Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Department Of Justice Says Iowa's Lack Of Disabled Services Violates ADA
AP: Federal Report: Iowa Violates Rights Of Disabled People
The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday issued a strong condemnation of the way Iowa treats people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, telling the state it must find ways to care for people in community settings and not in institutions. In a letter and a 33-page report sent to state officials, Kristen Clarke, an assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s civil rights division, said that after a yearlong investigation they have concluded there is reasonable cause to believe Iowa violates the federal Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide services that integrate people with intellectual disabilities into their communities. (Pitt, 12/9)
In other news from the Midwest —
Stat: In Minneapolis, Heavy Policing Is Tied To Higher Rates Of Preterm Births
The longstanding toll of police violence on Black communities came into sharp relief last year with the murder of George Floyd. Now, a research team from Minneapolis, a city traumatized by the police killings of Floyd and other unarmed Black men, has published a study showing that the impact of even routine policing extends deeply and pervasively into communities, and may adversely affect the health of pregnant women and their babies. (McFarling, 12/8)
Milkwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Needs More Therapists But State Backlog Stalls Licensing
Jessie Richardson graduated in December 2020 with a master's degree and a job offer in hand. There was just one last step to officially start her career as a therapist, a profession in serious need of more bodies as a growing number of Americans need help with their mental health. In January, she turned in the paperwork to receive her training license for the job. (Heim, 12/8)
Indianapolis Star: Indy Hunger Network's Community Compass App Expands Statewide
A mobile app and website designed to help Marion County residents find food assistance has been expanded statewide. Community Compass, launched in Marion County in February 2020, is now available to Hoosiers across the state, Indy Hunger Network announced in a Wednesday news release. Users can map hunger relief resources such as food pantries and free meals or groceries and helps them determine eligibility for federal nutrition assistance programs. (Hays, 12/8)
In news from Rhode Island, Florida and Texas —
CIDRAP: Rhode Island Confirms Its First Jamestown Canyon Virus Case In 8 Years
Rhode Island has confirmed its first case of Jamestown Canyon virus infection since 2013, according to a Dec 6 news release. The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) said a person from Kent County in his or her 50s tested positive for the mosquito-borne disease. Symptoms first developed in September and led to hospitalization. (12/8)
Health News Florida: As Flu Season Begins, Blood Shortages Continue
Donating blood is personal for Sydney Bednoski. After a family friend passed away due to complications involving a low platelet count, Bednoski said she realized how critical it is for healthy individuals to give blood and began to donate more often herself. However, the need for blood donations this year is more critical than most. The American Red Cross announced that it is experiencing a critical blood supply shortage this year, with its lowest supply of blood in more than a decade heading into the holidays and into flu season. (Blair, 12/8)
In news from California and Arizona —
San Francisco Chronicle: ‘They Ambushed Me’: California Medical Official Says She Was Stalked By COVID Misinformation Group
The president of California’s medical board said she was “followed and confronted” by members of a group under investigation by a U.S. House of Representatives panel for promoting dubious COVID-19 treatments, saying they flew a drone over her family’s Walnut Creek home and “ambushed” her outside her office. Kristina Lawson, chief executive of law firm Hanson Bridgett who has served on the state medical board since 2015, described the ordeal on Twitter, saying it started when strangers parked outside her home Monday morning and ended in a parking garage for her office “when four men jumped out of the SUV with cameras and recording equipment and confronted me as I tried to get into my car to drive home.” (Johnson, 12/8)
Albuquerque Journal: Group Urges Revision To Medical Malpractice Law
A group of independent physicians and medical practices say they are preparing to close their offices or curtail work Dec. 31 unless New Mexico revises its new medical malpractice law – a development they say would worsen the state’s chronic shortage of health care providers. The group is proposing revisions they say would clarify the law to respond to questions raised by their insurance carriers, not make wholesale changes. (McKay, 12/7)
