Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
10-Year-Old's Death Linked To Plague Infection In Colorado
CNN: Colorado Plague: 10-Year-Old Dies As Health Officials Warn Of Plague Activity
The death of a 10-year-old in Colorado has been linked to plague as state health officials warn they are investigating reports of the bacterial infection in animals and fleas. The 10-year-old resident of La Plata County "died from causes associated with plague," the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said in a news release Thursday. (Andone, 7/24)
In abortion news —
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Abortion Rate Increases For Third Consecutive Year
The number of abortions performed in Georgia grew slightly in 2020 — by about 2% over last year, according to new numbers from the state Department of Public Health. After declining over the past two decades, 2020 marked the third consecutive year the rate of reported abortions increased in Georgia. The latest figures, for 2020, were released earlier this month as Georgia continues to defend its restrictive anti-abortion law. The law would have banned the procedure in most cases when a doctor could detect fetal cardiac activity — typically about six weeks into a pregnancy. (Prabhu, 7/23)
NBC News: What U.S. Abortion Access Looks Like, In Graphics
The current landscape of abortion access in the United States came into focus in May after the Supreme Court decided to consider the legality of Mississippi's ban on nearly all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Mississippi’s restriction was the first to reach the court from a wave of state laws intended to strike down Roe v. Wade, the decision that established the constitutional right to an abortion nationwide. The first major abortion case since the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett solidified a conservative majority comes as state legislatures around the country have brought a historic number of laws seeking to tighten abortion access. (Atkins, 7/25)
In news from North Carolina, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and California —
AP: North Carolina Woman To Become Rare 2-Time Organ Donor
A North Carolina woman is set to join the elite ranks of two-time living organ donors. On Tuesday, surgeons in New York will take part of 54-year-old Stephanie Allen’s liver and transplant it into her brother, Eric Allen, The Wilson Times reported. Stephanie Allen, a delivery driver and mother of four, previously donated a kidney to her sister in 2006.“Right now, she is the sunshine in my world,” said Eric Allen, whose liver was failing after two years of battling primary sclerosing cholangitis and Crohn’s disease. (7/25)
North Carolina Health News: NC Pilots Peer Mentorship For People With Disabilities
David Camilo is about to take a big step toward more independence as he moves into his own house soon. Camilo, 36, refers to himself as someone with “high-functioning” autism. Right now, he lives in Morrisville with his parents and works for his dad’s entertainment business as a DJ and an MC for weddings, birthdays and other events. He’s also part of the inaugural class of 15 people graduating from the NC Peer Mentor Training Pilot for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). (Knopf, 7/26)
KHN: As Holdout Missouri Joins Nation In Monitoring Opioid Prescriptions, Experts Worry
Kathi Arbini said she felt elated when Missouri finally caught up to the other 49 states and approved a statewide prescription drug monitoring program this June in an attempt to curb opioid addiction. The hairstylist turned activist estimated she made 75 two-hour trips in the past decade from her home in Fenton, a St. Louis suburb, to the state capital, Jefferson City, to convince Republican lawmakers that monitoring how doctors and pharmacists prescribe and dispense controlled substances could help save people like her son, Kevin Mullane. (Berger, 7/26)
AP: 47 Nebraska School Districts Object To Sex Ed Standards
Nearly 50 Nebraska school boards have objected to proposed state health education standards that include lessons for young children on gender identity and gender expression. State Sen. Joni Albrecht said 47 school boards across the state have either adopted resolutions or sent letters opposing the first draft of the standards that the Nebraska Department of Education is considering. Albrecht was part of a group of 30 state senators who signed a statement urging school districts to object to the standards. (7/25)
AP: Trial Moved Involving US Marshals Charged In Vaccine Dispute
A federal contempt of court trial involving three members of the U.S. Marshals Service has been moved from Aberdeen to Sioux Falls, according to court documents. Three supervisory marshals, including the agency’s Chief of Staff John Kilgallon, were accused of allowing a deputy marshal to leave the courthouse in Aberdeen with prisoners in tow on May 10, after the marshal refused to tell the judge whether she had been vaccinated against COVID-19. (7/25)
Politico: Californians Tired Of Doing Their Part During Triple-Digit Heat
Californians are tired of turning off their appliances in the summer heat.For years, state officials have counted on residents to rescue the electric grid from collapse by sparing their energy use on the most blistering of days. But during a brutal July heat wave, Californians largely ignored repeat calls for conservation. ... There is a growing sense that the state is overusing Flex Alert, asking too frequently — and on days when easing air conditioner usage is most uncomfortable. The tool was once used sparingly, just 21 times between 2009 and 2019, but state officials called 10 alerts last year alone, and five so far this summer. (Bermel, 7/23)
