Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Juul Settles Lawsuits With 6 States And DC For $462 Million
The New York Times: Juul Reaches $462 Million Settlement With New York, California And Other States
New York, California and several other states announced a $462 million settlement with Juul Labs on Wednesday, resolving lawsuits claiming that the company aggressively marketed its e-cigarettes to young people and fueled a vaping crisis. The agreement brings many of the company’s legal woes to a conclusion, with settlements reached with 47 states and territories, and 5,000 individuals and local governments. Juul is in the middle of a trial in Minnesota, an unusual case in which a settlement has not been reached. (Jewett and Creswell, 4/12)
In other news from California —
KQED: Walmart, CVS Set To Pay San Francisco $19 Million In Opioid Settlements
San Francisco will receive up to $18.8 million to abate the opioid overdose epidemic thanks to settlements with Walmart and CVS Pharmacy for their alleged negligent oversight of opioid prescription practices. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Wednesday approved the two settlement agreements, both part of nationwide opioid-related lawsuits, which include up to $6.8 million from Walmart (PDF) over the next six years and up to $12 million over 10 years from CVS Pharmacy (PDF). (Johnson, 4/12)
San Francisco Chronicle: Apparently Unhoused Woman Gives Birth On San Francisco Sidewalk
An apparently unhoused woman who gave birth in public on a sidewalk in San Francisco last week is in stable condition – along with her newborn – at a local hospital, officials said Wednesday night. San Francisco fire officials said the woman gave birth on April 6. Video posted on Instagram on April 8 showed a woman who had just given birth on a San Francisco sidewalk. (Umanzor, 4/12)
KFF Health News: The Rate Of Older Californians Dying Of Malnutrition Has Accelerated
A growing number of California’s oldest residents are dying of malnutrition, a yearslong trend that accelerated during the covid pandemic. Deaths attributed to malnutrition more than doubled, from about 650 in 2018 to roughly 1,400 in 2022, according to preliminary death certificate data from the California Department of Public Health. The same trend occurred nationwide, with malnutrition deaths more than doubling, from about 9,300 deaths in 2018 to roughly 20,500 in 2022, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Reese, 4/13)
More health news from across the U.S. —
MPR News: ‘It’s A Struggle Right Now’: Nursing Homes Press Minnesota Lawmakers For Help
Roberta Rankin, known to her family and friends as Bobbi, said it was an easy pick when she decided to move to the Northfield Retirement Community 13 years ago. The long-term care facility was close enough for her kids to visit and the former LPN who spent her career working in nursing homes said there was another selling point: “I walked into this one and it didn’t smell like a nursing home.” Like many long-term care facilities around the state, Northfield Retirement Community struggled to stay afloat financially amid the pandemic and as inflation climbed. After losing staff to burnout and higher wages elsewhere, it had to close a memory care wing, along with an in-house cafe that catered to residents and visitors. (Ferguson, 4/13)
The Boston Globe: Greater Transparency Sought From N.H. Medical Board After Globe Investigation
State senators are considering a bill to improve transparency from the New Hampshire Board of Medicine after an investigation by the Globe’s Spotlight Team found that the board publishes relatively little information about its oversight of physicians. While medical boards in many other states disclose a doctor’s medical malpractice settlements, hospital disciplinary actions, and criminal convictions, New Hampshire’s doesn’t, making it one of the least transparent in the country, the Globe found. (Porter, 4/12)
PBS NewsHour: Exploring The Health Care Challenges Rural Americans Face Across 5 States
From life expectancy to maternal mortality, Americans living in rural regions face some of the greatest health care challenges in the country. In a new series called Rural RX, PBS NewsHour correspondent William Brangham and producer Caleb Hellerman of the Global Health Reporting Center work with a team of reporters to explore the forces that shape rural health care in America. Brangham and Hellerman spoke with PBS NewsHour digital anchor Nicole Ellis about what they discovered while reporting from Alabama, Texas, Colorado, New York and West Virginia to better understand how health care works outside of major cities across the U.S. (Ellis, Brangham, Hellerman, 4/12)
Houma Today: Thibodaux Hospital Ordered To Temporarily Close Houma Locations While Lawsuit Proceeds
A Terrebonne judge ordered Thibodaux Regional Medical Center to halt its operations in Houma temporarily. In the latest development of the ongoing lawsuit between Terrebonne General Health System and Thibodaux Regional Medical Center, Judge Jason Dagate ordered a preliminary injunction against Thibodaux Regional Medical Center, requiring it to cease its operations in Terrebonne while court proceedings continue. The ruling will take effect May 5, shuttering two of Thibodaux Regional's businesses in Houma. (Campo, 4/12)
AP: Military Hospital Chided For Shift In Catholic Pastoral Care
The management of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center has drawn criticism from a prominent archbishop — and some members of Congress — by choosing not to renew a contract for Franciscan priests to provide pastoral care, and instead hiring a secular firm to oversee provision of those services going forward. For nearly two decades, priests from the Holy Name College Friary in Silver Spring, Maryland, had ministered to service members and veterans hospitalized at Walter Reed, a renowned medical facility in nearby Bethesda. (Crary, 4/12)
Also —
Philadelphia Inquirer: How Mothers Say Philly Joy Bank, Which Gives $1,000 To Pregnant Parents, Could Be Transformative
Buy diapers or pay the bills? Spend money you don’t have for a babysitter so you can attend a job interview, or grind on at a job that barely pays enough? New and expecting parents struggling financially face impossible choices. Money worries even play a role in whether a baby thrives or dies, since mental wellbeing affects infant mortality. Philly, the poorest big city in the nation, has the highest rate of infant mortality among America’s 10 largest cities, according to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. (Laughlin and Jones, 4/12)
