Navy To Address Honolulu Drinking Water Fuel Contamination Issue

CNN: Hawaii Health Officials Order Navy To Clean Up Contaminated Drinking Water After Families Are Forced To Move Out Of Their Homes 
The Hawaii Department of Health is ordering the Navy to take immediate action to address contaminated drinking water at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, an issue that has forced more than 700 people from their homes and left parents fearing the water they bathed their children in made them sick. The Navy previously said it shut down its Red Hill well on November 28 and that families living on base reported symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches and skin-related concerns. (Chen, Simonson and Burnside, 12/7)

AP: Navy Halts Use Of Fuel Storage Complex Above Hawaii Aquifer 
The U.S. Navy announced Monday that it is suspending use of a massive World War II-era fuel storage complex above a Hawaii aquifer that supplies nearly 20% of Honolulu’s drinking water — following days of complaints that tap water smells like fuel and has sickened some people. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro traveled to Pearl Harbor and told reporters he was apologizing to everyone affected by what he called a “horrible, horrible tragedy.” (McAvoy, 12/7)

In news from Arizona and Montana —

AP: New Study Outlines High Costs Of Extreme Heat In Phoenix 
Extreme heat is expensive. That’s the conclusion of a study presented Monday by The Nature Conservancy, which commissioned a look at the costs of rising temperatures in Phoenix. Working with infrastructure consulting firm AECOM, the nonprofit environmental organization known for its nature preserves and efforts to protect biodiversity this time turned its attention to the country’s hottest large metropolitan area. “As Phoenix continues to urbanize and its population expands, the benefits of adapting to extreme heat may only increase, as will the consequences of inaction,” the report said. “To implement the ambitious solution scenarios and realize the associated benefits, both the public and private sector will need to play an active role.” (Snow, 12/7)

Billings Gazette: VA Unveils New $2.1M Veterans Health Care Clinic In Miles City
Veterans living in the Miles City region will have access to a new VA clinic starting this week. Tucked into a shopping center on the east side of the city, the new facility is one of several recent additions to the Montana Veterans Health Care System. State VA officials, along with health care workers and local veterans, gathered Wednesday for a ceremony marking the building’s opening. (Hamby, 12/6)

In news from Wisconsin, Ohio and Kentucky —

ABC News: Wisconsin Law To Curb Rape Kit Backlog With Standardized Collection, Tracking System 
For years, thousands of sexual assault kits sat on the shelves in Wisconsin crime labs, leaving victims and investigators desperately waiting for crucial data, according to state officials. But new legislation that went into effect Monday aims to clear up this backlog and provide victims with more information about their investigations. (Pereira, 12/6)

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Former Geauga County Health Commissioner Robert Weisdack Dies From COVID-19 Complications 
Longtime Geauga County health commissioner Robert “Bob” Weisdack died last week of complications from COVID-19. He was 70 years old. Weisdack died Friday after a three-week battle with COVID-19, according to an obituary posted by Fleming & Billman Funeral Directors. The obituary did not say if he had received a coronavirus vaccine. Weisdack spent 19 years as the commissioner for the Geauga County Health Department. Throughout his career, he has served as an epidemiologist, registered sanitarian and administrator, according to his obituary. (Mitchell, 12/6)

AP: Children's Hospital Opening In Eastern Kentucky
A children’s hospital has opened in eastern Kentucky. The Drs. R.V. and Jyothi Mettu Children’s Hospital opened Monday at Pikeville Medical Center, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. It will be the first such hospital in the region and will serve Kentucky, southern West Virginia and southwestern Virginia. (12/7)

Courier Journal: Kentucky Judge Hits Health Care Sharing 'Ministry' With $4.7M Judgment
When Austin Willard, a committed Christian, left his job at a campus outreach ministry to start his own business and needed to find health care coverage for his growing family, he turned to an alternative to conventional insurance. Willard, of Lexington, Kentucky, signed up in 2018 for what is known as a "health care sharing ministry" in which members of the same faith share medical expenses. (Wolfson, 12/7)

In news from Vermont, Maryland and Florida —

Burlington Free Press: Vermont Abenaki Bison Project Tackles Food Insecurity By Raising Bison
It was a chilly Vermont afternoon, and the bison were hungry. The herd eagerly chomped down on mounds of hay fed to them by Chief Don Stevens of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk-Abenaki Nation. (Fisher, 12/7)

The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Health Department Says There’s No Evidence Of Data Lost After Cyberattack; Website Is Back Online 
The Maryland Department of Health said Monday that there was “no evidence” any of its data had been compromised after a cyberattack forced the agency to take its website offline over the weekend. “There is no evidence at this time that any data have been compromised,” department spokesman Andy Owen said in a Monday afternoon email. “As part of the ongoing investigation into the network security incident that occurred, the Maryland Department of Health’s servers will remain offline out of an abundance of caution,” Owen said. “Data updates will resume as soon as possible.” (Condon and Miller, 12/6)

Health News Florida: Florida Is Poised To Move Forward On Black Farmer Medical Marijuana License
Black farmers with ties to doing business in Florida will be able to apply for one of the state’s highly sought-after medical marijuana licenses in March, according to an emergency rule published this week by state health officials. The Department of Health will accept applications for the single Black farmer license from March 21 through March 25, the notice said. The application period will be the first opportunity for prospective medical marijuana operators to vie for a Florida license since 2015, after lawmakers in 2014 legalized marijuana that is low in euphoria-inducing THC for patients with a handful of medical conditions. (Kam, 12/6)