Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Death Toll From Extreme Heat Nears 30
The Washington Post: Heat Wave Sweeping The U.S. Has Caused At Least 28 Deaths, Reports Show
A searing heat wave that has gripped much of the United States in recent days is suspected of killing at least 28 people in the last week, according to reports from state officials, medical examiners and news outlets. The number, which is based on preliminary reports from California, Oregon and Arizona, is likely to grow as authorities assess the death toll of a heat wave that began last week, delivering record-breaking temperatures throughout the West and scorching East Coast cities. As of Wednesday, more than 135 million people across the Lower 48 were under heat alerts, many of which are expected to continue until the weekend. (Phillips,7/10)
The Washington Post: As Extreme Heat Bakes The West, Emergency Helicopters Struggle To Fly
The call came at 2 p.m. Sunday: A driver suffered a brain injury in a traffic accident and needed to be flown to a different hospital as soon as possible. Lead helicopter pilot Douglas Evans noted the 116.6-degree temperature in Redding, Calif., where he would need to land. The tarmac was probably even hotter. In 27 years of operating medical helicopters around California, Evans had never had to cancel a flight because of excessive heat — until now. (Mellen, 7/10)
On the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl —
The Texas Tribune: Beryl Power Outages Force 17 Texas Hospital To Use Generators
Electricity outages caused by Hurricane Beryl in Houston and southeast Texas forced health care providers there into a sharp pivot on Wednesday as they were forced to hold onto discharged patients longer instead of having them return to powerless homes baking in the summer heat. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick addressed the scramble in a news conference, pointing to how Houston officials transformed NRG Arena, one of the event spaces used by the city’s annual rodeo and livestock show, into a field hospital for 250 discharged patients to free up space in local hospitals. (Simpson, 7/10)
Houston Chronicle: NRG Arena To Hold 250 Patients Discharged From Houston Hospitals
NRG Arena is being converted into a 250-bed facility for patients who have been discharged from hospitals but cannot return to homes without power, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced Tuesday. The move, which Patrick announced during a news conference with Mayor John Whitmire and other Houston leaders, will alleviate a backup in some local hospitals and free up space for new patients. (MacDonald, 7/10)
NPR: Power Outages Can Be Risky For Those Relying On Medical Devices
As power outages caused by grid failures or extreme weather become more common — Hurricane Beryl leaving millions without electricity in Texas is the most recent example — people who rely on home medical devices face a growing risk. Some 4.5 million Medicare recipients and likely millions more of those with private insurance use such electricity-dependent equipment, including electric wheelchairs, hospital beds, ventilators and oxygen concentrators. (Graves, 7/11)
