Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
911 Calls Are Delayed In Maryland; Dispatcher Strike Avoided In Pa.
The Baltimore Sun: Anne Arundel Residents Say They’re Being Put On Hold When They Call 911. County Says Call Center Needs Adjustments
Arnold resident Kirsten Neumann’s daughter Vivian is 4 years old and has been in remission for a year from stage four neuroblastoma — a cancer that grows in immature nerve tissue. Vivian is participating in a clinical trial for a drug to treat the illness. On Feb. 16, the day after she got a shot as part of the trial, Vivian had a low-grade fever. Neumann gave her Tylenol and a few minutes later Vivian started choking, turning blue and seizing. Neumann stuck her finger down Vivian’s throat to induce vomiting, which helped the choking, but she continued to seize. Neumann called 911. “I was greeted with, ‘I’m sorry, we’re experiencing a high call volume. Please hold.’ Elevator music came on and then it disconnected,” Neumann said. (Munro and Belson, 3/10)
WTAE Pittsburgh: Allegheny County 911 Dispatchers, Other County Employees, Reach Deal With County To Avoid Strike On March 12
The SIEU Local 668 union, which represents Allegheny County 911 dispatchers and hundreds of other county employees reached a tentative deal with county officials on Wednesday to avoid a dispatcher strike. The dispatchers had been at odds with the county over long hours and a better living wage. They had said they would strike this Saturday, the same day as the St. Patrick's Day Parade. (3/10)
In abortion news from Idaho —
AP: Texas-Styled Idaho Abortion Measure Advances In House
A House panel of Idaho lawmakers on Wednesday approved a bill that would ban abortions after cardiac activity is detected in an embryo — at about six weeks of pregnancy — by allowing extended family members of the patient to sue a doctor who performs one. The House State Affairs Committee voted to send the measure to the full House where it is expected to pass. It has already passed the Senate. (Ridler, 3/9)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
AP: Health Care Bill Advances For Kids Who Are Illegally In US
A bill providing state taxpayer-funded health care for children who are in the country illegally and ineligible for Medicaid or other federally funded coverage has cleared a House committee. The Democrat-led committee voted unanimously Wednesday to release the bill for consideration by the full House. (Chase, 3/9)
North Carolina Health News: A Widow’s Mission To Change NC Dental Sedation Rules
When Shital Patel accompanied her husband Henry to a dental appointment in Leland on July 30, 2020, she was told it would not be long before he returned to the lobby of Mark Austin’s oral surgery practice. Hemant “Henry” Patel, a cardiologist with ties to the New Hanover Regional Medical Center, had gone to Austin Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery for a tooth implant procedure. “They told me, it’s going to be 20 minutes ma’am, he’ll be in and out, no problem,” Patel recounted to the North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners at a meeting in February. “Twenty, 30 minutes go by, I ask, ‘Hey, can you update me?’ They said, ‘Oh we got a late start,’ which I completely understand being married to a physician. Wait another 15, 20, 30 minutes, and I ask again. They say, ‘We already told you, we got a late start.'” Patel’s anxiety grew. (Blythe, 3/10)
New Hampshire Public Radio: A New Mental Health Hotline Is Coming. What Could It Look Like For Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Granite Staters?
A small group Deaf and hard of hearing Granite Staters participated in an hour-long listening session this week to offer feedback on the rollout of the three-digit mental health hotline coming to New Hampshire this summer.Starting in July 2022, Granite Staters will reach the National Suicide Prevention Hotline by dialing the three digit number 9-8-8. For calls that require in person support, mobile crisis units, staffed with behavioral health professionals will respond. In preparation for the summer launch, these teams have already been rolling out across the state, in tandem with a new statewide phone number, 1-833-710-6477. “We want to talk more about the system and how they [Deaf and hard of hearing people] can get support at their own home without being hospitalized,” said DT Bruno, a member of the 988 planning commission who is Deaf. Bruno, who is also a clinician in Nashua, led the Monday evening call. (Fam, 3/9)
Mississippi Today: Some Mentally Ill Mississippians Wait In Jail For Hospital Beds. Here's Why
Last winter, a George County woman spent weeks waiting in jail for a bed at a mental health facility. Civil commitment – when a local court orders someone to be hospitalized for treatment – is supposed to be used when a person with a serious mental illness is in crisis, not when someone has addiction, an intellectual disability or dementia. The George County woman’s diagnosis was “major neurocognitive disorder,” an umbrella term that includes dementia. In September 2021, local Community Mental Health Center staff recommended against hospitalizing her. (Taft, 3/9)
