CDC Says TB-Linked Bone Graft Material Went To Facilities In 6 States
Politico reports on CDC data showing three more patients have tested positive for TB linked to bone graft material from Aziyo Biologics in addition to two earlier cases. The material was sent to facilities in six states. Also: human swine flu in Michigan, free menstrual products in Ohio schools, more.
Politico:
CDC Investigators Find More TB Infections Linked To Bone Graft Materials
Three more patients have tested positive for tuberculosis linked to bone graft materials from Aziyo Biologics, the CDC said Wednesday, adding to the two cases previously identified by health officials, one of whom has died. There are also at least 36 patients who underwent a surgical or dental procedure using the suspected contaminated materials, CDC said, and they are all being treated as if they have tuberculosis because of the risk to their health of waiting for confirmatory testing. (Ollstein and Garner, 7/26)
Detroit Free Press:
Lapeer County Child Has Michigan's 1st Human Swine Flu Case Of 2023
A Lapeer County child who was an exhibitor at the Oakland County Fair is believed to have Michigan's first human case of swine flu this year, state health officials said Wednesday. (Jordan Shamus, 7/26)
WUFT:
UF Health Rolls Out Florida’s First Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit
More than 15,000 Floridians die from a stroke each year. Some strokes last for a few minutes while others continue for hours or even days. How quickly someone having a stroke receives care can mean the difference between full brain function and a lifelong disability — or death. That was on the minds of UF Health emergency staff as the new mobile stroke treatment unit hit the road Tuesday in Gainesville. It is the only mobile stroke treatment unit in Florida and one of 20 mobile stroke programs in the nation. (Shanes, 7/27)
News Service of Florida:
Corrections Officer Takes His Firing Due To Medical Marijuana To The Florida Supreme Court
A former Florida Department of Corrections officer has gone to the state Supreme Court in a dispute about his firing for using medical marijuana. An attorney for former officer Samuel Velez Ortiz filed a notice last week that is a first step in challenging a June 21 decision by a panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal that upheld the firing. Velez Ortiz, who was approved by a doctor to use medical marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder related to previous military service, failed a random drug test in 2021, ultimately leading to his firing under the department’s “zero tolerance” policy. (7/27)
Columbus Dispatch:
Period Poverty: Ohio Schools Will Start Providing Free Pads, Tampons
The days of Ohio girls skipping class or hunting for a friend with spare feminine hygiene products are about to be over. The Buckeye State will start providing free pads and tampons to students this fall. The $5 million appropriation for dispensers and free products was passed as part of the state's two-year budget and will start being doled out in October. (Staver, 7/26)
Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Nevada Youth Psychiatric Facility Not Fighting License Revocation
A Nye County youth psychiatric facility that faced allegations of child abuse is no longer fighting the revocation of its state license. The Department of Health and Human Services announced in April, weeks after the Las Vegas Review-Journal published an investigation into the facility’s conditions, that it was revoking the license for the Never Give Up Youth Healing Center in Amargosa Valley. (Newberg, 7/26)
Anchorage Daily News:
Anchorage Surpasses Homeless Outdoor Deaths Record, Reports 6 Deaths In Less Than A Week
Twenty-nine people believed to be homeless have died outside in Anchorage so far in 2023, far surpassing last year’s grim record — with five months left to go in the year. More than half died in the months since the city closed the Sullivan Arena mass shelter to most residents on May 1, according to incident data from the Anchorage Police Department. Six people died in just a four-day period in July. (Theriault Boots, 7/27)
The Boston Globe:
First Six Months Of The State’s Mental Health Overhaul Reveal Promise And Challenges
When Lynn’s 15-year-old daughter started acting erratically earlier this month, the Methuen mother turned to a new source of help: the state’s Behavioral Health Help Line. She was skeptical; in the four years since her daughter started showing signs of bipolar disorder, Lynn had found little help when crises occurred. But still, she gave it a try. (Freyer, 7/27)
The Texas Tribune:
Texas Family Scrambles After Their Disabled Child Loses Medicaid
Jodi Whites glanced through tears in the rearview mirror at her 3-year-old daughter, Amelia, who was slumped in her car seat, pale-faced, lethargic and unresponsive. The 37-year-old mom of five repeated the same words loudly to her daughter as she tried to keep her awake. They were going to the hospital. They would figure it out. Everything would be fine. That day in April, emergency room doctors explained that an absence seizure, in which the patient is unresponsive, had caused Amelia to lose consciousness and start choking at school. They sent her home with medicine to prevent another. (Bohra, 7/28)
