Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Construction Companies Sued In Deadly NY Legionnaires' Outbreak
NBC News: Lawsuits Accuse Construction Companies In NYC In Deadly Legionnaires Outbreak
A pair of construction companies overlooked safety concerns, causing a “completely preventable” outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York City that's killed at least five people and sickened dozens more, according to lawsuits filed Wednesday. ... "This medical tragedy that led to the deaths of five citizens from Harlem, that we know about, was a completely preventable outbreak," the plaintiffs' attorney, Ben Crump, told reporters. (Li, 8/20)
More outbreaks and health threats —
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Man Infected By Brain-Eating Amoeba In Lake Of The Ozarks Has Died
A man battling a rare brain infection from an amoeba in Lake of the Ozarks has died, state health officials confirmed Wednesday. The man died Tuesday at a St. Louis area hospital. No other information was provided. (Munz, 8/20)
AP: Flesh-Eating Bacteria Infections: States Alert Beachgoers To Vibrio Vulnificus Threat
States are warning beachgoers about a summertime surge in infections from a frightening, flesh-eating bacteria found in coastal waters. Vibrio vulnificus are becoming an annual threat along the Gulf Coast and — increasingly — up the Eastern Seaboard. People should listen to the warnings, said Bernie Stewart, a 65-year-old retired bounty hunter in Florida who counts himself lucky to have survived an infection. In August 2019, Stewart’s right leg was infected while he was kayak fishing in Pensacola Bay. (Stobbe, 8/20)
WUSF: Hillsborough Reports Locally Acquired Case Of Dengue
A locally acquired case of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne illness, has been confirmed in Hillsborough County, state health officials said Tuesday. In response to the report, Hillsborough’s mosquito control division is conducting aerial spraying and other preventive measures to limit mosquito activity. (Mayer, 8/20)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
North Carolina Health News: Despite Years Of Safety Violations, Holly Hill Looks To Treat More Patients
A for-profit psychiatric hospital in Raleigh — regularly sanctioned by regulators and visited by police due to fights, patient escapes and reports of alleged sexual assault — is expanding to serve more people. Last year, Holly Hill Hospital announced a partnership with the Raleigh Police Department in which officers would take people in mental distress directly to the hospital’s campus in downtown Raleigh instead of first going to a hospital emergency department or other facility for evaluation. (Knopf, 8/21)
Bloomberg: Texas Warns Health Providers Who Mailed Abortion Pills To State
Texas officials are warning health care providers to stop sending abortion pills into the state or risk fines and prosecution, as Attorney General Ken Paxton seeks to halt the flow of medicine that’s circumventing local restrictions. Prosecutors wrote to three providers last week, including a California doctor and a Delaware women’s health clinic, citing evidence that they had sent the drugs that can end a pregnancy to women in Texas. (Flitter, 8/20)
The Washington Post: Nitrogen Gas Execution Scheduled In Alabama As Legal Challenges Grow
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) on Monday set an October date for the state’s next execution by nitrogen gas despite pending lawsuits in her state and Arkansas from prisoners alleging the death penalty method violates inmates’ rights. Anthony Boyd, 53, is scheduled to be put to death on Oct. 23 or 24 despite his lawsuit challenging Alabama’s use of nitrogen for executions as unconstitutionally “cruel and unusual” under the Eighth Amendment. A federal judge has scheduled a Sept. 4 hearing in the case. (Sheinerman and Bellware, 8/20)
AP: Cellphone Bans Are Changing Classrooms In More Than 33 States
Jamel Bishop is seeing a big change in his classrooms as he begins his senior year at Doss High School in Louisville, Kentucky, where cellphones are now banned during instructional time. ... Kentucky is one of 17 states and the District of Columbia starting this school year with new restrictions, bringing the total to 35 states with laws or rules limiting phones and other electronic devices in school. (Amy, 8/21)
The Washington Post: FTC Sues LA Fitness Operators Over Difficult-To-Cancel Memberships
The Federal Trade Commission sued LA Fitness and other gym franchises on Wednesday over memberships that it said are “exceedingly difficult” to cancel — the agency’s latest effort to force companies to make cancellations more straightforward. The lawsuit filed in a California district court accuses Fitness International and subsidiary Fitness & Sports Clubs — which operate gym franchises including LA Fitness, Esporta Fitness, City Sports Club and Club Studio — of unfair practices. Their gyms have more than 600 locations and over 3.7 million members nationwide, according to the FTC. (Vinall, 8/21)
