Homeless Deaths Soar In LA County, Driven By Overdoses

Los Angeles Times: Overdoses Drive 56% Increase In L.A. County Homeless Deaths
Deaths of homeless people in Los Angeles County soared by 56% in the year after the start of the pandemic, driven primarily by an increase in overdoses, according to a study published this month. Between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, 1,988 deaths of people experiencing homelessness were reported, up from 1,271 in the 12 months prior, pre-pandemic, according to the Department of Public Health study. (Martinez and Lin II, 4/22)

In other news about the unhoused —

The New York Times: Mayor Proposes 1,400 Shelter Beds To Move Homeless People Off Streets 
Putting additional funding behind his efforts to move homeless people off New York City streets, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Sunday that he would propose a $171 million investment in homeless services that would include funding for 1,400 specialized shelter beds. The spending comes as the city carries out an aggressive plan to remove homeless people from encampments and the subway system. (Ashford, 4/24)

And more health news from across the U.S. —

AP: SC Bill Allowing Birth Control Without Prescription Advances 
Supporters of a bill to allow women to get birth control pills at South Carolina pharmacies without a doctor’s prescription are trying to get it passed before this year’s session ends. A House subcommittee on Wednesday approved the bill, sending it to the chamber’s full medical committee. The bill has already passed the Senate, but there are just nine regular legislative days left in the General Assembly’s 2022 session. (4/23)

Columbus Dispatch: Work Underway After Gun Violence Declared Health Crisis In Columbus
As the number of people falling ill to the then-novel COVID-19 virus ticked up, sodid the number of people becoming victims to gun violence in cities big and small across the United States. The spike in shootings both fatal and not was inextricably intertwined with the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, affirming what many criminologists have long said: The scourge of gun violence is just as contagious as any virus. In Columbus, gun violence raged in 2020 and 2021, culminating in two consecutive years of record homicide figures in the city and leaving city leaders searching for solutions to stem the tide. By mid-February, Mayor Andrew J. Ginther took the unprecedented step of declaring gun violence a public health crisis in Columbus. (Lagatta, 4/25)

Houston Chronicle: Eliminating The Tampon Tax: Texas Groups Team Up
A coalition of menstrual health organizations is appealing a decision by the Texas Comptroller’s Office to deny its protest against the state sales tax, which they say unfairly and unconstitutionally does not exempt tampons, pads and other hygienic products. If the dispute isn’t resolved on the administrative level, Meghan McElvy, partner at the Houston-based international law firm Baker Botts, said she plans to take the case all the way to the Texas Supreme Court if necessary. The law firm is taking up the case pro bono on behalf of the Texas Menstrual Equity Coalition. “It’s just kind of a no-brainer issue to me,” McElvy said. “(Male) libido enhancers are tax-exempt, but medically necessary products for women are not.” (Goldenstein, 4/23)

Bangor Daily News: One Of Maine's 2 Marijuana Programs Has A Lot More Regulation Even Though Both Sell Similar Products
Cannabis Cured in Bangor has one entrance if you’re a patient in Maine’s medical marijuana program, and another if you’re simply a recreational customer. You’ll find essentially the same products whether you’re on the store’s medical or recreational side. But you’ll find different employees and different prices on each side. The two sides are separated by a wall that was required to completely divide the businesses. “There isn’t really a huge difference between our products,” said Brooke McLaughlin, Cannabis Cured’s Bangor regional manager. But there’s a significant difference in the rules that apply on either side of the wall. On the recreational side, employees have to be fingerprinted and pass background checks under state regulations, and a certain number of employees must be in the store at any given time, McLaughlin said. All of the recreational products have to be tracked in a state data system and tested for contaminants to ensure that customers are buying untainted marijuana. (Loftus, 4/25)

Des Moines Register: Polk County Launches RapidSOS Profiles To Assist 911 In Emergencies
Polk County's Joint 911 Board has selected a new emergency health profile system to aid dispatchers and first responders. The board voted to replace SMART911 and begin the use of the RapidSOS service. The new profile system can share real-time personal health and location information during emergencies. Information from the profile allows emergency personnel to see details such as name, date of birth, address, pre-existing conditions, allergies, medical notes, COVID-19 symptoms and emergency contacts. Profiles can be created at emergencyprofile.org. iPhone and Android smartphone users can also enable the health profiles on their devices to be shared during 911 calls. (Waheed, 4/24)

Salt Lake Tribune: Salt Lake City Air Quality Has Slightly Improved — And One Utah City Ranks Among The Best In U.S.
A new report by the American Lung Association found that while pollution in Salt Lake City and Logan has slightly improved, St. George ranks among the nation’s cleanest cities. The Salt Lake City metropolitan area this year reached its “lowest ever” measurement for short-term particle pollution, the report states. But it still ranks within the top 25 worst cities for such pollution nationally, claiming the 20th-worst rank, better than the 17th-worst rank it held in last year’s report. Two years ago, the metropolitan area ranked seventh. In the report released this week, the short-term particle pollution category was calculated using 24-hour average pollution concentration rates from 2018-2020. (Miller, 4/22)