Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Possible Legionnaire's Outbreak in Missouri Hot Tub
AP: Officials Warn Of Possible Legionnaires’ Disease Exposure
State and local health officials are warning of a potential for Legionnaires’ disease exposure at a hotel in Missouri. Two people were diagnosed with the severe form of pneumonia after using the hot tub or the pool late last month while staying at a Comfort Inn & Suites in Macon, KMIZ-TV reports. (4/17)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Verdicts Tossed Vs. Paint Companies In Milwaukee Lead Poisoning Trial
A federal appeals court has thrown out a historic verdict against paint companies a jury found responsible for the lead poisoning suffered by three men who lived in old Milwaukee houses as toddlers. Those three cases were among about 170 lead poisoning cases filed after the Wisconsin Supreme Court's controversial 2005 ruling that expanded potential liability of lead pigment manufacturers and before the Legislature closed that avenue in 2011. The three cases were the first to go to trial. Jurors in the combined trial found three companies responsible for the brain damage and resulting life limitations endured by the three plaintiffs, and awarded $6 million in damages in 2019. (Vielmetti, 4/16)
Courier-Journal: Overdose Deaths In Kentucky Spike During COVID-19 Pandemic, Data Shows
In Kentucky, long plagued by high rates of addiction, overdose deaths rose by 50% from September 2019 to September 2020, compared to the previous 12 months, according to preliminary figures released April 13 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kentucky had 1,956 overdose deaths over that 12-month period compared to 1,304 deaths the previous year, the CDC said, using preliminary data that could change. Indiana had 2,169 deaths in that period, a 32% increase. (Yetter, 4/19)
Capitol Beat News Service: Medical Marijuana For Georgians With Serious Health Issues Nears Reality
Medical marijuana is nearing reality for thousands of Georgians suffering from serious health conditions as state officials sift through applications for growing licenses and lawmakers recently paved the way for pharmacies to become dispensaries. A program years in the making to regulate the cultivation, extraction and distribution of low-grade marijuana oil is set to award licenses to six groups from among 70 applicants later this spring or early summer. (Evans, 4/17)
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Touro University Nevada Gets $3M Gift For Autism Center
Touro University Nevada is getting a $3 million endowment gift for its autism center from the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar. The funding for the private Henderson university’s Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities will be used primarily for scholarships for Southern Nevada families who don’t have health insurance or can’t afford to pay for care at the center. The scholarships will be awarded beginning in June 2022. (Wootton-Greener, 4/18)
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Bill Aims To Help Home Care Workers, Clients
The legislation would create a board of state health officials, disability advocates, workers and agency owners to examine the state of home care in Nevada and issue recommendations to improve the quality of care and the working conditions. The median hourly wage for personal care aides in the state is $11.07, according to the union. The bill also would enable workers to seek training and benefits such as paid sick leave, protective equipment and health care coverage to address the shortage of quality care that seniors and people with disabilities are facing in Nevada. (Erickson, 4/18)
AP: Food Boxes With Fresh Produce To Be Given Away In Jackson
Thousands of food boxes of fresh produce will be available for pick-up at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds in Jackson on Wednesday. The food is being provided as part of a federal program to support families who have lost income during the coronavirus pandemic. “A lot of our citizens are still struggling with health and loss of work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson said in a press release. (4/18)
CIDRAP: H1N1v Flu Infects Wisconsin Child
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today reported a variant H1N1 influenza (H1N1v) case in Wisconsin, the third variant flu case to be reported for the 2020-21 flu season. In its weekly FluView report, the CDC said the child was not hospitalized and completely recovered. An investigation found that he or she had direct contact with pigs and that no human-to-human transmission was linked to the infection. The case is the first involving H1N1v to be reported in 2021. (4/16)
Axios: The State Worst Hit By The Pandemic
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, the job facing governments was to save lives and save jobs. Very few states did well on both measures, while New York, almost uniquely, did particularly badly on both. The jury is still out on whether there was a trade-off between the dual imperatives; a new analysis from Hamilton Place Strategies shows no clear correlation between the two. (Salmon, 4/19)
