Arkansas Blocked From Banning Trans Minors’ Gender Care
A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed an earlier ruling that had temporarily blocked Arkansas from enforcing a 2021 law banning children's gender-affirming care. Also: A medical record issue in Utah prisons, parental leave in South Carolina, and other news.
AP:
Court: Arkansas Can't Ban Treatment Of Transgender Kids
A federal appeals court on Thursday said Arkansas can’t enforce its ban on transgender children receiving gender-affirming medical care. A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a judge’s ruling temporarily blocking the state from enforcing the 2021 law. A trial is scheduled for October before the same judge on whether to permanently block the law. (DeMillo, 8/5)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
Salt Lake Tribune:
‘Crisis’ In Utah Prisons As ‘Systemwide’ Glitch Causes Inmates To Miss Medications, Officials Say
Utah’s two state prisons are in the midst of a “crisis” after the rollout of a new medical records system this month resulted in inmates missing medication refills, officials announced Wednesday. (Peterson, 8/25)
AP:
6 Weeks Of Paid Parental Leave Coming Soon In South Carolina
Starting in October, state employees in South Carolina are entitled to six weeks of parental leave after giving birth or adopting children. Surrounded by Republican and Democratic lawmakers who worked together to pass the bill, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster held a signing ceremony Thursday for the law he put his signature to back in May. (Collins, 8/25)
AP:
Court Loosens Rules On Where Malpractice Cases Can Be Filed
Pennsylvania’s highest court on Thursday reversed its own two-decade-old rule that required medical malpractice cases to be filed in the county where the alleged harm occurred, a win for civil plaintiffs and the lawyers who represent them but a potentially costly change for health care providers. The decision by the state Supreme Court is likely to mean the number of such lawsuits will increase in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, where jurors are considered to be more sympathetic to patients and more likely to produce larger verdicts. (Scolforo, 8/25)
Bangor Daily News:
Bangor Dental Clinic Is Seeing More Patients After Expansion Of MaineCare Coverage
A Bangor dental clinic that serves low-income patients has seen a flood of new patients who previously only sought care for painful dental emergencies in the two months since the state’s Medicaid program expanded to cover routine dental care. (O'Brien, 8/26)
AP:
Woman Sues Over Residency Requirement For Assisted Suicide
A Connecticut woman with cancer sued Vermont on Thursday for allowing only its own residents to take advantage of a state law that lets people who are terminally ill end their own lives. Lynda Bluestein, 75, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, who has terminal fallopian tube cancer, and Dr. Diana Barnard, of Middlebury, Vermont, argue in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Burlington that Vermont’s residency requirement violates the U.S. Constitution. (Ring, 8/25)
Detroit Free Press:
Michigan’s Cannabis Testing Industry: It's Like The ‘Wild Wild West’
When consumers walk into one of the hundreds of legal marijuana dispensaries around Michigan, they have both the expectation that the product they will buy is safe, and that they will be able to view THC percentages on labels. This information is important to consumers for different reasons. (Roberts, 8/25)
In updates on West Nile virus —
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County Confirms First Human West Nile Virus Cases Of The Year
Public health officials on Thursday confirmed Los Angeles County’s first human cases of West Nile virus of the year. (Martinez, 8/25)
