Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: ER Doctors Face Racism From Patients; More Cities Use Doulas To Combat Infant Mortality
Sacramento Bee: Racism In ER: Patients Refuse Doctor's Treatment Because Of Her Race
A doctor in Oregon has touched a nerve with a series of tweets revealing that some “white nationalists” have refused treatment from her because of her race. Esther Choo, an emergency physician and associate professor at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, according to Refinery 29, described on Sunday how she treats those patients with “compassion” because “the best thing I can do is make sure their hate finds no purchase here.” (Gutierrez, 8/16)
Stateline: Cities Enlist ‘Doulas’ To Reduce Infant Mortality
African-American women have a long history with doulas, particularly during the Jim Crow era when hospitals denied access to pregnant black women, forcing many to deliver their children at home, said Andrea Williams-Salaam, a doula trainer in the Baltimore program. But as legal racial barriers vanished and the medical profession strongly promoted hospital deliveries as the safest option, fewer women practiced as doulas. A few continued to work in Baltimore, she said, but when the city decided to start training doulas, it followed the example of New York, which started its doula program in 2010. So far New York has trained 68 doulas who have attended 580 births. (Ollove, 8/17)
The Associated Press: Transgender New Yorkers Have New Health Insurance Protection
Transgender individuals in New York state have new protections when it comes to health insurance coverage.Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo says health insurers can't deny coverage based on gender identity. A state Department of Financial Services letter Wednesday tells health insurers to take reasonable steps to determine if the insured is eligible for services before denying a claim. (8/17)
Chicago Sun Times: Chicago Making Progress In Closing Racial Gap In Breast Cancer Deaths
Chicago is making “remarkable” progress in a longstanding battle to improve public health—by closing the “mortality” gap between black and white women diagnosed with breast cancer. According to a new study published by Cancer Cause & Control, an international journal of studies of cancer in human populations, Chicago made the “most progress” among nine major cities with the nation’s largest black populations in reducing “racial disparities in breast cancer mortality.” (Spielman, 8/16)
USA Today: Bubonic Plague In Arizona: Fleas Found Carrying Infectious Disease
Fleas tested positive for the the bubonic plague in two counties in Arizona, with public health officials warning the infectious disease that claimed millions in the Middle Ages may exist in other nearby locations, too. The plague's presence in Arizona follows three confirmed human cases in New Mexico earlier this year. (Hafner, 8/16)
The Mercury News: Santa Clara County Report Shows Surge In Homeless Deaths
The number of homeless deaths in Santa Clara County increased 164 percent from 2011 to 2016 — with a sharp spike in the last year — some of which can be attributed to an increasingly aging population, according to a new report. ...While the full report is expected to be available in coming days, the summary released Wednesday showed that the average age of the deceased homeless has been over 50 through the years, and jumped to 62 in 2016. (Kurhi, 8/16)
The Associated Press: Governor Approves $700,000 Grant For Company
A biotech nonprofit is planning to expand its global headquarters in Virginia Beach thanks in part to help with state funds. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s office announced Monday that LifeNet Health will spend $12.24 million for the expansion and create 321 new jobs. (8/17)
The Associated Press: Governors Of 2 Pot States Push Back On Trump Administration
Governors in at least two states that have legalized recreational marijuana are pushing back against the Trump administration and defending their efforts to regulate the industry. Alaska Gov. Bill Walker, a one-time Republican no longer affiliated with a party, sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions this week asking the Department of Justice to maintain the Obama administration’s more hands-off enforcement approach to states that have legalized the drug still banned at the federal level. (Bohrer, 8/17)
Boston Globe: When It Comes To Marijuana Foods, Regulation Drives Innovation
Marijuana-infused product manufacturers, which make a highly regulated, often psychoactive product that’s still illegal under federal law, face more than most — a reality coming soon to Massachusetts. ...The struggles and triumphs of such businesses in Colorado, where stores have been selling retail marijuana for three years and seven months, offer a preview of Massachusetts’ future. (Miller, 8/16)
