Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Chemical Leak At Six Flags Water Park In Texas Sends 31 To Hospitals
Houston Chronicle: Dozens Affected By Chemical Leak At Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown In Spring
Thirty-one people were taken to hospitals Saturday afternoon after being affected by a chemical exposure at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Splashtown in Spring, authorities said, as they closed the facility until further notice. A lifeguard first became sick in an area around a kiddie pool at the water park before more people, including children, started feeling ill, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said. Fifty-five people refused to be transported to a hospital by ambulance after being decontaminated by firefighters. (Serrano, 7/17)
NBC News: During Pandemic, Hospitals See Rise In Alcohol-Related Liver Disease
Just months into the pandemic, Kelly White, a 52-year-old mother of three, found herself extremely nauseous and unable to handle alcohol. White, of Chicago, had been laid off when the country locked down, and she found herself at home with nothing to do. Having struggled with alcohol in the past, she found comfort in drinking, and began to increase her alcohol intake by threefold, often starting early in the morning and drinking throughout the day. (Syal, 7/17)
Sacramento Bee: Could Tarantulas Hold The Secret To Relieving Chronic Pain?
Using $1.5 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health, researchers at UC Davis, are looking into whether venom from the widely feared tarantula spider could help relieve chronic pain. “Spiders and scorpions have millions of years of evolution optimizing peptide, protein and small-molecule poisons in their venom, which we can take advantage of,” said Bruce Hammock, a distinguished professor of entomology who is working on the new pain reliever. “The same venoms that can cause pain and neurological dysfunction can also help nerves work better and reduce pain.” Hammock has decades of experience in developing a novel approach to relieving chronic pain. His Davis-based EicOsis earned a Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the development of an oral drug candidate, EC5026, which prevents the breakdown of compounds in the body that keep people from feeling pain out of proportion to their injury. (Anderson, 7/18)
The New York Times: Jury Awards $125 Million After Walmart Fires Woman With Down Syndrome
On Thursday, a jury in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, in Green Bay, found that Walmart had violated the Americans With Disabilities Act, which bans discrimination based on an employee’s disability, and awarded Marlo Spaeth $125 million in punitive damages and $150,000 in compensatory damages. (Levenson, 7/18)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: LSU Medical Students Honored For Helping Ill Passenger On Airline Flight
LSU's president and New Orleans' mayor praised two medical students who rendered emergency aid to a fellow passenger on an airline flight to New York. Lauren Bagneris and Heather Duplessis stepped up on the flight in June, while bound for Greece to celebrate the end of their first year at LSU Health. "Greece has been like a bucket list thing," Duplessis said. "I was really just excited to relax with my sisters and with Heather, of course, so we could have a great time and see a beautiful country," Bagneris said. It was a trip to remember. (Cunningham, 7/17)
The Hill: DC Mayor, Nationals Issue Joint Statement Against Gun Violence
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Washington Nationals condemned the “senseless acts of gun violence” that took place just outside Saturday night's game in a joint statement issued on Sunday. Three people were wounded on Saturday in a shooting just outside Nationals Park, where the Nationals were playing the San Diego Padres. It created a scary scene, with fans rushing from the seats uncertain about where the shots were coming from. (Vakil, 7/18)
In news about health and race —
CNN: Black Americans Are Battling 'Three Pandemics,' New Report Finds
Higher unemployment rates, lower household incomes and lack of access to health care left Black Americans more vulnerable to the Covid-19 pandemic and there is an urgency to address these structural inequities, according to a new report on the state of Black America released Thursday by the National Urban League. The report titled "The New Normal: Diverse, Equitable & Inclusive," concluded that Black people are facing the burden of "three pandemics," which include racial inequity in health care, economics and public safety. (Terry Ellis, 7/15)
Axios: Why Communities Of Color Don't Trust Science
The pandemic mantra has been to "trust the science" — but many people of color don't and won't. The reasons range from the abuses of eugenics to historic hurdles to getting care. Science that supports medical breakthroughs has long taken advantage of people of color. Overcoming the resulting suspicion could take generations. (O'Reilly, 7/17)
