Report: $800M In Funds For Floridians With Disabilities Are Unspent
A nonprofit's investigation found that state and federal matching funds meant for people with lifelong disabilities haven't been spent over the past two years. Among other news, researchers can again access gun owner data in California; social media access for kids in New Jersey; and more.
Health News Florida:
Nonprofit's Analysis Shows Florida Left Nearly $800M Unspent For People With Disabilities
Nearly $800 million in state and federal matching funds meant for Floridians with lifelong disabilities have gone unspent over the past two years. According to an Orlando Sentinel report, this came to light after a budget analysis was conducted by The ARC of Florida, a nonprofit organization that advocates for services for people with disabilities. (11/21)
In other health news from across the country —
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Law Giving Researchers Access To Gun Data Reinstated
Any intrusion on a gun owner’s privacy by providing the purchase records to academic researchers, the court said, must be weighed against the public value of learning more about weapons purchases and their effects. ... Among other findings ... the UC Davis researchers determined that “in the first week after the purchase of a handgun, the rate of suicide by means of firearms among purchasers was 57 times as high as the adjusted rate in the general population.” (Egelko, 11/21)
Politico:
State Delays Essential Plan Expansion, Nixes Premiums
A long-awaited expansion of the state’s Essential Plan to cover a new income tier will not launch until at least April 1, according to an updated application filed last week by the Department of Health. The program’s expansion to cover New Yorkers earning between 200 percent and 250 percent of the federal poverty line, which state lawmakers authorized under last year’s budget, was originally slated for Jan. 1. However, the federal government did not approve the state’s waiver request in time for the beginning of open enrollment activities in October, the Health Department said. (Kaufman, 11/21)
Politico:
N.J. Proposal Would Require Age Verification, Parental Permission For Social Media Use
An influential state lawmaker hopes to require age verification and parental consent for kids to join social media platforms, which would make New Jersey one of just a handful of states to impose the requirement. Assemblymember Herb Conaway (D-Burlington) on Monday introduced the legislation, NJ A5750 (22R), which would require social media platforms to verify that users are at least 18 and require minors to get consent to join from a parent or guardian. It would also ban certain online messages between adults and children. (Friedman, 11/21)
New Hampshire Public Radio:
At Hampstead Hospital, Promises To Fix NH's Youth Mental Health System Remain Unfulfilled
Last year, the state took over Hampstead Hospital – a private mental health facility – with the goal of expanding mental health treatment for young people. State officials hailed it as a major step toward reforming the youth mental health system, which was struggling to keep up with the rising number of children and teens in crisis. Without enough inpatient psychiatric beds, many were forced to spend days in emergency rooms, waiting for care. (Cuno-Booth, 11/21)
The Baltimore Sun:
At Hopkins Greenberg Center, Doctors Offer More Than Medical Advice To People With Dwarfism
By and large, Donné Settles Allen of Silver Spring has a tall family. She’s 5 feet 9 inches, and both her husband and oldest son are over 6 feet. Then, there’s her 13-year-old son, Asante Allen — an outgoing, tenacious goofball who stands 3 feet 9 inches. (He’s quick to point out that with socks and shoes, he’s closer to 3 feet 11 inches).Asante is the only one in his family who has achondroplasia, the most common type of dwarfism and the same one that actor Peter Dinklage has. (Roberts, 11/21)
Politico:
Legal Weed In Ohio Puts Pressure On Pennsylvania
After Ohio approved a legalization initiative on the ballot earlier this month with support from 57 percent of voters, the Keystone state will see a renewed push to embrace full legalization. But while pro-legalization advocates have pushed the policy for years, no adult-use cannabis bill has mustered enough bipartisan support to even make it to a floor vote in the state House or Senate — and that’s unlikely to change in the near future. “It’s going to be a long fight to get through both chambers,” said Democratic Rep. Rick Krajewski, who recently led a hearing on cannabis legalization in a Health subcommittee. (Zhang, 11/21)
Politico:
From ‘Earthly Problems’ To Hookworms, Advocate Continues Sanitation Justice Push
A renowned advocate is ramping up her fight for sanitation rights as well as pursuing innovative approaches to wastewater treatment involving "extraterrestrial learnings." Catherine Coleman Flowers has spent decades pushing for low-income communities of color to have the same wastewater access as their wealthier counterparts. That relentless struggle for environmental justice has brought her individual accolades, but the grandmother of two is keeping her focus on breakthroughs on both a local and national level. (Crunden, 11/21)
Also —
KFF Health News:
From Hospital To Hospitality: Spin Doctors Brand Getting Sick As An Adventure. It's Not
The last time I stepped on a plane for vacation, for fun, was more than three years ago. I haven’t been able to visit California, whose coast I adore. Nor Rome, where my husband and I lived for some time. And yet, I’m told, I’ve been on a journey. Two journeys, actually: First, a “traumatic brain injury journey,” experienced at Johns Hopkins Hospital after I banged my head and developed trouble with my balance and gait. More recently, I’ve been a traveling companion on my husband’s “cancer journey” at Memorial Sloan Kettering, in New York City. (Rosenthal, 11/22)
