Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Mental Health Support For Tennessee Flood Victims Boosted By FEMA Funds
AP: Tennessee: $116K From FEMA For Flood Victims' Mental Health
Tennessee officials say they are receiving more than $116,000 in federal funding to address the mental health needs of victims of deadly flooding in August. The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services says the money through the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be directed toward services for survivors of the Aug. 21 flooding that killed 20 people in Humphreys County. (10/4)
In updates from California —
Politico: The Wild West Of CBD Products Could End Soon In California
California is poised to clamp down on the fast-growing hemp market in a push to make sure CBD-infused products are accurately labeled and safe — a shift that could be felt nationwide, given the state’s formidable purchasing power. The extract used in soap, food and other wellness goods has exploded in popularity since Congress legalized hemp in the 2018 farm bill. But the FDA has refused to regulate CBD, or cannabidiol, as a dietary supplement because it’s an active ingredient in a federally approved medication. In the absence of federal oversight, states largely have been left to monitor the products — and untested and mislabeled items have been flooding stores. (Nieves, 9/30)
San Francisco Chronicle: New Bay Area Clinics Provide Mental Health Care, Other Services To Youths
A new program, designed largely by the people who use it, provides an alternative. Called Allcove, it offers stand-alone health and wellness sites to those ages 12 to 25, often on a walk-in basis, at minimal or no cost. Although Allcove is built to support a wide range of physical, emotional and social needs, its overarching goal is to deal with mental health challenges before they develop into deeper problems. Allcove is yet in its infancy, with two sites just opened in the Bay Area and five more in the pipeline around California. It’s modeled on a 15-year-old program in Australia, Headspace, which has 130 such clinics. Headspace has inspired programs in other countries as well, including Jigsaw in Ireland and Foundry in Canada. All of them, including Allcove, also offer online and phone services. (Kreidler, 10/3)
KHN: Santa Cruz Health Officials Honored For Persevering In Covid Battle Against Tide Of ‘Denialism’
Two California public health officials who pressed forward with aggressive measures to contain covid-19 even while enduring death threats and harassment will be honored with the 2021 PEN/Benenson Courage Award from PEN America, the group announced Friday. Mimi Hall and Dr. Gail Newel, health director and health officer, respectively, for Santa Cruz County, California, will be honored Tuesday at the PEN America Literary Gala in New York City. Newel was one of the first officials in the nation to institute a shelter-in-place order at the beginning of the pandemic, and under Hall and Newel, Santa Cruz has experienced some of the lowest covid case rates in the country, as well as one of the smallest gaps in vaccination by race or ethnicity. (Barry-Jester, 10/1)
KHN: Listen: California Banks On A Bold Treatment: Pay Drug Users To Stop Using
When Billy Lemon was trying to kick his methamphetamine addiction, he went to a drug treatment program at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation three times a week and peed in a cup. If it tested negative for meth, he got paid about $7.As the pandemic has raged, so has the country’s drug epidemic. Health officials have been struggling with methamphetamine and cocaine abuse, in particular, because of a lack of effective treatment for those stimulants. (Dembosky, 10/4)
In updates from Utah —
Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Lawmakers Considering Risky Plan To Stop Biden’s Vaccine Requirement
Utah is one of 22 states that enforces workplace safety through a “state-run program.” In Utah, instead of OSHA the program is called Utah Occupational Safety and Health (UOSH) and is funded by a mix of state and federal money. In the current fiscal year, $2.5 million of the budget for UOSH comes from federal sources and about $1.15 million is from state money. While federal funds cover a substantial part of the budget, the state’s portion of the money is why lawmakers believe Utah may have some wiggle room. “When the rule comes out, whether or not we choose to implement it or go into a process where we’re talking with OSHA and the federal government about not implementing that component,” House Speaker Brad Wilson, R-Kaysville, said. “We don’t know yet if that’s going to be something that will work.” (Schott, 10/3)
Salt Lake Tribune: Robert Gehrke Explains How A Wildly Inflated Medical Marijuana Lab Test Shows Utah Needs Better Safeguards For Its Patients
Forty-five. It was a number that would quite literally make your head spin because it represented the percentage of tetrahydrocannabinol — or THC, the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana — that one lab reported was contained in the cannabis flower from a Utah producer. Even the strongest marijuana strains rarely break into the low 30% range, and some believe the physical limit of the plant to be in the mid-30s. Indeed, Sugar House Selects’ Ice Cream Cake Bud, coming in at 45.13% to be precise, might well have set a world record for the most potent weed on Earth. The cultivator promoted the jaw-dropping report on its Instagram page, as did one local dispensary. But the numbers didn’t pass the smell test for Christine Stenquist, a long-time patient advocate. (Gehrke, 10/3)
In updates from West Virginia, Texas and Pennsylvania —
Charleston Gazette-Mail: Quidditch Cup Organizers Say They'll No Longer Consider WV Over Transgender Ban
A West Virginia law banning transgender girls and women from competing on public school sports teams that align with their gender identity will cost the state a tournament that would have brought more than 1,600 visitors to the Kanawha Valley. US Quidditch, the organizers of the Quidditch Cup, say they will no longer consider bids from the state of West Virginia because of House Bill 3293. Quidditch is a sport that comes from the mind of author J.K. Rowling in her fantasy series “Harry Potter.” The real-life game blends elements of rugby, basketball and dodgeball. (Kersey, 10/3)
Axios: Life Expectancy In Austin Among Highest In Texas
Kids born today in Central Texas will live longer than most of their fellow Texans, per an Axios analysis of life expectancy data. Travis, Hays and Williamson counties rank in the top 10 of Texas’ 254 counties for average life expectancy, according to 2021 data from the University of Wisconsin's Population Health Center. A child born in Austin today will likely die in the year 2103 — or live 81.9 years. (Price, 10/1)
CBS News: Nurse Shot Dead In Philadelphia Hospital By Someone Wearing Scrubs
A nurse was shot and killed inside Jefferson Hospital in Center City early Monday morning, CBS Philly reports. Police say the suspect, a man wearing scrubs, shot the 43-year-old male nurse on the hospital's 9th floor just after midnight. The suspect fled the hospital in a U-Haul truck and was seen heading toward I-95. A short time later, the suspect was involved in a shootout with police near the School of the Future, a public high school in the city. (10/4)
