Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Bill Targeting 'Forever Chemicals' Awaits Wisconsin Governor's Signature
AP: Wisconsin Senate Passes $133M Package To Combat Forever Chemicals
The Wisconsin Legislature sent a $133 million plan to combat contamination from so-called forever chemicals to Gov. Tony Evers for his approval Tuesday, promising an end to years of squabbling between the Democratic governor and Republican lawmakers over the issue. Evers said immediately after the Senate approved the bills Tuesday afternoon that he would sign them into law. The rare bipartisan compromise offers at least some hope for the scores of Wisconsin villages, towns and cities grappling with PFAS pollution in their groundwater. (Richmond, 3/17)
Minnesota Public Radio: Minnesota Department Of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm Has New Role
Gov. Tim Walz announced Tuesday that former Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm will work with Minnesota hospitals to address financial challenges. (Zurek, 3/17)
Jackson Hole Community Radio: About A Dozen Patients Turned Away After Last Week’s Abortion Ban
By the end of last week, more than 10 patients had been turned away and two scheduled procedures have been cancelled at the state’s only clinic for medication and procedural abortions. (McMurtry, 3/17)
St. Louis Public Radio: Rolla Bans Some Forms Of Kratom And Regulates Other Supplements
Rolla is the latest municipality in Missouri to restrict the sale and possession of plant-based supplements including Kratom. The Rolla City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Monday night making synthetic kratom and 7-hydroxymitragynine (also known as 7-OH) illegal to possess or sell. The measure also makes natural kratom, delta-7 THC and delta-8 THC available only to people over 21. (Ahl, 3/17)
St. Louis Public Radio: St. Louis Wraps First Year Of Code Blue Homeless Shelter Plan
Homeless services providers and city officials agree that St. Louis’ new protocol to help vulnerable people during the coldest days of winter was an improvement over other years. The city activated its new Code Blue cold-weather plan more than four dozen times this winter to protect homeless residents, according to officials. (Fentem, 3/17)
On the spread of measles and bird flu —
CIDRAP: South Carolina Measles Outbreak Reaches 997 Cases
The South Carolina measles outbreak stands at 997 cases after just one new case was reported in recent days, suggesting the outbreak may be nearing containment. The outbreak began in the Upstate region last October, and was linked to several private schools with low vaccination rates among the student body. Cases mounted and then soared over the holidays, with multiple exposures at churches noted. (Soucheray, 3/17)
The Texas Tribune: 136 Measles Cases Reported In Texas So Far This Year
At least 136 measles cases have been reported in Texas this year. The vast majority of them are in federal detention facilities, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. (Nguyen, 3/17)
MedPage Today: New Mexico Offers Model To Manage Measles Outbreaks
New Mexico paired a broad public communications campaign with expanded statewide access to measles vaccination for children and adults to end a 2025 measles outbreak and boost statewide measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination rates. The state's multipronged strategy could offer other states a model as the U.S. grapples with local and regional outbreaks of the highly infectious respiratory virus, said Chad Smelser, MD, of the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) in Santa Fe, and colleagues in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (Rudd, 3/17)
CIDRAP: More Animals Die From H5N1 Avian Flu At Ano Nuevo State Park In California
California officials have confirmed that nine more elephant seals, a sea lion, and an otter have died from avian flu H5N1 at Ano Nuevo State Park in San Mateo County. “As you probably imagine, this count reflects only the animals that have gone through sampling and confirmatory testing in multiple labs,” Christine Johnson, VMD, PhD, director of the Institute for Pandemic Insights at University of California, Davis told local media. “So there are likely more animals that we will be updating on in the coming weeks.” (Soucheray, 3/17)
