Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Houston Researchers Achieve Breast Cancer Treatment Breakthrough
Houston Chronicle: Breast Cancer Breakthrough At Houston Methodist Could Double Patients' Odds Of Responding To Treatment
On Dec. 15, a research team led by Chang published a study in the journal “Science Translational Medicine,” describing how a combination of chemotherapy and a drug typically used to treat cardiac failure is able to regress tumor growth of triple negative breast cancer and prevent the cancer from spreading. “This is an effective way of cutting short drug development and getting it into patients as quickly as possible,” Chang said in a statement from the hospital. “This process has taken us less than five years and saved billions of dollars, giving us the opportunity to provide this new therapy faster for our patients.” (Peyton, 12/15)
In other news from across the U.S. —
WABE: Falcons, United Owner Blank Marks Opening Of Center To Treat Stuttering
There’s a new resource in Atlanta for those who speak with a stutter. The Center for Stuttering Education and Research bears the name of Arthur M. Blank — owner of Atlanta United and the Atlanta Falcons. The facility, which celebrated a ribbon-cutting Tuesday, was established thanks to a $12 million grant from Blank’s foundation. Blank, who overcame a childhood stutter, says more needs to be done to normalize treatment of the disorder. (Moffatt, 12/15)
ABC News: Benton Harbor, Michigan Sees Decreasing Levels Of Lead In Drinking Water
After seeing elevated levels of lead in its drinking water for three years, the city of Benton Harbor, Michigan, a majority Black community, is finally seeing decreasing numbers, according to a recent report. The six-month sample results released Wednesday showed that for the first time since 2018, Benton Harbor reports lead levels within federal limits. (Yamada, 12/15)
The Mercury News: California City Investigating Why Fire Personnel Refused To Enter Facility To Administer Care
An independent investigation into the actions of Rialto fire paramedics who refused to enter a local care facility last month as a man suffered cardiac arrest has been launched, city officials announced Wednesday, Dec. 15. The paramedics under investigation have been placed on leave, acting fire Chief Brian Park said in a statement. According to a police report of the Nov. 17 incident, paramedics “insisted the patient had to be brought outside the facility before they could provide any sort of treatment,” wrote Officer Ralph Ballew, who was dispatched to Rialto Post Acute Care Center around 7:50 p.m. regarding a patient undergoing cardiac arrest. (Whitehead, 12/16)
Albuquerque Journal: Republicans Seek Quicker Action On Medical Malpractice Bill
Republicans in the state Senate tried and failed Wednesday to accelerate passage of a bill updating New Mexico’s medical malpractice law. The legislation is necessary, physicians say, to ensure independent doctors can continue to practice at hospitals and that independently owned outpatient clinics can stay open after Dec. 31. Insurance carriers, they say, have refused to provide insurance under the law as it stands now. (McKay, 12/15)
In news from Florida —
WUSF Public Media: Study Shows Heat-Related Deaths Rose In Florida Nursing Homes After Hurricane Irma
Hurricane Irma impacted millions of people across Florida when it made landfall in 2017, leaving the state with power outages that lasted days and, in some places, weeks. The outages also had a significant impact for hundreds of nursing homes across the state, which resulted in the death of some residents due to heat exposure. An article in the Nov. 24 issue of the JAMA Health Forum reported a 25% increase in nursing home deaths a week after Irma came on shore in Florida on Sept. 10, 2017, and a 10% increase in mortality rates 30 days after landfall. (Alvim, 12/15)
Health News Florida: Proposal Could Set The Stage For Converting Public Health Systems To Nonprofits
A House Republican has filed a proposal that would create a process for shifting public health care systems to nonprofit organizations. Rep. Adam Botana, R-Bonita Springs, filed the proposal (HB 897) this week for consideration during the upcoming legislative session, which will start Jan. 11. Under the proposal, the boards of public health care systems could decide through supermajority votes to do formal evaluations of converting the systems to nonprofit organizations. After the evaluations, the boards could negotiate with county officials over the terms of moving to nonprofit organizations. (12/15)
Health News Florida: A Pasco Judge Orders Walgreens To Hand Over Profit Records In Opioid Case
After more than two years of squabbling over production of records in a lawsuit filed by the state, a judge ordered Walgreens to hand over documentation about the company’s profits on sales of opioid drugs in Florida for the past 25 years. Pasco County Circuit Judge Kimberly Sharpe Byrd on Friday gave Walgreens until Dec. 31 to start turning over “financial information sufficient to show all rebates, discounts, chargebacks, coupon reimbursements and any other money back it received on opioids” it purchased or sold in Florida since 1996. (Kam, 12/15)
