State Highlights: CDC Official Says Ind. HIV Outbreak Could Be ‘A Model Response’; Minn. House GOP Advances $1B In Cuts To Health And Human Services Spending

The Associated Press: CDC Official: HIV Outbreak Lessons May Spur 'Model Response'
National health officials hope to use the lessons learned from efforts to contain an HIV outbreak in southern Indiana as "a model response" for the nation in combatting future outbreaks tied to intravenous drug use, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention leader said Tuesday. (4/28)

Star Tribune: Minn. House Sends $1 Billion In Cuts To Health, Human Services To Senate
House Republicans moved ahead early Wednesday in their efforts to cut about $1 billion in state spending on health and human services, setting up a clash with the DFL-led Senate and Gov. Mark Dayton, who have decried the cuts as draconian. ... The legislation’s most controversial provision is a proposal to eliminate MinnesotaCare, the state’s basic health care insurance plan for lower-income Minnesotans who don’t qualify for medical assistance or have access to coverage through their job, among other requirements. (Lopez, 4/29)

The Oregonian: Lawsuit Says Legacy Health Used Unsafe Body Handling Practices; FBI Investigated
A lawsuit accuses Legacy Health of firing a manager who complained of unsafe cadaver handling in Portland and claims a manager ordered the shredding of records that were subpoenaed by the FBI. The lawsuit sheds light on why the FBI last year began investigating Legacy's body donation program. Two former employees of the program filed the lawsuit in Multnomah County Circuit Court, saying they were retaliated against for raising concerns. (Budnick, 4/28)

California Healthline: 'Right-To-Try' Bill Advances
A bill (SB 149) that would give terminally ill Californians greater access to experimental medications advanced through a Senate committee on Monday. The "Right-to-Try Act," by Sen. Jeff Stone (R-Riverside County), would allow patients with terminal illnesses to use early-stage drugs that have not yet been approved by FDA. (Vesely, 4/28)

Los Angeles Times: California Vaccination Bill Up In Third Committee Tuesday
Opponents of a bill requiring more schoolchildren in California to get vaccinated will bring in a legal scholar Tuesday to argue it is unconstitutional, but the controversial measure is likely to get out of the Senate Judiciary Committee this afternoon. The California Coalition of Health Choice plans an 11 a.m. rally on the Capitol steps Tuesday before the committee hearing. (McGreevy, 4/28)

Georgia Health News: Nursing Home Exec Says Feds' Decision Stunning
A health care company CEO says he was “speechless and stunned” when the feds asked Georgia to return more than $100 million in payments made to his firm’s nursing homes. Ronnie Rollins, CEO of Macon-based Community Health Services of Georgia, said in an interview Monday that company nursing homes had received the extra Medicaid funding in question for more than a decade without a problem. Then, this past December, a federal ruling declared the funding to be inappropriate. (Miller, 4/28)

The Kansas Health Institute: Kansas Health Dept. Continues To Seek Authority To Regulate Mental Health Drugs
An official with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Tuesday that the department still expects the Legislature to pass a bill that will allow agency officials to regulate mental health drugs. State law currently bans prior authorization or other regulatory tools for antipsychotic drugs covered by Medicaid. An attempt to roll back that ban this year failed due to opposition by mental health advocates, but a compromise measure that would establish an independent advisory panel to develop guidelines for antipsychotic regulations has passed committee and is awaiting House and Senate votes once the full Legislature returns Wednesday for what’s known as the veto session. (Marso, 4/28)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Files Suit Accusing Hawaiian Gardens Hospital Of Patient Dumping
The 38-year-old schizophrenic homeless woman — clad only in paper pajamas — showed up in front of the Union Rescue Mission one day in September, allegedly dropped off by a hospital van. She wandered without identification, money or medication through Los Angeles' skid row before someone at another shelter contacted the owner of the van, Gardens Regional Hospital & Medical Center in Hawaiian Gardens, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by L.A. City Atty. Mike Feuer. (Holland, 4/28)

The Associated Press: Minn. Health Care Debate Wades Into Abortion Restrictions
House Republicans are moving to license Minnesota abortion providers and ban taxpayer dollars for paying for the procedure. The Republican-controlled House added both provisions to a health care budget bill on the floor Tuesday night. A handful of Democrats joined Republicans to approve the changes. (4/29)

NJ Spotlight: Explainer: Medicaid Insures Poor, Provides Services For Seniors, Disabled
When the expansion of Medicaid eligibility allowed 420,000 more New Jerseyans to receive health coverage, it became the latest in a long line of additions to the primary program for insuring low-income residents and providing long-term care for seniors and people with disabilities. In fact, there’s such a broad range of services offered through Medicaid that it’s one of the primary drivers of New Jersey’s state budget, making up most of the $6.74 billion that the state Department of Human Services plans to spend in the next fiscal year, as well as most of the $10.86 billion that the federal government gives the department. (Kitchenman, 4/28)

The Associated Press: Medical Grant Program Provides Up To $10,000 For Sick Kids
The UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation in Maryland says families are eligible to receive up to $10,000 in medical care and services not covered by health insurance. (4/29)

Minnesota Public Radio: Minnesota Earns Good Grades On Clean Air
Nine Minnesota counties where pollution from vehicle exhaust, power plant emissions and wood burning is tracked scored well on an annual air pollution report released Wednesday by the American Lung Association. Anoka, Dakota, Hennepin, Lyon, Olmsted, Ramsey, Scott, St. Louis and Stearns counties all received A or B grades for particle pollution in the three-year period that ended in 2013, meaning they had few or no days where state public health officials had to warn those sensitive to air pollution to cut back on outdoor activities. (Dunbar, 4/28)

USA Today/The Des Moines Register: Bird Flu Ebbs In Minnesota As Iowa Cases Rise
Even as Iowa struggles under the weight of a bird flu outbreak that has affected nearly 10 million birds in about a week, officials in Minnesota are hopeful they are finally making progress in dealing with the deadly virus in their state. Minnesota has reported only one new case since Friday, after averaging as many as four cases a day the previous week. The state expects to be caught up with its efforts to kill birds at infected facilities as soon as Thursday. (Eller and Doering, 4/28)

The Pioneer Press: Chicago Mental Health Groups Warn Rauner Cuts Could Hurt Mentally Ill
Venessa Fitzsimmons attacked her manager five years ago, losing control. Her boss called the police, who in turn called the Fire Department, who took her to Chicago-Read Mental Health Center after she threatened suicide. Fitzsimmons, who is bipolar and deals with depression, came to Leyden Family Services in January 2009. She credits the Franklin Park social service agency with saving her life. The services Fitzsimmons received could be reduced if Gov. Bruce Rauner has his way. In an effort to reduce a $7.4 billion shortfall in the state budget, Rauner has proposed cuts in the state's human services budget that could impact clients' ability to function or, said Fitzsimmons, just to survive. Among Rauner's proposed cuts is a $129,014 supplemental grant used by Leyden Family Services to employ a psychiatrist. (Lawton, 4/28)

Arizona Republic: Tempe Weighs Ban On Smoking While Children Are In Car
The Tempe City Council continued to consider a proposed ordinance that would fine drivers $50 for a first offense and $100 for subsequent violations if they smoke while a child is in the car. Smokers of all types, including e-cigarette smokers, could be punished under the proposed ordinance. (DaRonco, 4/28)

Boston Globe: Boston Fire Department Targets Health Of Firefighters
The Boston Fire Department is vowing to tackle cancer and other health issues in the force with the purchase of protective gear, the creation of a wellness division, and the help of former Navy SEALs to get firefighters back to better form. ... [Fire Commissioner Joseph E. Finn] said that the city’s firefighters are 2½ times more likely to be afflicted with the disease than other city employees. Since 1990, Finn said, more than 150 Boston firefighters have died of cancer. At least four are now battling the disease, he said. Finn said many reasons are to blame, including carcinogens that become embedded in gear and exposure to toxins. The department has budgeted $3 million to buy high-tech air tanks and masks that firefighters can wear for longer periods. (Irons, 4/29)

Dallas Morning News: Health Official Says Dallas County Needed More Epidemiologists For Ebola
Dallas County’s head disease expert said Tuesday that the county health department was unequipped to handle last year’s Ebola scare on its own. Wendy Chung, chief epidemiologist for Dallas County Health and Human Services, said the department lacked the resources it needed to track and manage the Ebola outbreak. Without enough staff or proper infrastructure, her team needed significant help from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We can’t continue like this,” Chung said after appearing on a panel about battling potential epidemics. “This is not ideal.” (Lane, 4/28)

Boston Globe: Massachusetts Reports First Case Of Measles This Year
A high school student visiting Massachusetts from Western Europe has been diagnosed with measles, the first reported case of 2015, according to the state Department of Public Health. The Hinton State Laboratory confirmed the illness Tuesday. Because of high vaccination rates in Massachusetts, health officials consider the disease unlikely to spread. But because the measles virus is airborne and highly infectious — it can linger in the air for up to two hours — health authorities are investigating the immunization status of all those known to have had contact with the student while he was infectious. (Freyer, 4/29)