Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Portland Officials Consider Public Use Ban To Battle Drugs, Overdoses
The New York Times: To Revive Portland, Officials Seek To Ban Public Drug Use
After years of rising overdoses and an exodus of business from central Portland, Gov. Tina Kotek of Oregon said on Monday that state and city officials are proposing to roll back a portion of the nation’s most wide-ranging drug decriminalization law in a bid to revive the troubled city. Under the plan brokered by Gov. Kotek, a Democrat, state lawmakers would be asked to consider a ban on public drug use and police would be given greater resources to deter the distribution of drugs. Ms. Kotek said officials hoped to restore a sense of safety for both visitors and workers in the city’s beleaguered urban core, which has seen an exodus of key retail outlets, including REI, an institution in the Pacific Northwest. (Baker, 12/11)
Reuters: EPA Pollution Permitting Discriminates Against Kids, New Climate Lawsuit Says
A group of 18 young California residents has sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for “intentionally” discriminating against American children by allowing the release of dangerous levels of climate change-causing greenhouse gas pollution. The young people filed their lawsuit Sunday night in a California federal court, arguing the EPA is violating their equal protection, due process and other rights under the U.S. Constitution by permitting factories, refineries and other sources of pollution to release too much climate-warming pollutants like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. (Mindock, 12/11)
North Carolina Health News: A Turning Point For Firefighters: Navigating Toward PFAS-Free Gear
Firefighting has been shown to be a carcinogenic occupation — depending on the situation, firefighters can encounter toxic fumes and particulate matter during a fire. For years, those within the firefighting community have worked to reduce the health risks associated with their work. But recently, researchers have shown that fluorinated compounds applied to firefighters’ protective gear to repel liquids can contribute to cancer-related illnesses. The rate at which firefighters develop cancer outpaces the general population by 9 percent, and their risk of dying from cancer is 14 percent higher, according to a study published by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. (Atwater, 12/12)
CBS News: Ramsey County Offering Free Naloxone Kits To Residents
Ramsey County is launching a pilot project that will offer residents a potentially life-saving drug, county officials announced Monday. Ramsey County Public Health is offering county resident free naloxone kits while supplies last. Naloxone, as commonly known as Narcan can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose from drugs such a heroin, fentanyl and pain relievers like oxycodone. Residents can order a kit online and they will be mailed directly to their homes. (Moser, 12/11)
KFF Health News: People With Disabilities Hope Autonomous Vehicles Deliver Independence
Myrna Peterson predicts self-driving vehicles will be a ticket out of isolation and loneliness for people like her, who live outside big cities and have disabilities that prevent them from driving. Peterson, who has quadriplegia, is an enthusiastic participant in an unusual test of autonomous vehicles in this corner of northern Minnesota. She helped attract government funding to bring five self-driving vans to Grand Rapids, a city of 11,000 people in a region of pine and birch forests along the Mississippi River. (Leys, 12/12)
