Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Don't Leave Kids In Cars: 3 Children Die Of Heat Exposure In Recent Days
The Washington Post: Children Die In Hot Cars In Three States, Prompting Grief And Warnings
Three young children — ages 4, 1 and 11 months — died in recent days after being left or becoming trapped in hot cars for hours in Washington state, Texas and Florida, according to authorities. The deaths of the children, two of whom were left in vehicles as their parents went to church and work, increased the number of hot-car deaths among children this year to six, according to NoHeatStroke.org, a website that tracks hot-car deaths. The six deaths so far this year are double the total at this point last year, according to California meteorologist Jan Null, who tracks the incidents on the website. (Bella, 5/31)
AP: Georgia's Highest Court Rules State Lactation Consultant Law Is Unconstitutional
Georgia’s highest court has ruled that a law that requires people who provide lactation care and services to be licensed by the state and only allows people who have obtained a specific certification to obtain a license violates the state Constitution. The opinion issued Wednesday by the Georgia Supreme Court says the 2016 law violates the due process rights of certain lactation care providers to practice their chosen profession. It stems from a lawsuit filed in June 2018, right before the law was set to take effect. (Brumback, 5/31)
Minnesota Public Radio: More LGBTQ+ People Can Now Give Blood, But Minnesota Donation Centers Say The Change Could Take Months
Less than a week after the Food and Drug Administration announced new guidance that would allow more gay and bisexual people to give blood, Wesley Milla went out to donate. It’s been more than 10 years since he last gave blood. As a nurse, currently in graduate school to become a nurse anesthetist, the St. Paul resident sees first-hand the need for blood donations. “When they made this ruling, and they made this decision, part of me was really excited that I could contribute and that I could give blood again,” he said. But when he got to the Red Cross, he was told he’d still have to wait. (Wiley, 6/1)
The CT Mirror: CT House Approves Overhaul To Aspects Of Elder Care System
With safety violations in nursing homes on the rise, more people choosing to age at home and an older adult population set to balloon in the coming decades, lawmakers in the House of Representatives unanimously approved a bill Tuesday night that overhauls aspects of the elder care system in Connecticut. (Carlesso and Altimari, 5/31)
WUSF Public Media: Malaria Case Brings Mosquito-Borne Illness Warning In Manatee And Sarasota Counties
Health officials in Sarasota and Manatee counties have issued a mosquito-borne illness warning after confirming a case of malaria in the area. The Florida Department of Health in Manatee said the person who was infected spent extensive time outdoors, was treated promptly at a hospital and has recovered. Authorities say the type of malaria, known as P. vivax, is not as fatal as others. (Tierney, 5/31)
On the opioid crisis and other drug use —
AP: California Advances Fentanyl Bills Focused On Prevention, Increased Penalties
California lawmakers have advanced more than a dozen bills aiming to address the fentanyl crisis, including some that would impose harsher prison sentences for dealers, ahead of a critical deadline this week. Legislators in the Assembly and Senate debated measures on Wednesday as they tried to wrap up several hundred pieces of legislation before Friday — the last day a bill can pass out of its original chamber and get a chance to become law later this year. (Nguyen, Beam and Austin, 6/1)
Bloomberg: Xylazine Sedative Accelerates US Opioid Crisis, Officials Say
A little-known animal tranquilizer is accelerating the deadly US opioid epidemic, frustrating health officials and lawmakers, who can’t keep the drug out of people’s hands. The sedative, called xylazine, was implicated in more than 3,000 overdose-related deaths in the US in 2021, likely an undercount, health officials say. In the same year more than a third of overdose deaths in such heavily affected areas as Philadelphia involved the drug, usually in combination with fentanyl. Regulators are scrambling to track down its source while doctors search for ways to treat affected patients. (Peng, 5/31)
Axios: How State Laws Flag Pregnant Patients With Opioid Use Disorder To Protective Services
Some state policies that require reporting pregnant patients who use illicit drugs to child protective services also use treatment for opioid use disorder as a proxy for alleged child abuse and neglect. (Moreno, 6/1)
The Hill: ATF: Marijuana Users In Minnesota Can’t Own Firearms Despite New Law
Just one day after Minnesota legalized the recreational use of marijuana, an agency that regulates the use of firearms warned that any current user of marijuana is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (AFT) field office in St. Paul, Minn., issued the clarification Tuesday shortly after Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed a bill legalizing recreational marijuana. The clarification states that under federal law, current users of marijuana are prohibited from possessing, receiving, transporting or shipping firearms or ammunition. (Sforza, 5/31)
