Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Carbon Monoxide Gas Kills 4, Sends 141 To Hospital In Louisiana After Ida
New Orleans Times-Picayune: Four Dead, 141 Treated In Hospitals For Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Since Ida, Health Department Says
The Louisiana Department of Health announced Monday afternoon that four people have died of carbon monoxide poisoning and 141 people have been treated for inhalation of the deadly, odorless gas since Hurricane Ida. When the storm left nearly 600,000 people without power, many looked to the portable generator — a tried and true way to get at least some power their homes. It's unclear how many of the carbon monoxide poisoning incidents are directly related to generator use, but there was a major spike in cases after the storm. (Pierce, 9/6)
CBS News: Several Louisiana Nursing Home Evacuees Die In Warehouse Used As Storm Shelter
A nurse detailed horrifying conditions at a Louisiana warehouse where hundreds of nursing home patients were relocated before Hurricane Ida made landfall. At least seven nursing home residents have died after being moved to a warehouse facility in Tangipahoa Parish where more than 800 residents from seven nursing facilities were kept as Ida tore through Louisiana. (Mitchell, 9/6)
Axios: New Orleans Senior Facilities Where Bodies Found "Unacceptable" — Mayor
New Orleans officials are investigating what Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Monday called "unacceptable" conditions in several senior apartments, after five people were found dead in the complexes in the wake of Hurricane Ida. New Orleans Health Department teams discovered the bodies during wellness checks at senior apartment complexes, which found eight facilities unfit for occupancy, per a City of New Orleans statement Sunday. (Falconer, 9/7)
In news from North Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama —
North Carolina Health News: NC ‘Hotspot’ For Colorectal Cancer In Black Men. Have You Been Screened?
Colorectal cancer, cancer that affects the colon and rectum, is personal for Charles Rogers. Rogers recently went back home to rural North Carolina for a family cookout and found out one of his cousins was 17 years overdue for his colonoscopy. The Sanford native and assistant professor of family and preventive medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine has devoted his research to inequalities in men’s health. “I gave him a little education about the importance of screening,” Rogers said. (Thompson, 9/7)
AP: West Nile Case In Shelby County Tennessee's 3rd This Year
A person who contracted West Nile virus in Shelby County is Tennessee’s third case of the illness this year, health officials said. In a news release Friday, the Shelby County Health Department did not identify the person who got the illness, which is transmitted to humans through mosquito bites. (9/7)
AP: Statewide Moment Of Silence To Remember Lives Lost To Virus
Alabama hospital officials are planning a statewide moment of silence to remember those who have died with COVID-19. The Alabama Hospital Association is helping to organize the Tuesday vigil to remember the more than 12,000 Alabamians who lost their lives during the coronavirus pandemic and support those who are battling the virus, Al.com reported. The event is set for noon on Sept. 7. (9/6)
Modern Healthcare: Alabama Redirects $12.3 Million In CARES Funding To Mitigate Nursing Shortage
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey reallocated $12.3 million of CARES Act funding to help overwhelmed hospitals attract travel nurses, state authorities announced Friday. Hospitals across the country, particularly in the South, are struggling to keep up with COVID-19 surges among the unvaccinated. The latest influx of acute COVID-19 cases has exacerbated lingering staffing shortages, prompting calls for higher pay, better working conditions and more training programs. "I'm pleased to see more folks getting vaccinated, but we are still in the thick of COVID-19 and our hospitals are overwhelmed," Ivey said in a news release. "Until our vaccination rates rise and our COVID-19 hospitalization rates fall, we will need the extra support these nurses provide." (Kacik, 9/3)
In news from Arizona and New Mexico —
AP: Tucson's 2nd Exam Site For Sexual Assault Victims Opens
A second forensic examination site for sexual assault victims has opened in Tucson. The Arizona Daily Star reports that the site opened last week at Banner-University Medical Center Tucson. The site is supported by a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Justice Department. In Arizona, such exams must have been completed by certified sexual assault nurse examiners for evidence from a survivor’s sexual assault kit to be admissible in court. (9/6)
AP: Albuquerque Jail Offers Treatment For Opioid Addiction
The Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque has begun a program to give buprenorphine to people in jail who are already using it to treat their opioid addictions. The Albuquerque Journal reports that the buprenorphine maintenance program can provide an average of 22 inmates per day with the medication. (9/6)
