Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Colorado Tightens Funeral Home Rules But Withholds Inspection Reports
KUNC: Colorado Law Meant To Restore Trust In Funeral Homes Blocked Public Access To Inspection Reports
Until last summer, Coloradans who wanted to learn more about problems inspectors found at funeral homes could get copies of their reports. The documents would reveal whether refrigerators storing bodies were set at the correct temperature, whether the facility was sanitary, whether or not workers had the proper equipment and if records were properly maintained. But state regulators say the legislature removed the public’s access to funeral home inspection reports last year in the same bill they passed to tighten regulations on the industry. (Franz, 4/4)
More health news from across the U.S. —
AP: Nominee For South Carolina's Top Doctor Toppled By Lingering COVID Anger
A South Carolina Senate committee rejected the Republican governor’s nominee to be the state’s top doctor after hours of hearings dominated by the state’s response to the COVID pandemic. Just one of 13 Republicans on the Senate Medical Affairs Committee voted for Dr. Edward Simmer ‘s nomination to lead the new Department of Public Health — in contrast to the Republican-dominated Senate’s overwhelming endorsement of Simmer in 2021 as head of the state’s old public health and environmental agency. (Collins, 4/4)
Minnesota Public Radio: Sexual Health Education In Minnesota Could Change
Most Minnesota parents have long supported comprehensive sexual health education for students, and Minnesota school districts have the power to do more on sex education than what the state requires — and students can opt out from the curriculum. The question under discussion now is whether to require districts statewide to do more. (Stroozas, 4/4)
Kansas City Star: KC Fire Stations Could Become Drop Off Points For Newborns
Rather than seek an abortion, parents who want or need to give their newborns up for adoption anonymously could surrender their babies at climate-controlled boxes installed at Kansas City fire stations under a proposal introduced Thursday by 1st District Councilman Nathan Willett. (Hendricks, 4/4)
The Washington Post: Baltimore Sues DraftKings, FanDuel For Driving ‘Compulsive Gambling’
The city of Baltimore filed a lawsuit Thursday against sports betting companies DraftKings and FanDuel, accusing them of violating state and city law by engaging in “unfair and deceptive practices. ”In a complaint filed with the Baltimore City Circuit Court on behalf of the city’s mayor and municipal council, the two sites were accused of employing misleading promotions to lure people into signing up with their platforms, then using reams of data to identify users least able to resist enticements to keep gambling. (Bieler, 4/3)
On rural health care —
San Francisco Chronicle: People In This Rural California Town Are Dying Of Rodent-Borne Virus
Three people in Mammoth Lakes (Mono County) have died of hantavirus, the rodent-borne virus that killed Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, health officials announced Thursday. Human cases of hantavirus — which spreads through contact with infected deer mice — are rare. Fewer than 100 California residents have been diagnosed with the respiratory illness since 1980, according to the state Department of Public Health. (Mishanec, 4/3)
The Washington Post: EPA Cuts Could Leave Small Rural Towns Choking In Smoke
When wildfire smoke drifts into the Methow Valley, it tends to stay, settling in the folds of the Cascade foothills like a choking fog. Recent summers have brought weeks-long binges of unhealthy air to one of Washington state’s poorest counties, rivaling some of the most polluted cities in the world. Countering this intensifying threat are small nonprofit organizations such as the Methow Valley Citizens Council, which has been distributing air purifiers, maintaining a network of air quality monitors, and spreading the message about how to keep safe when the smoke rolls in. Much of that work was funded by a three-year, $440,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, which got cut off last week amid the agency’s push to slash spending. (Partlow and Ajasa, 4/3)
