Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Mississippi Reports Doubling Of Stillbirth Numbers During Covid
The Washington Post: Stillbirths Double In Mississippi Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Mississippi has recorded 72 fetal deaths in unvaccinated pregnant women infected with the coronavirus, state health officials announced Wednesday, sounding the alarm on the virus’s danger in pregnancy. Speaking during a news conference, Mississippi State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs said those deaths had occurred since the start of the pandemic. The number, which includes only deaths that occurred past 20 weeks of gestation, “is twice the background rate of what would be expected,” he said. (Shammas, 9/9)
In updates from Louisiana, New York and Michigan —
New Orleans Times-Picayune: Orleans Parish Coroner Says 7 Deaths At Senior Apartments Likely Due To Excessive Heat
The Orleans Parish Coroner's Office confirmed that seven residents of apartment complexes for seniors who died in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida likely perished because of the excessive heat during the extended outage after the storm. The deaths include four of the five residents who died at a group of 10 senior complexes that were evacuated by the city starting five days after Ida, when sweltering temperatures and a lack of air conditioning left tenants struggling to find food, water and ice. The other three deaths attributed to the hot conditions occurred in three separate complexes for older adults that were also left without power but were not evacuated. Those complexes have not, so far, been the focus of city officials' ire. (Adelson, 9/9)
AP: Endo Latest Company To Settle With New York Over Opioids
The state of New York and two large counties agreed Thursday a $50 million deal to end their lawsuits with drugmaker Endo International, in the latest of a progression of settlements of government claims over the opioid addiction and overdose crisis. Under the deal announced Thursday night, the Dublin-based drugmaker and its subsidiary Par are to pay $22.3 million to the state attorney general’s office and $13.85 million to both Suffolk and Nassau counties. (9/10)
Detroit Free Press: How Local Organizations Are Tackling 'Period Poverty'
A pair of bills that would eliminate a tax on feminine hygiene products in Michigan is welcome news for local advocates and community organizations on the forefront of the fight to tackle "period poverty" — or the struggle to afford pads and tampons. The legislation, introduced this year and headed to the House floor for a vote, seeks to exempt tampons, pads and other menstrual products from Michigan's 6% sales and use tax. That tax unfairly burdens people who menstruate, advocates say. For years, advocates and local organizations have been pushing to eliminate the so-called "tampon tax." They've been filling in gaps, too, by providing pads, tampons and other menstrual hygiene products to people who can't afford them. (Rahman, 9/10)
In updates from California —
AP: California May Require Menstrual Products In Public Schools
California public schools and colleges would have to stock their restrooms with free menstrual products under legislation sent Thursday to Gov. Gavin Newsom as women’s rights advocates push nationwide for affordable access to pads, tampons and other items. The bill by Democratic Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia builds on her 2017 law requiring low-income schools in disadvantaged areas to provide students with free menstrual products. (Thompson, 9/9)
San Francisco Chronicle: BinaxNow Vs. Ellume: Why One Rapid COVID Test Seems To Be Sold Out Everywhere
Rapid at-home antigen tests have become convenient tools for people hoping to quickly determine whether their cold symptoms are COVID-19. But the tests, which are not as accurate as PCR lab tests but return results in far less time, can be hard to find in the Bay Area. The two at-home tests approved by the Food and Drug Administration are Abbott Laboratories' BinaxNow and Ellume’s COVID-19 home test. But at least in the Bay Area, it’s challenging to find a drugstore that isn’t sold out of BinaxNow, though Ellume is far easier to get. (Vainshtein, 9/9)
KHN: It’s Not Just Covid: Recall Candidates Represent Markedly Different Choices On Health Care
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s covid-19 rules have been a lightning rod in California’s recall election. But there’s a lot more at stake for Californians’ health care than mask and vaccine mandates. Newsom, a first-term Democrat, argues that their fundamental ability to get health insurance and medical treatments is on the line. Republicans are seeking to “take away health care access for those who need it,” according to his statement in the voter guide sent to Californians ahead of Tuesday’s recall election. (Young and Bluth, 9/10)
Bay Area News Group: $2.75 Billion For Homeless Housing Up For Grabs In California
California housing officials on Thursday made $2.75 billion available for cities, counties and nonprofits to create new homeless housing — vastly expanding a program that already has provided more than 1,600 residential units in the Bay Area. Thursday’s expansion more than triples the size of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Homekey program, which launched last year to purchase hotels, apartments and other buildings, and convert them into long-term housing for homeless residents. In 2020, the program doled out $846 million and created 6,029 units of housing throughout the state. (Kendall, 9/9)
