Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
California Supreme Court Upholds Forced Mental Health Treatment Law
San Francisco Chronicle: California Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To Newsom’s CARE Court Plan To Address Mental Illness
The state Supreme Court declined Wednesday to block a law sponsored by Gov. Gavin Newsom requiring thousands of mentally ill Californians to accept court-ordered treatment, a program that disability-rights groups said would force people into care arbitrarily and violate their privacy and autonomy. (Egelko, 4/19)
On the gun violence epidemic —
Detroit Free Press: Michigan Lawmakers Send 'Red Flag' Law Gun Bill To Whitmer
Michigan Democrats in the state Legislature took the final step to pass gun safety measures Gov. Gretchen Whitmer asked for at the start of the year with votes on bills to establish a so-called "red flag" law, empowering courts to temporarily remove guns from those posing a danger to themselves or others. (Hendrickson, 4/19)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
Anchorage Daily News: Alaska Senate Advances Postpartum Medicaid Coverage Extension
The Alaska Senate unanimously voted Wednesday to advance legislation that would extend Medicaid coverage for new mothers as a way to address Alaska’s rising maternal mortality rate. The U.S. has the highest infant and maternal mortality rates of any developed country, and Alaska’s rates are higher still. Maternal mortality rates include deaths during pregnancy, in childbirth and 12 months after delivery. Rates are rising, both in Alaska and across the nation, according to the state Department of Health. (Maguire, 4/19)
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Senate OKs Medically Assisted Suicide
Physician-assisted suicide is a step closer to being legal in Nevada after senators voted on a razor-thin margin to pass a resolution Wednesday. Lawmakers voted 11-10 to advance Senate Bill 239, with all Republicans voting against the measure, along with Democratic state Sens. Dina Neal, D-North Las Vegas, and James Ohrenschall, D-Las Vegas. (Avery, 4/19)
Politico: RJR Uses California As Test Market For Skirting Upcoming National Menthol Cigarette Ban
Sales of cigarettes that mimic menthol are soaring in California after the state outlawed most flavored tobacco — a sign that the industry is undermining the new law and raising doubts about the Biden administration’s plans to ban menthol cigarettes later this year. R.J. Reynolds launched its “California compliant” cigarettes, which contain an artificial, flavorless cooling chemical, when the state’s ban went into effect in December. By March, sales of the new cigarettes were on pace to replace nearly half of menthol sales compared with last year, according to an expert who tracks cigarette sale trends. (Foley and Bluth, 4/19)
Stat: Discrimination Lawsuit Against HHMI Spotlights Barriers Faced By Scientists With Disabilities
University of Michigan pediatric neurologist Vivian Cheung made a name for herself studying rare genetic diseases, and in 2008 — when she was on the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania — was hired as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, an honor for which she received $1 million a year over the next 12 years to further her research. But after Cheung herself developed a genetic condition so rare it doesn’t have an official name, causing her to start losing her vision, HHMI decided to stop funding her. (Métraux, 4/19)
Bangor Daily News: American Lung Association Says Bangor Has 5th Cleanest Air In The Country
Bangor has the fifth-cleanest air of any U.S. city, outranked only by cities in Hawaii, Wyoming and North Carolina, according to the American Lung Association. (Burnham, 4/19)
