State Highlights: Strict California Law Has Had Little Effect At Breaking Up Clusters Of Unvaccinated Kids; Passengers, Crew Quarantined At Kennedy Airport After Reporting Illnesses
Media outlets report on news from California, New York, Georgia, Texas, Minnesota, Arizona, Ohio, Oregon and Missouri.
PBS NewsHour:
What’s Happened Since California Let Fewer Families Reject Vaccines
A California law that aims to limit the number of people who can refuse vaccines has led to a slight improvement in kindergartners’ vaccination rate in recent years, according to a new study in Health Affairs. But the law was not as effective in private schools, and did little to break up localized clusters of children who opted out of vaccines. (Santhanam, 9/5)
Stat:
Plane Quarantined At Kennedy Airport Amid Reports Of Ill Passengers
An Emirates Airline flight was held in quarantine for a period Wednesday at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport after a large number of passengers and crew members reported feeling ill during the flight. Estimates of how many people were sick varied throughout the day, with an initial count of 106 people, New York City’s Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot said during a late afternoon press conference. (Branswell, 9/5)
Georgia Health News:
Medicaid, ACA, Rural Crisis, Regulations: Gubernatorial Candidates Talk Health Care
The race between Secretary of State Brian Kemp, a Republican, and Stacey Abrams, a Democrat and former House minority leader, has already featured debate between them over the future of health care in the state. Georgia Health News recently asked the candidates about their views on several major health care issues. (Miller, 9/5)
Texas Tribune:
Despite Cost Savings, Retired Teachers Health Care Program Still Underwater
After Texas dramatically changed the health care program for retired teachers last year, unexpectedly sending deductibles and out-of-pocket costs sky-high, thousands of retired teachers jumped ship. ...That's the chaotic scene that Tim Lee, executive director of the Texas Retired Teachers Association, described for the House Appropriations subcommittee Wednesday, during a discussion about how to provide long-term funding for TRS-CARE, the beleaguered health care program for retired teachers. (Swaby, 9/5)
Austin American-Statesman:
Texas Lawmakers To Discuss Rising Retired Teacher Health Costs
Texas House lawmakers are expected to discuss Wednesday funding problems within the state health insurance program for retired teachers. Among the issues that the House Appropriations Subcommittee could discuss include a proposal by the Teacher Retirement System board to increase premiums by $600 a year for retired teachers under the age of 65. (Chang, 9/5)
The Star Tribune:
Bloomington Schools Will Test 'Smart' Thermometers For Early Alerts On Sickness
Ten Bloomington elementary schools will offer free “smart” thermometers to families this fall in the hope that online reporting of fevers will provide early warnings of illnesses and infections circulating among students. The program is one of the latest to use crowdsourcing — the tracking of consumer input on search engines, social media or mobile apps — to improve public health. (Olson, 9/5)
Arizona Republic:
Mayo Clinic To Nearly Double Size Of Phoenix Campus With New Project
Citing increased patient need, Mayo Clinic in Arizona will nearly double the size of its Phoenix campus with a five-year building project set to cost $648 million. The construction project, which officials say will add 2,000 jobs by 2029, is the largest expansion in not-for-profit Mayo Clinic's 30-year history in Arizona. (Innes, 9/5)
Cincinnati Enquirer:
Vaccine Shortage: New Double-Dose Shingles Vaccine Called 'Effective'
A national shortage of the new shingles vaccine and the small amounts available are affecting residents in Greater Cincinnati. ... Shingles, which is triggered by a dormant chickenpox virus, causes a painful blistering rash along with possible complications including searing nerve pain and pneumonia. It can be prevented by vaccination. (Reinert, 9/5)
The Oregonian:
Unity Center Confirms 2 Deaths, Wants To Be Free Of Investigation In September
The president of Unity Center for Behavioral Health said Wednesday he expects the metro area's troubled mental health hospital to remain open and fix serious safety problems this month. ... The center, a 24-7 clinic for people in mental health crisis, opened at the end of January 2017 as a collective answer to long waits at regular hospital ERs. It's supported by four major health groups – Legacy Health, Oregon Health & Science University, Adventist Health and Kaiser Permanente -- and run by Legacy. (Harbarger, 9/5)
St. Louis Public Radio:
SLU Opens First Food Pantry To Help Feed Hungry Students
Next week, SLU will open a food bank for hungry students. It joins the University of Missouri - St. Louis and St. Louis Community College, which already have food pantries in place. (Fentem, 9/5)
