Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Former Gang Members In Oregon Try To Curb Rising Gun Violence; 'Horrific' Abuse Cited In Lawsuit Against New Hampshire Youth Facility
The Oregonian: Unprecedented Wave Of Shootings In Portland Spurs Anti-Violence Campaign: ‘We Are The Caution’
As Portland police struggle to keep up with each new shooting call in the city, a group of African American men are using their own skills to try to curb street violence. Ex-gang members Roy Moore, 38, and Lionel “Moe” Irving, 40, said they’re tired of seeing yellow caution tape draped around intersections or apartment complexes when another teenager or young man gets shot. African American men account for a disproportionate number of people killed and wounded in shootings in Portland, police say. (Bernstein, 1/12)
NH Times Union: Dozens Claim Abuse In Lawsuit Filed Against NH Over Youth Detention Facility
Dozens of people are part of a class-action lawsuit against the state of New Hampshire alleging physical, sexual and emotional abuse over decades by staff against minors being held at a state-run juvenile detention facility in Manchester. The lawsuit, filed Saturday in Merrimack County Superior Court, represents men and women who were at the Youth Development Center (YDC), now known as the Sununu Youth Services Center. The YDC is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office. According to the lawsuit, staff and administrators at YDC were aware of the abuse and attempted to keep it from becoming public. (Alden, 1/12)
The Associated Press: Dozens Allege Abuse At Youth Detention Center
The lawsuit filed Saturday in Merrimack County Superior Court comes six months after two former counselors were charged with repeatedly raping a teenage boy at the Youth Development Center in Manchester, New Hampshire, in the late 1990s. The victim in that case is now the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit filed by attorneys representing 35 others who say they were abused between 1982 and 2014. (1/12)
WBUR: Mass. Court Rules Patients Don't Have A Right To Physician-Assisted Suicide, But Doctors Can Discuss It
Terminally ill patients do not have a constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide, a Massachusetts court has ruled, but their doctors may provide advice and information about medical aid in dying. The ruling comes in a civil case brought by Dr. Roger Kligler, a retired Cape Cod physician who has advanced prostate cancer, and Dr. Alan Steinbach, who treats terminally ill patients. (Bebinger and Goldberg, 1/10)
The Washington Post: No Room On The Street: D.C. Orders Homeless Out Of Underpass In Fast-Developing Neighborhood
The 100 block of K Street NE is a dank and gloomy underpass connecting rapidly growing neighborhoods of high-end condos, gleaming office buildings and trendy restaurants. The rumble of trains pulling in and out of Union Station on the tracks above creates a steady din, and the blare of horns and sirens pierces all hours of the day. It often smells. (Heim and Moyer, 1/10)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: After Jail Deaths, Cobb To Choose New Medical Provider For Inmates
On the heels of several in-custody deaths within a 12-month time span, the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a new company to provide medical services for inmates at the Adult Detention Center. WellStar Health System has been providing medical services to inmates at the jail since 1998. However, the company notified the sheriff’s office in 2018 that it wanted to “move away” from this practice, said Sheriff’s Office Commander Robert Quigley. (Dixon, 1/13)
The Associated Press: UVA School Of Nursing Receives Record Gift Of $20 Million
The University of Virginia’s School of Nursing has received a $20 million gift to support the enrollment of more than 1,000 students in its programs over the next decade. UVA said in a news release Thursday that the gift from Joanne and Bill Conway is the largest single gift in the School of Nursing’s history. Bill Conway is the co-founder of The Carlyle Group, a private equity company. (1/10)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: In Philadelphia, Gun Violence, Poverty, And Opioids Are Killing Residents Before Their Time, Report Finds
Smoking and consumption of sugary beverages fell to new lows in Philadelphia in 2018, cancer death rates continued to inch downward, and teen health indicators improved. That’s the good news. But the latest annual Health of the City report also shows heart disease and cancer remain the leading causes of death, with blacks and Hispanics disproportionately affected — a disparity that directly correlates with poverty. Gun violence increased, and the opioid epidemic continued to take a heavy toll. (McCullough, 1/12)
The Advocate: Colfax Waste Complex's Open Burning Of Explosives Could Be Halted After State Says It Will Deny Permit
State regulators are threatening to deny a vital permit to a company that burns and detonates explosive material in the open air in North Louisiana — unless the company considers other, more environmentally safe ways of doing business. Since 1985, a 43-acre private facility near Colfax, in Grant Parish, has been allowed to burn munitions and explosive chemicals during daylight hours. The burned material includes propellant for car air bags, solid rocket fuel, Claymore mines, 20- and 40-millimeter artillery shells, TNT and black powder, permit records say. (Mitchell, 1/12)
The CT Mirror: Council Gets Input From Incarcerated People About Discrimination
According to a national study, those with criminal records face more than 550 barriers codified in state statute that make their lives harder after they’re released from prison. Thursday’s forum was a part of the council’s research into those forms of discrimination. Members asked those offering testimony to identify themselves by only their first names to ensure anonymity. (Lyons, 1/10)
The Associated Press: Payment Dispute Keeps Vet From Using Prosthetic Legs
An Army veteran in Mississippi who served in Vietnam and Iraq says a dispute over payments has left him unable to use a pair of expensive prosthetic legs. Jerry Holliman, 69, told the Clarion Ledger the Veterans Affairs department wouldn't pay for the legs. And he says he doesn't think he should have to make a Medicare co-payment. (1/10)
California Healthline: Homeless Californians Adapt To Camp Sweeps And ‘The Caltrans Shuffle’
It’s 5 a.m., and the thermostat reads 44 degrees. Cars round the bend of an off-ramp of state Route 24 in northern Oakland, spraying bands of light across Norm Ciha and his neighbors. They wear headlamps so they can see in the dark as they gather their belongings: tents, clothes, cooking gear, carts piled with blankets, children’s shoes and, in one case, a set of golf clubs. Shredder, Ciha’s dog, takes a treat and then lets it fall from his mouth. He whines as Ciha walks away with a camping mattress. “I can leave him all day in the tent and he’s fine, but he freaks out every time we have to move,” Ciha said. (Barry-Jester, 1/10)
Minneapolis Star Tribune: Medtronic Facing Litigation Over Surgical Staplers And Injury Reporting
Three people who say they were seriously injured by Medtronic surgical staplers are suing the company for knowingly selling defective devices and intentionally hiding risks from doctors and patients. An attorney for one of the plaintiffs said the three cases, filed in Minnesota and Texas courts in the waning days of 2019, might signal the beginning of litigation against Medtronic over the way it sells and reports safety information on its now-recalled staplers. (Carlson, 1/10)
The Philadelphia Inquirer: On Surgical Missions Overseas, Philly Team Sees It All — Including Cats In The O.R.
Orthopedic surgeon Robert E. Booth knew the conditions in the Nicaraguan hospital would not be equal to those of the pristine medical facilities he was used to in the United States. So he bit his tongue when he saw the bare wires that ringed the small stucco building, the flies that came and went through the open-louvered windows, the dirt floor of the operating room. (Schaefer, 1/12)
Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Prisons Mishandled Death Data, Sexual Abuse Claims: Audit
Tennessee Department of Correction officials misclassified the deaths of eight Tennessee prison inmates who died from drug overdoses, homicides and suicide, according to a highly critical audit that identified more than a dozen policy breaches at the agency. The audit, overseen by the state comptroller and released Friday, also found Tennessee prisons improperly investigated allegations of sexual abuse and failed to meet required staffing levels. (Ebbert and Tamburin, 1/10)
The Associated Press: Stomach Illness Outbreak At Yosemite Prompts Major Clean-Up
Federal health officials are inspecting Yosemite National Park's food service areas after at least a dozen people have fallen ill with stomach issues. The National Park Service and the U.S. Public Health Service told the San Francisco Chronicle they launched an investigation after employees and visitors reported the problems this month. (1/10)
