Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nevada Joins Low-Cost Northwest Prescription Drug Consortium
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Moves Forward With Low-Cost Drug Program
Nevada is moving ahead with joining a multi-state consortium for prescription drug purchasing that could help Nevadans save on generic and brand name drugs. The state is joining the Northwest Prescription Drug Consortium operated by Oregon and Washington, the stater Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday, following Gov. Steve Sisolak’s preview of the move in an address last week. “This is a great opportunity for the people of Nevada who face high costs for their vital prescription medications,” said Dr. Beth Slamowitz, the department’s senior policy adviser on pharmacy, in a statement. Enrollees can save an average 80 percent on generics and up to 20 percent on on brand name drugs, the department said in announcing the action. (Dentzer, 2/28)
In other news from across the U.S. —
AP: New Mexico Bill Allows Testing To Prevent Fentanyl Deaths
New Mexico is allowing broad access to test strips that can detect the presence of the potent opiate fentanyl and potentially help avoid deadly overdoses, under legislation signed Monday by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. The bill from Democratic legislators in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Los Alamos lifts restrictions on public access to devices that can test for drug impurities. It also gives state health health officials new authority to intervene and rein in the spread of diseases like HIV and hepatitis that can be transmitted through intravenous drug use. (3/1)
Missouri Independent: Missouri Paid SLSCO $25M To Aid Hospitals During COVID Surge
SLSCO, a Texas-based construction company, made lofty promises to Missouri’s state health department over the summer that, if hired, it could immediately send hundreds of healthcare workers to aid struggling hospitals. As evidence, the company pointed to filling a request within 36 hours for 200 intensive care unit nurses and staff in California, and indicated their “bench is deep” with hundreds of staff exclusive to the company. “We have deployed 1,000s of medical staff with a 72 hour notice,” wrote Janna Contorno, a project manager with SLS, in July pitching Missouri officials on its services. (Weinberg and Ladyzhets, 2/28)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio Debates Lowering Threshold For Providing Alcohol To Minors
Parents "who turn a blind eye" to underage drinking would be easier to prosecute if a bill proposed by two Ohio Republicans becomes law. House Bill 418 would lower the legal threshold for charging the owner or occupant of a home or business with allowing underage drinking from knowingly to recklessly because it is "easier for a prosecutor to prove that a person acted recklessly." "With the knowingly standard, people are gaming the code," state Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, said. "I may have let 10 teenagers into my basement, and I may have stocked the fridge downstairs with beer. I may have taken keys at the front door, but I didn't know what they were doing down there. I didn’t know they were drinking." (Staver, 2/28)
Miami Herald: GOP Senator Tries To Alter Florida ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill, Fails
A Republican state senator offered an amendment to the so-called “don’t say gay” bill Monday in an attempt to reduce partisan tensions over one of the most controversial measures of the legislative session. His GOP colleagues voted the idea down, then voted to move the bill to a full Senate vote. Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, argued that his amendment would fix the most contentious portion of House Bill 1557, which would bar schools from teaching lessons on gender identity or sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade — or in ways that are not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate in other grades. (Wilson and Ceballos, 2/28)
Salt Lake Tribune: Bill Spurred By 10-Year-Old Izzy Tichenor’s Suicide Would Require Utah Schools To Track Race Of Bullied Students
After the recent death of a 10-year-old Black girl by suicide, a Utah lawmaker is proposing that all public schools be required to track demographic data on cases of bullying to determine whether students of color in the state are being targeted. Rep. Sandra Hollins, D-Salt Lake City, said during an emotional committee hearing Friday that as a Black mother, she was devastated to hear of Izzy Tichenor’s death, which drew national attention. She attended the funeral in November, where she said she promised Izzy’s mother that she would work to prevent another case like hers. “It just tugged at me,” Hollins said. “We have a problem with racism in our schools. … And we cannot lose another life as a result.” (Tanner, 2/28)
KHN: A Dog Day At The Dentist’s: North Carolina Regulates Pups In Dentistry
The first time 11-year-old Levi McAllister had a tooth pulled, he screamed, kicked, and struggled so much that his mom had to hold him down. So when Levi returned to Charlotte Pediatric Dentistry in January to get two more teeth pulled, dental hygienist Barb Kucera had a surprise for him: a friendly yellow Labrador retriever named Atkins. (Crouch, 3/1)
