Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Residents Told To Drink Bottled Water Near Ohio Train Incident
The New York Times: After Ohio Derailment And Chemical Spill, Health And Environmental Fears Grow
As officials investigate the recent derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals in eastern Ohio, concerns about the disaster’s effects on human health and the environment are growing, and experts warned that understanding the causes and consequences could require a more comprehensive investigation than what they have seen so far. (Zhong and Einhorn, 2/14)
The Washington Post: Drink Bottled Water, Officials Tell Ohio Town Hit By Toxic Train Crash
Eleven days after a train derailed, spilling toxic chemicals and causing a massive fire here, officials told residents Tuesday to use bottled water until testing could confirm whether the local water supply was safe to drink — heightening concern among some locals who were already wary of returning to their homes. ... Along with wondering about their drinking water, many residents pondered their options as a strong odor of chemicals continued to hang over the town. Some locals said they are considering leaving East Palestine and are frustrated with how little they know about their potential exposure to toxic chemicals. (Keppler, McDaniel and Phillips, 2/14)
In other environmental health news —
Stateline: A Slew Of State Proposals Shows The Threat Of 'Forever Chemicals'
“There’s a lot of urgency,” said Sarah Doll, national director of Safer States, an alliance of environmental health groups focused on toxic chemicals. “I’m seeing more states try to take really big bites at managing the PFAS crisis.” Doll’s group has tracked more than 260 proposals in 31 states related to toxic chemicals, many focused on PFAS. Eleven of those states will consider sweeping restrictions or bans of PFAS across many economic sectors. (Brown, 2/14)
Bangor Daily News: Maine To Open 1st Lab To Test For PFAS
The first laboratory approved to test drinking water for toxic “forever chemicals” has opened in Maine, with an aim to reduce the amount of time people are currently waiting for results. (Rhoda, 2/15)
On Medicaid coverage and expansion —
AP: Estimated 300,000 Oklahomans To Lose Medicaid Coverage
Nearly one-quarter of Oklahomans receiving health care through Medicaid, about 300,000 people, will no longer be eligible by the end of this year, mostly because they or a parent earn too much to qualify, state health officials said Tuesday. (Murphy, 2/14)
North Carolina Health News: Medicaid Expansion Bill Glides Through House Committees
Often legislative committee hearings are sleepy affairs, attended by lawmakers, lobbyists and the occasional person interested in the intricacies of government. That was not the case Tuesday on the sixth floor of the legislative office building. The size and excitement of the crowd looked more like someone had a small stash of Taylor Swift tickets or the hottest new iPhone for sale. Lobbyists and advocates of expanding the state’s Medicaid program were jammed into a hallway, hoping to get inside the room where something, after more than a decade of waiting, might start to happen. (Hoban, 2/15)
More health news from across the U.S. —
The Wall Street Journal: The VA Program That Has Homelessness Down Among Veterans
Nationwide, the homeless population has been slowly rising during the past few years, up more than 5% since 2017. But among veterans, the number has declined by more than 17% over that period, a drop advocates attribute to an aggressive and well-funded “housing first” policy. The approach is in full swing in a program that operates out of a nondescript brick building in an industrial area of Denver. Lauren Lapinski, a licensed clinical social worker with the Department of Veterans Affairs, arrived at Denver’s VA Community Resource and Referral Center before dawn one day earlier this month—after having been up late the night before canvassing strip malls and alleys as part of an annual homeless count. (Kesling, 2/14)
San Francisco Chronicle: Golden Gate Bridge Suicide Net Could Be Delayed By Lawsuit
A long-anticipated Golden Gate Bridge suicide barrier, intended to catch jumpers in a web of marine-grade steel, is now mired in a lawsuit that could more than double its cost as construction falls further behind schedule. The contractors building the net sued the Bridge Highway and Transportation District in San Francisco Superior Court, claiming that design flaws, worker safety requirements and “extensive” deterioration of the span have raised the project cost from $142 million to $392 million. (Swan, 2/14)
WFSU: Bipartisan Proposal Would Keep Parents Of Students With Disabilities Informed
Republican state Sen. Corey Simon and Democrat Rep. Allison Tant, both of Tallahassee filed identical bills to allow parents to stay involved in their child’s IEP until age 22. Tant has experience with the issue firsthand; her son Jeremy has a cognitive disability called Williams syndrome. She explains that students with an IEP may graduate between ages 18 to 22, but parents are only kept informed about that plan until their child reaches age 18. (Crowder, 2/14)
AP: Private Practice Doctor Appointed As Nebraska Medical Chief
Gov. Jim Pillen has selected a private practice doctor from Lincoln to serve at Nebraska’s next chief medical officer. Pillen announced Tuesday that he selected Dr. Timothy Tesmer, an ear, nose and throat specialist, to replace the former chief medical officer, Dr. Gary Anthone. Anthone left the post earlier this year when former Gov. Pete Ricketts’ term expired. Ricketts had appointed Anthone just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020 that ushered in school and business closings and debates over public masking. (2/14)
NBC News: Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey Undergoes Surgery For Prostate Cancer
Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., underwent surgery for prostate cancer Tuesday, just over a month after he revealed his diagnosis. A spokesperson said that the surgery was performed Tuesday afternoon and that Casey planned to return to the Senate in the near future. (Richards and Thorp V., 2/15)
KHN: In California, Democrats Propose $25 Minimum Wage For Health Workers
Union-aligned Democrats were set to introduce legislation Wednesday mandating a statewide $25 minimum wage for health workers and support staffers, likely setting up a pitched battle with hospitals, nursing homes, and dialysis clinics. State Sen. María Elena Durazo’s bill would require health facilities and home health agencies to give raises to many support employees, including nurse technicians, housekeepers, security guards, food workers, and laundry providers. The Los Angeles Democrat said workers remain underpaid even as they have played a crucial role in the covid-19 pandemic. Now, she argued, many who earn close to the state’s $15.50 minimum wage struggle with inflation. (Young, 2/14)
KHN: As Opioids Mixed With Animal Tranquilizers Arrive In Kensington, So Do Alarming Health Challenges
Many people living on the streets in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood — the largest open-air drug market on the East Coast — are in full-blown addiction, openly snorting, smoking, or injecting illicit drugs, hunched over crates or on stoops. Syringes litter sidewalks, and the stench of urine fouls the air. The neighborhood’s afflictions date to the early 1970s, when industry left and the drug trade took hold. With each new wave of drugs, the situation grows grimmer. Now, with the arrival of xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer, new complications are burdening an already overtaxed system. (Harris Bond, 2/15)
