Florida Man Died After Not Getting Heart Transplant Meds In Jail
NPR reports that a man being detained on a misdemeanor charge was denied anti-rejection medication and subsequently died. The ACLU is pushing for an investigation. Nurse-midwives in North Carolina, a new medical school from Arizona State University, and more are in the news.
NPR:
Heart Transplant Recipient Dies After 2 Days In Florida Jail; ACLU Wants Probe
On the day he was arrested for a misdemeanor, Dexter Barry warned Florida police that if he did not take his anti-rejection medication, his heart would fail. "I take rejection medicine for my heart transplant. I can't miss those doses," he said, according to body camera footage obtained by NPR. (Kim, 6/3)
In other health news from across the nation —
North Carolina Health News:
After A Decades-Long Stalemate, Nurse-Midwives Can Now Practice Without Physician “Supervision”
The Midwifery Practice Act, which passed the North Carolina legislature in 1983, required certified nurse-midwives to practice under the supervision of a physician who is engaged in the practice of obstetrics. But supervision doesn’t mean the doctor needs to be in the same room, or even the same county, as the midwife he or she supervises. Supervision can take many forms — sometimes meaning as few as two meetings a year, and many midwives even need to pay a fee for the supervision that allows them to work in their chosen profession. Without a physician supervision agreement, North Carolina certified nurse-midwives were unable to practice, even if they’d completed training and had thousands of hours of experience. (Crumpler, 6/5)
Axios:
ASU Will Launch Medical School, Part Of A $30 Million Health Initiative
Arizona State University will open a medical school for the first time in the school’s history. ASU's new School of Medicine and Advanced Medical Engineering is part of a $30 million investment by the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) announced Thursday. (Boehm, 6/2)
New Hampshire Public Radio:
Gov. Phil Scott Allows Vermont Gun Waiting Period Bill To Become Law, Expecting Court Challenge
Legislative leaders say they're pleased that Gov. Phil Scott will allow a gun violence prevention bill to become law. The plan requires a 72-hour waiting period to purchase a firearm, it calls for the safe home storage of guns, and it expands the use of risk prevention orders. Scott says he has strong concerns that the waiting period is unconstitutional, but he allowed the bill to become law without his signature because he says the issue will likely be settled in federal court. (Kinzel, 6/2)
The Washington Post:
Chicago's Mpox Control Strategy Is Tested As Cases Return Before Pride
The purple sandwich boards scattered throughout the historic hotel hosting the annual International Mr. Leather convention bore a stark warning: “MPOX ISN’T GONE.” Health officials and LGBTQ+ organizations treated the convention as an opening salvo in the race to stave off another outbreak of the virus that ripped through the gay community and infected more than 30,000 Americans last year. They sought to vaccinate attendees and raise awareness at the event, one of the first large gay gatherings to kick off a summer of Pride festivities and travel — and with it, sexual activity that drives mpox transmission. (Nirappil, 6/2)
Dallas Morning News:
Poison Hemlock Was Spotted In A Dallas Suburb. Here’s What You Should Know About The Plant
Not everything that grows in your yard is meant to be touched. On Sunday, Kenzie Kizer of Lancaster wrote on Facebook about her incident handling a plant that doctors later identified as poison hemlock. Kizer said she was attempting to remove weeds near her home when she began experiencing some severe symptoms. (Adatia, 6/3)
On drug use in New Hampshire, Washington state, and California —
New Hampshire Public Radio:
NH Senate Votes To Legalize Fentanyl, Xylazine Test Strips
State and federal health officials say fentanyl test strips can reduce overdoses and other harms from drug use, at a time when overdose deaths have been rising in New Hampshire. But in New Hampshire, those materials are considered illegal drug paraphernalia — limiting who can distribute them. A bill that recently cleared the New Hampshire Senate could change that. It would legalize materials that test for fentanyl or xylazine, an animal tranquilizer that’s increasingly entered the New England drug supply in recent years. (Cuno-Booth, 6/2)
Axios:
Mushrooms Go Mainstream In Seattle With Medical Trial
Two states have legalized medical uses of psychedelic mushrooms, but Washington state lawmakers want more information on the benefits before following suit. (Clarridge, 6/2)
KFF Health News:
California Confronts The Threat Of ‘Tranq’ As Overdose Crisis Rages
When the city’s medical examiner announced in February that four people who had recently died of overdoses had the animal sedative xylazine in their systems, public health workers across the state sprang into action. Drug dealers on the East Coast had in recent years begun mixing xylazine, which can have devastating effects on people, with the opioid fentanyl, causing a surge in emergency room visits in Philadelphia and other cities. But there had not been much evidence of it in California. (Rinker, 6/5)
