State Highlights: N.J. Women Suing Over Fertility Treatment Coverage; Calif. Teen Birth Rate Dips To Record Low
Outlets report on health news from New Jersey, California, Georgia, New York and Florida.
The New York Times:
4 Lesbians Sue Over New Jersey Rules On Fertility Treatment
The Krupas, along with two other women, are suing the commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, claiming the mandate discriminates against their sexual orientation — essentially forcing infertile homosexual women to pay for costly procedures to try to become pregnant. ... The state mandate requires most major insurance companies to cover medically necessary treatments for infertile clients. It defines infertility as the inability to impregnate another person, the inability to carry a pregnancy to live birth or the inability to conceive after one or two years of unprotected sex, depending on the woman’s age. (Jula, 8/8)
California Health Report:
Teen Birth Rate At Record Low In California
California’s teenage birthrate continues to decline and was at a record low in 2014, the state Department of Public Health announced today. Still, racial disparities persist in the state, where African American and Hispanic adolescents are three to four times as likely to give birth as white teens. Statewide, there were 20.8 births per 1,000 girls and women between the ages of 15 and 19 in 2014. (Guzik, 8/8)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Fulton County To Distribute Condoms To Stem HIV
As part of a continuing effort to combat HIV – the virus that can lead to AIDS – and other sexually transmitted infections in high-risk populations, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners has renewed a $300,000 contract for custom prefilled condom packets and condoms. Fulton’s goal is to distribute 2.1 million condoms a year under a program of the county Department of Health and Wellness and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a County Board agenda item summary.Total Access Care Inc. of Santa Ana., Calif., will deliver the devices over a one-year period beginning Oct. 7. The effort is a fully funded grant program, with no requirement for county matching funds. (Ibata, 8/8)
PBS NewsHour:
Syrian Refugees Adjusting To U.S. Bring Complex Health Needs
Refugees arriving in upstate New York in recent years have increasingly come from active conflict zones, including Syria and Iraq -- many fleeing with injuries of war and deep emotional scars. As the refugee populations in places like Buffalo change, the health care systems and cultures of U.S. cities welcoming these populations have been changing, too. (Varney, 8/8)
Miami Herald:
Before Child Vanished — Maybe Forever — DCF Made Fateful Decision
As Miami homicide detectives search for the missing child, or her remains, just-released Department of Children & Families records renew troubling questions about the agency’s oversight of at-risk children. The records are heavily redacted and incomplete, but show child protection workers and lawyers deliberately chose not to monitor the twins’ safety. (Miller and Ovalle, 8/8)
Sacramento Bee:
Mother Forms A Community Of Families Affected By Rare Syndrome
After receiving an unexpected diagnosis for her 4-year-old daughter Haley, Diane Kavrell felt alone and unsure of what to do next, just like many parents who learn that their child has a rare disorder. Haley was born with Prader-Willi syndrome, a genetic condition that affects one in 15,000 babies. ...Those numbers, however, didn’t stop Kavrell from seeking out other parents caring for children with the disorder who could provide guidance, or just some solidarity. (Oide, 8/8)
