Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Quarantine Plans: Stockpiling Likely Again Before Election
USA Today: 'Like We're Going Into Quarantine': Americans Plan To Stockpile Food This Fall Over Fears Of COVID-19 Surge, Election Unrest
Slightly more than half of Americans in a recent poll from Sports and Leisure Research Group say they already have or plan to stockpile food and other essentials. The chief reason: fears of a resurgent pandemic, which could lead to disruptions such as new restrictions on businesses. On Oct. 2, the number of COVID-19 cases in the USA was its highest in almost two months. (Picchi, 10/12)
North Carolina Health News: Mental Health Patients Wait Weeks For Help
Bridget Narsh said she was unhappy that her son, Mason, spent 26 days this summer in a “windowless room” at UNC Hospital’s Emergency Department in Chapel Hill. Mason is a 15-year-old with autism, ADHD, anxiety and PTSD. The changes and disruptions generated by the coronavirus pandemic have been difficult for him and the whole family, she said. He’s had angry outbursts, ran away from his parents in public and at home, and refused to take his medications. (Knopf, 10/13)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: Heavy Drinking Is Killing Women In Record Numbers, And Experts Fear A Coronavirus-Related Spike
With an average of 1,591 alcohol-related deaths from 2011 to 2015, Louisiana is tied for 10th among U.S. states on a per-capita basis when it comes to people succumbing to the disease, according to a recent analysis of death certificates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Woodruff, 10/11)
KHN: New Moms Behind Bars Get Help From Someone Who’s Been There
Nine years ago, Nina Porter gave birth in a hospital bed with one of her ankles chained to the frame. Corrections officers stood watch as Porter held her daughter, Gianna, to her chest for the first time. Back at a nursery inside Indiana Women’s Prison, Gianna slept in a crib in her mother’s cell, about 2 feet from her pillow. The prison program allowed Porter to keep her baby with her — including when she went out into the yard — until her discharge nearly a year later. She didn’t recall ever bonding so closely with her previous 11 kids. She finally felt her life moving in a positive direction. (Bruce, 10/13)
In school news —
USA Today: COVID-19 Disrupting College Spring Reopenings, Calendars
Scores of universities and colleges have upended spring schedules as the coronavirus infection rate in the U.S. shows no sign of slowing. After a rocky start to the fall, uncertainty over the next few months of the pandemic has pushed universities from coast-to-coast to overhaul in-person learning, spring break, and graduation. Colleges and universities in California, Mississippi, Nevada, Texas, North Carolina, Indiana, Vermont, Kansas, Pennsylvania and Washington state have already announced changes and more are almost certain to follow. (Aspegren, 10/12)
CNN: The 2020-21 School Report So Far: No One Knows What Is Going On
A 6-year-old afraid to go outside. A mom scared to send her children back to school, then thrilled at how they've thrived. A teacher worried she'll be ordered back to the classroom and become some kind of test subject. These are some of the stressed stories of the pandemic-hit school year so far -- but it's impossible to know how widespread the experiences are because there is no national tracking of what happens when children and staff return to schools. (Grayer, 10/12)
