Maine To Spend $9 Million On Mental Health, Substance Disorder Support

The Hill: Maine To Distribute More Than $9M To Mental Health, Substance Use Disorder Service Providers
The state of Maine plans to distribute more than $9 million to mental health and substance use disorder service providers, The Associated Press reported. The funds will be issued through MaineCare payments to 442 providers, where they will be used to address immediate workforce needs, according to the AP, which cited the office of Maine Governor Janet Mills (D). They will be funded by the biennial budget passed by the Maine state legislature and signed by Mills, the wire service reported. (Folmar, 2/24)

AP: West Virginia Receiving $1.2 Million For HIV Prevention
West Virginia is getting more than $1.2 million in federal grants to address HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment. The opioid epidemic killed more than 1,437 West Virginians from September 2020 to September 2021, U.S. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said in a news release Thursday. “This crisis has led to an increase in infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS in our communities, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only made it more difficult for many West Virginians to access the medical care they need,” he said. (2/25)

AP: West Virginia Baby Sickened After Ingesting Recalled Formula
West Virginia has recorded its first case of an infant contracting salmonella by ingesting recalled powdered infant formula, health officials said. The Department of Health and Human Resources did not disclose details about the baby’s illness in a news release Thursday. Last week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned parents not to use three popular powdered infant formulas manufactured at an Abbott plant in Michigan that investigators recently linked to bacterial contamination. (2/25)

West Virginia Gazette Mail: Bill That Would Limit Homeless Shelters, Encampments Advances In WV House
The House Judiciary Committee advanced a bill Thursday that would restrict where homeless shelters and encampments could exist within West Virginia’s municipalities. (Kersey and Pierson, 2/25)

AP: Colorado Turns To Ice-Fishing Tents To House Homeless
Gary Peters spent seven years camping outside a Denver golf course to avoid sleeping in a public shelter until last summer when he moved into a new homeless community where he’s been given his own ice-fishing tent featuring electrical outlets, a cot and a zero-degree rated sleeping bag. The 75-year-old is among the benefactors of Denver’s nearly $4 million investment aimed at providing homeless people with “safe outdoor spaces” as an alternative to public shelters, which many have chosen to avoid due to safety concerns or restrictive rules — including curfews and bans on pets. The need for alternatives to shelters increased during the pandemic as more people moved outdoors due to concerns over the risk of COVID-19 transmission in such indoor facilities. (Nieberg, 2/25)

The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore County Doctor Sentenced To Eight Months In Prison For Taking Kickbacks To Prescribe Pain Medication 
A Baltimore County doctor was sentenced Thursday to eight months in federal prison and one year of supervised release for his involvement with kickbacks to prescribe highly addictive pain medication. His case was part of the fallout of a racketeering case and civil penalties levied against executives of an Arizona-based pharmaceutical company who prosecutors said helped fuel the opioid crisis. Howard J. Hoffberg, 65, who was associate medical director and part-owner of Rosen-Hoffberg Rehabilitation and Pain Management, pleaded guilty in June 2021 to conspiracy to violate anti-kickback statutes for taking money from Insys Therapeutics from 2012 to 2018 to prescribe a fentanyl spray called Subsys. (Oxenden, 2/24)

The Hill: Lawsuit Alleges Tennessee Diocese Failed To Properly Investigate Sexual Abuse Allegations
A lawsuit filed Tuesday in Knox County Circuit Court alleges that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville and its bishop failed to properly investigate sexual abuse allegations against a former assistant to the bishop, The Associated Press reported. A former employee of The Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, located in Knoxville, put forth multiple allegations of sexual harassment and sexual abuse by a former assistant to Bishop Richard Stika, according to the lawsuit, the AP reported. The abuse allegedly occurred in 2019. (Folmar, 2/24)

AP: Tennessee Donor Services Surpasses Goal For New Organ Donors
Tennessee Donor Services announced this week that it registered 107,000 new organ and tissue donors in Tennessee last year, surpassing its goal of adding 100,000 donors. The new registrations came during the nonprofit’s inaugural #BeTheGift Challenge, with individuals and organizations challenging others to become organ donors, according to a news release. The success of the campaign came during a record-breaking year for Tennessee Donor Services. More than 400 Tennesseans donated organs in 2021, and nearly 2,500 donated tissue. But at least 3,000 Tennesseans are still waiting for transplants, according to the group. (2/25)

Burlington Free Press: State Investigation Confirms Long Wait Times; Vermont Hospitals Say It's Old News
Vermont hospital executives say there's nothing new in an 80-page report released by the state last week confirming patients face months-long waits to see specialists, a problem that has long plagued hospitals here. Hospitals face a range of challenges in reducing wait times, according to executives, including a burdensome regulatory scheme from the state that slows new building projects to a crawl, and an inability to attract new doctors and nurses to the state because of relatively low pay, a poor job market for spouses and scarce housing. (D'Ambrosio, 2/25)

In environmental news —

Maine Public: Maine Groups Call For Ban On Spreading PFAS-Laden Sludge
Agricultural and environmental groups are calling on state lawmakers to pass a bill prohibiting sludge spreading in Maine as additional farmers come forward to disclose PFAS contamination on their land or in their water. Standing outside of the Maine State House on Wednesday, Brendan Holmes said Misty Brook Farm in Albion pulled its dairy products from store shelves two weeks ago after high levels of the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS were found in the farm’s milk. Holmes said the contamination was traced to hay purchased from a neighboring farm that was fertilized with sludge in the past. So he joined several speakers urging the Legislature to pass a bill banning the once-common practice of spreading treated municipal sludge on fields as well as the sale of compost made from sludge. (Miller, 2/24)

AP: EPA To Eye Hawaii Fuel Tank Operations After Water Tainted
The top official at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday an upcoming inspection of a Navy fuel tank facility that leaked petroleum into Pearl Harbor’s tap water will look at whether the tank farm was properly operated. “We’re going to ... really look very closely at whether or not the facility has operated within the guidelines of the law. And if it hasn’t, then we will have to make some corrections there,” Michael S. Regan, the EPA’s administrator, told reporters at a news conference. Regan was in Hawaii for a two-day visit to see the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility and meet officials about the water contamination crisis. (McAvoy, 2/25)