Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
An Inmate Died During Extreme Heat Inside California Women's Prison
San Francisco Chronicle: ‘Help Us, We Can’t Breathe’: Inmate At California Women’s Prison Dies During Heat Wave
A woman incarcerated at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla died Saturday during a statewide heat wave and prisoner advocates are blaming her death on heat exhaustion. The woman was hospitalized on July 4 and died two days later, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesperson Mary Xjimenez said Monday afternoon. ... Advocates with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners faulted extreme temperatures inside the prison for the woman’s death. (Mishanec, 7/8)
The New York Times: Intense Heat Suspected In 4 Weekend Deaths In Oregon
A blistering heat wave is believed to have killed four people in the Portland, Ore., area, officials said on Monday, and is expected to push temperatures into the triple digits this week across the Western United States, from Washington to Arizona. The medical examiner’s office in Multnomah County, Ore., which includes Portland, said that heat was suspected in three deaths in the county between Friday and Sunday, after record temperatures scorched the region. A fourth person, who was transported to a Portland hospital from outside the county, also died from an illness that was believed to be heat-related. (Fortin and Wolfe, 7/8)
NBC News: Health Risks Linked To Extreme Heat Linger Even As Temperatures Drop
Heat accumulates over time in people’s bodies, and the risk of a heart attack, heatstroke or other medical ailment often rises over time. Some experts said medical risks due to heat often trail behind the rise in temperatures — but spike as the days of risk add up. “Usually you see deaths from heat waves not from the first day, but on the second and third day,” said Dr. Lisa Patel, a clinical associate professor who practices as a pediatrician at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. (Bush, 7/8)
More health news from across the U.S. —
Bay Area News Group: Public Exposed To Measles In Santa Clara And Santa Cruz Counties
Santa Clara County health officials are urging members of the public to review their immunization records after a person with measles visited the area last week. The person, who lives in another state, traveled to three locations in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties while contagious, according to the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. (Green, 7/8)
The Boston Globe: First Partial Heart Transplant In New England Helps 4-Year-Old Boy
Amy Mangan was hopping between pillows and sofa cushions with her two sons, pretending the living room floor of their New Jersey home was boiling lava, when she got a phone call telling her to drive to Boston right away. ... It was the first so-called “partial heart transplant” in New England, a potentially life-saving cutting-edge operation designed specifically for children, primarily for valve defects. (Saltzman, 7/8)
Wyoming Public Radio: 988 Suicide Hotlines Answer Rates Are Up In Some Western States, But Gaps Remain
The 988 suicide hotline has offered 24/7 crisis care to callers nationwide for almost two years, but answer rates still vary widely in the West. In Wyoming, answer rates for the three-digit hotline hovered at 90% last year, according to a new report from mental health group Inseparable. Angela Kimball, chief advocacy director for Inseparable, said that number nearly doubled in the past few years. The organization lists 90% as its target response rate. (Hanna Merzbach, 7/8)
North Carolina Health News: New Program Aims To Ease Summer Hunger For N.C. Children
Madhu Vulimiri, deputy director of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Child and Family Well-Being, says summer is often the “hungriest time of year” for food-insecure households. It can be an especially harsh season, she said, for low-income families that rely on the National School Lunch Program, which provides free or reduced-cost meals to more than 900,000 students in North Carolina. The meals stop when public schools adjourn for the summer, leaving many children at risk of going undernourished over the long break. (Baxley, 7/9)
Consumer Reports: What To Know About An Aggressive Tick Species Spreading Across The U.S.
Lone star ticks used to be found mostly in the Southeastern United States, but they are on the move — and their numbers are growing. They’re becoming more and more common in Northern states, and even parts of Canada, where they were once scarce. (Roberts, 7/8)
