Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Climate Change Hits Health, Debate Deepens On How Many People It Kills
NPR: Multiple Death Counts For Climate-Related Disasters
Despite the growing danger from climate-driven disasters, there is no single, reliable count of who is dying as a result of extreme weather in the United States. For any given weather disaster, multiple government agencies publish independent — and often widely differing — death counts. (Hersher and Borunda, 6/10)
Also —
KFF Health News: Nursing Homes Are Left In The Dark As More Utilities Cut Power To Prevent Wildfires
When powerful wind gusts created threatening wildfire conditions one day near Boulder, Colorado, the state’s largest utility cut power to 52,000 homes and businesses — including Frasier, an assisted living and skilled nursing facility. ... The practice, also known as public safety power shut-offs, has taken root in California and is spreading elsewhere as a way to keep downed and damaged power lines from sparking blazes and fueling the West’s more frequent and intense wildfires. (Ruder, 6/10)
KFF Health News: Heat Rules For California Workers Would Also Help Keep Schoolchildren Cool
Proposed rules to protect California workers from extreme heat would extend to schoolchildren, requiring school districts to find ways to keep classrooms cool. If the standards are approved this month, employers in the nation’s most populous state will have to provide relief to indoor workers in sweltering warehouses, steamy kitchens, and other dangerously hot job sites. The rules will extend to schools, where teachers, custodians, cafeteria workers, and other employees may work without air conditioning — like their students. (Young, 6/10)
