State Highlights: New Lawsuits Against USC’s Former Gynecologist Detail Lewd Comments, Behavior; D.C. Children Suffered Lead Poisoning In Homes Approved By Inspectors
Media outlets report on news from California, D.C., Washington, Texas, Maryland, Minnesota, Tennessee, New Hampshire and Florida.
Los Angeles Times:
30 More Women Sue USC Over Former Gynecologist As New Interim President Welcomes Freshmen To Campus
An additional 30 women sued USC on Wednesday, claiming that the university failed to protect them from abuse and mistreatment by the longtime campus gynecologist, Dr. George Tyndall. The new claims bring the total number of patients suing USC to more than 340 and come as students return to the Los Angeles campus for the start of the fall semester. (Hamilton, 8/15)
The Washington Post:
Numerous Children Have Been Poisoned By Lead In Homes Approved By D.C. Housing Inspectors
Chanelle Mattocks remembers everything about that night in 2014, when lead poisoned her son. She was giving Alonzo, then 3, a bath in a tub that her landlord had just painted to pass a housing inspection. She turned to find a washcloth, and when she swiveled back, she found the boy with bits of peeling paint in his mouth. She tried get it out, but it was too late. (McCoy, 8/15)
Seattle Times:
How Washington State Made Its Abortion Laws Trump-Proof
But in Washington, something else would come into play: a 27-year-old state law intended to defend abortion rights from challenges at the national level. Initiative 120 declared that a woman has a right to choose physician-performed abortion before fetal viability. The law emerged from a political climate not unlike today’s, and was passed narrowly in 1991 by a vote of the people. (Burbank, 8/15)
The New York Times:
Should Coffee Come With Cancer Warnings? California Says No
In every cup of coffee, there is a chemical linked to cancer. That undisputed fact led a Los Angeles judge to rule this spring that coffee companies must provide cancer warnings to coffee drinkers. The ruling cast a shadow on a daily and often essential rite for more than 100 million Americans. (Hus, 8/15)
Houston Chronicle:
Houston's Best Hospitals, According To U.S. News
Seven Houston hospitals are being recognized as the city's best. On Tuesday, U.S. News & World Report released its annual ranking of the best hospitals in America, breaking down top healthcare locations by major cities. Familiar faces in Bayou City made the list, including the Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and Houston Methodist Hospital. (Ramirez, 8/15)
The Associated Press:
Unhealthy Smoky Air Blankets Northwest
Unhealthy air filled with smoke from wildfires blanketed the Northwest again on Wednesday. Washington state had the worst air quality in the country, according to the National Weather Service. In the central Washington cities of Chelan and Wenatchee the air quality Wednesday reached the hazardous level, prompting Chelan County officials to distribute masks. (8/15)
The Associated Press:
After McNair Death, Maryland Focuses On Safety At Practice
Maryland interim coach Matt Canada has taken steps to ensure that the Terrapins are poised to deal with the heat of summer during his practices following the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair. In the first workout since Maryland publicly accepted responsibility for mistakes that contributed to McNair’s death, two tents were in the place at the practice field Wednesday to provide shade. Underneath the awnings are several fans, along with liquids and ice. (Ginsburg, 8/15)
MPR:
Mayo Disputes CNN Story On 'Medical Kidnapping,' Calling It Inaccurate And Irresponsible
Mayo Clinic on Wednesday slammed a CNN report alleging the health system "medically kidnapped" a teen patient who suffered a potentially fatal ruptured brain aneurysm in 2016. ...The story described repeated disputes between the patient's family, especially her mother, and Mayo clinic staff. (Richert, 8/15)
Nashville Tennessean:
Nashville Unveils Behavioral Care Center To Treat Mentally Ill
Nashville unveiled a new Behavioral Care Center on Wednesday designed to divert mentally ill arrestees from the criminal justice system. Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall was joined by Mayor David Briley and Councilman Freddie O'Connell to express their support of the new center, which is on track to be open in 2020. The center will house 60 beds and will be used as an alternative to jail for mentally-ill arrestees. The goal is to provide treatment for those arrested because of behaviors caused by mental illness, rather than enter them into the criminal justice system. (Pair and Bliss, 8/15)
New Hampshire Union Leader:
Home Health Care Company Drops Veteran Patients Over VA Payment
A home health care company based in Londonderry, Right at Home, has stopped taking veteran patients because they say the the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has been too slow at paying their claims. Janet Sullivan, the co-owner of the New Hampshire home care franchise, said communication with the Manchester VA Medical Center and New England regional office in Boston has increased over the past week and since a Boston Globe story first told her story on Tuesday. (Lessard, 8/15)
Tampa Bay Times:
Two New Cases Of Measles Reported In Pinellas, With The Possibility Of More
Health officials have identified two more confirmed cases of measles in Pinellas County, bringing the total to three, and they are preparing for the possibility of more. The two additional cases are from the same household, and are separate from the original case announced Monday, the Florida Department of Health said Wednesday. (Griffin, 8/15)
Miami Herald:
CDC Urges People To Get Vaccinated For Measles
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 107 people from 21 states have contracted the measles from Jan. 1 to July 14, 2018. Last year saw 118 cases — in a 12-month period. Florida is one of those 21 states. (Marr, 8/15)
The Star Tribune:
Help Is On The Way For Large Homeless Encampment In South Minneapolis
A hastily formed coalition of medical and social service agencies plans a major outreach effort Friday at a homeless camp in south Minneapolis that has alarmed local authorities and American Indian leaders because of its growing size and health risks. Health and social workers plan to sweep through the sprawling settlement, offering to help the tent dwellers find housing, medical care and other social services in a concerted push before any attempt by the state to force people off the site, which is situated on land owned by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). (Serres, 8/15)
California Healthline:
Voters To Settle Dispute Over Ambulance Employee Break Times
If private-ambulance workers take a break from work, even for 10 minutes, it can mean the difference between life and death. So, they routinely accept emergency calls during their meal and rest breaks — just as firefighters, policemen and other public emergency workers do. But labor laws guarantee most California workers uninterrupted breaks, and multiple lawsuits are challenging whether private ambulance companies have the right to interrupt their employees’ breaks. (Matthews, 8/15)
Health News Florida:
Veterans Push Feds To Recognize Marijuana As A Treatment
Even with medicinal marijuana legal in Florida, the federal government says it's a crime. [Charles] Claybaker and other soldiers can't get a prescription from the VA and their insurance won't cover it. (Ochoa, 8/16)
