Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Georgia Bans Most School Mask Mandates; Utah Sees Spiking STD Rates
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer: Kemp Order Bans GA School Districts From Mandating Masks
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp issued a new executive order Friday that eliminates most of Georgia’s remaining COVID-19 but doesn’t outright ban schools from having mask requirements. The order, which takes effect May 31 and lasts through June 15, leaves limited guidelines for long-term care facilities, schools and school districts. (Wooten, 5/28)
Salt Lake Tribune: As COVID-19 Slows, STDs Are Spiking In Utah
The coronavirus pandemic may have masked a spike in sexually transmitted infections in Utah, where they had already been on the rise for years, health experts say. Statewide, the rates of positive tests for STIs dropped at the beginning of 2020, when COVID-19 began to spread and the state went into an initial lockdown. But by December, when the escalating number of new coronavirus cases was setting and breaking records and COVID-19 patients were filling ICU beds, the rate of STIs also rose — to their highest levels in years. (Alberty, 5/28)
AP/Clarion-Ledger: Mental Health Services In Mississippi: DOJ Pushes For Expansion
The Department of Justice says a federal judge should order Mississippi to expand community-based mental health services. Department attorneys filed documents with an expansion plan as part of the long-running litigation between the federal government and the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported. The Justice Department wants U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves to appoint an external monitor to ensure Mississippi complies with court-ordered remediation. (5/28)
Health News Florida: Florida Supreme Court To Weigh In On Major Tobacco Case
Nearly 15 years after a Florida Supreme Court decision unleashed thousands of lawsuits against the tobacco industry, justices next week will consider a case that could make it harder to successfully sue cigarette makers. The court will hear arguments in a case that focuses on a major issue involving allegations that the tobacco industry conspired to conceal information about smoking. But more broadly, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and Philip Morris USA are seeking to use the case to convince justices to reconsider the underlying 2006 decision that spurred the torrent of litigation. (Saunders, 5/31)
The Boston Globe: As Contaminated Water Concerns Grow, Massachusetts Towns Urge The State To Stop Spraying Pesticides In Their Communities
After announcing that the town’s water supply contained elevated levels of the toxic chemicals known as PFAS, selectmen at a recent virtual meeting in Pepperell turned to another thorny subject: Should the town try to opt out of state-mandated aerial and roadside spraying of pesticides? The issues, in significant ways, were connected. To reduce the spread of eastern equine encephalitis and other mosquito-borne diseases, the state has sprayed millions of acres in recent years with a pesticide found to contain significant amounts of PFAS. The PFAS leached into the pesticide from its packaging. (Abel, 5/31)
Axios: The Unique Microbial Profiles Of Our Major Cities
A team of researchers has collected an atlas of unique microorganisms found in the world's subways. While each city has its own unique microbial profile, they possess a distinct urban microbiome that reminds us that we share space not just with our fellow commuters, but vast numbers of bacteria and viruses. (Walsh, 5/29)
North Carolina Health News: Dix Park Opens All Faiths Chapel On Grounds
The former Dorothea Dix Hospital campus is on its way to becoming a destination park for people from Raleigh and across North Carolina, principals said at a recent ribbon-cutting for its extensively renovated chapel. Remarks at the reopening ceremony for the imposing mid-century modern Greg Poole Jr. All Faiths Chapel came from dignitaries including Janet Cowell, CEO of the nonprofit Dix Park Conservancy; Art Ross, pastor emeritus of White Memorial Presbyterian Church; and Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin. (Goldsmith, 6/1)
Anchorage Daily News: Anchorage Is Again Considering Changing Where Homeless Shelters Are Allowed In The City — And Adding A License Requirement
The Anchorage Assembly is again considering a change to its land use code that would expand where homeless shelters could be located in the city, after shelving a similar, controversial ordinance last summer. This time, the proposed ordinance is paired with another ordinance that city officials say would better regulate homeless shelters by adding a licensing requirement. (Goodykoontz, 5/31)
