Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Ga. Gubernatorial Candidate Makes Health Care Key Topic Of Campaign; Climate Change May Have Negative Effect On Floridians' Health
Georgia Health News: Abrams Pushing Health Care As A Key Issue In Her Campaign For Governor
Stacey Abrams is making health care a central issue of her campaign for Georgia governor. The Democratic nominee this week issued a statement reiterating her call for the state to expand its Medicaid program. (Miller, 6/20)
Miami Herald: Climate Change Puts South Floridians’ Health At Risk
Vector-borne diseases such as Zika, dengue and chikungunya are re-emerging because temperatures are rising. As the planet warms, habitats that support mosquito vectors expand, allowing these diseases to spread faster and further beyond neighborhood, state and national borders. (Frenk, 6/20)
The Associated Press: Legal Fight Winding Down In Hospital Hepatitis C Case
A New Hampshire hospital is closer to holding others financially accountable for a traveling medical technician who infected dozens of patients in multiple states with hepatitis C. David Kwiatkowski is serving 39 years in prison for stealing painkillers and replacing them with saline-filled syringes tainted with his blood. Despite being fired numerous times over drug allegations, he had worked as a cardiac technologist in 18 hospitals in seven states before being hired in New Hampshire in 2011. After his arrest in 2012, 46 people in four states were diagnosed with the same strain of the hepatitis C virus he carries, including one who died in Kansas. (Ramer, 6/20)
KCUR: Families Suing Over Mysterious Deaths At Chillicothe Hospital To Get Their Day In Court
The families of five patients who died under mysterious circumstances in 2002 at a Chillicothe, Missouri, hospital got some bad news three years ago. The Missouri Supreme Court refused to allow their wrongful death lawsuits against the hospital to proceed. The court said the families had filed their lawsuits too late, five years after the three-year statute of limitations had run out. Except those families had no reason to sue earlier, because they'd been told their loved ones had died of natural causes. It was only afterward that they learned foul play might have been involved and brought suit. (Margolies, 6/20)
The Associated Press: Lawsuit: Georgia Is Denying Equal Access For Deaf Inmates
Georgia isn't doing enough to help deaf and partially deaf people communicate while they're locked up and after they're released, which can lead to longer incarceration and more returns to prison, according to a new version of a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday. (6/20)
WBUR: In Some States, Drug Felons Still Face Lifetime Ban On SNAP Benefits
Only West Virginia and two other states — South Carolina and Mississippi — still enforce a lifetime ban on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps, for people who commit drug-related felonies. (Born, 6/20)
Boston Globe: Recreational Marijuana Businesses Are Banned In Concord
Recreational marijuana businesses will not be coming to Concord, at least for the foreseeable future. Voters in a special election June 12 approved a bylaw prohibiting any recreational marijuana-related businesses, including retailers, testing facilities, and product manufacturers, from locating in the town. (Laidler, 6/20)
