Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
LA County Forms New Homeless Agency Despite Mayor's Disapproval
Los Angeles Times: County Forms Homeless Agency, Taking Hundreds Of Millions From LAHSA
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a plan to move hundreds of millions of dollars out of the region’s homeless services agency on Tuesday, despite warnings from L.A. Mayor Karen Bass about creating a “massive disruption” in the region’s fight against homelessness. On a 4-0 vote, the supervisors signed off on the strategy to form a new county homelessness department with a budget that would almost immediately exceed $1 billion. By July 2026, the supervisors will move more than $300 million from Measure A, a half-percent sales tax, out of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, or LAHSA, and into the new county agency. (Zahniser and Ellis, 4/1)
On health care workers in California, Massachusetts, and Georgia —
San Francisco Chronicle: Investigation Finds East Bay Medical Center Underpaid Female Employees
A nonprofit medical center with 15 health clinics in Alameda County has agreed to a financial settlement with three female employees after a federal investigation found that it paid them less than a male colleague. Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center will pay the three employees $195,000 in damages following the investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency announced Tuesday. The women will split the settlement money. (Mishanec, 4/1)
The Boston Globe: Physician Assistants Rally For Bill To Help Them Ease Primary Care Crunch
Hundreds of current and aspiring physician assistants rallied inside the Massachusetts State House on Tuesday to support a bill that they say would help them ease the state’s primary care workforce shortage. The legislation would remove supervision requirements for physician assistants who have completed 2,000 clinical hours. Under current law, all physician assistants must have a supervising physician on file with the state in order to practice, including prescribing medication and ordering tests. (Halpin, 4/1)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Atlanta Cosmetic Surgeon, Sued By 10 Patients, Gets License Renewed
The Georgia Composite Medical Board has renewed the license of Atlanta cosmetic surgeon Harvey “Chip” Cole while he battles 10 lawsuits from patients alleging he ruined their faces. Cole’s medical license was renewed in March for another two years, according to his profile on the board’s website. The profile shows Cole, who denies any wrongdoing in the lawsuits, has lost his hospital privileges. (Manins, 4/2)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
The Colorado Sun: Statehouse Democrats Move To Expand Protections For Transgender Coloradans
The Colorado Senate commemorated Transgender Day of Visibility on Monday with a resolution on the chamber floor, but Democrats want to do more than just talk. They’re also proposing new protections for trans people. (Woods, 4/1)
Lake County News-Sun: Waukegan High Individual Tests Positive For Tuberculosis
An Illinois individual at the Brookside campus of Waukegan High School was diagnosed with an active case of tuberculosis (TB) last week while the Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 community was on spring break. The subject is currently isolated from others and undergoing treatment, according to an email from the Lake County Health Department, which notified the district and is working together with it to protect the community. (Sadin, 4/1)
North Carolina Health News: In The Wake Of Disasters, Rural Health Could End Up Running On Solar
When Hurricane Helene ripped through western North Carolina, it downed power lines, leaving tens of thousands of residents without electricity for days, even weeks. At Duke Energy’s Marshall Substation in the town of Hot Springs, heavy rains and flooding forced the shutdown of the facility. But Hot Springs was more fortunate than most. In 2023, Duke Energy had installed a microgrid of solar panels and lithium-ion batteries to restore power quickly in case of emergency. (Atwater, 4/2)
KFF Health News: Hit Hard By Opioid Crisis, Black Patients Further Hurt By Barriers To Care
Purple flags, representing the nearly 300 Mecklenburg County residents who died of opioid overdose in 2023, fluttered in the humid breeze last August in recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day on the city’s predominantly Black west side. As recently as five years ago, the event might have attracted an overwhelmingly white crowd. But the gathering on the last day of the month at the Valerie C. Woodard Community Resource Center drew large attendance from Black people eager to learn more about a crisis that now has them at the center. (Newsome, 4/2)
