Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
COVID Outbreak At Va. Juvenile Detention Center Wasn't Reported
The Washington Post: Covid-19 Outbreak At Fairfax Juvenile Detention Center
Officials said a coronavirus outbreak has sickened more than a dozen workers and residents at Fairfax County’s Juvenile Detention Center, prompting questions from staff members about the precautions taken against the virus and how its spread was handled. Eight workers and six juveniles have tested positive for the coronavirus at the Fairfax City facility since Sept. 29, officials said, making it one of the worst known outbreaks at a local youth center since March. (Jouvenal, 10/8)
In news from Georgia and Florida —
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Families, Activists Want Criminal Investigation Into Cobb Inmate Deaths
Community activists and family members of inmates who’ve died at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center held a town hall meeting Wednesday to continue to press for answers on why their loved ones didn’t return home alive. The ACLU of Georgia, Cobb County Southern Christian Leadership Conference and several community groups gathered at Marietta’s Glover Park to request a criminal investigation into the deaths at the jail during Sheriff Neil Warren’s tenure. (Dixon, 10/8)
Tampa Bay Times: A ‘Golden-Hearted Young Man’: Another Florida Corrections Officer Dies Of COVID-19
Londell Woodbury, a correctional officer who worked at Reception and Medical Center in Lake Butler, died from complications related to COVID-19, Warden Joseph Edwards wrote in an email to prison employees in Northeast Florida. Woodbury was 23. ... Florida Department of Corrections officials on Thursday declined to comment on Woodbury’s cause of death, citing “privacy laws.” His death is not reflected on the state’s COVID-19 prison death report, which is updated every Wednesday and shows three COVID-19 deaths of workers statewide. The lack of transparency mirrors past instances in which the department either delayed or failed to reveal key information about COVID-19, including deaths, as the virus tore through the state’s prison system. (Ceballos, 10/9)
In news from Vermont and Massachusetts —
Burlington Free Press: Vermont Is Restarting Criminal Trials. How Will It Keep The Public Safe?
Jury trials in Vermont's state criminal courts are poised to restart soon after months of delay during the COVID-19 pandemic. The courts canceled non-essential hearings, including trials, in March when the pandemic began affecting Vermont. Since then, the courts have begun slowly reopening operations, according to the Vermont Judiciary. (Murray, 10/7)
WBUR: Mass. Public Defenders Call For More COVID Testing In Correctional Facilities After Recent Outbreaks
The state public defender agency is calling for testing every person incarcerated in Massachusetts for the coronavirus. The Committee for Public Counsel Service points to recent outbreaks of the virus at two correctional facilities, a jail in Middleton and a facility for men civilly committed for addiction treatment in Plymouth. (Becker, 10/8)
In news from California —
San Francisco Chronicle: ‘This Is A Public Health Crisis’: New Push To Allow Safe Drug Use Sites In S.F. And Oakland
State Sen. Scott Wiener said Thursday he plans to reintroduce controversial legislation next year that would allow for safe drug-use sites in San Francisco and Oakland. Wiener’s efforts to pass similar legislation have faced challenges over the past few years. The sites are aimed at reducing opioid overdoses and encouraging users to go into treatment while allowing them to get high under supervision. (Ravani, 10/8)
San Francisco Chronicle: S.F.-Marin Food Bank Ratifies Union Contract After Yearlong Battle Where Workers Alleged Institutional Racism
The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, one of the Bay Area’s most prominent hunger relief nonprofits, was thrust into the spotlight this year, as long lines formed at food pantries and the need for food swelled. But behind the scenes, there’s been a yearlong battle going on after workers voted to unionize — something they finalized just recently. After simmering discontent about institutional racism and lack of worker protections, the food bank and its staff have agreed on a new contract. (Bitker, 10/7)
