Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Maine Will Vote On Red Flag Gun Law Two Years After Deadly Mass Shooting
AP: Maine Voters Consider Red Flag Gun Law Inspired By Lewiston Mass Shooting
Two years after the deadliest mass shooting in state history, Maine residents are voting on whether to make it easier for family members to petition a court to restrict a potentially dangerous person’s access to guns. A statewide ballot question Tuesday asks residents if they want to build on the state’s yellow flag law, which allows police officers to initiate a process to keep someone away from firearms. Approval would add Maine to more than 20 states that have a red flag law empowering family members to take the same step. (Whittle, 11/4)
ABC News: Maine Health System Accidentally Sends Letters To More Than 500 Patients Stating They're Dead
A large health care system in Maine said it "sincerely regrets" an error that mistakenly sent condolence letters to patients about their deaths. MaineHealth, a nonprofit system that includes hospitals, health care facilities and clinics in Maine and New Hampshire, sent letters to 531 patients, expressing condolences that included information on how next of kin could resolve their estates. (Kekatos, 11/3)
More health news from across the U.S. —
Chicago Tribune: Gov. JB Pritzker Undecided On Medical Aid-In-Dying Bill
Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday said he was still deciding whether he’d sign legislation that would permit doctors to help terminally ill people end their lives, after the bill narrowly passed the General Assembly last week. “It was something that I didn’t expect and didn’t know it was going to be voted on, so we’re examining it even now,” Pritzker said. (Olander, 11/3)
Chicago Tribune: Bill Strengthens Illinois' Ability To Set Vaccine Guidelines
Lawmakers have passed a bill to strengthen Illinois’ ability to make its own vaccine guidelines — legislation that follows months of tumult over vaccines at the federal level. (Schencker, 11/3)
The Hill: Florida's Decision On School Vaccine Mandates Stirs Concern Among Immunocompromised
Florida’s announcement that it would scrap public school vaccine mandates next year hit Elizabeth particularly hard. Her 11-year-old daughter suffers from a rare immunodeficiency disorder that requires biweekly plasma infusions to provide some protection against disease. But she can still be out of school for 50 days during the school year — and Elizabeth is worried that falling vaccine rates will make their situation far worse. (Anderson, 11/3)
The Colorado Sun: An El Paso County Program Is Reducing Suicides Among Veterans
Sitting outside on a warm July day in a white polo, his black ballcap backward, Heath Miller recounts his military career. Originally from Tampa, Florida, Miller spent 12 years in the Marine Corps, including multiple deployments to Kosovo and Afghanistan as a heavy machine-gunner. After an injury and the loss of multiple friends to suicide, Miller decided he was ready for the next step in his life. He was discharged in 2008 and moved to Colorado. (Singer, 11/4)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Elevated Kidney Cancer Rates In Merrimack Warrant Further Research, Dartmouth Study Says
Kidney cancer rates are higher in the town of Merrimack compared to the rest of New Hampshire. And according to an investigation led by state officials and researchers from Dartmouth, more research is needed to determine the cause. (Hoplamazian, 11/3)
KFF Health News: Louisiana Took Months To Sound Alarm After Two Babies Died In Whooping Cough Outbreak
When there’s an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease, state health officials typically take certain steps to alert residents and issue public updates about the growing threat. That’s standard practice, public health and infectious disease experts told KFF Health News and NPR. The goal is to keep as many other vulnerable people as possible from getting sick and to remind the public about the benefits of vaccinations. But in Louisiana this year, public health officials appeared to have not followed that playbook during the state’s worst whooping cough outbreak in 35 years. (Westwood, 11/4)
