Hundreds Died Using Kratom In Florida. It Was Touted As Safe.
As companies sell increasingly potent products, a Tampa Bay Times investigation reveals the herb’s toll. Other news is on transgender health records, prison health care, rabies, and more.
Tampa Bay Times:
Deadly Dose: Hundreds Died Using Kratom In Florida. It Was Touted As Safe.
They found him early in the morning: slumped on the couch, vomit on his shirt, face pale, eyes halfway shut. A roommate told paramedics he feared Jonathan Dampf had relapsed on painkillers and overdosed. This time, though, the 33-year-old had taken something new. Dampf came to Florida more than a decade earlier in the throes of addiction. Alcohol, pills, anything he could get his hands on. Within months, he got sober and became a leader at his Fort Lauderdale church’s recovery program. He married and had a daughter. (Freund, Ogozalek, Taylor and Critchfield, 12/7)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
Minnesota Public Radio:
Minneapolis Health Clinic Receives $2.6 Million From Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott
A south Minneapolis health clinic was awarded $2.6 million from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Southside Community Health Services is a primary care clinic in south Minneapolis. It aims to provide care to an underserved community. Most of its patients have public health care or are uninsured. The funding will go toward a planned move to a new location at 1000 East Lake St. (Timar-Wilcox, 12/6)
Missouri Independent:
Wash U Says Missouri AG Illegally Sought Trans Patient Records
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey does not have the legal authority to demand access to patient records at the Washington University Transgender Center, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in St. Louis Circuit Court. Bailey cited Missouri’s consumer protection law, known as the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, to demand access to all electronic health records from patients at the Transgender Center as part of his investigation into the center’s practices. (Hanshaw, 12/6)
Connecticut Public:
CT Prisons Likely Under-Screen, Under-Diagnose Cancer, Study Finds
People incarcerated in Connecticut prisons are likely being under-screened and under-diagnosed for cancer, according to a new study from the Yale School of Medicine. “Our main finding was that we saw a lower rate and lower proportion of early stage screen-detectable cancers like breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer among people who are incarcerated compared to the community,” said Dr. Ilana Richman, lead author and assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine. (Srinivasan, 12/6)
The Texas Tribune:
Texas Family Paved The Way For Medicaid Access To Rare Treatment
Driving onto Interstate 35, Eric and Chelsy Nolasco left their home feeling more optimistic than they had in years — their son would finally get the lifesaving surgery he needed to have a functioning immune system, to fight infections, to stay alive. And then came the phone call. The apologetic, disembodied voice on the other end drowned out everything around them: Texas Medicaid had pulled their coverage of Gabe’s surgery because of clerical issues. The state had once again blocked the Nolascos from helping their four-year-old son survive. (Bohra, 12/7)
New Hampshire Public Radio:
What It’ll Take To Remove Lead Pipes In New Hampshire In The Next 10 Years
An old housing stock and old drinking water infrastructure mean lead remains a big concern in New Hampshire. The Biden Administration recently revealed new funding and a proposal that every state in America needs to remove lead lines carrying water within the next 10 years. Lead and galvanized pipes, or joint connectors for water service lines, including lines serving residential and business properties, need to be replaced by copper lines. (Richardson, 12/6)
Rabies alerts are issued in Michigan and New Jersey —
CBS News:
Michigan Health Department Warns Of Possible Rabies Exposure From Skunks Purchased From Breeder
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is warning residents of possible rabies exposure from skunks purchased from sellers in Lapeer and Macomb counties. Officials say anyone who purchased a skunk from Countryside Feather Farm/Rose's Skunks in Attica or a Chesterfield Township/New Baltimore seller connected to Rose's Skunks can surrender the animal to a local animal control agency for testing. (Booth-Singleton, 12/6)
CBS News:
Princeton On High Alert After Possibly Rabid Raccoon Attacks 2 People
The Princeton Health Department is warning residents and Princeton University students to keep an eye out after two attacks in close succession by a raccoon (or raccoons) that may have rabies. The first occurred near the Dillon Gym on Princeton's campus around 8:45 p.m. Monday. The health department said a student was attacked by a raccoon exhibiting common behaviors typical of a rabies infection, including chirping noises and unprovoked aggression. (Brandt, Tallant, and Roberts, 12/6)
