Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over NY Gov. Cuomo's Pandemic Authority
Bloomberg: Andrew Cuomo Wins Dismissal Of Lawsuit Over NY's Covid Quarantine Rule
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo won a fight over his authority to control the pandemic, as a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging his executive order requiring visitors from states with spiking Covid-19 numbers to go into quarantine for 14 days. Cuomo’s order was “rational” because it intended to stop the spread of a “highly contagious” virus, and there’s no indication that a less restrictive rule would have had the same effect on public health, U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla said in a decision Wednesday in Manhattan. (Larson, 6/3)
AP: Whitmer Vetoes Bill To Exempt Graduations From Crowd Limits
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday vetoed Republican-sponsored legislation that would have exempted high school graduation ceremonies from COVID-19 restrictions on Michigan crowd sizes, calling it “half-baked and punchless.” The veto, which was expected, came two days after her administration’s order was loosened to end outdoor capacity limits and limit indoor gatherings to 50% occupancy. (Eggert, 6/3)
In news from Florida, Oregon and Alaska —
AP: CDC Says Florida Lawsuit Imperils Summer Cruises To Alaska
U.S. officials say Florida’s lawsuit against the federal government over conditions for cruise lines to resume sailing could threaten plans to restart cruising in Alaska. Florida sued the Biden administration to throw out requirements, called a conditional sailing order, that were imposed on cruise lines before they can sail in U.S. water for the first time since March 2020.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that Congress effectively ratified the conditional sailing order when it passed a law last month to let large cruise ships resume trips from Washington state to Alaska this summer. (6/4)
Health News Florida: Florida Weighs In On Lawsuit Over Canada Drug Imports
Gov. Ron DeSantis has jumped into an ongoing legal fight between pharmaceutical companies and the federal government over rules that would open the door to Florida importing drugs from Canada. The state Agency for Health Care Administration, at DeSantis’ direction, filed a friend-of-the-court brief Tuesday siding with the federal government in a lawsuit filed in November by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. (6/3)
The Oregonian: 30 National Guard Members To Provide Temporary Staffing At Oregon State Hospital
The Oregon State Hospital will begin training 30 members of the National Guard on Monday to help fill an unprecedented staffing shortage at the psychiatric facility. National Guard members will spend nearly two weeks learning how to work directly with patients, including training on de-escalation and behavioral emergencies, said state hospital spokesperson Rebeka Gipson-King. The hospital originally asked for 30 nurses to help staff its floors, but the Guard turned down that request as too narrow, Gipson-King said. (Ramakrishnan, 6/3)
Anchorage Daily News: Some Anchorage Homeless Shelter Providers Harbor Concerns Over Assembly’s Proposal For Licensing Requirements
Anchorage city officials say a proposed ordinance that would require homeless shelters to obtain a city license will help reduce a shelter’s potential negative footprint in neighboring areas. They say it would help to ensure that shelter users, nearby businesses and residents are all kept safe. But some Anchorage homeless shelter providers say the proposal could stymie the city’s efforts to increase its shelter capacity at a time when finding more beds is critical. Several homeless service providers, including the Anchorage Gospel Rescue Mission and Bean’s Cafe, signed a letter to the Assembly asking it to postpone the licensing ordinance. (Goodykoontz, 6/3)
In news about illegal drug use in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania —
The Boston Globe: ‘A Tragedy Waiting To Happen’: What’s Behind The Steep Rise In Opioid Overdoses Among Black Men?
The statistic was a shocker. The state’s latest opioid figures showed that Black men in Massachusetts had died of overdoses in 2020 at a rate 69 percent higher than the previous year. Public health officials decried the death toll as “heart-breaking” and “troubling.” Black leaders in health care agreed — but also had another word to describe the data: unsurprising. (Freyer, 6/3)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Philadelphia Drug Deaths Soared Again In 2020, Hitting Black Residents Hardest: ‘It’s A Racial Justice Issue’
Overdoses killed 1,214 Philadelphians in 2020, marking the city’s second-highest drug death toll on record, and one likely worsened by COVID-19 lockdowns, city officials said. Just as they were by the coronavirus deaths, Black Philadelphians were hit hardest by overdose deaths, an alarming demographic shift in drug fatalities that began before the pandemic and worsened in 2020. (Whelan, 6/3)
Also —
Axios: 38,680 People Died On U.S. Roads In 2020, The Highest Yearly Total Since 2007
An estimated 38,680 people died on U.S. roads last year, the highest yearly total since 2007, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Thursday, citing preliminary data. The jump in the number of deaths from motor vehicle traffic crashes came despite the fact that Americans last year drove 13.2% fewer miles than in 2019. (Reyes, 6/3)
The Washington Post: Amtrak Dining Car Returning To A Select Few Trains
Amtrak is bringing back the traditional dining experience to some long-distance trains this month, promising an improved experience with made-to-order plates. The passenger railroad last year switched to prepackaged meals on long-haul routes that travel west of Chicago and New Orleans amid low ridership and efforts to keep passenger and employee interactions at a minimum during the coronavirus pandemic. (Lazo, 6/3)
