The Senate Committee on Appropriations has approved the Fiscal Year 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Act, allocating $153.5 billion in discretionary funding, with a significant portion directed towards enhancing veterans' healthcare. Notably, $133.3 billion is designated for the Department of Veterans Affairs, including $113.8 billion specifically for medical care, along with additional support from the Toxic Exposures Fund. This legislation aims to improve healthcare infrastructure and services for veterans, particularly in mental health care, while also reinforcing the military's readiness. For healthcare professionals, these developments underscore an advancing commitment to addressing the unique health needs of veterans and modernizing the VA hospital systems.

Senate Approves $153.5B Bill to Boost Military Infrastructure, Veteran Care Senate Committee on Appropriations

Neil Parikh, co-founder of Casper, has launched Slingshot AI to improve accessibility to mental health care through technology, addressing the critical gap between demand and available therapists. The startup's chatbot, Ash, is designed to enhance self-reflection and simulate therapeutic conversations, though it does not provide direct advice or diagnoses. With $93 million in funding and backing from prominent investors, Slingshot aims to leverage AI specifically trained on behavioral health data, promising a tailored experience for users. Early evidence suggests that such AI tools could lead to significant improvements in mental health outcomes, highlighting their potential role in augmenting traditional therapeutic approaches.

Casper Co-Founder Launches Slingshot AI, Raises $93M for Therapy Chatbot Forbes

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are increasingly used in critical systems but introduce new risks through adversarial AI, which manipulates AI models to produce incorrect outputs. These attacks exploit the decision-making processes of AI, leading to serious implications such as failures in self-driving technology and biases in fraud detection. The various types of adversarial attacks—including prompt injection and data poisoning—highlight the complexity of safeguarding AI systems against such threats. Healthcare professionals must be aware of these risks as they adopt AI technologies, ensuring robust cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive data and maintain the integrity of AI-driven decisions.

Adversarial AI Threatens Cybersecurity: New Risks in Critical Systems Secure World

Health systems like Parkview Health, which operates 14 hospitals and employs over 16,000 individuals, face considerable challenges in modernizing their IT infrastructures due to technical debt and fragmented applications. Dr. Darrell Keeling emphasizes the need for a thorough understanding of both technology and business dynamics to effectively address the complexities posed by aging systems and underutilized tools. As organizations grapple with these issues, including the difficulties of managing legacy IT during mergers and acquisitions, the reliance on cloud migration can exacerbate existing risks rather than alleviate them. Healthcare professionals must recognize that rationalizing applications and infrastructure is critical not only for operational efficiency but also for enhancing cybersecurity in an increasingly complex digital landscape.

Health Systems Battle Technical Debt in Cloud and AI Overhaul healthsystemcio.com

The Senate Committee on Appropriations has approved the Fiscal Year 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Act, allocating $153.5 billion in discretionary funding, with a significant portion directed towards enhancing veterans' healthcare. Notably, $133.3 billion is designated for the Department of Veterans Affairs, including $113.8 billion specifically for medical care, along with additional support from the Toxic Exposures Fund. This legislation aims to improve healthcare infrastructure and services for veterans, particularly in mental health care, while also reinforcing the military's readiness. For healthcare professionals, these developments underscore an advancing commitment to addressing the unique health needs of veterans and modernizing the VA hospital systems.

Senate Approves $153.5B Bill to Boost Military Infrastructure, Veteran Care Senate Committee on Appropriations

Neil Parikh, co-founder of Casper, has launched Slingshot AI to improve accessibility to mental health care through technology, addressing the critical gap between demand and available therapists. The startup's chatbot, Ash, is designed to enhance self-reflection and simulate therapeutic conversations, though it does not provide direct advice or diagnoses. With $93 million in funding and backing from prominent investors, Slingshot aims to leverage AI specifically trained on behavioral health data, promising a tailored experience for users. Early evidence suggests that such AI tools could lead to significant improvements in mental health outcomes, highlighting their potential role in augmenting traditional therapeutic approaches.

Casper Co-Founder Launches Slingshot AI, Raises $93M for Therapy Chatbot Forbes

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are increasingly used in critical systems but introduce new risks through adversarial AI, which manipulates AI models to produce incorrect outputs. These attacks exploit the decision-making processes of AI, leading to serious implications such as failures in self-driving technology and biases in fraud detection. The various types of adversarial attacks—including prompt injection and data poisoning—highlight the complexity of safeguarding AI systems against such threats. Healthcare professionals must be aware of these risks as they adopt AI technologies, ensuring robust cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive data and maintain the integrity of AI-driven decisions.

Adversarial AI Threatens Cybersecurity: New Risks in Critical Systems Secure World

Health systems like Parkview Health, which operates 14 hospitals and employs over 16,000 individuals, face considerable challenges in modernizing their IT infrastructures due to technical debt and fragmented applications. Dr. Darrell Keeling emphasizes the need for a thorough understanding of both technology and business dynamics to effectively address the complexities posed by aging systems and underutilized tools. As organizations grapple with these issues, including the difficulties of managing legacy IT during mergers and acquisitions, the reliance on cloud migration can exacerbate existing risks rather than alleviate them. Healthcare professionals must recognize that rationalizing applications and infrastructure is critical not only for operational efficiency but also for enhancing cybersecurity in an increasingly complex digital landscape.

Health Systems Battle Technical Debt in Cloud and AI Overhaul healthsystemcio.com