Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Despite Training Of New York City Police, Chokehold Use Continues; California Announces Plans To Ban Pesticide Linked To Brain Damage
The New York Times: Despite Eric Garner’s Death And A $35 Million Program, Chokeholds Still Used By Police
In the Bronx, a man was choked from behind as an officer frog-marched him to a squad car. In Manhattan, a detective responding to a noise complaint wrapped his arm around a man’s neck and squeezed for 22 seconds. And in Brooklyn, a plainclothes officer pinned an 18-year-old up against a lamp post, his forearm choking off the teenager’s air supply while he was patted down. (Winston, 5/9)
The Washington Post: California To Ban Controversial Pesticide, Citing Effects On Child Brain Development
California, one of the nation’s largest agricultural states, announced plans Wednesday to ban the widely used pesticide chlorpyrifos linked to neurological problems in infants and children even as federal regulators have allowed the product to remain on the market. State health officials said their decision came amid growing evidence that the pesticide, which is used on crops such as oranges, grapes and almonds, “causes serious health effects in children and other sensitive populations at lower levels of exposure than previously understood.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) also has proposed $5.7 million to support the transition to “safer, more sustainable alternatives,” according to the California Environmental Protection Agency. (Dennis and Eilperin, 5/8)
Kansas City Star: CEO Of Child Welfare Agency In Missouri Charged With Assault
The head of a child welfare agency in Missouri that has offices and a school in Independence has been arrested and charged with child endangerment and assault, according to court documents. Vincent D. Hillyer, president and CEO of Great Circle, has been charged in St. Louis County Circuit Court with six felony counts of first-degree child endangerment. Hillyer, 58, of Eureka, Missouri, has also been charged in a second case with one felony count of attempted second-degree child endangerment and a misdemeanor fourth-degree assault. (Cronkleton, 5/8)
Boston Globe: Partners Closes 2 Urgent Care Sites
The state’s largest health care provider has closed two of its walk-in urgent care clinics, in Burlington and Medford, citing staffing challenges and low patient numbers. Officials at Partners HealthCare described the closures as temporary. They said they expect to reopen the Medford location, but have no immediate plans to reopen the Burlington site. (Dayal McCluskey, 5/8)
The Star Tribune: Charges Could Follow Alleged Abuse At A Northern Minnesota Senior Home
Authorities said they are close to bringing criminal charges against staff at a northern Minnesota senior home where residents were allegedly beaten, sexually assaulted and denied vital medical care. The assisted-living facility, Chappy’s Golden Shores in Hill City, had its state license revoked in February following a far-reaching investigation by the Minnesota Department of Health. Since last fall, the agency has released a dozen separate reports alleging serious harm, including physical and sexual abuse, of residents at the now-shuttered facility. (Serres, 5/9)
Bloomberg: Georgia Senator Called VA, FDA, FBI On Behalf Of MiMedx CEO
Biotech firm MiMedx of Marietta, Georgia, had a problem with one of its biggest customers, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. For help, it turned to a friendly senator in Washington, Johnny Isakson. ...It’s now clear those 2013 calls were part of a pattern by the Georgia senator. Over a five-year period, according to federal records, internal MiMedx documents and people familiar with the matter, Isakson personally reached out at least eight times to federal agencies on behalf of the company -- to the VA, the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The extent of those efforts, supplemented by his staff, hasn’t been reported previously. (Melin, 5/9)
The Baltimore Sun: St. Joseph Medical Center Board Sought To Remove High-Ranking Catholic Official Amid 'Keepers' Publicity
In the months after the Netflix documentary “The Keepers” aired in 2017, some board members of the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center were so deeply concerned about how the publicity could affect the hospital’s reputation, they tried to oust one of their board colleagues — a high-ranking church official who was portrayed in the series, documents show. The board’s chairman, former state Senator Francis X. Kelly, approached Archbishop William E. Lori for permission to ask Msgr. Richard Woy to resign from the Towson hospital’s board of directors, according to correspondence recently obtained by The Baltimore Sun. (Knezevich, 5/9)
Sacramento Bee: Caltrans Fined Over Workers’ Homeless Camp Cleanup
Union complaints over homeless camp cleanup led California’s workplace safety enforcer to fine the state’s transportation department, the department’s union announced Wednesday. The International Union of Operating Engineers filed a complaint with CalOSHA in November as part of broader effort to prod Caltrans into adding protections for workers who clean up human waste, used feminine hygiene products and needles when they clear homeless camps under bridges and along roadways, said Steve Crouch, the union’s director of public employees. (Venteicher, 5/9)
Sacramento Bee: Paradise Residents Return Home After Camp Fire
Phil and Michelle John know they have it better than most. Their house was among the 11 percent in Paradise that survived the Camp Fire, and they moved home in early April. Their street is largely intact, and many of their neighbors have returned. Even their cat is recovering, having miraculously turned up, half starved and reeking of smoke, a couple of weeks after the fire. (Kasler and Sabalow, 5/9)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Cuyahoga County Jail Officer Arrested At Jail By Drug Investigators, Official Says
A Cuyahoga County Jail officer was arrested Wednesday at the jail by drug investigators, an official said. County spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan said the officer was arrested about 1 p.m. at the jail. Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Narcotics Division deputies made the arrest, Madigan said. (Ferrise, 5/8)
Health News Florida: Florida Sees Big Jump In Reported Lyme Disease Cases
Recent data shows a dramatic rise of confirmed cases of Lyme disease across the United States, including Florida. University of North Florida Researcher Kerry Clark said Tuesday on First Coast Connect with Melissa Ross that data from Quest Labs shows that the two states with the largest absolute increases of infected patients were California and Florida, both of which have not historically been associated with high rates of Lyme disease. (Latta-Raines, 5/8)
Health News Florida: Halifax Halts Legal Fight Over New Hospital
After getting a reprieve from the Legislature, the public Halifax Hospital Medical Center has dropped a legal fight about building a hospital in western Volusia County. Halifax filed a notice Tuesday at the Florida Supreme Court dismissing the case, six days after lawmakers gave final approval to a bill that would clear the way for the new hospital. The issue stems from a decision by Halifax, which is based in Daytona Beach, to build a hospital in Deltona, which is outside the taxing district’s boundaries. (5/8)
Boston Globe: Maine Is Finally Moving Ahead With Recreational Marijuana — And Mainers Will Be The First To Profit
Lagers, lobsters, lighthouses — and really good weed? After years of delays, Maine is finally kick-starting the recreational marijuana market called for by voters in 2016. And under proposed regulations recently unveiled by the administration of Governor Janet Mills, Mainers — not outside investors or national cannabis conglomerates — would be the first in line to profit, with residents getting exclusive access to licenses until 2021. (Adams, 5/8)
Columbus Dispatch: Ohioans With Autism And Anxiety May Be Allowed Medical Marijuana
Ohio may allow patients with autism or who are experiencing anxiety to buy medical marijuana. The State Medical Board of Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Expert Review committee unanimously recommended Wednesday that the two conditions be added to the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana. The conditions will now go to a full vote by the State Medical Board on June 12. (Henry, 5/8)
