Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
San Francisco Steps Up Overdose Care With Response Teams
San Francisco Chronicle: S.F.'s New Drug Crisis Response: Teams To Offer Care Following Overdoses
As San Francisco struggles with an exploding drug epidemic that killed more than 700 people last year, a new city-run response team hit the streets Monday to try to help people who survive an overdose. The hope is to prevent a future, potentially fatal overdose by directing people to resources and treatment. The influx of fentanyl, a powerful opioid, has exacerbated the city’s drug crisis over the past few years, with fatal overdoses rising from 441 in 2019 and 259 in 2018. (Shaikh Rashad, 8/2)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Allegheny County DA Follows Philadelphia DA Krasner's Lead And Sues Over Opioid Settlement
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. is following the lead of Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner in suing Pennsylvania’s attorney general over a proposed opioid settlement. The two district attorneys’ offices are among dozens of local government entities in Pennsylvania that brought lawsuits against drug companies and distributors in state court, accusing them of fueling the opioid crisis — claims that the companies have denied. (Whelan and Dunn, 8/2)
The Baltimore Sun: University Of Maryland Medical System To Give $1.2 Million To Address Hunger In The State
The University of Maryland Medical System announced Monday that it has committed $1.2 million to helping address food insecurity in the state. The money will go to organizations that already are working in Maryland to reduce hunger and address longer-term needs. The effort in the 13 regions where the medical system operates is part of a larger effort to reduce the so-called social determinants of health, which have indirect effects on people’s overall well-being. (Cohn, 8/2)
San Antonio Express-News: Texas' Handling Of $25 Million In Foster Care Pandemic Funds Draws Questions
Two attorneys who represent current and former Texas foster care youths are frustrated with the state’s slow progress in disbursing the federal funds and expressed disappointment in what they see as haphazard and arbitrary rules on who qualifies to receive such help. “It just seems very scattered about who has gotten access to this money — some people have been able to get a lot of support, and other people aren’t getting any support,” said Austin attorney Mary Christine Reed, director of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid’s Texas Foster Youth Justice Project. “It’s just sort of luck of the draw, where you’re at and who you’re interacting with and how they’re interpreting it.” Nearly $400 million in funds were awarded to states and tribes across the country this year to help current and former foster care youths during the pandemic. (O'Hare, 8/2)
WUSF 89.7: States Struggle With Nursing Home Surveys, HHS Analysis Shows
Forty percent of Florida nursing homes had gone at least 16 months without a standard survey aimed at ensuring quality of care, according to an analysis released Friday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The analysis showed that 284 of the 704 Florida licensed facilities had gone without surveys. Nationally, 71 percent of nursing homes had gone beyond 16 months, according to the analysis. (8/2)
PBS NewsHour: California May Spend Billions On Permanent Relief Shelters As Sweltering Heat Blankets The State
As millions of Americans across the Pacific Northwest and the Southeast are under heat advisories, with the climbing temperatures killing hundreds of people, extreme weather and its serious, sometimes fatal implications are raising questions about whether infrastructure could help provide some relief. The rising temperatures across the country are helping fuel congressional attempts to pass a historic infrastructure deal that, among other things, would respond to the growing threat of climate change — spurring a new focus on so-called “resilience hubs” that are meant to coordinate services for communities that need relief from weather disasters. Billions of dollars are being sought in the deal to make “infrastructure more resilient to the impacts of climate change“ on the federal level. In California, that push is taking center stage. (Rodriguez-Delgado, 8/2)
Anchorage Daily News: Anchorage Health Department Director’s Confirmation Vote Expedited As Assembly Raises Questions Over Pandemic-Related Comments
Some Assembly members said they are concerned about a comment Morgan made during an interview with Alaska’s News Source last week, in which he avoided a question about whether the pandemic is ongoing. “I really can’t answer that,” he said. “I think it’s a, it’s a definitional — it’s a personal view kind of thing. I would not, we are not in a state of emergency, and that’s what I go by for. Pandemic is an adjective that describes a situation.” He later told Alaska’s News Source that he was speaking to the concept of an emergency declaration, and feels that if a person is unvaccinated, they are in a pandemic. (Goodykoontz, 8/2)
