Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Family Tried To Get Help For Walmart Stabbing Suspect, Brother Says
Bridge Michigan: Brother: Walmart Attack Suspect A Danger For Years, ‘Fell Through Cracks Every Time’
The family of a homeless man with mental issues accused of stabbing 11 people at a Walmart near Traverse City on Saturday say they’ve begged authorities to institutionalize him for decades. The man’s brother, Shane Gille, said he yelled at law enforcement officers who arrived at his Pellston home on Sunday to tell him his brother was in custody. “I laid into them,” Gille told Bridge Michigan. “We've been throwing flags for the last 28 years that he needs a kind of placement.” “Things need to change,” he continued, adding that his family offers “condolences to the families and the victims that have had to endure this. This is a completely tragic incident that was completely preventable.” (Newman, 7/28)
On the gun violence epidemic —
The New York Times: Details Emerge Of Park Ave. Gunman’s Mental Health History
The New York City police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, said on Monday that law enforcement officials in Nevada had described Mr. Tamura as having a “documented mental health history.” On Tuesday, a law enforcement official briefed on the matter said that Mr. Tamura had been the subject of multiple calls related to mental health logged by the Las Vegas police. He was held involuntarily for 72 hours after mental health crises at least twice, once in 2022 and again last year, according to two other law enforcement officials, one of whom said the holds had occurred in Nevada. He had been charged with criminal trespass and received traffic citations in Nevada, records show. (Haag, Marcius and Cramer, 7/29)
The New York Times: Even New York’s Strict Gun Laws Couldn’t Prevent The Midtown Shooting
Despite New York’s stringent gun laws and the office building’s tight security, law enforcement officials and legal experts said, the shooting — the deadliest in New York City in 25 years — may have been all but unstoppable. New York has one of the world’s most sophisticated surveillance networks and the resources to deploy a massive police response, said Brittney Blair, an associate managing director of K2 Integrity, a risk-management and investigative firm. But a piecemeal network of looser regulations nationwide enabled a lone gunman with no criminal history to drive undetected across several states on his way to the city. (Chen and Bromwich, 7/29)
More health news from across the U.S. —
North Carolina Health News: Lawmakers Override NC Gov. Stein’s Vetoes Of Bills That Have Health Policy Implications
After a month away from Raleigh, state lawmakers returned to the capital on Tuesday — along with crowds of protesters and supporters — for a session aimed at overriding vetoes issued by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein during the recent legislative session. (Hoban and Crumpler, 7/30)
The Colorado Sun: Women Have Filed More Than 60% Of Colorado’s Paid Family And Medical Leave Insurance Claims
Donna Thompson didn’t want to use a cane, but she was running out of options. After years of living with debilitating hip and knee pain, the 66-year-old needed extra assistance to get around. Though she retired from her office manager job four years ago and moved to Colorado from Kansas, Thompson was still working two jobs — at a consignment clothing store and handling bookkeeping at a Sprouts Farmers Market — for extra income. She couldn’t afford to take time off for surgery. (Singer, 7/29)
CBS News: Family Of Boy Who Died From Brain-Eating Amoeba Raise Awareness: "We Don't Want His Death To Be In Vain"
The family of 12-year-old Jaysen Carr is speaking out about the child's recent passing from a brain-eating amoeba. In a new conference Tuesday in Columbia, South Carolina, Carr's parents said they wanted to bring awareness to the rare but often fatal brain infection caused by the Naegleria fowleri organism. The infection, called primary amebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM, occurs when water is forced up the nose and is able to cross into the brain, which can happen during recreational freshwater activities. (Moniuszko, 7/29)
