Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
4 Deaths At Seattle Hospital Amid Bacterial Outbreak
USA Today: 4 Dead In Klebsiella Pneumoniae Outbreak At Seattle Hospital
Four patients at a downtown Seattle hospital are dead in connection to an outbreak of a bacteria often found in health care settings that has developed resistance to some antibiotics. The infected patients, who contracted Klebsiella, were hospitalized in various departments, including inpatient medical beds, an ICU, and an operating room at Virginia Mason Medical Center, the hospital said in a statement released Wednesday. (Neysa Alund, 4/26)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
North Carolina Health News: Contentious Blue Cross NC Bill Sails Through Legislature
A bill that would allow the state’s largest health insurer to restructure its corporate model has progressed quickly through North Carolina House of Representatives committees over the past two days, and it appears to be sailing toward becoming law. House Bill 346 would give Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina the leeway to create a nonprofit holding company that would become a parent to the 90-year-old insurance company and to any of Blue Cross NC’s current and future subsidiaries. (Hoban, 4/27)
Colorado Sun: Colorado Cities Still Won’t Be Allowed To Authorize “Overdose Prevention Centers” After Legislature Rejects Bill
Colorado cities still won’t be allowed to authorize the formation of centers where people could openly use illicit drugs under the supervision of health care workers or others trained in reversing overdoses after a state Senate committee Wednesday voted down a bill that would have provided a legal pathway for the sites. (Paul, 4/26)
AP: Ex-UCLA Gynecologist Sentenced To 11 Years In Sex Abuse Case
A former gynecologist at the University of California, Los Angeles was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years in prison for sexually abusing female patients, in a criminal trial that came after the university system made nearly $700 million in lawsuit payouts connected to the case. Dr. James Heaps, 66, has been in custody since a jury convicted him in October of three counts of sexual battery by fraud and two counts of sexual penetration of two patients. After sentencing Heaps, Judge Michael D. Carter ordered him to register as a sex offender, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said. (4/27)
Minnesota Public Radio: Minnesota Sees Sharp Increase In Syphilis Cases
Syphilis cases in Minnesota rose 25 percent in 2022, reaching their highest level in years according to new data from the Minnesota Department of Health. Syphilis is a sexually-transmitted infection spread through direct contact with a sore. (Wiley, 4/26)
Wyoming Public Radio: As Seasonal Animal Activity Increases, The Wyoming Department Of Health Warns Of Rabies Dangers
The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) is warning Wyomingites of the dangers of rabies as seasonal animal activity increases during the spring and summer. While there hasn’t been a noticeable increase in the number of rabies cases statewide, a rabies season is more noticeable during some periods of the year. (Cook, 4/25)
The Texas Tribune: Unaccompanied Migrant Children Face Unique Health Care Challenges
The number of migrant children traveling to the United States without a parent or guardian reached a record high last year, with nearly 130,000 eventually detained in federal shelters after crossing the border alone. In the same time period, 19,071 unaccompanied migrant children were released from federal shelters to Texas relatives or sponsors while their immigration cases made their way through the U.S. legal system. A new report released this week by the Migration Policy Institute and the American Academy of Pediatrics took a closer look at barriers to health care these children face once they are released to families and how those obstacles can impede their success in the United States. (Simpson, 4/26)
