State Highlights: In Texas, Hurricane Harvey’s Health Toll Now Becoming Evident; Pa. Bill To Roll Back Abortion Rights Resurfaces

Houston Chronicle: Harvey's Health Toll Only Now Starting To Be Realized
Three months after Hurricane Harvey, local health officials now are beginning to see the storm after the storm. In Harris County and the other hardest-hit regions of Texas, 17 percent of those who had houses damaged or suffered income loss report that someone in their household has a new or worsening health condition. A sweeping new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Houston-based Episcopal Health Foundation shows a similar proportion feels their own mental health has worsened. "We're not anywhere near the end yet," cautioned Dr. Cindy Rispin, a family physician with the Memorial Hermann Medical Group in League City. Researchers surveyed more than 1,600 Texans in 24 affected counties to gauge their personal recovery. (Deam and Sarnoff, 12/5)

The Philadelphia Inquirer/Philly.com: Bill Restricting Abortions Resurfaces In Pa. Legislature
The Republican-controlled Legislature could soon send Gov. Wolf a much-debated bill to roll back abortion rights in Pennsylvania. A key House committee on Monday passed the legislation, which calls for banning abortions at 20 weeks of pregnancy except in medical emergencies. Under current law, a woman cannot have an abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy. The proposed measure would also sharply curtail a surgical procedure used in second-trimester abortions, which the bill’s supporters refer to as “dismemberment abortions,” a term not medically recognized. (Couloumbis, 12/4)

The Minneapolis Star Tribune: Minnesota Slows Per-Patient Spending On Chronic Diseases, But Long-Term Trends Remain Troubling
Minnesota’s health care system has driven down per-person spending on some of the most prevalent and costly chronic diseases, according to a new report designed to track the state’s progress on looming health care challenges. (Howatt, 12/4)

The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore Sees Spike In Sleep-Related Infant Deaths
Baltimore health officials are urging parents with infants to practice safe sleep practices after recording a spike in sleep-related infant deaths in the city. Twelve babies have died in their sleep so far this year, compared with seven last year. The new deaths prompted City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen and others to act on Monday. (McDaniels, 12/4)

Minnesota Public Radio: Dayton Uses Own Cancer Recovery To Tout Screening
Gov. Mark Dayton declared himself cancer-free on Monday while urging Minnesotans to make time to get screened for cancer if they have risk factors or family history of the disease.(Bakst, 12/4)

Modern Healthcare: Advocate Health Crosses State Lines To Merge With Aurora
Advocate Health Care unveiled Monday that it plans to merge with Aurora Health Care in a deal that would create the 10th largest not-for-profit system in the country. Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate has turned its focus to Wisconsin's largest healthcare provider after walking away from its merger with NorthShore University HealthSystem earlier this year, which failed after a protracted antitrust review battle. The Advocate-Aurora deal would create a health system with 27 hospitals and $10.7 billion in annual revenue, the organizations said. (Kacik, 12/4)

Chicago Tribune: Advocate Plans To Merge With Wisconsin Hospital Giant Aurora
Advocate Health Care is ready to give a merger another try — this time with Wisconsin giant Aurora Health Care, in a proposed deal that would create the 10th largest not-for-profit hospital system in the country. Under terms of the planned “50-50 merger” announced Monday, neither system would pay the other cash, and the deal could close by the middle of 2018, pending regulatory approval. A combined health system, to be called Advocate Aurora Health, would have 27 hospitals and nearly $11 billion in annual revenue. (Schencker, 12/4)

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Aurora Health Care And Advocate Health Care To Merge
Aurora Health Care, the largest health system in Wisconsin, and Advocate Health Care Network, the largest health system in Illinois, announced an agreement on Monday to combine their operations, a merger that would create the 10th-largest nonprofit health system in the country. (Boulton, 12/4)

The Cleveland Plain Dealer: Cleveland Clinic Raises $50 Million To Honor Outgoing CEO Toby Cosgrove
The Cleveland Clinic has raised more than $50 million in honor of Dr. Toby Cosgrove, who leaves his post as Clinic CEO and president at the end of the year. (Washington, 12/4)

WBUR: Early Flu Season Hits Mass., Amid Questions About Vaccine Match
The flu season usually peaks in late January or February, sometimes as late as March, but this year, some predictions warn that cases of flu could soar right around the winter holiday season. (Goldberg, 12/4)

The Boston Globe: A Very Sick Girl Finds An Unlikely Saviour
A police officer from New Hampshire stepped forward to save the life of a child he’d never met. (Gallagher, 12/5)

Los Angeles Times: Study Finds L.A. County Saves Money By Housing Sick Homeless People
Los Angeles County’s marquee program to provide housing for very sick homeless people saved taxpayers thousands of dollars by reducing hospitalizations and emergency room visits, a three-year Rand Corp. study released Monday found. Considered a national model, Housing for Health uses county and federal money to subsidize rents and intensive case management for acutely ill homeless people. (Holland, 12/4)