Federal Appeals Court Tosses Opioid-Prescribing Doctor’s Conviction
The doctor had prescribed over 500,000 opioid doses in less than two years, but a federal judge threw out his conviction and ordered a new trial. Separately, reports say that less than 5% of the $50 million that Massachusetts received as opioid settlement cash has been spent on addiction-related efforts.
Reuters:
Doctor Who Prescribed More Than 500,000 Opioid Doses Has Conviction Tossed
A Virginia doctor who prescribed more than 500,000 opioid doses in less than two years had his conviction and 40-year prison sentence thrown out by a federal appeals court on Friday, because the jury instructions misstated the law. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia also ordered a new trial for Joel Smithers, 41, who has been serving his sentence in an Atlanta prison. (Stempel, 2/2)
The Boston Globe:
Opioid Settlement Funds In Mass. Go Unspent As Deaths Mount
Less than 5 percent of the $50 million that Massachusetts communities received from the opioid settlements so far has been spent on addiction-related services and overdose prevention efforts, according to a Globe analysis of municipal spending reports. More than 90 percent of the 247 communities that submitted financial reports to the state hadn’t spent a single penny in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2023. (Serres, 2/4)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
Missouri Independent:
Naturopathic Doctors Could Become Licensed In Missouri
Emmayln Pratt has been surrounded by firefighters her whole life, growing up in Kearney, 30 miles northeast of Kansas City. Her father is the local fire chief, and he’s part of a long line of firefighters in the family. “I’ve lived the sacrifices that they make to be away from their families and put their lives on the line,” Pratt said. “But they’re also putting their health on the line.” That’s part of the reason she decided to study at the Sonoran University of Health Sciences in Arizona to become a naturopathic doctor — or a primary care physician with a focus on holistic care. Pratt’s dream is to open her own practice in her hometown to, in part, help optimize the health of first responders. But under current state law, Pratt couldn’t establish that practice in Missouri. (Rivas, 2/2)
News Service of Florida:
Florida House Committee Backs The Creation Of ‘Rural Emergency Hospitals’
With supporters saying the proposal would help ensure access to health care, the Florida House began moving forward Friday with a proposal that would create a category of “rural emergency hospitals” in the state. (2/4)
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer:
MetroHealth Opens Health Clinic On Cleveland State University Campus
The MetroHealth System has opened a clinic at Cleveland State University to expand healthcare services for the university’s students, faculty and staff. MetroHealth will operate the CSU Clinic in the university’s College of Health, 2112 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. Patients with minor illnesses and injures that don’t need to be seen in an emergency department can be treated at the clinic, MetroHealth said in jointly announcing the clinic with CSU. (Washington, 2/4)
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer:
Ohio Health Officials Confirm First Measles Case In 2024
A child in Montgomery County has been diagnosed with measles, the first confirmed case in Ohio this year. The Ohio Department of Health says it’s not aware of any additional current cases of the disease. The department is working with health officials in Dayton and Montgomery County to identify and notify anyone who might have been exposed, according to a news release. (Pinckard, 2/5)
Los Angeles Times:
Why L.A.’s Battle Against A Deadly Disease Relies On Unpaid Volunteers
Across the country, the number of new hepatitis C infections reported annually more than doubled between 2014 and 2021, topping 5,000. That same year, more than 107,000 longtime infections were newly discovered, according to federal data. Some untreated infections may clear up on their own, but many will endure, leaving people at risk of illness and death. People with long-term infections can develop cancer or end up with liver scarring so grave they need an organ transplant. (Alpert Reyes, 2/4)
CBS News:
Dr. Cheryl Bettigole To Resign As Philadelphia Health Commissioner
Dr. Cheryl Bettigole is resigning as Philadelphia's health commissioner effective Feb. 15, Mayor Cherelle Parker announced Friday. Parker named Deputy Health Commissioner Frank Franklin as the city's interim health commissioner. The mayor said the search for Philadelphia's next health commissioner will be nationwide. "Dr. Bettigole has served our city and citizens well as health commissioner, and we thank her for all her public service to Philadelphia," Parker said in a news release. (Dougherty, 2/2)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
First Living Liver Donation In 10 Years In St. Louis Gives Florissant Baby New Life
Kevin Hernandez was in awe as he watched his baby in her hospital crib this week. Her brown eyes, after turning nearly neon yellow, now twinkled. Her tummy was flat instead of bulging from her tiny body. Her orangish skin was a beautiful olive. “She’s just happier,” said Hernandez, 31, of Florissant. Baby Eden’s dramatic turnaround from a life-threatening liver disease is thanks to a selfless relative who two weeks ago donated part of her liver to Eden — the first living donor liver transplant in St. Louis in about 10 years. (Munz, 2/4)
KFF Health News:
Back From COP28, California Climate Leaders Talk Health Impacts Of Warming
Wildfire smoke. Drought. Brutal heat. Floods. As Californians increasingly feel the health effects of climate change, state leaders are adopting sweeping policies they hope will fend off the worst impacts — and be replicated by other countries. Several of them attended the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, known as COP28, late last year, where more than 120 countries signed a declaration acknowledging the growing health impacts of climate change and their responsibility to keep people safe. (Young, 2/5)
