Arkansas Makes It Easier To Sue Doctors Providing Minors’ Trans Care

AP: Arkansas House Sends Governor Trans Care Malpractice Bill
The Arkansas House sent the GOP governor a bill Wednesday to make it easier to sue doctors who provide gender-affirming treatment to minors, moving to effectively reinstate the state’s blocked ban on such care. The office of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she backs the malpractice bill, which overwhelmingly passed the majority-Republican House on a mostly party-line vote. (DeMillo, 3/9)

Minnesota Public Radio: Walz Moves To Protect Those Seeking Gender-Affirming Care
Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order Wednesday ensuring people who seek and receive gender-affirming care in the state have protection under the law. The move comes after seven states — Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Dakota, Tennessee and Utah — banned gender-affirming care for transgender youth and several more have taken up bills that would do the same or ban the care for transgender people of any age. (Ferguson, 3/8)

In environmental health news from Indiana and Ohio —

Indianapolis Star: Test Results Ordered By Holcomb Show No Dioxins In Train Wreck Waste
The contaminated soil that has arrived in Indiana from the train wreck in Ohio does not contain any harmful levels of dioxins, a toxic chemical that can cause cancer, according to results from sampling ordered by the Governor. Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced last week that he was directing his administration to conduct testing of the hazardous waste that had arrived at an Indiana landfill — three shipments of contaminated soil arrived last week. The state said it was working with a third-party laboratory, Pace Labs out of Minnesota. (Bowman, 3/8)

Indianapolis Star: Experts Say Hazardous Waste Landfills Are Safe, But Concerns Linger
Hundreds of tons of contaminated soil and millions of gallons of water have been collected from East Palestine, Ohio, after a train derailment last month released toxic chemicals into the surrounding air, water and ground. The waste from the site has to go somewhere, but the question becomes: Where to put it? (Bowman, 3/9)

In other health news from across the U.S. —

ProPublica: Illinois To Relocate Half Of Choate Mental Health Center Residents
The Illinois Department of Human Services plans to dramatically reduce the number of patients with developmental disabilities who live at the embattled state-run Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center. In an exclusive interview before an expected Wednesday announcement, IDHS Secretary Grace Hou outlined a “repurposing and restructuring” of Choate, located in rural Anna, about 120 miles southeast of St. Louis. That process will start with the relocation of 123 residents with developmental disabilities who entered the facility voluntarily — roughly half the current population. (Hundsdorfer and Parker, 3/8)

The Baltimore Sun: Spike In Sleep-Related Infant Deaths Alarms Baltimore City And County Officials 
A spike in sleep-related infant deaths in the Baltimore metro area is alarming medial providers and health officials and causing them to double down on safe sleep education efforts. Eleven babies have died in Baltimore since Dec. 1, according to preliminary data provided by Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa on Wednesday. (Roberts, 3/8)

The Hill: Pandemic SNAP Benefits Just Ended. Here’s How Some States Are Making Up For It
As of Feb. 16, there have been at least 131 bills introduced in state legislatures across the country since the beginning of the year that are aimed specifically at strengthening SNAP programs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.   But only a handful of state lawmakers have either passed or introduced legislation to make up for the recently cut aid by boosting overall SNAP benefits.  (O'Connell-Domenech, 3/8)