Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nursing Home Visits Might Soon Resume In Georgia
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Executive Order Paves Way For In-Person Nursing Home Visits In Georgia
Gov. Brian Kemp’s latest coronavirus order, issued late Tuesday, sets up a framework to allow visitors to return to long-term care facilities. The order will provide some comfort to loved ones who have complained about the inability to see family members in the facilities during the pandemic, but comes as Georgia still faces higher rates of infection and deaths among the state’s most vulnerable citizens. (Bluestein and Teegardin, 9/15)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: Black Caucus Seeks Probe Into Ochsner's Hospice Practices For New Orleans Coronavirus Patients
Louisiana's Legislative Black Caucus has called on Gov. John Bel Edwards and the Louisiana Department of Health to investigate how the state's largest hospital system handled coronavirus surges this spring. The caucus laid out its concerns in a letter to Edwards after the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica published a story Sept. 2 that said Ochsner Health System was out of step with hospitals across the nation for sending coronavirus patients that doctors considered terminal home to die this spring. (Gallo, 9/15)
Detroit Free Press: EEE Suspected In Barry County, Michigan: Outdoor Events Canceled
An adult from Barry County is suspected of having the rare and dangerous mosquito-borne virus Eastern equine encephalitis, health officials announced Tuesday. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services now urges people in 10 Michigan counties — Barry, Clare, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Newaygo and Oakland — to cancel or postpone outdoor events that take place at or after dusk to prevent more people from contracting the virus, which is spread through the bite of infected mosquitoes. (Shamus, 9/15)
The Hill: New York's Positive COVID-19 Test Rate Rises To 1 Percent For First Time In Over A Month
New York state's COVID-19 positivity rate rose above 1 percent on Monday, the first time the rate has reached that level in more than a month. Out of 73,678 tests performed in the state Monday, 766 returned positive, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced on Twitter Tuesday. The state's positive test rate sat at 1.03 percent for the day. Cuomo's announcement comes just one day after the governor's office celebrated 38 straight days with a positivity rate below 1 percent. (Bowden, 9/15)
AP: Chicago Warns Against Wisconsin Travel, Cites COVID-19 Spike
Chicago officials cautioned city residents Tuesday about travel to Wisconsin, citing a recent COVID-19 spike in Illinois’ neighbor to the north. The Chicago Department of Public Health stopped short of adding Wisconsin to a travel advisory list. There are 16 states on the list, including Utah, which was announced Tuesday. City officials said Sith some exceptions, Chicago residents who travel to the states must quarantine for two weeks upon return. Visitors from those states are expected to quarantine while in Chicago. (9/15)
The Washington Post: St. Elizabeths Has Increased Usage Of Restraints On Patients, Report Says
A mental health advocacy group this week said the city-owned psychiatric hospital in Southeast Washington has increased its use of restraint and seclusion on patients despite regulations designed to limit such interventions. The nonprofit Disability Rights DC, the federally mandated advocate for people with disabilities in the city, said its review of St. Elizabeths Hospital’s incident reports showed it had “steadily increased its use of restraint and seclusion.” The report, released Monday, comes in a difficult year for the hospital amid the coronavirus pandemic, which killed several patients earlier in the year. (Moyer, 9/15)
In news from the West —
Fox News: Texas County To Pay Coronavirus Survivors For Plasma Donations
Need fast cash? If you’re a survivor of the novel coronavirus and live in one Texas county, you may be in luck — if you donate plasma, that is. Officials in Bexar County, which San Antonio is a part of, are willing to pay survivors of the novel coronavirus money to donate their plasma to COVID-19 patients in need. One official said only a small number of COVID-19 survivors in the area have donated plasma, which has been touted as a potentially lifesaving treatment for those with severe infections. (Farber, 9/15)
Dallas Morning News: Texas Proposes Fewer Budget Cuts To Women’s Programs But Would Freeze Hiring Eligibility Workers
The state’s mega agency for health care and social services is rescinding proposed cuts to women’s health, family planning and domestic violence programs, it announced Tuesday. But the Health and Human Services Commission also said it’ll commence a hiring freeze for eligibility workers who screen needy Texans applying for safety-net programs, if elected leaders ratify its latest proposal. (Garrett, 9/15)
AP: 2 Oklahoma Inmates Die; Health Officials Probe Link To Virus
Two more state prison inmates in Oklahoma have died, and the deaths could be linked to COVID-19, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Corrections. One inmate was hospitalized after testing positive for the coronavirus, the department reported late Monday. The other was being treated for symptoms of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. (9/15)
WBUR: To Limit COVID-19, Navajo Leader Says: 'Listen To Your Public Health Professionals'
Earlier this year, the Navajo Nation Reservation was a major hot spot for coronavirus cases. Now, it's seen a day without a single positive case. It's a turning point in its battle against the virus. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez attributes that to Navajo leaders and citizens heeding the advice of public health officials. (Pfeiffer. 9/15)
