps in vaccination coverage aren’t just statistics—they are significant risks to community longevity.
I mean, give me a break. During the COVID pandemic, the Trump administration lauded Baylor University in Texas for its COVID response (https://baylorlariat.com/2020/09/22/dr-deborah-birx-says-baylors-covid-19-response-will-provide-critical-information-for-nation/). I, along with Drs. Nick van Terheyden and Luis Saldana worked with Baylor University from July 2020 through June 2022 as consultants, helping them to stay open and operational during the pandemic. What was the strategy? Vaccines with exceptions, masks in classrooms, weekly testing, contact tracing, isolation, and much more. And you know what, they kept most classes face-to-face, while universities and schools around the country shut down.
https://www.contagionlive.com/view/measles-update-march-13-2026
2. And the Beat Goes On - FDA Reins in the "Wild West" of Telehealth
The era of easy-access, compounded GLP-1s is facing its toughest challenge yet. The FDA issued warning letters to 30 telehealth firms this week, targeting "misleading claims" regarding weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. For population health managers, this highlights the growing tension between digital health access and patient safety. Healthcare always finds a way to $.
3. The ToRCH Initiative is Lighting the Way!
Missouri is moving the needle on Social Drivers of Health (SDOH) with its new ToRCH initiative. By allowing Medicaid funds to cover non-medical needs like home repairs and food insecurity, the state is treating the cause of the illness (Imagine that!) rather than just the symptoms.
In 1999, Specialty Disease Management Services Inc, a company I founded, developed, and operated Medicaid disease management programs for 10 disease states or conditions using a community-based model. We worked to solve many of these issues and found they had a big impact. While it seems healthcare runs in cycles and keeps coming back to older concepts, many of which didn’t work, this one is good. We’ll be keeping up with ToRCH.
https://mydss.mo.gov/mhd/ToRCH
4. Making Progress, Still More Work to Do - Correcting History in Kidney Care
In a win for reducing disparieties, the “…implementation of wait time modifications for Black candidates affected by race-based kidney function estimation”, “… was associated with an increase of 5.3 transplants per 1000 Black candidate listings, with significant increases among preemptive and postdialysis candidates and without significant changes in living donor transplant rates or transplant rates among non-Black and/or Hispanic candidates”
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2846010?
These are a few key Population Health Stories for this week. If you have story ideas to feature or comments, let me know by emailing info@accountablehealthllc.com.