State Highlights: Legionnaires’ Outbreak Hits New York City; Nurses At Vermont’s Largest Hospital Launch Strike

The New York Times: Legionnaires’ Disease Sickens 11 In Upper Manhattan
An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease has sickened 11 people in Upper Manhattan, 10 of whom have been hospitalized, according to city health officials. Eight people remained in the hospital on Thursday. “This disease is very treatable with antibiotics,” Dr. Mary Bassett, the city’s health commissioner, said in a statement. “I encourage anyone with symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease to seek care early.” (Greenberg, 7/12)

The Associated Press: Nurses At Vermont's Largest Medical Center On Strike
A union says 1,800 nurses at Vermont's largest medical center are on strike following unsuccessful contract negotiations. The Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals and UVM Medical Center met again Wednesday, but were not able to reach an agreement. Nurses were on picket lines as of 7 a.m. Thursday. The strike is to last through 7 a.m. Saturday. (7/12)

St. Louis Public Radio: Johnson & Johnson Hit With $4.69 Billion Loss In Baby Powder-Ovarian Cancer Case
The legal assault on Johnson & Johnson and its signature baby powder reached new heights today, when a state court jury in Missouri found the company responsible for the ovarian cancers of 22 women, and ordered the drug and consumer products giant to pay $4.69 billion in compensatory and punitive damages to the cancer victims or their survivors. The verdict by the jury of six men and six women in St. Louis Circuit Court was by far the largest yet in the mushrooming baby powder litigation. (Levin and Silverstein Fairwarning, 7/13)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: ‘Concerns,’ But No Consequences, After Suicides In Mental Health System
The state not only does not punish mental health care providers, it lets the agencies choose their own remedies for breakdowns in treatment. In cases reviewed by the Journal-Constitution, this often involved little more than additional training for the agencies’ staffs. (Judd, 7/12)

The Star Tribune: Minnesota Rolls Out First Statewide Job Board For Home Care Support
Thousands of Minnesota seniors and people with disabilities who require help with daily living activities at home now have a place to go to find caregivers who can meet their needs. After years of preparation, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has launched the state's first online job portal that connects people who need assistance with tasks, such as bathing, dressing and preparing meals, with caregivers who are looking for work. State officials will roll out the new online job portal — Direct Support Connect — to the state's 140,000-person direct care workforce this summer and fall, with the hope of getting enough people to register for the website that it will become a reliable place for people to get help in their homes. (Serres, 7/12)

North Carolina Health News: Putting ‘People First’ Into Law - Changing Language Around Disability
Some of the decades-old language in North Carolina’s state laws sound more like insults from a schoolyard bully rather than precise descriptions of medical conditions. But thanks to the painstaking work of a state commission, at least some of that terminology will change come October. For example, right now, North Carolina guardianship laws refer to people who are “mentally retarded.” Other statutes still refer to people being “lunatic.” (Hoban, 7/11)

The Baltimore Sun: Johns Hopkins University Berman Institute Of Bioethics Received $15 Million Gift
The Johns Hopkins University Berman Institute of Bioethics, one of the world’s largest bioethics centers, announced Thursday that it has received one of its biggest financial gifts, $15 million to be used to support education and training. The donation came from Alex Levi and his wife, Vicki, and was made in honor of the institute’s founding director, Ruth R. Faden. Levi, a New York-based clinical psychologist, is a trustee emeritus of the Johns Hopkins University and chair of the Berman Institute’s national advisory board. (Cohn, 7/12)

The Associated Press: Oregon's Medical Marijuana Program Admits To Problems
The agency overseeing Oregon's legal medical marijuana industry conceded in a report Thursday it has not provided effective oversight of growers and others in the industry, creating opportunities for weed to be diverted to the black market. The blunt internal review echoes complaints from federal authorities that Oregon hasn't adequately controlled its marijuana businesses, and that overproduction of pot is feeding a black market in states that haven't legalized it. (7/12)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Foxconn Plans To Work With Advocate Aurora Health To Develop New Technologies For Health Care.
Advocate Aurora Health and Foxconn Health Technology Business Group plan to work together to develop new services and products for health care. The two organizations — one the 10th largest nonprofit health system in the country, the other one of the world’s largest technology companies — envision collaborating in areas such as managing the health of employees, analytics and artificial intelligence. (Boulton, 7/12)

WBUR: Still Some Weeks To Go Before Retail Cannabis Sales In Mass. Begin
To date, the state Cannabis Control Commission has granted only five provisional licenses to two companies. ...More are expected to come down the line, but the process has been slow, frustrating marijuana proponents, as well as one legislator who is a key author of the state’s marijuana law. (Brown, 7/12)

NH Times Union: Manchester's Public Health Director Is Retiring After 28 Years
The city’s public health director has announced he will retire later this summer after nearly three decades in the department. Manchester Public Health Director Tim Soucy said that after 28 years in the Manchester Health Department he feels “blessed to live, work and raise my family” in the Queen City. (Feely, 7/11)

NH Times Union: Laconia Councilor Takes Heat For Reference To Dead Firefighter While Confronting Union Boss About Undermining Ambulance Deal
City Councilor Bob Hamel is facing criticism for his remarks at a Monday night meeting during a prickly exchange with the head of the union that represents city firefighters. It is the height of budget season in Laconia, which has a tax cap in place, and the council and fire department have clashed in recent weeks over the cost of overtime for firefighters. The council had initially considered cutting up to $300,000 from the fire department’s $4.4 million budget but voted Monday to trim $150,000 instead. That money will be used to hire a school resource officer for the middle school and pay for park irrigation. (Lewis, 7/12)

NH Times Union: In Bedford, Officials Concerned With Bullying Numbers
School officials are voicing concern over a recent survey that indicates more than 20 percent of students feel they were bullied at school within the past year. According to the results of the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, more than 9 percent of students reported that they did not go to school in the last 30 days because they felt unsafe due to bullying, cyberbullying or fighting. In addition, 22 percent of students reported that they were bullied on school property or on the way to or from school in the past 12 months. “We crossed the line where our trend in our community is not where we want it to be,” superintendent Chip McGee said. “We moved from being a little better than state patterns to a little worse.” (Houghton, 7/11)

Health News Florida: Raised Gardens With A Purpose Are Cropping Up Across Central Florida: They’re Aimed At Tackling Food
A Central Florida nonprofit is aiming to feed hungry University of Central Florida students through urban farming. Fleet Farming’s Greg Noonan says sites like the one at the University of Central Florida are offering local, organic produce. (Prieur, 7/12)