State Highlights: Illinois Lawmaker Pushes For Stiffer Penalties For Understaffed Nursing Homes In Light Of Sepsis Problem; Maryland Vote Set On ‘Aid-In-Dying’ Bill

Chicago Tribune: New Illinois Bill Would Boost Punishment For Understaffed Nursing Homes To Limit Deadly Sepsis Infections And Boost Care
A state lawmaker and a major advocacy group are pushing stiffer penalties for short-staffed nursing homes as a way to limit deadly sepsis infections and boost overall care. “You would think that anytime you put your loved one in a nursing home, the care would be there, because it’s supposed to be regulated, but we find that’s not the case,” said state Sen. Jacqueline Collins, D-Chicago, who introduced reform legislation this week. Collins and AARP Illinois are supporting the legislation partly in response to the findings of an investigation published in September by Kaiser Health News and the Chicago Tribune. The investigation found that about 6,000 Illinois nursing home patients a year who were hospitalized had sepsis, with roughly 1 in 5 dying. (Mahr, 3/6)

The Washington Post: House To Vote Thursday On Allowing Lethal Dose Of Drugs For Terminal Patients
A bill that would allow terminally ill patients to legally obtain a lethal dose of medicine to end their lives advanced in the Maryland House of Delegates on Wednesday, setting the stage for what will likely be a dramatic vote on Thursday. It is the first time — after three attempts in recent years — that the legislation will be debated on the floor of the General Assembly. The bill moved forward without any discussion, even though it has both strong support and strong opposition in the Democratic-majority House to make Maryland the seventh state to allow patients to get help in ending their own lives. (Wiggins, 3/6)

Des Moines Register: Iowa Nursing Homes: Six Employees Accused Of Stealing From Residents
Six Iowa nursing home employees have been indicted for obtaining prescription drugs that were meant for the people they were caring for. Four women from the Des Moines metro and two from southern Iowa are accused of diverting drugs from nursing home residents to themselves, according to a news release from the office of Marc Krickbaum, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Iowa. At least four of the woman allegedly committed the crimes in central Iowa. (Davis, 3/6)

Texas Tribune: Guns Are Popular With Texans, And So Are “Red Flag” Laws, Says UT/TT Poll
Red flag laws might be controversial in the Legislature, but Texas voters would support allowing courts “to require a person determined to be a risk to themselves or others to temporarily surrender guns in their possession,” according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Overall, 72 percent of voters said they “strongly” or “somewhat” support such laws, while 18 percent oppose them. (Ramsey, 3/7)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Lawmakers Fix Mistake From 2018 Gun Bill
Ohio lawmakers were trying to expand access to certain guns, but in their haste, they might have accidentally banned them. House Bill 228, passed in late December, will force prosecutors to prove a shooter acted in self-defense to pursue charges. The bill also made several changes to Ohio's firearm laws. (Balmert, 3/6)

Houston Chronicle: Airbnb And Others Target Unmet Needs Of Medical Center Patients 
The Texas Medical Center served 18,000 international patients in 2010, the most recent year for which data have been released. That total has likely grown since, as the number of patients the center serves a year has increased to 10 million from 6 million. International and out-of-town patients come with their own special considerations, including the need for accommodations for patients and caregivers who may not have transportation or know how long treatment will take. (Schuetz, 3/7)

Seattle Times: What’s Happened — Or Hasn’t — Since The Times Reported On Lead In Seattle Schools’ Drinking Water 
Last month, The Seattle Times reported on the persistence of lead in the water at some Seattle schools — despite the district’s long-standing policy to test and fix every drinking-water source with high lead readings. Since then, additional testing by the Washington Department of Health confirmed that reporting, but also showed the scope of the problem statewide. Meanwhile, legislation that would have limited students’ exposure to the toxin in school pretty much died in committee last month. (Morton, 3/6)

Cincinnati Enquirer: PTSD Symptoms Showing Up In More Than Half Of Children's Services Workers
A recent study shows that 53 percent of Ohio's children's services caseworkers have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. That compares with national incidences that range from 35 percent to 75 percent of child-welfare staff. (DeMio, 3/6)

Columbus Dispatch: Fewer Babies Dying Amid Push To Reduce Infant Mortality In Franklin County
Last year, 136 babies in Franklin County died before their first birthdays, but that’s the lowest number in at least eight years. Leaders working to save infant lives say they are encouraged, even though additional efforts are needed to lower the number even more. (Viviano, 3/7)

KCUR: Kansas City Health Department Sounds Warning After Big Jump In Syphilis Cases 
Reported syphilis cases in Kansas City jumped by 71 percent last year and included nine cases of congenital syphilis in which the mother passed the disease on to her newborn child. The spike has set off alarm bells at the Kansas City Health Department, which could see cuts in or reallocations of health levy funds that support the city's safety net system in next year’s municipal budget. (Margolies, 3/6)

Pioneer Press: Advocates, Struggling Moms Make The Case For Increased Welfare Benefits 
After years of trying, advocates for struggling families hope this is the year lawmakers will boost the Minnesota Family Investment Program, or MFIP, welfare-to-work assistance that has essentially had benefits frozen for 33 years. Gov. Tim Walz included adding $100 a month to what MFIP recipients receive in his budget proposal. DFLers in the House want to go further and increase it by $200 a month, saying even that generous of an increase would not cover inflationary costs since 1986. (Magan, 3/6)

Kansas City Star: KC Needs Alternative To Jackson County Jail To House Inmates
With less than four months left until its inmates are no longer welcome at the Jackson County Detention Center, Kansas City is planning for a new municipal jail. The city operated its own for nearly a century, as part of the old Municipal Farm in Eastwood Hills near Arrowhead Stadium. (Kite, 3/6)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Settles Homeless Rights Case, Likely Limiting Ability To Clear Skid Row Streets
The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday agreed to settle a pivotal and contentious case on the property rights of homeless people — a decision that is likely to limit the seizure and destruction of encampments on skid row. The 10-2 vote authorizes City Attorney Mike Feuer to settle a 2016 lawsuit, Carl Mitchell v. Los Angeles, brought by civil rights lawyers on behalf of homeless people and two skid row anti-poverty groups. Downtown business groups had opposed such a deal, arguing that settling the case would deter redevelopment, and leave skid row and the people who live on its sidewalks mired in squalor. (Holland, 3/6)

KCUR: Itching To Get Your Doctor's Approval For Medical Marijuana? Missouri Says Wait A Bit 
As Missouri moves toward implementing the voter-approved medical marijuana program, state officials on Wednesday warned potential patients to hold off on paying for a physician certification until June. At a public listening session on the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus, Kansas City physician Daniel Towle said there’s been confusion surrounding state guidance on physician certifications. That’s even after the state posted a clarification on the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services website. (Haxel, 3/7)