Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
California Pharmacies Make Millions Of Mistakes Every Year, Data Show
Los Angeles Times: California Pharmacies Make Millions Of Prescription Errors Each Year
Officials at the regulatory board say they can only estimate the number of errors because pharmacies are not required to report them. Most of the mistakes that California officials have discovered, according to citations issued by the board and reviewed by The Times, occurred at chain pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens, where a pharmacist may fill hundreds of prescriptions during a shift, while juggling other tasks such as giving vaccinations, calling doctors’ offices to confirm prescriptions and working the drive-through. (Petersen, 9/5)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
AP: Georgia Can Resume Enforcing Ban On Hormone Replacement Therapy For Transgender Youth, Judge Says
Georgia can resume enforcing a ban on hormone replacement therapy for transgender people under 18, a judge ruled Tuesday, putting her previous order blocking the ban on hold after a federal appeals court allowed Alabama to enforce a similar restriction. Attorneys for the state had asked Judge Sarah Geraghty to vacate the preliminary injunction in light of the Alabama decision. (Thanawala, 9/5)
KCUR: New Missouri Law Will Help Pay Student Loans For Health Workers
Ten years ago, state Rep. Kent Haden’s rural northeastern Missouri district had a thriving medical community. Dozens of doctors and hundreds of nurses and other staff lived and spent money in the area, while working at two hospitals in Mexico and Fulton. But that all changed when a private equity-backed startup bought the hospitals and shut them down in 2022. Not only did the area lose two of its largest employers, but Haden’s community lost much of its medical care. (Ujiyediin, 9/6)
The CT Mirror: CT Will Help Paraeducators Pay Health Care Costs With $5M Subsidy
State officials on Tuesday announced a one-time $5 million subsidy that will help thousands of paraeducators across the state pay health insurance bills this year that are not covered under local school district health plans. (Altimari, 9/5)
New Hampshire Bulletin: Some Kids Get Dental Care In NH Schools. Advocates Aim To Make That Universal
Nearly 30 years ago, a group of hygienists, school nurses, and dentists in greater Derry grew concerned that students were coming to school with such painful tooth decay they were missing class. If kids weren’t getting to the dentist, they asked, could dental care come to kids? (Timmins, 9/5)
The Washington Post: 97 D.C. Neighborhood Leaders Urge Change In City Response To 911 Calls
Nearly 100 neighborhood representatives in D.C. signed a letter sent to city leaders Tuesday decrying the operations at the city’s 911 center and calling for more transparency. “These chronic problems have diminished residents’ faith in our city’s emergency response system, and in your ability, as city leaders, to resolve them,” the letter said. (Davies and Diaz, 9/5)
KFF Health News: Even In The Most Depressed County In America, Stigma Around Mental Illness Persists
Sitting on a bench laughing with a co-worker during a morning smoke break, Debra Orcutt quickly raises her hand when asked if she knows anyone dealing with depression. “I am,” she tells a visitor to the roadside market where she bakes brownies and peanut butter fudge. Orcutt, 63, has used medication to manage her depression for more than two decades since her son, Kyle, died at age 4 from a congenital illness. “There were days I couldn’t leave the house,” she said. (Galewitz, 9/6)
On abortion and maternal care —
The New York Times: As Abortion Laws Drive Obstetricians From Red States, Maternity Care Suffers
One by one, doctors who handle high-risk pregnancies are disappearing from Idaho — part of a wave of obstetricians fleeing restrictive abortion laws and a hostile state legislature. Dr. Caitlin Gustafson, a family doctor who also delivers babies in the tiny mountain town of McCall, is among those left behind, facing a lonely and uncertain future. When caring for patients with pregnancy complications, Dr. Gustafson seeks counsel from maternal-fetal medicine specialists in Boise, the state capital two hours away. But two of the experts she relied on as backup have packed up their young families and moved away, one to Minnesota and the other to Colorado. (Stolberg, 9/6)
The 19th: Legislative Elections In Virginia Will Test Support For Abortion Rights
Voters in Virginia will decide control of the state’s legislature this fall, choosing to cement the state’s Democratic “brick wall” against abortion restrictions or clear a path for Republicans to enact a 15-week ban championed by the state’s governor, Glenn Youngkin. Every seat in the state’s legislature will be up for grabs this November, setting up an expensive and narrow fight that will likely come down to just a handful of competitive seats. (Barclay, 9/5)
Stat: How A Conservative Doctor Defended Abortion In Appalachia
When Wes Adams’ youngest son was little, he’d sometimes toddle over to the TV, pop in a cassette, and watch himself being born. It was a home video, filmed by his older brother. There was his mother, her belly anesthetized but her head very much awake, asking the doctors to keep the incision small, please. There was his dad’s medical partner, making the cut for the C-section. And there was his dad, an OB-GYN, helping to maneuver him, slick and bawling, out into the world. (Boodman, 9/6)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Students in California prepare for college life in states with restrictive abortion laws, and funds may be on the way to help train Americans caring for aging loved ones at home. (9/5)
