State Highlights: Georgia Doctor Suspended After Video Shows Her Dancing During Surgery; Calif. Businesses Accused Of Selling Toddler Formula With Lead
Media outlets report on news out of Georgia, California, Ohio, Maryland, Massachusetts and Florida.
The New York Times:
Doctor Who Danced During Surgery Is Suspended By Georgia Medical Board
A dermatologist who can be seen on video dancing to the hip-hop song “Cut It” while performing a surgical procedure was suspended on Thursday by the Georgia medical board, which said her continued practice “poses a threat to the public health, safety, and welfare.” The dermatologist, Dr. Windell Davis-Boutte, is the medical director and chief executive of Boutté Contour Surgery & Skin in Lilburn, Ga., an Atlanta suburb. On her website she describes herself as a “DOCTOR TO THE STARS!” — someone with “a surgeon’s hands” and “a woman’s touch.” (Caron, 6/7)
Sacramento Bee:
California Accuses 2 Manufacturers Of Selling Toddler Formulas With Dangerous Levels Of Lead
The California Department of Justice announced Thursday that it had discovered dangerous levels of lead in toddler formula produced by two businesses serving state consumer, and it is suing the companies to ensure they take action to improve quality assurance testing. ... As part of its mandate to do testing on substances covered by Proposition 65, the team at the Department of Justices environmental unit found levels that exceeded not only levels mandated by California law but also the mandated by less-stringent federal laws. (Anderson, 6/7)
The Associated Press:
Ohio State Says More Victims In Alleged Doctor Misconduct
Former student-athletes from more than a dozen Ohio State sports teams have now reported alleged sexual misconduct by a university doctor who died in 2005. Investigators have scheduled or conducted interviews with more than 130 people who said they have information about possible misconduct by Dr. Richard Strauss, the university said Thursday. Reports also came from former non-athlete patients of the student health center. (6/7)
Cleveland Plain Dealer:
PEP Connections Funded For One Year In Bill Passed By Ohio Legislature
Ohio legislators threw a $2.5 million life raft to PEP Connections on Thursday, easing fears the popular Cuyahoga County behavioral health program would be unable to serve at-risk youth in a few weeks. PEP Connections, a program run by Positive Education Partners, had operated for decades with money from a Medicaid waiver. (Borchardt, 6/7)
The Baltimore Sun:
State Employees In Catonsville Hospital Complex Relocated Because Of Flooding
The state is relocating 61 employees at the Spring Grove Medical Center in Catonsville because of extensive flood damage caused by the same storms that destroyed businesses in downtown Ellicott City last month. The Maryland Health Department said that the employees work in the Bland Bryant building of the psychiatric hospital. The building is home to the state’s Office of Health Care Quality, which oversees the safety of Maryland hospitals and health facilities. (McDaniels, 6/7)
NEPR:
UMass Inventor Insists On Due Credit For Nurses Who Innovate
A UMass Amherst nursing professor has been named to a national panel of inventors — the first nurse to be honored alongside engineers and computer scientists from companies like Microsoft and IBM. Rachel Walker said it's about time her profession got credit for its innovations. (Brown, 6/7)
KQED:
Health Officials: Contra Costa Junkyard Fire Sent Out Dangerous Levels Of Smoke
Potentially hazardous amounts of particulate matter were released by a smoky junkyard and brush fire that started in a homeless encampment in Pittsburg late Wednesday, according to Contra Costa County health officials. More than a half-dozen air tests downwind from the blaze detected at least 300 micrograms per cubic meter in the hours after the fire began, said Randy Sawyer, the county's chief environmental health and hazardous materials officer. (Goldberg, 6/7)
Tampa Bay Times:
Another Day, Another Delay For Smoking Medical Marijuana
The First District Court of Appeal on Thursday gave marijuana supporters until Friday at 3 p.m. to “show cause” why the court should not stay the ruling by Judge Karen Gievers, which lifted the stay on her previous ruling that halted the ban on medical marijuana. Until then, the First DCA says there will be an automatic stay on Gievers’ ruling lifting the stay of her ruling which said that the law banning smokable marijuana is unconstitutional. (Klas, 6/7)
Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Rep. Dave Joyce Introduces Bill That Would Let States Decide Their Own Marijuana Laws
The former Geauga County prosecutor teamed up with Oregon Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer as well as Colorado GOP Sen. Cory Gardner and Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren to introduce the "Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States" Act. The bill would ensure that each state has the right to determine for itself the best approach to marijuana within its borders, and respect their voters' decisions on cannabis use. (Eaton, 6/7)
