State Highlights: After Public Squabble, N.Y. To Release $360M To Hospitals; States Cracking Down On Fake Service Animals
Outlets report on news from New York, California, Texas, Puerto Rico, Arkansas, Louisiana, Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Wisconsin and Kansas.
The New York Times:
New York State To Release $360 Million Withheld From City’s Hospitals
After threats of a lawsuit and accusations of bad faith, the administration of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced late Friday afternoon that it would release some $360 million it had withheld from the city’s public hospital system. The money was a large portion of the $380 million that NYC Health & Hospitals said it was owed in federal aid to help cover the costs of caring for uninsured patients and those on Medicaid. (McKinley, 10/13)
Stateline:
Tightening The Leash On Fake Service Dogs
Supporters of the new laws compare those misbehaving dog owners to people who acquire handicap signs so they can park in spaces intended for disabled people. The laws make it a misdemeanor to represent an untrained dog as a service animal, and usually come with fines of no more than $500 for an incident. But because there is no certification or official national registry of legitimate service dogs, there is no way to verify whether a dog has undergone rigorous training to become a service animal. (Ollove, 10/16)
Stat:
California Wildfires Blanket Region In Smoky Pollutants, Raising Health Risks
The raging Northern California wildfires that have burned thousands of structures and caused the deaths of at least 31 people are also fouling the air across the region, driving a significant uptick in hospitalizations and keeping many residents cooped up indoors. Acrid air quality extends throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area — well beyond the immediate fire zones — according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Particulates and smoke have seeped into buildings in Oakland, Silicon Valley, and other areas well outside the fire zone. Homes and offices dozens of miles from the flames smell like campfires, and the air outside is thick with pollutants. (Piller, 10/13)
Texas Tribune:
Harvey's Death Toll Reaches 88, According To Texas Health Agency
Hurricane Harvey has directly or indirectly taken the lives of as least 88 Texans, according to preliminary numbers released Friday by the Department of State Health Services. The majority of deaths – 62 – were caused by wind, rain and floods, which led to drownings or trees falling on people. (Afiune, 10/13)
The Hill:
Puerto Ricans Pump Drinking Water From Hazardous-Waste: Report
Some Puerto Rico residents are turning to a hazardous waste site for drinking water as the island continues to reel from Hurricane Maria. More than three weeks after Hurricane Maria tore across the island, many residents – U.S. citizens – remain without access to clean drinking water. As of Saturday evening, service had been restored to about 64 percent of the island. (Greenwood, 10/14)
The Wall Street Journal:
New York HIV Nonprofits Expand Services To Other Health Issues
Organizations working with AIDS and HIV patients are a well-established presence in New York City. But as infection rates have dropped and improved medicines have enabled people with the virus to live longer, some groups are adapting their service models and expanding their reach, taking on new health issues from heart disease to heroin addiction. Until recently, Manhattan-based nonprofit Alliance for Positive Change was known as the AIDS Service Center NYC, with a mission to provide New Yorkers with HIV prevention, treatment and support services. (West, 10/15)
The Associated Press:
Appeals Court Keeps Arkansas Abortion Pill Limits On Hold
A federal appeals court on Friday prevented Arkansas from enforcing restrictions on how the abortion pill is administered while Planned Parenthood asks the nation's highest court to review a ruling in favor of the law. A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a request by Planned Parenthood Great Plains to not allow an earlier ruling in favor of the restrictions to take effect yet. (10/13)
New Orleans Times-Picayune:
Bogalusa Hospital Patients Notified Of Patient Data Breach
LSU Health Care Services Division has notified some patients of the former Bogalusa Medical Center that a former hospital employee may have inappropriately accessed their protected patient information. In a recent news release, the agency said it was informed on Aug. 11 by Our Lady of the Angels Hospital in Bogalusa that an employee had inappropriately accessed patient information. The time frame included the period from February 2003 to March 17, 2014, when the facility was operated by LSU Health Care Services Division as Bogalusa Medical Center. (Warren, 10/13)
San Jose Mercury News:
Jerry Brown Vetoes Bill Easing Permits On Cell Phone Towers
A bill co-authored by a Bay Area assemblyman that would have blocked the ability of cities and counties to control the installation of microwave radiation antennas was vetoed just before midnight Sunday by Gov. Jerry Brown. In a signing statement, Brown wrote: “There is something of real value in having a process that results in extending this innovative technology rapidly and efficiently.” (Seipel, 10/16)
Arizona Republic:
Burials, Cremations On Hold As Arizona Launches A New Death Database
Arizona funeral homes have delayed burials and cremations, and some say they can't take in any more bodies, amid a bureaucratic logjam caused bythe bumpy rollout of a new state database of births and deaths. The Arizona Department of Health Services went live with its new database Oct. 2, seeking to streamline how doctors, medical examiners and funeral directors submit and process records — things like death certificates and disposition permits that allow them to do their work on behalf of grieving families. (Alltucker, 10/13)
Denver Post:
Veteran’s Death Spurs Creation Of A Peer Mentor Program To Curb Suicide
In 2014, the risk for suicide was 22 percent higher among veterans compared to adults who had not served in the military, according to the latest available data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. An average of 20 veterans died by suicide each day that year, although Ehle thinks the number is low. The suicide rate is especially high in the western U.S. and rural areas. In 2014, 178 veterans in Colorado took their own lives. (Worthington, 10/14)
The Baltimore Sun:
Maryland Among Worst In Nation In Investigating Nursing Home Complaints On Time, Feds Say
Maryland lags most of the nation in inspecting high-priority nursing home complaints — a problem past administrations have promised to fix, but that continues to vex state health officials — a federal inspector general has found. The state failed to investigate nearly 650 allegations of harm at Maryland nursing homes within a required 10-day window, meaning the state missed the federal deadline 74 percent of the time, the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported. (Fritze, 10/12)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Mental Health: Wisconsin Teens Share Stories To Reduce Stigma
Founded in 2013 after a spate of teen suicides, REDgen — for Resiliency, Education and Determined Make a Difference in the Health of a New Generation — is among a slew of new initiatives aimed at confronting the mental health challenges of teens. (Linnane and Johnson, 10/13)
Kansas City Star:
Gun Thefts On The Rise In Kansas City
The number of annual firearms thefts rose from 496 to 588 between 2008 and 2015, but it exploded in 2016. Thieves stole 804 a year ago — a 37 percent increase. And they are on pace to steal some 830 firearms in 2017. (Robertson, 10/15)
