Small Rural Hospital In New Mexico Struggles With Navajo Nation Outbreak; Police Close Brooklyn School Overlooking Public Health Orders

The Associated Press: Outbreak On Edge Of Navajo Nation Overwhelms Rural Hospital
On the eve of New Mexico’s shutdown of bars and restaurants to stem the spread of the coronavirus, the city of Gallup came alive for one last night of revelry. Before the night was out in the desert oasis on the fringes of the Navajo Nation, 98 people were detained for public intoxication and sent to sober up at a detox center. Several homeless people also sought refuge in the same cinder block building, which doubles as a shelter. Somewhere in the mix, lurked the virus. (Lee, 5/19)

The New York Times: N.Y.P.D. Shuts Down Brooklyn Yeshiva For Violating Virus Ban
The buses arrived early Monday to drop off dozens of children at a Hasidic school in Brooklyn. Neighbors watched with alarm as the children, few of them wearing masks, filed into the building, crowded into classrooms and played on the roof at recess in violation of public health orders that have kept schools across the state closed since March. “It was definitely a regular day for them, like business as usual,” said Joe Livingston, who lives across from the school building in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. “That’s dangerous.” (Stack and Schweber, 5/18)

ABC News: Texas Church Cancels Masses Following Death Of Priest Possibly From Coronavirus 
A Texas church has canceled public masses following the death of a priest who was suspected of having the coronavirus. Holy Ghost Parish in Houston had resumed masses on May 2, just as Texas started to loosen its stay-at-home restrictions. But the parish canceled services indefinitely as of May 14, a day after one of its priests, Father Donnell Kirchner, passed away, church officials said. Five other members of the church's religious order also tested positive for COVID-19. (Deliso, 5/18)

Bangor Daily News: Maine Expands Testing To Anyone Suspected Of Having COVID-19 
In March, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention prioritized tests at its laboratory for the most at-risk patients with symptoms. First priority went to people who were hospitalized, health care workers, first responders and people living in congregate settings such as nursing homes. Second priority went to people older than 60 and those with underlying medical conditions. (Rhoda, 5/18)

WBUR: Mass. Expands Who Can Access Emergency Day Care As Businesses Reopen
When more businesses begin to reopen over the next several weeks, some workers will be able to place their children in emergency child care set up by the state. However, those emergency providers will be for people who have "no alternative for care," Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said Monday during the Baker administration's press conference to announce details of the state's reopening plans (McNerney and Jung, 5/18)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Drains Rainy Day Fund To Deal With Coronavirus 
After sitting empty for the better part of a decade after the Great Recession, Nevada’s rainy day fund had finally begun to reach healthy levels in recent years. But because of the economic fallout created by the coronavirus pandemic, all of that progress in bolstering the state’s savings account has been wiped out. (Lochhead, 5/18)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Clark County Health Agency Speeds Alerts Of Positive COVID-19 Tests 
The Southern Nevada Health District has implemented an automated system aimed at more quickly and efficiently communicating with people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and their close contacts. The automated email and texting system provides people who have tested positive with information on isolating themselves from others to avoid the spread of the disease. The system also is designed to help the district more quickly identify close contacts of people who have tested positive. It is then used to notify these close contacts so that they can self-quarantine and be on the lookout for symptoms. (Hynes, 5/18)

Detroit Free Press: Macomb Doc Accused Of Medicare Fraud Got $2.6M In COVID Relief Money
A Macomb County osteopath accused of bilking the government out of millions of dollars through fraudulent Medicare billings collected more than $2.6 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds for his clinics in Michigan and elsewhere, according to court documents. That detail came out Monday in a federal judge’s ruling denying a motion by Dr. Charles Mok II that he be allowed to continue to bill Medicare for patient services at the 26 clinics he operates in Michigan, Florida and six other states through Macomb County-based Allure Medical. (Hall, 5/18)

Detroit Free Press: Michigan Man Avoided The ER Because Of COVID-19 And He Nearly Died
Michael Devine had chest pain.He thought it was heartburn. He thought it would go away. He tried to will it away.Because in the middle of a pandemic, Devine, 51, of Redford didn't want to have to go to the hospital. He wanted to avoid the one place where he knew there would be people with COVID-19. So Devine chose to wait it out — like nearly one-third of Americans who said they also put off getting medical care to avoid the risk of exposure to novel coronavirus, according to a new poll from the American College of Emergency Physicians and Morning Consult. (Shamus, 5/18)

Modern Healthcare: Atlantic Health Focusing On Patient Safety As It Resumes Elective Procedures
Health systems across the nation, reeling financially from the coronavirus pandemic, are assessing how and when to resume elective and other non-COVID procedures. Having seen a significant drop in COVID-19 cases, Atlantic Health System in Morristown, N.J., developed a five-tier ranking for how it will bring cases back to its hospitals. Amy Perry, senior vice president of integrated care delivery and CEO of the hospital division, discussed Atlantic Health’s strategy with Modern Healthcare Managing Editor Matthew Weinstock. (Weinstock, 5/18)