Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Large Toxic 'Forever' Chemical Plume Hits Lake Michigan
AP: Toxic PFAS Plume Detected In Green Bay — Study
A large plume of toxic chemicals produced by a plant that manufactures firefighting foam has seeped through groundwater to Lake Michigan's Green Bay, scientists said Tuesday. (1/4)
Fortune/AP: Toxic PFAS Chemicals From Tyco Plant In Wisconsin Leak Into Lake Michigan's Green Bay
Water samples taken along the shoreline in the Marinette area found PFAS concentrations of 250 parts per trillion — much higher than levels detected in a previous study of rivers flowing into the bay, Remucal said. They also far exceed the 70 parts per trillion that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had established as a drinking water health risk threshold for two common PFAS compounds, known as PFOS and PFOA. (Flesher, 1/4)
Other health news from across the states —
Bloomberg: NJ Extends Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance Despite Fees Dispute
New Jersey extended its health benefits contract with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield for another year even after state officials alleged the health insurer failed to meet the terms of the deal. The state will pay lower fees in exchange for reducing the scope of some services Horizon was originally hired to provide to state employees, according to the revised document posted on a state website. (Tozzi, 1/4)
The Boston Globe: In Scathing Letter, State Watchdog Criticizes Management Of Chelsea Veterans’ Home
Citing records provided by the state’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the letter described veterans being found “soaked in urine and sitting in feces” and a toxic work environment in which at least one worker had a “reasonable” belief that managers had “targeted [him] for retaliation.” (Damiano, 1/4)
Detroit Free Press: Detroit Recreational Marijuana Sales Begin After 1st Licenses Awarded
Recreational marijuana officially went on sale in Detroit on Wednesday when the medical dispensary House of Dank on Fort Street, near the border of Lincoln Park, opened its doors to recreational buyers. A few hours later on the opposite side of the city, DaCut, a medical marijuana dispensary on Gratiot Avenue in Detroit's Eden Gardens neighborhood, started offering recreational marijuana. (Roberts, 1/4)
Houston Chronicle: Sprawling New $6.5M Galveston Medical Examiner's Office Boasts Lots Of Tech, Amenities
When it opens Monday, the $6.5 million, roughly 10,000-square-foot building at 1205 Oak Street will replace the medical examiner's office's old base in Texas City. The agency has been in that space since 1984. (Orozco, 1/4)
The Texas Tribune: Deep East Texas Faces A Growing Maternity Care Crisis
Ginger Kalafatis burst through the doors of Jasper Memorial Hospital, straight into her worst nightmare. It was Labor Day 2019 when two women showed up at the hospital, ready to give birth. Kalafatis, a longtime labor and delivery nurse, assessed the situation, her heart racing. One woman was delivering prematurely; the other had previous cesarean sections and no prenatal care. (Klibanoff, 1/5)
Politico: Council To Introduce Bill Allowing Municipal Retirees To Be Charged For Health Insurance
The City Council will introduce legislation Wednesday that would allow the Adams administration to charge municipal retirees — who don't opt into Medicare Advantage — for private health insurance, but an intense lobbying effort by the former workers means the bill's passage is uncertain. (Touré, 1/4)
AP: Oklahoma AG Announces 4 New Opioid Settlements Worth $226M
Oklahoma entered settlement agreements with three major pharmacy chains and an opioid manufacturer totaling more than $226 million, Attorney General John O’Connor announced Wednesday. Including the new settlements with drugmaker Allergan and pharmacy chains CVS, Walgreens and Walmart, Oklahoma has received more than $900 million from opioid makers and distributors to help address the state’s opioid crisis, O’Connor said. (Murphy, 1/4)
The New York Times: A Colorado Library Closed Because Of Meth Contamination
In downtown Boulder, Colo., a public library that provides the surrounding community with a space to meet and learn has been closed for two weeks. No, winter weather was not to blame. Overdue books weren’t the cause, and neither was funding. It was meth. (Bryson Taylor, Holpuch and Hauser, 1/4)
Also —
KHN: NY Docs Are Now Required To Prescribe Naloxone To Some Patients On Opioid Painkillers
Without opioid painkillers to dull the ache in his knees and other joints, Arnold Wilson wouldn’t be able to walk half a block. The 63-year-old former New York City nurse has crippling arthritis for which he takes OxyContin twice a day and oxycodone when he needs additional relief. For the past several years, he’s kept another drug on hand as well: naloxone, an overdose reversal drug often referred to by the brand name Narcan. (Andrews, 1/5)
