Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
121 Whooping Cough Cases Seen In Maryland This Year, A Tenfold Increase
The Baltimore Sun: Whooping Cough Cases Up Tenfold In Maryland
Three new cases of whooping cough in Anne Arundel County that made headlines in Maryland this week are part of an ongoing uptick of the highly contagious disease in the United States. But as seriously as Marylanders should take the illness — particularly those who have contact with children under a year old — the spike is not an unexpected development, said Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, a department of the university’s Bloomberg School of Public Health. (Pitts, 10/24)
Newsweek: How To Spot Early Signs Of Potentially Fatal Whooping Cough As Cases Rise
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 18,506 cases of whooping cough between January 1 and October 12—five times more than the same time frame in 2023, according to preliminary data. Cases are not evenly spread throughout the U.S. The Minnesota Department of Health announced on October 10 that the state had seen 1,019 cases so far in 2024, including 376 cases in Hennepin County and more than 40 cases in each of its surrounding counties. (Willmoth, 10/24)
Chalkbeat: Four New Schools Will Serve Some Of Colorado’s ‘Most Vulnerable’ Students
Three new specialized Colorado schools began working with school districts this fall to serve students with some of the highest needs in the state. A fourth new school works with teenagers and young adults who are in the juvenile justice system. Known as facility schools, the number of these specialized schools had been dwindling for years due to low state funding, staffing shortages, and operating hurdles. But the four new schools are an indication that a state law passed last year is having the intended effect of increasing options for what one state report called some of Colorado’s “most vulnerable” students. Many students who attend facility schools struggle with intense mental or behavioral health needs. Some have diagnoses of autism or emotional or intellectual disabilities. Others have experienced trauma, chronic illness, or substance abuse. (Asmar, 10/24)
Connecticut Public: Rusty Equipment Found At Prospect-Owned Waterbury Hospital
Operating rooms at Waterbury Hospital were found to have multiple pieces of equipment with heavy rust, according to an unannounced state inspection of the facility last year. Waterbury Hospital, which is owned by the private-equity group Prospect Medical Holdings, was also cited by inspectors from the state Department of Public Health for failing “to ensure that equipment within the operating rooms were able to be properly sanitized” following an inspection of the surgical units last January. (Srinivasan, 10/24)
Chicago Tribune: Medline Couple Donates $25 Million To Northwestern To Create New Center Focused On Alzheimer's
Members of the family behind Medline — a massive medical supply and equipment company based in Northfield — have donated $25 million to establish a new center that will focus on Alzheimer’s disease research at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. (Schencker, 10/24)
Minnesota Now: Marijuana Addiction Is Seen As Taboo, Hazelden Summit Will Examine Its Real Risks
Recreational cannabis will be available to people ages 21 and over to buy legally around the state next year, if regulators stay on schedule. As more and more states have legalized cannabis, a wide variety of products have entered the market — some with high levels of THC. Some public health experts are raising concerns about the potential risks of heavy cannabis use — that includes addiction as well as other mental and physical health issues. (Wurzer and Elder, 10/24)
Also —
KFF Health News: California Mental Health Agency Director To Resign Following Conflict Of Interest Allegations
California’s mental health commission on Thursday announced its executive director would resign amid revelations that he traveled to the U.K. courtesy of a state vendor while he sought to prevent a budget cut that would have defunded the company’s contract. Toby Ewing, executive director of the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, will step down effective Nov. 22. Documents obtained by KFF Health News show that he tried in June to protect state funding for Kooth, a London-based digital mental health company with a contract to develop a virtual tool to help California tackle its youth mental health crisis. (Castle Work, 10/25)
