Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Across US, Thousands Of Inmates Live In Dangerously Hot Prisons
The Texas Tribune: Texas Prisons Without A/C “Living Hell” For Inmates During Hot Summer
Every summer, Texas prisoners and officers live and work in temperatures that regularly soar well into triple digits. More than two-thirds of the state’s 100 prisons don’t have air conditioning in most living areas, putting tens of thousands of men and women under the state’s care in increasingly dangerous conditions. Climate change is expected to bring even hotter summers. The heat has killed prisoners and cost millions of taxpayer dollars in wrongful death and civil rights lawsuits, with a recent fatal heat stroke reported in 2018. (McCullough, 8/24)
Kansas City Star: People In MO, KS Prisons With No AC Endure Scorching Summers
At the Algoa Correctional Center in Jefferson City, without air conditioning, the best a prisoner can hope for on intensely hot days is some ice. (Moore and Nozicka, 8/24)
In more news about heat —
Storm Center: Humid Heat Could Be A Better Indicator Of Heat-Related Health Risks
High heat combined with high humidity can be a recipe for multiple heat-related health risks. A recent analysis shows that equivalent temperatures, a metric of humid heat, has been increasing since the 1950s, and could contribute to dangerous living conditions now and in the future. (Feito and Ballard, 8/23)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
AP: Kemp Allots $125M In Federal Money For School Health Centers
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced Tuesday he would allot $125 million in federal COVID-19 relief money to expand school-based health centers. It’s the latest move by Kemp to spend federal money as he runs for reelection against Democrat Stacey Abrams. (Amy, 8/23)
AP: Nebraska Lawmaker Plans Bill To Legalize Medical Marijuana
A Nebraska lawmaker from Omaha is promising to introduce a bill to legalize medical marijuana in the state after similar measures failed to collect enough valid signatures to appear on the November ballot. Sen. Jen Day said in a news release Tuesday that she will introduce legislation in the upcoming legislative session slated to begin Jan. 4. (8/23)
The Colorado Sun: Colorado Plans To Require Biosolids Testing On Forever Chemicals
Wastewater treatment plants may have to start testing for presence of PFAS “forever chemicals” in biosolids as early as next year, and those plants may be required to investigate upstream sources of the toxic substances, Colorado regulators say. (Booth, 8/23)
AP: South Carolina's Mental Health Director To Resign Nov. 1
The director of South Carolina’s Department of Mental Health is giving up the post he’s held for two years, officials said. Dr. Kenneth Rogers, a psychiatrist hired to run the agency in April 2020, announced last Thursday at an executive session of a meeting of the Mental health Commission that he would be leaving the department effective Nov. 1, The State reported. (8/23)
AP: U. Michigan Study To Help Those With Autism Improve Driving
University of Michigan researchers are studying how well people with autism spectrum disorder can detect road hazards, and plan to assist the young motorists in sharpening their driving skills. The upcoming effort will be the second phase of a project funded by Ford Motor Co. that teams the Ann Arbor university with a local driving school. (Householder, 8/23)
North Carolina Health News: Healthy Opportunities Pilot? What's That?
What would it mean for a health care program to actually pay for the things that help people be healthy, instead of just paying for care once they get sick? That’s what North Carolina’s Medicaid office started trying this past March when the program launched a first-of-its-kind program: the Healthy Opportunities Pilot, or HOP for short. (Donnelly-DeRoven, 8/24)
KHN: A Needle Exchange Project Modeled On Urban Efforts Aims To Save Lives In Rural Nevada
Richard Cusolito believes he’s saving lives by distributing clean syringes and needles to people who use drugs in this rural area of northeastern Nevada — but he knows some residents disagree. “I’m hated in this town because of it,” said Cusolito, 60. “I’m accused of ‘enabling the junkies,’ pretty much is the standard term. People don’t get the impact of this whole thing.” (Orozco Rodriguez, 8/24)
