Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Shooting At Minnesota Health Clinic Leaves 1 Dead, 4 Hurt
AP: 1 Dead, 4 Hurt In Minnesota Health Clinic Shooting; Man Held
A 67-year-old man unhappy with the health care he’d received opened fire at a clinic Tuesday, killing one person and wounding four others, and bomb technicians were investigating a suspicious device left there and others at a motel where he was staying, authorities said. All five victims were rushed to the hospital, and a hospital spokeswoman confirmed the one death Tuesday night. Three remained in stable but critical condition and a fourth had been discharged. (Ibrahim and Ehlke, 2/10)
CNN: Buffalo, Minnesota Shooting: After The Deadly Shooting, Health Care Center Says 'Our Hearts Were Broken'
For both patients and staff, the shooting at a Minnesota healthcare center that killed one person and wounded four others has been traumatic, the center said in a statement. "Our hearts were broken," Allina Health said Tuesday night. "The Wright County Sheriff's Office is leading the ongoing investigation, and we are assisting in any way we can. Right now, our focus is on supporting our staff, their families, and our patients." (Holcombe, 2/10)
In other news from the states —
The Washington Post: Chicago Strikes Deal With Teachers To Reopen School Buildings
Teachers in Chicago, home to the nation’s third-largest school district, are set to return to classrooms this week after striking a deal with the city on health and safety standards, capping months of tense negotiations that raised the specter of a strike during a school year that has already seen repeated disruptions. Chicago Teachers Union officials accepted the agreement begrudgingly after concluding that they would be unlikely to extract any more concessions from the city. Nearly 70 percent of members who cast ballots endorsed accepting the agreement, less than a day after union brass had passed a vote of “no confidence” in Mayor Lori Lightfoot. (Balingit, 2/10)
The Washington Post: DC Teachers Union Votes Against Strike
The Washington Teachers’ Union voted Tuesday against authorizing a strike, with the union’s lawyer informing a judge that the more than 4,000-member group has no plans to participate in a strike or work stoppage. The declaration prompted the city’s lawyers to withdraw a request for a temporary restraining order against the union over allegations that the group had been deliberating on a potential strike. (Stein, 2/9)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Pandemic Unemployment Spurs Health Insurance Marketplace Enrollment As Exchanges Prepare To Reopen
The private health insurance marketplaces set up by the Affordable Care Act had a busier-than-usual fall enrollment season, as people who lost their jobs — and their employer-sponsored health insurance — during the pandemic shopped for coverage. And with the marketplaces reopening for a special COVID-19 enrollment period, even more people are expected to sign up. About 5,000 more people signed up for insurance through Pennsylvania’s marketplace, Pennie, during the 2021 enrollment period compared to the year before. A total of 337,700 people signed up for coverage, including 75,000 who had never bought a marketplace plan before — a 9.7% increase in new customers. (Gantz, 2/9)
Anchorage Daily News: Alaska Public Health Experts Are Taking The Fight Against COVID-19 Misinformation To Facebook Comment Threads
As misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic seemingly spills into almost every nook and cranny of the internet, some public health professionals in Alaska are countering false claims and myths in an embattled space: Facebook comment threads. Take a recent post by public health researcher and former public health nurse Dr. Jennifer Meyer. It involves a GIF of Beyonce at the Super Bowl in 2016, decked out in a black leather costume with fireworks exploding in the background. The GIF is part of a tactic Meyer uses to grab people’s attention and loop them into the discussion. Then she’ll post credible and accurate scientific information regarding the pandemic. (Krakow, 2/10)
