Abortion Access In Missouri Still In Limbo, Awaiting Judge’s Ruling
Although a constitutional amendment to roll back the state's abortion ban passed, it does not override any specific state laws, leaving Planned Parenthood's plans to offer abortions at the mercy of the judge. Also: opioid settlement funds; methadone clinics fraud complaints in New York, and more.
AP:
What To Know About Abortion Access In Missouri
Planned Parenthood wanted to resume offering abortions in several Missouri clinics on Friday, immediately after a newly passed constitutional amendment rolling back the state’s near-total ban took effect, but they remain on hold as a complicated court battle drags on. The issue is that the amendment does not specifically override any state laws. And even before the end of Roe v. Wade enabled Missouri’s Republican-led legislature to approve a near-total ban, the state’s numerous restrictions left it with just one abortion clinic, in St. Louis. (Hollongsworth and Ballentine, 12/6)
St. Louis Public Radio:
Judge Yet To Rule If Missouri Abortion Restrictions Still Stand
The Jackson County judge weighing whether some Missouri restrictions on abortion can remain in place is still considering the case. With a voter-approved amendment protecting abortion access going into effect on Friday, Judge Jerri Zhang has yet to issue her ruling in a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood that seeks to strike down the state’s near-total ban on abortions. (12/6)
In other news from across the country —
AP:
People With Lived Experience Not Getting Say On Most Opioid Settlement Funds
People with substance use disorder across the country are not getting a formal say in how most of the approximately $50 billion in opioid lawsuit settlement money is being used to stem the crisis, a new analysis found. Some advocates say that is one factor in why portions of the money are going to efforts they don’t consider to be proven ways to save lives from overdose, including equipment to scan jail inmates for contraband, drug-sniffing police dogs and systems to neutralize unneeded prescription medications. (Mulvihill, 12/9)
AP:
Settlement Offers Nearly $9M To Louisiana Nursing Home Residents Kept In Warehouse During Hurricane
Some of the elderly residents of seven Louisiana nursing homes who were sent in 2021 to ride out Hurricane Ida in a crowded, ill-equipped warehouse are being offered shares of a nearly $9 million settlement after they sued. Retired state judge William “Rusty” Knight told The Times-Picayune of New Orleans that all the 427 former residents who filed legal claims are being sent letters outlining the proposed settlement. Knight said amounts differ based on patients’ individual circumstances. (12/7)
The New York Times:
Acadia Healthcare’s Methadone Clinics Face Fraud Complaints
Every day at dawn, tens of thousands of people begin lining up at Acadia Healthcare’s addiction clinics to get a cup of methadone. The daily dose staves off opioid withdrawal and keeps many from turning to dangerous street drugs like fentanyl. The for-profit chain of 165 methadone clinics — the country’s largest — has generated more than $1.3 billion in revenue since 2022. It is “a business that we continue to feel great about,” Acadia’s chief executive told investors this year. That business has been built in part on deception, a New York Times investigation found. (Thomas and Silver-Greenberg, 12/7)
KFF Health News:
California Official Comes Out Of Retirement To Lead Troubled Mental Health Commission
Veteran California public servant Will Lightbourne has stepped in as interim executive director of the state’s mental health commission after its previous executive director resigned following conflict of interest allegations. Lightbourne served as head of the state’s Department of Social Services for seven years before retiring in 2018 and had already returned to service once, as interim head of the Department of Health Care Services at the height of the covid-19 pandemic. (Castle Work, 12/9)
