Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CMS Nursing Home Staffing Standards Aren't Realistic, Fla. Association Warns
News Service of Florida: Nursing Home Association Warns Feds That Staffing Proposal Is Unattainable
Objecting to a “one size fits all” model, Florida’s largest nursing home industry group is opposing a federal proposal that would set staffing standards. Emmett Reed, chief executive officer of the Florida Health Care Association, sent a letter last week to the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that warned most nursing homes could not meet the proposed standards. (11/7)
Los Angeles Times: L.A. County Physicians Weigh Possible Strike
Physicians and dentists who work for hospitals and clinics run by Los Angeles County and who care for patients in its jails and juvenile facilities are weighing a possible strike over what union officials argue are inadequate benefits that have hampered employee retention and led to alarming levels of vacancies. The Union of American Physicians and Dentists said its members will begin voting Tuesday on whether to authorize a strike after more than two years of negotiations with the county failed to address their concerns. (Alpert Reyes, 11/7)
On the opioid crisis —
The Washington Post: D.C. Council Urges Mayor Muriel Bowser To Declare Emergency On Opioids
The D.C. Council passed a measure Tuesday urging Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) to declare a public health emergency over the escalating opioid crisis, which is on pace to kill more than 400 D.C. residents for the fourth year in a row. The resolution comes at a time when advocates are pushing for the D.C. government to combat substance use disorder with the same vigor officials have shown in addressing the crime wave, which is the subject of new legislation. (Portnoy and Flynn, 11/7)
The Boston Globe: Momentum Builds For Safe Consumption Sites In Massachusetts
“How many more people need to die before we take action?” said McGovern, a city councilor and former mayor. “Every one of those people was a 10-year-old kid once, who dreamed of playing second base for the Red Sox or becoming a doctor or a lawyer.” Frustrated by the opioid crisis, McGovern is among a growing number of public officials in Massachusetts embracing the creation of supervised consumption sites, which a multitude of studies have shown to save lives, reduce the spread of infectious diseases, and improve access to treatment. (Serres, 11/7)
New Hampshire Public Radio: NH Aims To Reimburse Jails' Drug Treatment Costs With Latest Opioid Settlement Money
The commission deciding how New Hampshire will spend millions of dollars received from a settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors plans to use $9.4 million to reimburse six county corrections departments and one local police department for past expenses related to the drug crisis. The bulk of that money will go to county jails, to offset some of what they spent on addiction treatment for incarcerated people between July 2020 and May 2023. (Cuno-Booth, 11/7)
