Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Amid The Heat Wave, Bacteria Shut Many Massachusetts Beaches
The Boston Globe: More Than 70 Massachusetts Beaches Remain Closed Due To High Bacteria Levels
It was a hot and muggy Tuesday afternoon at Lynn Beach, but the closest John Quigley could bring himself to the water was a bench far back from shore. As the unpleasant odor from the brown-stained water indicated, Lynn and nearby King’s Beaches were closed because of high bacteria levels. “King’s Beach has been polluted for what seems to be forever,” said the 67-year-old Lynn native, noting he was frustrated but not surprised that he couldn’t go swimming. (Mohammed and Obregón Dominguez, 7/20)
In other news from across the country —
The Boston Globe: COVID-19 Waste Water Numbers Are Ticking Up Again
Coronavirus waste water numbers have nearly tripled just three weeks after dropping to their lowest levels in two years, suggesting that cases of COVID-19 are ticking up in the greater Boston area. (Obregón Dominguez, 7/20)
The New York Times: New York’s Moldiest Neighborhoods
There are household nightmares, and then there’s mold. Getting rid of mold can be expensive and disruptive. Even worse, according to the World Health Organization, mold can trigger allergic reactions, aggravate asthma and release the mycotoxins that can cause acute poisoning. Mold is also linked to serious diseases like cancer and disorders like immune deficiency. (Kolomatsky, 7/20)
Los Angeles Times: E. Coli Sickens California Tourist Town
Maria McCloud’s 1-year-old granddaughter got sick first — vomiting and diarrhea and a fever.A few days later, McCloud began to feel ill, as did several other children in the home. Probably the stomach flu, the family figured. And then they got a notice from the water district in this Northern California mountain town: E. coli had been found in the water supply. (Garrison, 7/20)
KFF Health News: Industry Groups In California Vie For New Medicaid Money
California’s powerful health care industry just notched a historic win: The state is going to give it an $11.1 billion infusion to improve care for millions of low-income Medicaid patients. But the intense jockeying over the money is only beginning. (Hart and Young, 7/21)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 1 In 3 Wisconsinites Due For Renewal Kept Coverage, State Data Shows
About 30% of Wisconsin Medicaid members who were in the first group to be due for renewal since the end of pandemic-era policies kept their coverage, according to newly released data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. (Shastri, 7/20)
The Texas Tribune: Medicaid Removal In Texas Brings Stress As 500,000 People Dropped
For seven years, Maricela Delcid has guided Texans through the Medicaid application minefield, working past language barriers and documentation issues out of a community center in Houston. But her clients have never been more confused or frustrated than now, since the state began booting people from the program after a years-long period of continuous coverage. (Bohra, 7/21)
The CT Mirror: As CT Medicaid 'Unwinds,' Community Health Centers Help Patients
On March 31st, a pandemic policy that prevented states from kicking people off Medicaid came to an end. Connecticut is now in the middle of an immense undertaking to reevaluate eligibility for broad swaths of enrollees for the first time in three years. The vast majority of the roughly 274,000 people who went through unwinding in April, May and June are keeping their coverage, but the process has been stressful for individuals with Medicaid, and also for the organizations that serve them. Community health centers, or CHCs, are playing a critical role. (Golvala, 7/21)
WUSF Public Media: A Malaria Patient In Sarasota County Shares Her Story: 'It Was Just Surreal'
At first, Hannah Heath thought she might have food poisoning. The north Sarasota resident was vomiting and had chills and a fever. But several days later she was still really sick. “Finally I called my husband and I was like, ‘You have to take me to the ER, I think I’m dehydrated; I think I need an IV,’ ” said Heath, 39. This was in late June, and Heath said she wasn't aware yet that malaria cases were cropping up in Sarasota County. When doctors at Sarasota Memorial Hospital told her she likely had the disease, she felt disbelief. (Colombini, 7/20)
Wyoming Public Radio: Families With Kids Aged 5 And Under May Qualify For Free Nutritious Food And Breastfeeding Support
The Wyoming WIC program has expanded its eligibility rules. WIC is a joint federal and state program that is officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. Wyoming Department of Health's spokesperson Kim Deti said it now serves families with incomes up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level. Mothers and other caregivers of children up to five years old can get nutritious food at no cost, plus other benefits. (Kudelska, 7/20)
Minnesota Public Radio: More Minnesota Kids Hospitalized Due To Opioid Exposure
The Minnesota Poison Control System is reporting another dangerous result of the opioid epidemic: a rise in the number of Minnesota children hospitalized due to fentanyl exposure. Since January of 2022, an organization official said it’s been contacted about 66 children under age 3 requiring medical care due to exposure to opioids, including fentanyl. The number of children exposed is probably underreported, said Dr. Travis Olives, associate medical director. (Marohn, 7/20)
