Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Murder Hornet' Spotted In Washington State For First Time This Year
NBC News: Washington State Has First Live 'Murder Hornet' Sighting Of 2021
For the second time this year, a "murder hornet" has been spotted in Washington state, officials said Thursday. But it's the first confirmed report of a live Asian giant hornet in the state in 2021, the state department of agriculture said. The sighting in Whatcom County was reported Wednesday. Earlier this summer, a dead insect was found north of Seattle. (Helsel, 8/13)
In other news from across the U.S. —
Houston Chronicle: Texas Abortion Clinics Brace For Near Shutdown As New Law Is Enacted: 'We Have To Comply'
The National Abortion Federation has told doctors in Texas it will stop referring patients and sending money to clinics that offer abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. In North Texas, the Texas Equal Action Fund will likely “pause” its ride share program that helps women reach abortion appointments. Dr. Bhavik Kumar, an abortion provider for Planned Parenthood, has cleared his schedule to fit in as many patients as he can before the end of the month. (Blackman, 8/12)
The Washington Post: ACLU Sues D.C. Officers Over Use Of Chemical Irritants And Stun Grenades During Racial Justice Protests
The ACLU of D.C. is suing the District and eight unnamed D.C. police officers for spraying chemical irritants and firing stun grenades at racial justice protesters and two photojournalists near Black Lives Matter Plaza last summer. The federal lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington on behalf of Oyoma Asinor and Bryan Dozier, two independent photojournalists, seeks a trial by jury and compensation for their injuries. (Silverman, 8/12)
Charleston Gazette-Mail: Advocates Urge Congress, MSHA To Do More For Miners With Black Lung And Guard Against The Disease
Members of the National Black Lung Association, the environmental group Appalachian Voices and the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, a Kentucky-based nonprofit law firm that represents coal miners on black lung and mine safety issues, urged Congress to permanently extend and raise by 25% an excise tax that coal producers must pay when coal they produce is first sold or used. The excise tax is the main source of revenue for the Federal Black Lung Program and the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, which pays benefits to miners disabled by the disease as well as their eligible survivors and dependents when no responsible coal operator is identified or when the liable operator does not pay. (Tony, 8/12)
CIDRAP: New Hampshire Reports Fatal Jamestown Canyon Virus Case
New Hampshire health officials recently reported the state's first Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV) case of the season, an adult who died from the infection. The patient is from Dublin, located in the east central part of the state, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (NHDHHS) said in a statement. The patient was hospitalized with worsening neurological symptoms and died, with JCV as a contributing cause. *8/12)
KHN: Veterans Push For Medical Marijuana In Conservative South
Each time Chayse Roth drives home to North Carolina, he notices the highway welcome signs that declare: “Nation’s Most Military Friendly State.” “That’s a powerful thing to claim,” said Roth, a former Marine Corps gunnery sergeant who served multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Now he says he’s calling on the state to live up to those words. A Wilmington resident, Roth is advocating for lawmakers to pass a bill that would legalize medical marijuana and allow veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and other debilitating conditions to use it for treatment. (Pattani, 8/13)
KHN: How A Hospital And A School District Teamed Up To Help Kids In Emotional Crisis
In 2019, the Rockville Centre school district in Long Island, New York, was shaken by a string of student deaths, including the suicides of a recent graduate and a current student. “When you get these losses, one after the other, you almost can’t get traction on normalcy,” said Noreen Leahy, an assistant superintendent at the school district. To Leahy, the student suicides exposed a children’s mental health crisis brewing for years. She had observed a concerning uptick in depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation among students. Her school district had a team of mental health professionals, but Leahy said they couldn’t provide the kind of long-term care many students needed. (Chatterjee and Herman, 8/13)
