State Highlights: Calif. Lawmakers Take On Rural Health Issues; Texas Task Force Investigates State’s High Rate Of Pregnancy Deaths

California Healthline: California Lawmakers Aim To Tackle Rural Health Challenges
Two proposals meant to ease burdens faced by California’s rural patients and their health care providers are breezing through the state legislature as lawmakers finish up for the year. One measure passed Wednesday requires Medi-Cal to cover patients’ transportation to medical appointments. Another bill would allow small rural hospitals to hire doctors directly, which supporters say could reduce health care costs and make it easier to keep physicians in areas where there are few. (Bartolone, 8/25)

ABC News: Task Force Explores Why Texas Had Higher Pregnancy Death Rates In Study
Texas officials are working to understand why more women across the state have been dying either during pregnancy or shortly after. A study published this month has found that maternal mortality rates doubled in Texas between 2011 and 2012 compared to the years before and a new state task force is attempting to understand why the increase occurred. Dr. Daniel Grossman, Professor at Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at University of California San Francisco and Investigator at the Texas Policy Evaluation Project, said the findings gave him pause. (Mohney and Mehta, 8/25)

Health News Florida/News Service Of Florida: Court Sides With Tampa General In Malpractice Case 
An appeals court Wednesday upheld a ruling that cleared Tampa General Hospital from potential liability in a medical-malpractice case stemming from the death of a patient during surgery. The case focused heavily on Tampa General's relationship with the University of South Florida, which employed two physicians involved in the surgery. Tampa General is the primary teaching hospital for the university's College of Medicine. The estate of Annie Godwin sued Tampa General, the university and physicians Jaime Sanchez and David Shapiro after Godwin died on the operating table during a 2009 surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, said Wednesday's ruling by a panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal. (8/25)

Nashville Tennessean: Nashville General, Meharry Roll Out Faith, Education Network To Improve Health
The chiefs of Nashville General Hospital at Meharry and Meharry Medical College want to improve the health of the city's African American community and on Thursday they formally invited about two dozen ministers and community leaders to join a collaboration that will fuse health and education into pulpits and fellowship halls across Nashville. To tackle an unwieldy amount of poor health outcomes and disparities in education, income and access to care Nashville General CEO Joseph Webb and Meharry President Dr. James Hildreth unveiled the Congregational Health and Education Network in a packed room of faith, education and community leaders on the Meharry campus. (Fletcher, 8/25)

Iowa Public Radio: Report: For-Profit Companies Make Fewer Mistakes Managing Medicaid
A federal report released last year shows in 2014, for-profit companies managing part of Iowa’s three billion dollar Medicaid program made far fewer faulty payments than the state-run portion of the program. Governor Branstad says that shows fraud and abuse will go down, now that for-profit companies are in charge of most of Iowa’s Medicaid patients. The report issued last November by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services covered 2014 when about 10 percent of Iowa’s Medicaid program was run by for-profit companies. (Russell, 8/25)

Austin Statesman: Austin Parents Complain That Flu Vaccine Form Shames Those Who Opt Out
Some Central Texas parents are complaining about the wording used in a flu vaccine consent form sent home with students this week, saying it tries to shame families who opt out. ... The forms, created by Florida-based Healthy Schools, LLC, were distributed to a number of Central Texas school districts in partnership with the E3 Alliance, a local nonprofit that researches education trends. Filling out and returning the forms was optional, though that was unclear to some families. (Taboada, 8/25)

Kaiser Health News: ‘Mental Health First Aid’ — Chirlane McCray On How N.Y.C. Is Fixing The System
For Chirlane McCray, New York City’s first lady, mental illness is not an abstract concern. It’s deeply personal. Both of her parents suffered depression, something she describes openly; and, in 2013, McCray’s daughter Chiara went public about her own battle with depression and substance abuse. It’s a pressing health problem for many of her constituents, too. In New York City, about one-in-five people are believed to have depression at any given time. Less than 40 percent get treatment. (Luthra, 8/26)

NPR: Orlando Hospitals Say They Won't Bill Victims Of Pulse Nightclub Shooting
Orlando Regional Medical Center has treated 44 victims of the shooting — more than any other hospital. The center's parent company, Orlando Health, says it will not charge victims for their treatment, reports Abe Aboraya of member station WMFE. Instead, the hospital will look at federal and state funds, victims' funds like the One Orlando fund, and private funds raised for victims," Aboraya reports for our Newscast unit. "The hospital will bill insurance if a patient has it, but it will not go after a patient's copays." (Domonoske, 8/25)

Oakland Tribune: Still Too Risky To Go In The Water At Oakley's Big Break Regional Shoreline
East Bay Regional Park District has had warning signs up around the park on the San Joaquin River for a few months now as it continues monitoring the water for a naturally occurring toxin. What is commonly known as blue-green algae is actually a type of bacteria that reproduce quickly when the conditions are right -- hot weather, long hours of daylight, calm water. Add nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen to the mix and they form dense concentrations of "blooms" that are typically bright green and can produce toxins that pose serious health risks to people and pets alike. (Coetsee, 8/25)

Detroit Free Press: 2 Hepatitis A Cases Linked To Detroit Basement Backups
The city's top health official is recommending anyone who has come in contact with raw sewage in their homes during the recent heavy rains to contact their doctor after two cases of infection with the hepatitis A virus have been reported to the city's health department. The Detroit Health Department and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services identified the two cases and said both of the individuals had come in contact with sewage following recent basement backups on the city's east side. (Helms, 8/25)

Richmond Times Dispatch: Hepatitis A Patients In Virginia Are Suing Tropical Smoothie Cafe
At least several people with hepatitis A, plus many who have been vaccinated, are in the process of suing Tropical Smoothie Cafe, a food chain that served frozen strawberries from Egypt that caused an outbreak of at least 28 cases of the liver disease in Virginia. Law firms in Seattle, Wash., and Washington, D.C., are in the process of filing multiple lawsuits against Tropical Smoothie Cafe on behalf of customers inflicted with hepatitis A, as well as a class-action lawsuit on behalf of people who got vaccines after consuming frozen strawberries from Tropical Smoothie Cafe. (Shulleeta, 8/25)

Minnesota Public Radio: New Data Show Most Minnesota Moms Breastfeed Newborns 
New federal data show that 90 percent of Minnesota mothers breastfeed their newborns. That's seventh best among all states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Minnesota ranks fifth for mothers who are still breastfeeding at six months. ...The Minnesota Department of Health's Linda Dech said the state already has strong laws that support breastfeeding mothers. She says her department is now focusing on getting hospitals to do more to facilitate breastfeeding. (Benson, 8/25)