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Top U.S. science experts are calling for stronger policies to combat the growing Legionnaires’ disease problem. In a report released Wednesday, the experts said annual cases of Legionnaires’ jumped more than fivefold from 2000 to 2017, and that as many as 70,000 Americans get the disease every year. Legionnaires’ is caused by bacteria that can thrive in buildings with large water systems. About 20 outbreaks are reported each year, including recent ones at an Atlanta hotel and a hospital near Chicago. (Stobbe, 8/14)

The first time Lori Tipton tried MDMA, she was skeptical it would make a difference. "I really was, at the beginning, very nervous," Tipton remembers. MDMA is the main ingredient in club drugs ecstasy or molly. But Tipton wasn't taking pills sold on the street to get high at a party. She was trying to treat her post-traumatic stress disorder, with the help of licensed therapists. (Stone, 8/14)

At first glance, the mixed-media painting seems purely whimsical, with its quirky red chicken, bright flowers and fireflies bursting from a sky blue background. But the accompanying statement makes it clear that pain, uncertainty and a fragile strength are represented, too. The work, “Of Chickens & Fireflies” by Terry Sitz, is one of eight pieces in “Being Heard,” a new exhibition of empathetic art at the Children’s National Medical Center. On view through Sept. 27, the exhibition explores the role of art in creating a more compassionate, healing environment for children suffering from chronic illness. (McGlone, 8/14)