State Highlights: In Ga., Blue-Ribbon Panel Urges More Kids’ Mental Health Services; Mass. Watchdog Agency Launches Review Of Planned Hospital Mega-Merger

Georgia Health News: Blue-Ribbon Panel Urges Stronger Mental Health Services For Kids
Despite some successful funding and programs since then, the need for more and better funded mental health care has presented problems for communities and families across the state. On Tuesday, Gov. Nathan Deal released a report from a state commission created to provide recommendations for improving mental health services for kids. (Miller, 12/12)

Boston Globe: State Watchdog Launches Review Of Planned Beth Israel-Lahey Merger
The state’s health care watchdog agency on Tuesday launched a detailed review of a planned merger of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Lahey Health, and several other hospitals, in perhaps the largest and most complicated hospital transaction ever proposed in Massachusetts. The Health Policy Commission will analyze the deal’s effect on health care costs, quality, and access to care. (Dayal McCluskey, 12/12)

The Washington Post: D.C.'s Only Public Hospital Needs A $17 Million Taxpayer Bailout To Stay Afloat
A taxpayer bailout of at least $17 million will be needed if the District’s only public hospital is to stay afloat, the hospital’s finance committee has concluded, in the latest setback to afflict United Medical Center. Hospital board members plan to discuss the recommended subsidy request when they meet Wednesday. If approved by Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) and the D.C. Council, it would be the largest investment of District tax dollars to prop up the hospital’s operating budget since 2010, when the city took over the facility. (Jamison, 12/12)

Pioneer Press: Minnesota Elder-Care Whistleblower Was Fired, According To State Lawmaker: ‘I Want Answers’
A Minnesota lawmaker says a state manager whose bureau oversees investigations into abuse and neglect in nursing homes was fired after she blew the whistle on a “toxic culture” that was an obstacle to ensuring that officials do a better job protecting residents of senior care facilities. “I want answers,” said Sen. Karin Housley, R-Stillwater, who chairs the Senate Aging and Long-Term Care Policy Committee. (Orrick, 12/12)

NPR: Down Syndrome Families Divided Over Abortion Ban
When a pregnant woman finds out that she's likely to give birth to a baby with Down syndrome, she's often given the option to terminate the pregnancy. But families affected by the genetic disorder that causes developmental delays are conflicted over whether such abortions should be legal. Ohio could soon become the latest state to restrict abortions based on a Down syndrome diagnosis. A bill that would make it a felony for doctors to perform abortions after a Down syndrome diagnosis is moving through the state legislature and could be ready for Gov. John Kasich's signature as soon as this week. (McCammon, 12/13)

Boston Globe: State Lawmakers Try To Untangle The Intersection Of Crime And Mental Illness
Lawmakers are calling for expanded programs to divert mentally ill people from jail, stronger oversight of solitary confinement policies, and more training to help police officers deescalate confrontations with those who have mental illness. Legislators also plan to study establishing a crisis center in Middlesex County where police officers and other first responders from that region could bring people in psychiatric or drug-induced distress. (Cramer, 12/13)

Arizona Republic: DCS Investigated Parents Of Sanaa Cunningham 3 Times Before 7-Year-Old's Death
Arizona's Department of Child Safety officials investigated three reports of abuse or neglect against Sanaa Cunningham before her February death, but none produced enough evidence to remove the 7-year-old girl from her home, according to the DCS. DCS on Tuesday released a media statement detailing the allegations in each report and results of the subsequent investigations. (Cassidy and Pitzi, 12/12)

San Antonio Press-Express: Flu Activity On The Rise In San Antonio And Statewide, Health Officials Say
The number of Texans with flu-like symptoms and those who have tested positive for the illness are on the rise, the state's department of state health services reported this week. ...So far no pediatric deaths related to the flu have been reported, while officials have recorded at least three outbreaks associated with the flu. (Bradshaw, 12/12)

Minnesota Public Radio: Home Visiting Program Expands In Minnesota
The Minnesota Department of Health is expanding a home visit program for at-risk families. The agency has awarded $4.87 million in grants to expand home visits in 19 counties and two tribal nations, serving about 300 families. (Gunderson, 12/12)

Boston Globe: Head Of Health Care Union Suspended Over Allegations Of Inappropriate Behavior
The head of a large union that represents health care workers across Massachusetts has been suspended after allegations of inappropriate behavior. Tyrék D. Lee Sr. leads the Service Employees International Union’s Local 1199, which represents about 56,000 workers in Massachusetts. (Dayal McCluskey, 12/12)

The Associated Press: Ex-Kansas Official Accused Of Misconduct Fired From New Job
A company that helps to manage the Medicaid program in Kansas has fired an employee who was accused of sexual misconduct while working as a state social services administrator. Amerigroup Kansas Inc. spokeswoman Olga Gallardo said Tuesday in an email that Brandt Haehn “was terminated.” She provided no other details about the firing or his employment. (Hanna, 12/12)

Seattle Times: Seattle’s Swedish Health Nurses Vote No Confidence In Leadership
Nurses and other caregivers at Swedish Health have voted overwhelmingly to express no confidence in the leadership of the health-care organization, saying morale and patient care continue to suffer. At a gathering Tuesday night in Seattle where nurses described a range of concerns across Swedish campuses, their union announced that 98 percent of nurses and caregivers had voted to express their opposition to the current administration at Swedish and its parent organization, Providence. (Baker, 12/12)

The Philadelphia Inquirer/Philly.com: Acadia Healthcare And Reading Hospital Building New Psychiatric Hospital In Berks County
Acadia Healthcare Co. Inc. and Reading Hospital will jointly construct a 144-bed inpatient psychiatric facility in Berks County, Reading Hospital’s parent, Tower Health, said Tuesday. Construction of the Bern Township facility, on an 80-acre parcel with room to expand, is expected to begin early next year with the opening anticipated in early 2019, Tower said. The partners did not disclose the cost of the project. A recent Tower bond offering statement said Tower will own 33 percent of the new facility, but will share equally in managing it. (Brubaker, 12/12)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Akron Public Schools Hopes New Supplemental Health Plan, Health Care Facility Help Save Millions
Akron Public Schools will offer employees and their families supplemental health insurance that's designed to drive down costs. Health care will be offered out of a new facility established at the district's administration building near downtown Akron. The insurance will not replace the district's existing health plan but will offer free supplemental  care through Paladina Health. (Conn, 12/12)

Chicago Tribune: Home Health Care Industry In Chicago Area A Major Hot Spot For Fraud, Tribune Finds
A Tribune investigation reveals that Illinois public health regulators proved unprepared for a surge in new home health care companies, doling out too many home health licenses too fast and failing to provide meaningful oversight. Even today, most anyone can own a home health care business for a $25 license fee — no criminal background check required. (Berens, 12/12)

New Hampshire Public Radio: PFC Exposure At Pease Could Soon Be Part Of National Health Study
A defense spending bill signed into law by President Trump on Tuesday included an amendment on PFCs backed by New Hampshire’s congressional delegation. The amendment directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to carry out a first-of-its-kind national health study on the effects of perfluorinated chemicals, or PFCs. (Moon, 12/12)

San Jose Mercury News: As Bay Area Rent Skyrockets, More Families Go Hungry
The cost of living across Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties is so high that more than a quarter of people in the region struggle to pay for food each month, according to a new food insecurity study by Second Harvest Food Bank. Nearly 27 percent of those living in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties — an estimated 720,000 residents — are food insecure, which means they’re at risk for hunger, the study released Tuesday said. (Sanchez, 12/12)

WBUR: With New Cannabis Cafes, You Can Smoke 'Em Where You Bought 'Em
The state agency responsible for regulating legalized marijuana approved a policy on Monday that will allow for such establishments, so-called "cannabis cafes," to open — where one can buy a cannabis product and then legally consume it on the premises, just like buying a drink at a bar. (Brown, 12/12)