Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Fla. Gov. Signs Mental Health Reform Measure; N.Y. Lawmakers Give Final OK To Tampon Tax Repeal
Health News Florida: Governor Signs Mental-Health Reform Bill
Governor Rick Scott highlighted a mental-health reform bill at a ceremonial signing in Miami on Tuesday. (5/25)
Reuters: Bill To End New York Tampon Tax Heads To Governor
A bill to end sales taxes on tampons and sanitary napkins received final approval from New York lawmakers on Wednesday and is headed to the governor, who voiced strong support of the legislation. Several other states have already enacted such exemptions as a movement builds against a tax that critics say unjustly targets women. (5/25)
McClatchy: Massachusetts The Best State For Senior Health, Mississippi Among The Worst
Massachusetts has replaced Vermont as the healthiest state for seniors, while Louisiana ranks as the unhealthiest for the second-straight year, according to a new report released Wednesday by the United Health Foundation, a nonprofit arm of insurer UnitedHealth Group. Mississippi, which usually scores poorly in national health assessments, ranked 48th, trailed only by Oklahoma and last-place Louisiana. (Pugh, 5/24)
St. Louis Public Radio: Budget Cuts Threaten Program Helping People With Developmental Disabilities Make Art And Money
When it comes to supporting people with developmental disabilities through art-making, the activities are much more than just a pastime. For some in St. Louis, being creative helps them buy food, or get a job.Those are goals – and outcomes – of a St. Louis-area organization called Artists First. But budget cuts are jeopardizing the nonprofit, forcing some hard decisions. (Fowler, 5/26)
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: State Confirms New Case Of Elizabethkingia Infection
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported another case of Elizabethkingia infection, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Wisconsin to 61. (Stephenson, 5/25)
Health News Florida: Court: Only One Parent Needs To Sign Off On Surgery
In what could be first-of-its-kind case in Florida, an appeals court Wednesday rejected arguments that both parents need to sign off before a child can undergo surgery. (Ochoa, 5/25)
Nashville Tennessean: Meharry, VUMC Get Grant To Study Minority Health
Meharry Medical College, University of Miami and Vanderbilt University Medical Center will receive $11.6 million from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities over five years to launch a new center, called Vanderbilt-Miami-Meharry Center of Excellence in Precision Medicine and Population Health, to look at the role of genetics in the health of larger groups, particularly African-Americans and Latinos. (Fletcher, 5/25)
McClatchy: Mother Of Girl Brain-Damaged By Plastic Surgery Warns About Clinics
If Mariela Diaz could travel back in time, she would go back to Monday morning, Aug. 12, 2013, and block her teenage daughter from going to a cosmetic surgery clinic for a breast augmentation procedure. Five minutes after the surgery at Coral Gables Cosmetic Center, 1800 SW 27th Ave, Linda Perez, 18 at the time, started developing problems when her heart rate and blood pressure dropped significantly, causing her to become unconscious, barely breathing. (Medina, 5/25)
Chicago Tribune: CVS, Pharmacists To Resume Bargaining
CVS pharmacists who have been working without a contract for nearly three weeks will head back to the bargaining table with the company Thursday as their union highlights concerns including alleged understaffing and 12-hour shifts. (Elejalde-Ruiz, 5/25)
Detroit Free Press: Residents Removed From Livonia Senior Center After License Suspended
A senior living center in Livonia became a scene of turmoil Wednesday as state health officials abruptly suspended the home’s license to operate two of its buildings and essentially evicted several senior citizens with just hours’ notice. (Bethencourt, 5/25)
Los Angeles Times: Report On Increase In Mental Competency Cases Leaves Many Unanswered Questions
Misdemeanor cases filed by city attorneys are driving a surge in competency cases that is overwhelming Los Angeles County's mental health court, according to a preliminary report released Wednesday. The report suggests that the increase might be linked to the county’s rising homeless population, to criminal justice reform measures that may have resulted in fewer people participating in mandated treatment programs, and to the scarcity of psychiatric hospital beds. (Sewell, 5/25)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Centene Plans Offices And More In Clayton Expansion
Offices, a corporate training center and auditorium, corporate lodging, store space and parking garages comprise Centene Corp.’s expansion project in Clayton. “Extraordinary landscaping” and “architecturally distinct buildings” will be included in the project, according to a document Clayco Corp. has filed with the city of Clayton. ... Centene, the nation’s largest Medicaid managed care company, has long planned to expand near its headquarters in downtown Clayton. (Bryant, 5/26)
The Associated Press: Appeals Court Affirms 45-Year Sentence For Cancer Doctor
An appeals court has affirmed the 45-year prison sentence for a Detroit-area cancer doctor who put hundreds of patients through needless treatments. Farid Fata's appeal focused on how a judge calculated the sentencing guidelines and whether it was proper to allow many victims to speak in court. In a 3-0 decision Wednesday, the appeals court says the arguments lack merit. (5/25)
