Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
California Assembly OKs $90M Funding Bills For Planned Parenthood Clinics
The Sacramento Bee: Lawmakers Send $90 Million Grant Package For Planned Parenthood Clinics To Newsom
Both chambers of the California Legislature voted Monday to send a $90 million grant package for women’s health clinics to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, moving quickly to shore up the state’s reproductive health programs against cuts pushed by President Donald Trump’s administration. (Graham, 2/9)
More California news —
The Sacramento Bee: Bill In California Legislature Would Make It A Crime To Collect DNA Without Consent
A new bill proposed by an Orange County assemblymember would make it a crime to steal someone’s DNA — such as collecting genetic material from a discarded cup, straw or strand of hair and submitting it for testing without permission. (Hunt, 2/9)
The Sacramento Bee: California Sues Companies That Sell Code For Making 3-D Printed Ghost Guns
Two Florida companies that provide computer code and designs for making 3-D printed guns and ammunition magazines are being sued by the state of California and the city of San Francisco, who say its products are allowing people to create illegal ghost guns. (Bernstein, 2/9)
AP: Lawyer Likens Social Media Platforms To Addictive Drugs In Opening Comments In Landmark Trial
Comparing social media platforms to casinos and addictive drugs, lawyer Mark Lanier delivered opening statements Monday in a landmark trial in Los Angeles that seeks to hold Instagram owner Meta and Google’s YouTube responsible for harms to children who use their products. Instagram’s parent company Meta and Google’s YouTube face claims that their platforms addict children through deliberate design choices that keep kids glued to their screens. TikTok and Snap, which were originally named in the lawsuit, settled for undisclosed sums. (Huamani and Ortutay, 2/10)
San Francisco Chronicle: She Begged California's CARE Court To Help Her Son. He Died 10 Days After It Dismissed His Case
She begged California's CARE Court to help her son. He died 10 days after it dismissed his case. (Bollag, 2/9)
Other health news from across the U.S. —
The Colorado Sun: Hours Of Tearful Testimony Result In Pause To Some Medicaid Cuts For Coloradans With Disabilities
Colorado Medicaid officials are pausing a few proposed cuts that would have affected children and adults with severe disabilities who are cared for at home by family members after state lawmakers found the cuts too painful to support. (Brown, 2/9)
North Carolina Health News: Clinic Offers Same-Day Mental Health Care During Primary Care Visits
When a patient expresses a mental health concern to their primary care provider, that typically generates a referral to a behavioral health specialist. Then that specialist contacts the patient to schedule an appointment. It can take multiple tries to get the appointment scheduled, and then the first available slot is sometimes weeks away. By then, the opportune moment to engage with the patient has likely passed, or their mental health issue may have escalated into a crisis. (Knopf, 2/10)
St. Louis Public Radio: For Some St. Louisans Living On The Street, Frostbite Can Cause Lasting Harm
It’s been months since Tonya Henderson has felt her hands. Originally from California, Henderson has been in St. Louis for about a year, sometimes sleeping on church porches and sometimes in a tent near the Wells-Goodfellow neighborhood. “These freeze bites are no joke, these burns are no joke,” Henderson said. “It hurts, it hurts! My toes hurt. Nothing else is cold but my toes and my fingers.” (Fentem, 2/9)
Floodlight: Louisiana Bets Big On ‘Blue Ammonia.’ Communities Along Cancer Alley Brace For The Cost.
From her home in Donaldsonville, La., less than three miles from the world’s largest ammonia plant, Ashley Gaignard says the air itself carries a chemical edge. The odor, she said, is sharp and lingering. Years ago, when her son attended an elementary school about a mile from the massive CF Industries ammonia production facility, he would begin wheezing during recess, she recalled. His breathing problems eased only after he transferred to a school several miles farther away. (Alexander, 2/10)
The 19th: Weaker EPA Rules Put Black Women's Health At Higher Risk
Rhonda Anderson has spent nearly three decades fighting for clean air and water in Detroit. As an environmental justice organizer with the Sierra Club, she led campaigns to raise awareness about lead poisoning of babies and children in the vicinity of steel mills and is part of a Clean Air Act lawsuit against the EES Coke Battery, a local industrial facility. (Kutz, 2/9)
