Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Oregon's Governor Set To Veto Recent Kratom, Mental Health Bills
The Oregonian: Gov. Kate Brown Will Veto Bills On Kratom And Mental Health Services, Citing Federal Conflicts
Gov. Kate Brown said Sunday she intends to veto two bills passed during the 2021 legislative session — one addressing mental health and substance use disorder services and the other dealing with the regulation of kratom. Brown said in a statement that her office has determined Senate Bill 721 and House Bill 2646 conflict with “federal regulations or federal authority.” SB 721 would modify the member appointment process for the Consumer Advisory Council that assists the director of the Oregon Health Authority on mental health and substance use disorder services. (Tabrizian, 8/1)
Oklahoman: Marijuana Patients, Workers Rally At State Capitol In Oklahoma City
Medical marijuana patients and people who work in the fledgling industry rallied at the Oklahoma state Capitol on Friday to show support for the state's marijuana laws and to call for increased transparency from the state entity that regulates cannabis. Despite intense summer heat, rallygoers vented about the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority and criticized new emergency rules that add temporary regulations to the industry as a result of legislation passed this year. (Forman, 7/31)
North Carolina Health News: Appeals, Deals Delay Assisted Living Centers Paying Fines
When Ashe Gardens Assisted Living in Pender County “failed to provide supervision for 11 residents with assaultive, aggressive, sexually expressive and wandering behaviors,” state officials fined the facility $70,000 for that and other lapses, state records show. But the center hasn’t paid a dime of the fines levied in December 2019. All of those fines remain under appeal to the state Department of Health and Human Services more than a year and a half later. A representative from the facility said they could not comment on this situation. (Goldsmith and Dougani, 8/2)
The Washington Post: Utah Police Find Hammocks In Electricity Towers
Northern Utah’s twisted canyons, sheer mountains and Great Salt Lake are rife for the Instagram age, and for some people, the beauty may be worth dangerously lounging in a hammock atop an electric power line tower. Now police in Weber County will be looking for people hanging their hammocks from the tall steel structures — an “extremely risky” action that can end with a court hearing or a potentially deadly outcome. (Paul, 8/1)
Fox News: Michigan Detects First Candida Auris Case: What Is The Rare, Deadly Fungus?
Michigan health officials documented the state’s first case of a rare and potentially serious fungus in an older adult, a spokesperson confirmed to Fox News – but what is Candida auris? The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Laboratories on May 27 confirmed Candida auris in a sample taken from ear drainage of a 76-year-old man with chronic ear infections and no overseas travel history in the prior three years, according to a MDHHS health alert shared with Fox News. "There was no threat to the public and the patient’s healthcare providers were aware and took the proper precautions. There have not been additional cases identified at this time," Lynn Sutfin, spokesperson for MDHHS, wrote to Fox News in an email on Friday. (Rivas, 7/31)
San Francisco Chronicle: Assisted Death Is Legal In California, But Some Patients Die Waiting. A New Bill Could Help
Once unthinkable, assisted death has established itself as a widely accepted option at the end of life since first becoming available to Californians in June 2016. But it remains a rare act: Only about 400 people on average die each year in the state by taking the doctor-prescribed drug. Now, halfway through a decade-long trial run, state legislators are moving to streamline the assisted death process and remove some of the barriers that advocates say have prevented the law from becoming more widely used, particularly among low-income residents and people of color. (Koseff, 8/1)
KHN: Facing Recall, Newsom Draws Support From Health Care Allies
Californians upset with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic rules — which shuttered businesses, kept schoolkids at home and mandated masks — helped fuel the September recall election that could spell the end of his political career. But among the allies rushing to Newsom’s defense are doctors, nurses, dentists and other health care interests who credit those pandemic measures for protecting them as front-line workers and saving the lives of countless Californians. (Young, 7/30)
In school news from Georgia and Oklahoma —
Oklahoman: Parent, Teacher Concerns Grow As Oklahoma Schools Reopen In COVID Surge
Every time the school bus passed by 7-year-old Cole Sandlin's house, he would break down in tears. He missed school. He yearned for the bus. He missed all of it. After a year of frustrating virtual learning, Cole would have gone to summer school if he could, his mother Chantil Baldwin said. Baldwin and her husband decided the mental and academic toll would be too great to keep Cole home another year, but as COVID-19 cases show an alarming rise, the family has grown worried about his safety in a school setting. Without action by the governor, mask mandates are outlawed in Oklahoma public schools, and that's Baldwin's greatest worry. (Martinez-Keel and Branham, 8/1)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Metro Atlanta High School To Start Year Virtually Due To COVID Cases
As many metro Atlanta students return to school this week, one high school will hold virtual classes due to the number of staff members with the coronavirus. North Clayton High School in College Park will begin the school year virtually Monday through Wednesday, Principal Eldrick Horton said in a letter posted online. The move was necessary because of the number of staff members currently in quarantine, Horton said. (Stevens, 8/1)
