San Diego County Faces Cross-Border Contamination From Sewage Flow

The Hill: San Diego County Faces Multifront Health Threat Amid Transboundary Sewage Flow From Mexico 
A transboundary sewage stream that regularly flows from Tijuana, Mexico, into San Diego County may be creating a multifrontal public health crisis — as a noxious mix of chemicals and pathogens makes their way into households not just via water, but also through air and soil. The cross-border contamination — a result of inadequate infrastructure and urbanization — poses a persistent public health threat with significant socioeconomic and legal implications, according to a white paper shared with The Hill prior to its public release Tuesday. (Udasin, 2/13)

AP: Biden Administration Expands Program To Help Rural Towns Plagued By Sewage Problems 
The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it is expanding a program to help rural communities with serious sewage problems get technical help to plan improvements and apply for funding. Eleven communities in the South and Southwest were chosen in 2022 for a pilot program, and another 150 will be able to apply for assistance, which will be granted on a rolling basis, said Radhika Fox, assistant administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s water office. (2/13)

In other news from California —

AP: California May Have To Pay $300M For COVID-19 Homeless Hotel Program After FEMA Caps Reimbursement 
California cities and counties still don’t know how much they’ll have to pay for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic program to house homeless people in hotel rooms after the Federal Emergency Management Agency said in October that it was limiting the number of days eligible for reimbursement. State and local officials say they were stunned to learn via an October letter that FEMA would only pay to house homeless people at risk of catching COVID-19 for at most 20 days — as opposed to unlimited — starting June 11, 2021, which is when Gov. Gavin Newsom rescinded the sweeping stay-at-home order he issued in March 2020. (Har, 2/13)

AP: Some Worry California Proposition To Tackle Homelessness Would Worsen The Problem
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom is urging voters to approve a ballot initiative that he says is needed to tackle the state’s homelessness crisis, a change social providers say would threaten programs that keep people from becoming homeless in the first place. In 2004, voters approved legislation that imposed a tax on millionaires to finance mental health services, generating $2 billion to $3 billion in revenue each year that has mostly gone to counties to fund mental health programs as they see fit under broad guidelines. (Nguyen, 2/14)

KFF Health News: California Prison Drug Overdoses Surge Again After Early Treatment Success 
Drug overdose deaths in California state prisons rebounded to near record levels last year even as corrections officials touted the state’s intervention methods as a model for prisons and jails across the United States. At least 59 prisoners died of overdoses last year, according to a KFF Health News analysis of deaths in custody data the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is required to report under a new state law. That’s more than double the number who died of overdoses in each of 2020 (23) and 2021 (24). (Thompson, 2/14)

More health news from across the U.S. —

AP: How Texas Church Shooter Bought Rifle Despite Mental Illness And Criminal History Is Under Scrutiny
The shooter who opened fire at a Houston megachurch before being gunned down by security officers used an AR-style rifle that police say she legally purchased despite a years-long criminal record, a history of mental illness and allegations she threatened to shoot her ex-husband. Key questions remained Tuesday about Genesse Moreno’s motive in the shooting, and police have given no details about where and how she obtained the rifle in December. The shooting joins others in Texas and elsewhere that have involved shooters who legally obtained guns despite criminal history and mental health problems. (Lozano and Vertuno, 2/13)

Fox News: Colorado Democrats Push To Allow Non-Residents Access To Medically Assisted Suicide
"This is an option for a person to be able to have a choice in how they leave this world," Ginal told Colorado Politics. "This is not suicide. We've worked very hard to make sure that this is an option for people who are terminally ill and want to go out on their terms in their way. If they want that choice, it should be there." In addition to allowing out-of-state access, the bill would allow advanced practice registered nurses to prescribe medication for assisted suicide, rather than just physicians. (Hagstrom, 2/13)

The Washington Post: How D.C.’s First Sobering Center Could Ease Drug And Alcohol Addiction
The facility, part of D.C.’s response to a worsening opioid epidemic, exceeded 1,000 admissions in just over three months since it opened late last year. (Portnoy, 2/13)

Military.com: VA Plan To Issue Urns, Memorial Plaques Sparks Concerns Veterans Will Be Barred From Burial With Spouses 
The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to start issuing urns and commemorative plaques to the families of deceased veterans this year, but the move has drawn criticism that it could block those veterans from being buried with their spouses, among other concerns. The National Funeral Directors Association and the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as others, recently submitted public comments objecting to the VA's proposed rule change, which was published for public comment before being implemented. (Miller, 2/13)

The Boston Globe: Infant Sleep Deaths Put Parents Under The Microscope, State Child Advocate Says She Is Considering Changes
Parents of infants who died while sharing a bed with them complain that the response of state officials to such tragedies is too often focused on assigning blame in a way that can be emotionally devastating. ... The state’s top child welfare official has been listening and said she may press for change. “There are people who have indicated that they are not happy with the experience of the way they were treated, and we take those complaints seriously,” said Maria Mossaides, the director of the Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate. (Fernandes, 2/13)