More People In Missouri Have Red Meat Allergy From Tick Bites
The origins of how tick bites lead to the allergy are still under investigation, but St. Louis Public Radio reports the syndrome is rising in Missouri. Also in state news: A Missouri mental health bill, Maine State Police behavioral health teams, mental health training for New Hampshire camp counselors, more.
St. Louis Public Radio:
Tick-Related Meat Allergy On The Rise In Missouri
A red meat allergy is on the rise in the St. Louis region as tick season becomes longer and hotter in the Midwest. Doctors say more people in the area are being diagnosed with “alpha-gal” syndrome, which can cause a severe allergic reaction to red meat. The syndrome appears to be common in those who have had tick bites, although researchers are still studying exactly what causes the allergy, said Dr. Maya Jareth, an allergist and immunologist at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Some people, after being bit by a tick, report a sudden aversion to meat from cows, pigs and other mammals. (Fentem, 6/15)
In mental health news —
The Boston Globe:
Mass. House Set To Pass Mental Health Bill
A focus on youth behavioral health underpins the mental health bill that House lawmakers plan to vote on Thursday, top Democrats said. Speaker Ronald Mariano has said representatives would pass their own mental health bill to “complement” one the Senate approved last November, and the House bill received an initial approval vote Wednesday after it emerged from the House Ways and Means Committee. House lawmakers are set to take up their bill (H 4879) on Thursday, and its passage would give the two branches a little more than six weeks to reconcile a pair of wide-ranging bills that have some overlap before formal legislative sessions end for the year on July 31. (Lannan, 6/15)
Bangor Daily News:
Maine State Police Will Add New Behavioral Health Team And Body Cameras
Word that change was on the horizon emerged nearly a month ago, but details were scarce. In a press briefing Tuesday, the Maine State Police described its plans to roll out a series of organizational changes starting early next year, along with a new body camera program and team of behavioral health specialists. Col. John Cote said the changes are necessary after years of budget and staffing challenges. The department has 34 trooper vacancies today, he said, and more are expected to retire. “As we take this snapshot right now and look forward for the next several years, we know we are not going to get this large influx of frontline personnel,” Cote said. “So it really drove us to realize we needed to come up with a non-traditional solution.” (Ogrysko, 6/15)
AP:
Camp Counselors Receive Mental Health Training In NH
Counselors are being trained to recognize signs of mental health struggles in campers under a new initiative in New Hampshire to make summer camp more accessible, New Hampshire officials said. The state’s education commissioner, Frank Edelblut said the new program, funded by federal COVID-19 relief aid, has partnered with 10 staff members from mental health facilities across the state to work with camps in the community, WMUR-TV reported Tuesday. (6/15)
In other news from across the U.S. —
AP:
Alaska Kids Served Sealant Instead Of Milk At School Program
A dozen children and two adults were served floor sealant instead of milk at a day care summer program at an Alaska elementary school after containers were apparently mixed up, the school district superintendent said Wednesday. Several students complained of burning sensations in their mouth and throats, and at least one child was treated at a hospital after the Tuesday morning incident in Juneau, Superintendent Bridget Weiss said. (Thiessen, 6/15)
AP:
West Virginia To Offer Food Benefits To Non-School Age Kids
West Virginia families with eligible children under the age of 6 will be receiving funding from the federal government for groceries. Children are eligible if they live in a household that receives Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, state Department of Health and Human Resources officials said in a news release. They must also live in a county where one or more schools have been closed or operated at reduced attendance due to COVID-19. (6/16)
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer:
Ohio-Based Adult-Care Firm, Including Medina Location, Accused Of ‘Grossly Substandard Services’
A nursing home in Medina is among three adult-care facilities, along with their parent company, being targeted by the U.S. Justice Department for “providing grossly substandard skilled nursing services.” The Justice Department has filed a complaint under the False Claims Act against Dublin, Ohio-based American Health Foundation (AHF), its affiliate AHF Management Corp., and three of its nursing homes: Samaritan Care Center and Villa, a 56-bed facility in Medina; Cheltenham Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, a 255-bed facility in Philadelphia, Pa.; and The Sanctuary at Wilmington Place, a 63-bed nursing home in Dayton. (Pinckard, 6/15)
North Carolina Health News:
Study Finds Inequities Among Disability Service Recipients
For North Carolinians with intellectual and developmental disabilities, getting mental health treatment and other services that enable someone to live at home can be challenging. Many parents and caregivers add their children with disabilities to a statewide waiting list to receive services under something called the Innovations Waiver, a North Carolina Medicaid program for people with disabilities who need regular assistance to continue living independently. Receiving these services can prevent people with disabilities from having no choice other than to live in a group home or other institutional setting. (Knopf, 6/16)
