San Francisco Gives New Mayor Expanded Powers In Fentanyl Crisis

AP: San Francisco Grants New Mayor 'Unprecedented' Powers To Battle Fentanyl Crisis
San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to give newly elected Mayor Daniel Lurie greater powers and flexibility to expedite the city’s response to a fentanyl crisis that has turned sidewalks into open-air dens of drug consumption and homelessness. The board voted 10-1 to eliminate competitive bidding requirements for some contracts and allow the administration to solicit private donations to quickly add 1,500 shelter beds and hire more public safety and behavioral health specialists. (Har, 2/4)

San Francisco Chronicle: Oakland Nonprofits Lose Critical Funding Amid City's Budget Woes
Nonprofit leaders were stunned when Oakland’s city administrator notified more than a dozen community organizations, including Meals on Wheels and other services for seniors, last week that the city would slash their funding to help balance its massive budget deficit. Thirteen organizations that provide violence prevention, youth and senior services will lose a total of $2.6 million in funding by the end of February. The move comes as the city grapples with a nearly $130 million budget deficit that is eviscerating basic services. (Ravani, 2/4)

In other health news from across the U.S. —

CBS News: Maryland Saw Sharp Decline In Fatal Overdoses In 2024, Gov. Moore Says
Maryland saw a dramatic decline in fatal overdoses in 2024, Governor Wes Moore said in a statement Tuesday. Data from Maryland's Overdose Data Dashboard shows 1,553 reported fatal overdoses in the state last year, which is a 38% decrease from the 2,511 fatal overdoses in 2023. (Olaniran, 2/4)

Wyoming Public Radio: The Wyoming House Passed A Bill Banning Discrimination Based On COVID-19 Testing, Masking Or Vaccine Status
This year’s Legislature is considering several bills related to public health. HB 96 would prohibit discrimination based on COVID-19 face covering, vaccination or testing status. It applies to any person who receives subsidies from the state or federal government. In Wyoming statute, “person” includes individuals, partnerships, corporations, joint stock companies, associations, and any other public or private entity. Those in violation could pay up to $5,000 to the aggrieved. (Khera, 2/4)

Missouri Independent: Missouri Prison Nursery Opens To Keep Mothers With Babies 
Tara Carroll gave birth to her daughter in 2022 while serving a 22-year sentence in the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic & Correctional Center. Shortly after she finished laboring in the hospital, the baby was sent home with her husband while she returned to her prison cell. She didn’t leave her bed for a week. Back in an environment where she felt she always had to be strong, she wrestled with postpartum depression. (Spoerre, 2/4)

North Carolina Health News: Fewer NC Kids Killed By Parent Or Caregiver, Report Shows
Fewer North Carolina children are dying at the hands of a parent or caregiver, according to a new report by a retired leader of the state’s health system whose career focused on the well-being of children. The report also showed an even larger decline over the past decade in the rates of child deaths among military families when compared with civilian families. (Fernandez, 2/5)

KFF Health News: Wash, Dry, Enroll: Finding Medicaid Help At The Laundromat
At a SuperSuds Laundromat just south of Washington, D.C., a steady stream of customers loaded clothes into washers and dryers on a recent Sunday morning, passing the time on their phones or watching television. Amid the low hum of spinning clothes, Adrienne Jones made the rounds in a bright yellow sweatshirt, asking customers about their health needs. “Do you have health coverage?” Jones, an outreach manager for Fabric Health, asked Brendan Glover, 25, who was doing laundry with his toddler in tow. (Galewitz, 2/5)