Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New York Hospitals Used To Plug Social Safety Net Holes: Report
The New York Times: New York State Leans On Hospitals To Close Gaps In Social Safety Net
The state issued the guidance late last month after receiving questions from The New York Times, which was preparing to publish an investigation that revealed preventable institutional breakdowns of homeless shelters, hospitals, specialized treatment teams and other organizations. The breakdowns preceded more than 90 acts of violence in the past decade, The Times found. Responding to the article on Monday, the state comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli, described it as a “wake-up call.” (Julia Harris and Ransom, 11/21)
The New York Times: 5 Takeaways From A Times Investigation Of New York’s Social Safety Net
New York City’s social safety net has repeatedly failed to prevent mentally ill people from unraveling on the streets and committing random acts of violence. It is a problem that generations of city leaders have tried and failed to solve. It became a priority for Mayor Eric Adams two weeks after he took office, when a homeless mentally ill man named Martial Simon pushed Michelle Go, a 40-year-old financial consultant, in front of a subway train in Times Square, killing her. (Julia Harris and Ransom, 11/21)
In news from New Jersey —
Politico: New Jersey's Menthol Cigarette Ban Could Include Pouches And Flavored Cigarillos
State lawmakers have expanded a bill to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes to include flavored oral nicotine pouches and “mass-produced” cigars. The Assembly Health Committee made the additions to the bill, NJ A1989 (22R) on Monday. Similar changes are expected in the Senate version. The wide-ranging prohibition would cut out popular products in the state. The additions specifically targeting flavored “non-premium cigars” would take flavored cigarillos — commonly found at convenience stores and gas stations — off shelves in New Jersey. (Han, 11/20)
Politico: Tammy Murphy Pushes New Doula Initiative As She Mounts Senate Bid
New Jersey first lady — and U.S. Senate candidate — Tammy Murphy announced Monday that a bill to guarantee pregnant women can be accompanied by doulas in hospitals and birthing centers will be introduced in the state Legislature. The state-sponsored announcement comes just days after Murphy announced her candidacy and as she's faced questions about how state resources will be used to boost her bid to replace Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.). Just last week, the Murphy administration faced criticism for the airing state-funded radio ads promoting New Jersey’s maternal health programs featuring Murphy as a narrator (the radio ads featuring her have since been discontinued, according to the governor’s office). (Han, 11/20)
In other news from across the country —
The Mercury News: Enrollment Efforts Expand As Medi-Cal Starts Covering Adults Who Are Undocumented
People who are undocumented make up 40% of the state’s approximately 1 million residents who are uninsured, according to the California Legislative Analyst’s Office. That could change beginning Jan. 1, with the new law in California that will allow adults who are undocumented to qualify for full-scope Medi-Cal and gain access to affordable primary care services such as annual check-ups and lab tests. (Torres, 11/20)
Health News Florida: Positive Healthcare, Which Covers People With HIV/AIDS, Leaves Florida
Almost 900 people in Florida will be left without insurance at the end of the year after Positive Healthcare announced it is leaving the state. Positive Healthcare is a Medicare Advantage health plan and includes prescription drug coverage for people who have HIV or AIDS. The plan is backed by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. (Cabrera, 11/20)
Modern Healthcare: Fairview To End University Of Minnesota Contract In 2026
Fairview Health Services said Monday it will not renew its contract with the University of Minnesota because it "threatens the sustainability" of the nonprofit health system. The contract expires at the end of 2026. Fairview had to issue a non-renewal notice by Dec. 31 or the agreement would automatically renew for another decade. The health system said the notice does not dissolve M Health Fairview, its joint clinical services offering; change patient care; or result in job losses. (Hudson, 11/20)
Houston Chronicle: Memorial Hermann Clarifies Medical Record Availability After AG Probe
Memorial Hermann will add clarifying language to its website about how parents and legal guardians can access adolescent medical records, ending a dispute with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who had accused the hospital of “possible misrepresentations” of record availability. The dispute centered around technical aspects of the hospital system’s Everyday Well patient portal, which offers access to certain medical records. (Gill, 11/20)
CBS News: Pennsylvania Department Of Health Encourages Testing As Newborn Syphilis Cases Skyrocket Nationwide
"There is no reason for a baby to be born with this dangerous disease - newborn syphilis is preventable with appropriate prenatal care, testing and treatment," said Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen in a news release. "Together with local health care providers, we want people to know there are simple tests to diagnose syphilis and treatments available to cure syphilis across the lifespan. By identifying and treating syphilis before or during pregnancy, we can prevent newborn syphilis." (Bartos, 11/20)
Minnesota Public Radio: Minnesota Sees Historic Levels Of Hunger Ahead Of Holiday Season
On the Friday before Thanksgiving, there was a steady stream of people waiting in line to pick out fresh produce inside Open Cupboard’s small free market in Oakdale. Executive director Jessica Francis pointed out the restaurant-style pagers the customers at the free market, called Today’s Harvest, held on to as a way to manage the influx of people. On this day alone, Francis said she expected they would serve 1,000 families. (Moini, 11/21)
CBS News: $5 Million In Leftover Federal COVID Funds Going To Minnesota Food Banks Ahead Of Holidays
Cassie Kienbaum is director of food support programming at St. Paul's Neighborhood House. "Years ago, food shelves were seen as an emergency service. Now they are a commonly-used essential lifeline for many," Kienbaum said. On Monday, she joined other advocates working to end hunger to celebrate a boost before the holidays: Gov. Tim Walz's administration has earmarked $5 million in leftover federal COVID relief funds for food banks like Second Harvest Heartland to send more to the local food shelves, and at no cost to them. (Cummings, 11/20)
NPR: A Program Lets Some Women Live Outside Of Prison With Their Babies
Minnesota lawmakers passed the Healthy Start Act in 2021. It is believed the state is the first to allow some mothers to live outside of prison with their new babies. A handful of other states, including Indiana and Washington, have nurseries that let incarcerated mothers keep their babies with them inside prison. In most places, a woman who gives birth in jail or prison is separated from her baby within hours or days. The Department of Corrections oversees Minnesota's program. (Roth, 11/21)
North Carolina Health News: Limited Data On Suicide And Self-Harm That Happens During Incarceration
Christopher Brandon Propst, a 44-year-old at Piedmont Correctional Institution, died of an apparent suicide on Saturday, Nov. 18. The N.C. Department of Adult Correction announced the death in a news release on its website the following Monday. Propst is the latest to die by suicide in the state prison system. Five other suicides happened earlier this year. But this public, real-time reporting of suicides in prisons isn’t happening across the country. Only North Carolina and 15 other states provide information on suicides that is frequently updated, detailed and freely given. (Crumpler, 11/21)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Court Records Show NH Hospital Shooter Involved In 2016 Armed Standoff
Court documents released Monday shed new light on the criminal and mental health history of John Madore, the man accused of killing a security guard inside the lobby of a secure psychiatric facility in Concord last Friday. Madore, 33, was killed by a New Hampshire state trooper shortly after firing several shots in the New Hampshire Hospital lobby, striking and killing Bradley Haas, a retired police chief from Franklin who worked as a security officer at the hospital. Madore, according to court records, was treated within New Hampshire Hospital while suffering from acute mental illness in 2016. (Bookman, 11/20)
Fox News: Oregon Opioid Deaths Increase 13x After Drug Decriminalization Law: ‘We Have To Do Something Different’
As Oregon reaches the three-year anniversary of passing its trailblazing law decriminalizing hard drugs like heroin, meth and cocaine, death and devastation are pushing many to plead for its reversal. Opioid-related deaths in the Beaver State have skyrocketed to 955 this year, up from 280 in 2019 before the law – Measure 110 – was passed with 58% approval. (Penley, 11/20)
Also —
KFF Health News: Lost In The Mix Of Medicaid ‘Unwinding’: Kentucky Cut Off Her Health Care Over A Clerical Error
The day her Medicaid coverage ended, Beverly Likens was in the hospital after a scary trip to the emergency room. The Kentucky resident was diagnosed with severe anemia and given a blood transfusion after her hemoglobin levels had plummeted. Likens, 48 at the time, was days from having surgery to treat chronic uterine bleeding that she said left her bleeding “constantly.” (Pradhan, 11/21)
