Criminal Group Accused Of Hacking Health Data Of 1.2 Million In Florida

Tampa Bay Times: Tampa General Reports Confidential Data Of 1.2 Million Patients Hacked
A “criminal group” stole confidential information of about 1.2 million Tampa General Hospital patients, including Social Security numbers, the hospital announced Wednesday. The theft of information came to light after the hospital detected “unusual activity” on its computer systems on May 31. (O'Donnell, 7/19)

The Washington Post: Florida Kept Disabled Kids In Institutions. A Judge Is Sending Them Home
Cayden Armour has lived most of his life in a Florida nursing home, where his father said the disabled 9-year-old was often left alone in his room, sitting in soiled diapers for hours. Cayden, who has multiple medical complications after nearly drowning as an infant, is one of many children in Florida who have been separated from their families and institutionalized rather than getting state-provided at-home care. (Morris, 7/19)

AP: 4 Members Of A Florida Family Are Convicted Of Selling A Fake COVID-19 Cure Through Online Church
Prosecutors called the Grenons “con men” and “snake-oil salesmen” and said the Bradenton family’s Genesis II Church of Health and Healing sold $1 million worth of their so-called Miracle Mineral Solution. In videos, it was pitched as a cure for 95% of known diseases, including COVID-19, Alzheimer’s, autism, brain cancer, HIV/AIDS and multiple sclerosis, prosecutors said. What the Grenons were selling was actually chlorine dioxide, officials said. When ingested, the solution becomes a bleach that is typically used for such things as treating textiles, industrial water, pulp and paper, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Authorities said it is the same as drinking bleach and can be fatal. (7/20)

Tampa Bay Times: As She Battles Cancer, Sun City Center Mom Fights For Medicaid For Her Son
Branden Petro can never be left alone. He was 8 when mitochondrial disease began affecting his body’s capacity to convert sugar and oxygen into the energy his organs need to function. The hereditary condition makes breathing, swallowing and sleeping a struggle. He has lost the ability to talk and is dependent on diapers. Branden, 21, also has up to five seizures a day. Each one brings the risk of cardiac arrest, so a family member always sleeps by his side. (O'Donnell, 7/20)

In news from California —

Los Angeles Times: Newsom Threatens To Fine Temecula School District In LGBTQ+ Controversy
Two San Francisco Democrats were at the center of a chaotic school board meeting in Southern California on Tuesday: Gov. Gavin Newsom and slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk. During the nine-hour Temecula Valley Unified meeting, which ran past midnight, some parents spoke in support of the conservative majority on the school board and its bucking of state standards for inclusive and diverse education. (Mays, 7/19)

Los Angeles Times: Over 34,000 L.A. County Households Lost Medi-Cal In July
More than 34,000 households in Los Angeles County have had their Medi-Cal coverage discontinued this month as California joins other states in beginning to cut off people from Medicaid programs who no longer meet income requirements or whose paperwork was not submitted in time. (Alpert Reyes, 7/19)

In news on gender care —

Reuters: Louisiana Lawmakers Reassert Ban On Gender-Affirming Care, Overriding Veto
A ban on gender-affirming healthcare for transgender children is due to take effect in Louisiana on Jan. 1, after the state legislature overrode Governor John Bel Edwards' veto of the bill, according to state officials. The legislature, which acted late on Tuesday, becomes the latest Republican-led state to ban trans-focused healthcare. Louisiana's House Bill 648 - called the "Stop Harming Our Kids Act" - bans hormone treatments and puberty-blocking drugs, gender-affirming surgeries and other related care for anyone under the age of 18. (Nostrant, 7/19)

NBC News: Colorado Children's Hospital Halts Gender-Affirming Surgery For Adult Patients
A Colorado children’s hospital has stopped offering transition-related operations for transgender patients 18 and older, a hospital spokesperson confirmed Tuesday. The hospital said it never provided such surgery for minors. Rachael Fowler, a spokesperson for Children’s Hospital Colorado, said in a statement that, because of "unprecedented referrals," the hospital "made the difficult decision to no longer provide gender-affirming surgical procedures for adult patients 18 years of age and older." (Espadas Barros Leal, 7/19)

On other health news from across the country —

Houston Chronicle: Conjoined Twin Boys Separated At Texas Children's Hospital
Texas Children’s Hospital announced last week that its surgeons had performed a complex operation to separate conjoined twin sisters. This week, the hospital revealed it had pulled off a similar procedure just 10 months earlier. (MacDonald, 7/19)

North Carolina Health News: Governor Pushes Aging Plan For North Carolina
During Gov. Roy Cooper’s final full year in office, his administration will make a first-time, major push to benefit North Carolina’s fast-growing older population through new funding and changes in state operations according to interviews with principals and state documents. Cooper’s legislative initiative will emerge during 2024 as the result of a public-nonprofit-business collaboration called “All Ages, All Stages NC: A Roadmap for Aging and Living Well,” which is set forth in an executive order on the topic. (Goldsmith, 7/20)

The Charlotte Observer: What We Learned Investigating NC Pregnancy-Related Deaths
The News & Observer and Charlotte Observer this week published a deep dive into the increasing number of North Carolina women dying from pregnancy complications – and the toll on families left behind. The investigation revealed that pregnancy and childbirth is riskier in North Carolina than it is in the United States overall. (Dukes, Rosenbluth and Sparks, 7/20)

Iowa Public Radio: Iowa's First Anniversary Of 988 Shows Demand For Mental Health Support Remains High
This month marks a year since 988 launched. That’s the new, easier-to-remember number for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and it comes at a time when the demand for mental health support is increasing across the country. What is 988? 988 is the new, easy to remember number for the national suicide prevention lifeline, which had been a 10-digit number. The number started back in 2020 when President Donald Trump signed a bipartisan bill creating the three-digital hotline for mental health emergencies. It launched on July 16 of last year. (Krebs and Masters, 7/19)