Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Fla. Tests 'Infected' Mosquitoes To Slow Zika; New Strategies For Frostbite Shine At Minn. Hospitals
The Associated Press: Bacteria-Infected Mosquitoes Might Be Good Thing For Miami
Mosquitoes are a year-round downside to living in subtropical Miami, but millions of bacteria-infected mosquitoes flying in a suburban neighborhood are being hailed as an innovation that may kill off more bugs that spread Zika and other viruses. Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control and Habitat Management Division is releasing non-biting male mosquitoes infected with naturally occurring Wolbachia bacteria to mate with wild female mosquitoes. (2/8)
The Star Tribune: Minnesota Hospitals — Surprise — Have Made New Discoveries On Frostbite
The grueling 13-day cold snap that started around Christmas sent dozens of Minnesotans to the hospital with frostbite, and with temperatures hitting subzero again this week, doctors are seeing another spurt in cases. Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) staff members treated three severe frostbite patients over Super Bowl weekend and another three since Monday. (Howatt, 2/8)
The Baltimore Sun: School-Based Health Center Works To Keep Kids In Class, Out Of Emergency Rooms
The clinic at KIPP is the only one in the city run by the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and it offers comprehensive, in-house medical care to many of the 1,500 students who attend the elementary school, or the Ujima Village Academy middle school. Both schools are located in the same building and operated by KIPP, a national network of public charter schools. At least at these schools, the days are gone when a school nurse could only offer basic care for scrapes, fevers and stomachaches. (Richman, 2/9)
Boston Globe: Baker Proposal Would Fund Sheriffs, Birth Control For Poor, Aid To Hurricane Evacuees
Governor Charlie Baker released a $160 million supplemental state budget bill Thursday to fund services ranging from shelter beds for homeless families to prisons to reimbursing cities and towns for the costs of early voting. The legislation would dole out $42 million to the 14 sheriffs departments in the state, which frequently seek extra money from Beacon Hill appropriators; plow $2.5 million into helping residents of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands who came to the state because of the impacts of Hurricanes Maria and Irma; set aside $15 million for health care information technology; and allocate $1.6 million to backstop funding for family planning services for poor people in case federal funding runs out. (Miller, 2/8)
Modern Healthcare: Atrium Health To Merge With Navicent
Atrium Health, previously Carolinas HealthCare System, and Navicent Health signed a letter of intent to merge, the organizations announced Thursday. The merger of not-for-profits would give Atrium Health a regional presence in Georgia, opportunity to expand to other areas and bolster its service lines. Macon, Ga.-based Navicent, which would become part of Atrium, would gain access to capital and benefit from spreading costs over a wider patient base. The announcement came a day after Carolinas HealthCare changed its name to Atrium, in part because it wanted a name that didn't limit it to a certain geography. (Kacik, 2/8)
Minnesota Public Radio: 3M Asks For Delay In State Trial
3M is asking a judge to delay a trial scheduled to start next week in the state's $5 billion lawsuit claiming the company polluted groundwater in the east Twin Cities metro. The Maplewood-based company said it needs time to respond to a report released this week by the Minnesota Department of Health. (Marohn, 2/8)
Georgia Health News: Blurred State Lines: Macon Hospital System Lines Up N.C. Partner
Another seismic shift rocked Georgia hospital world Thursday, with a Macon system entering partnership talks with a huge Charlotte-based organization. Atrium Health – which just changed its name from Carolinas HealthCare – and Navicent Health have signed a letter of intent to enter into “a strategic combination.’’ (Miller, 2/8)
KCUR: Commission To Reevaluate 'Healthy Campus' Project In Kansas City, Kansas
A major project designed to help improve community health in Kansas City, Kansas, has been put on hold, and local leaders will meet Thursday evening to discuss its fate. The Healthy Campus project envisions a grocery store, expanded YMCA, farmer’s market and additional housing in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, and it was a top initiative of former Mayor Mark Holland. But under the leadership of the man who defeated him, David Alvey, the Wyandotte County Commission will reassess the plan. (Smith, 2/8)
Health News Florida: Tobacco Settlement Money Not Intended For Research, Attorney Says
Tobacco settlement money used to prevent people from smoking has been extremely successful. But an amendment proposed by the state's Constitutional Revision Commission would take some of that money away from prevention and use it for cancer research. (Ochoa, 2/8)
The Associated Press: Ex-Pharmaceutical Firm Worker Headed To Prison In $1M Scheme
A former pharmaceutical company worker is headed to prison for accepting thousands of dollars from a marketing firm in exchange for filling medically unnecessary prescriptions, causing her employer to lose nearly $1 million. Julie Andresen previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and received a 15-month sentence Wednesday. The 40-year-old Haddonfield, New Jersey, resident will forfeit $161,378 and must pay $956,885 in restitution. (2/8)
Boston Globe: Mental Health Care Company Accused Of Medicaid Fraud To Pay $4 Million Settlement
A mental health care company accused of fraudulently billing the Massachusetts Medicaid program has agreed to pay $4 million in a settlement with Attorney General Maura Healey’s office. South Bay Community Services (formerly known as South Bay Mental Health) allegedly used unlicensed, unqualified, and unsupervised workers to treat patients. (Dayal McCluskey, 2/8)
The Associated Press: Dairy Co-Op Sends Struggling Farmers Mental Health Info
A New England dairy cooperative sent its farmers information on mental health services in response to plummeting dairy prices. Valley News reports Agri-Mark vice president Bob Wellington sent a letter to the cooperative's farmers last week concerning falling milk prices. The letter included information about mental health support and suicide prevention hotlines. (2/8)
