Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Federal Judge Squelches Trans Student Protections In Another 6 States
The Hill: Judge Blocks Biden's Transgender Student Protections In 6 More States
A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked a Biden administration rule expanding federal nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ students. The decision by U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves halts enforcement of changes to Title IX — the federal civil rights law preventing sex discrimination in schools and education programs that receive government funding — that were finalized in April by the Education Department in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. (Migdon, 6/17)
WGBH: First Transgender Woman In Mass. Receives Vaginoplasty Outside Boston, As Statewide Care Expands
Chrissi Bates became the first patient to receive a gender-affirming vaginoplasty, or bottom surgery, at UMass Memorial Hospital in Worcester, the first known procedure at a Massachusetts hospital outside of Boston. Transgender healthcare is still limited, particularly outside of major city centers. More than a quarter of transgender patients in rural areas, including parts of Massachusetts, reported that they had no access to gender-affirming primary care. (Bedford, 6/17)
Houston Chronicle: Houston Doctors Launch 'Cutting-Edge' Syphilis Testing Program
Houston doctors have implemented a new testing program that, if widely adopted, could help address the nationwide epidemic of babies born with syphilis. “We’re on the cutting edge,” said Dr. Irene Stafford, a maternal-fetal specialist and associate professor at UTHealth Houston’s McGovern Medical School. Stafford was referring to Memorial Hermann and UTHealth Houston’s Preg-Out program, which provides rapid testing for all pregnant patients admitted to the emergency department at the hospital’s medical center campus. (Gill, 6/17)
San Antonio Report: Low Wages Worsen Shortage Of Caregivers For Disabled Texans
The state of Texas manages a waiting list of residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities seeking services that currently has close to 130,000 people on it. Many wait for a decade or longer to get into a group home or day program. That’s in part because the agencies that provide those services are facing a critical shortage of caregivers to work with them. (Hamilton, 6/17)
San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Officials Push For Homeless Housing With A Novel Rule: No Drugs
San Francisco Supervisors Matt Dorsey and Rafael Mandelman on Monday announced a new plan to prioritize drug-free housing options for formerly homeless people “whenever funding allows for it.” The goal is to have a drug-free housing account for at least one in four supportive housing sites for formerly homeless San Franciscans, though it would take years to reach that target. (Angst, 6/17)
