Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Bill Approving Private Gun Sale Background Checks Heads To New Mexico Governor; Missouri Man Charged With Planned Parenthood Arson
The Associated Press: New Mexico Moves To Expand Background Checks On Gun Sales
Legislators sent a bill to expand background checks on private gun sales in New Mexico to the governor's desk Monday for certain approval after a bruising series of debates and objections from county sheriffs across much of the state. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has vowed to sign the legislation and immediately issued a statement that applauded final legislative approval by the House on a 42-27 vote, after legislators exhausted a three-hour limit on floor debate. (3/5)
The New York Times: Man Charged In Arson At Planned Parenthood Clinic In Missouri
A 42-year-old man was charged on Monday in connection with a fire that was set at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia, Mo., last month. The man, Wesley Brian Kaster, was arrested Saturday, about three weeks after the authorities began investigating what they called a suspicious fire at the clinic on Feb. 10. Don Ledford, a spokesman for the United States Attorney’s office, declined to elaborate on a possible motive. “It’s early in the case,” he said. “It’s still an ongoing investigation.” (Zaveri, 3/4)
The Associated Press: Cocaine, Meth On Rise In Pennsylvania's Early Warning Areas
Methamphetamine and cocaine use are on the rise in Pennsylvania while prescription drug and heroin deaths are leveling off in some areas, data that appears to reflect nationwide trends. Jennifer Smith, secretary for Pennsylvania's Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, told a state Senate committee Monday that the state is seeing "quite an uptick" in cocaine and methamphetamine use in three early warning areas. (3/4)
Arizona Republic: Former Hacienda HealthCare Board Member Says Rest Of Board Should Quit
A former Hacienda HealthCare board member is speaking out about a patient rape case that he says has turned into a "political circus" and says the remaining board should resign. In order to restore public trust, Phoenix pediatrician Dr. Kevin Berger, who was the only physician on the board, says Hacienda HealthCare's remaining five board members should step down. (Innes, 3/4)
Texas Tribune: Texas Abortion Bills Likely To Spur Debate, Even In "Sober" Legislative Session
In every Texas legislative session in recent memory, there's been at least one showdown over abortion legislation — and this year's is unlikely to be an exception. Despite the fact that lawmakers have so far been focused on bipartisan "bread and butter" issues like property taxes and school finance, more than a dozen abortion-related bills are circulating in the state Capitol — and advocates on both sides of the issue are honing their strategies. (Evans, 3/5)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Study: Georgia's Growth In Alzheimer's Deaths Outpaces Nation's
The number of Georgians dying from Alzheimer’s disease is growing at a staggering pace, far exceeding the national average, according to a new study released Tuesday. The costs also are rising sharply as more people grapple with the grueling toll of caring for family members with the mind-robbing disease, according to findings from the Alzheimer’s Association. (Oliviero, 3/5)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Public Hearings Begin On N.H.'s Proposed PFAS Regulations For Drinking Water
Public hearings begin this week on the state's proposed drinking water regulations for toxic PFAS chemicals.Regulators have devised standards for four types of PFAS. They would require all public water systems to regularly test and potentially treat for the chemicals. (Ropeik, 3/4)
Kansas City Star: Kansas City Tenant Rights Group Tackles Affordable Housing
Monday morning was the inaugural press conference and rally for KC Tenants, a group founded by Tara Raghuveer, a Harvard grad who began her work on housing policy with research into evictions in Kansas City. The grassroots group will advocate for Kansas City tenants’ rights and push for more livable, stable and affordable housing. (Kite, 3/4)
Georgia Health News: Bill Would Protect Tenants Facing Unhealthy Living Conditions
The state Legislature is considering a bill that would protect tenants from retaliation by a landlord after they file a complaint about unhealthy conditions. House Bill 346 is sponsored by Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-Marietta), chair of the House Health and Human Services Committee. At a hearing last week on the legislation, Cooper cited the ‘‘terrible’’ conditions in certain Cobb apartments. (Miller, 3/4)
Wyoming Public Radio: Senate Denies Tax Rebate For Elderly And Disabled
A bill to address the financial challenges faced by poor Wyomingites who are elderly or totally disabled did not make it out of this year's legislative session. House Bill 127 would have restored a decades-old program that provided a small tax rebate to qualified applicants. (Watson, 3/4)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Cuyahoga County Approves $500K More For Temporary Nurses At Jails
Cuyahoga County’s Board of Control on Monday approved up to $500,000 to hire temporary nurses to continue supplementing the health-care staff at the county jails. The contract with Alliance Healthcare Solutions LLC will serve as a backup to an existing contract with Educare Medical Staffing. Nurses from that agency are used to supplement the county’s own jail nurses. (Astolfi, 3/4)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Struggles To Find New Home For Lincoln Hills Teens
After years of revelations about inmate abuse at Wisconsin's youth prison, and the decision by state lawmakers to shut down the facility, there’s little disagreement about bringing Milwaukee’s youngest offenders closer to home. But deciding where to house them has been anything but easy. (Spicuzza, 3/5)
The Star Tribune: Sepsis Deaths Prompt Allina Health System To Change
Faster identification and treatment of sepsis by Allina Health hospitals in Minnesota has reduced deaths from the infection-related condition. Doctors and nurses at Allina started re-examining how they treat sepsis in 2014, after being dismayed at the number of deaths and learning that the condition was three times more lethal than strokes and heart attacks. ...They found that too many cases weren’t being detected quickly, because symptoms such as dizziness, elevated pulse and confusion are common to other conditions. And they found avoidable delays in two keys to sepsis treatment — fluid replacement to restore failing organs and antibiotics to fight underlying infections. (Olson, 3/4)
Bloomberg: Nordic Capital Is Said To Mull Options, Including Sale, For ERT
Buyout firm Nordic Capital is considering a sale of health-care data collection company ERT Operating Co., people with knowledge of the matter said. Nordic has held talks with potential advisers about strategic options for Philadelphia-based ERT, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. ERT could fetch about $2.5 billion in a sale, one of the people said. Nordic hasn’t made a final decision on whether to pursue a sale and could still elect to keep the business, they said. (Porter and Tan, 3/4)
WBUR: Tito Jackson: Cannabis Shops Would 'Lift Communities That Have Been Left Behind'
The rollout of the recreational marijuana industry in Massachusetts has been slow. And it has barely begun for two important sectors: minority entrepreneurs and residents of neighborhoods that have been disproportionately hurt by the war on drugs. Those are people and places the new law was supposed to help. (Mullins and Jolioceur, 3/4)
