State Highlights: Hundreds Of Women Sue California Hospital For Secretly Filming Them Undressing; Conn. Governor Braces To Fight For Tax On Sugary Drinks
Media outlets report on news from California, Connecticut, Louisiana, New York, New Hampshire, Florida, Arizona, Missouri, Georgia and Maryland.
The New York Times:
A California Hospital Filmed Women Without Their Knowledge, Lawsuit Says
Dozens of women were filmed without their knowledge while receiving medical attention — including having surgery and giving birth — at a California hospital, according to a lawsuit filed last week in a state superior court. A lawyer for the women said 1,800 patients may have been filmed. The lawsuit alleges that motion-activated cameras were set up in three operating rooms at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa, Calif., as part of an effort to catch a possible medicine thief. (Fortin, 4/2)
The Associated Press:
States Renew Push For Taxes On Sugary Drinks
Nearly three decades after a U.S. state last imposed a special tax on sugary drinks, Connecticut's governor is pushing for one to help close a budget deficit — and bracing for a fight. Taxes on soda and other sugar-loaded drinks have taken effect in recent years in several cities around the country, but lobbying from the beverage industry and its allies has been credited with helping to block statewide proposals that emerge annually in state legislatures around the country. (4/1)
New Orleans Times-Picayune:
Ochsner Opens Urgent Care Clinic In The Central Business District
Ochsner Health System has opened an urgent care clinic on the first floor of the Whitney Hancock building at 701 Poydras St. that will offer a variety of walk-in services for adults and pediatric patients over the age of six months. The facility is located on the first floor of the building and is equipped to treat non-life-threatening allergic reactions, fevers or flu-like symptoms, mild to moderate stomach aches, rashes, lacerations and abscesses, according to a press release. (Clark, 4/1)
The Associated Press:
NY State Poised To Raise Smoking Age From 18 To 21
The Democrat-controlled New York Senate passed legislation Monday putting the state a step closer to joining seven others where the legal age for buying cigarettes and electronic cigarettes has been raised from 18 to 21. The state Assembly, also controlled by Democrats, passed its own legislation last month. (4/1)
California Healthline:
California Hospitals See Massive Surge In Homeless Patients
Homeless patients made about 100,000 visits to California hospitals in 2017, marking a 28% rise from two years earlier, according to the most recent state discharge data. More than a third of those visits involved a diagnosis of mental illness, according to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. By contrast, 6% of all hospital discharges in California during that time involved a mental health diagnosis. (Reese, 4/1)
Concord Monitor:
House Democrat Budget-Writers Remove Funding For Psychiatric Hospital Construction
Top members of the New Hampshire House are moving to reject a plan by Gov. Chris Sununu to construct a state-run secure psychiatric hospital, opting instead to renovate New Hampshire Hospital to take in higher-need patients. A budget proposal crafted by State House Democrats and revealed Monday would remove a provision proposed by Sununu to create a $26 million, 60-bed hospital by June 2021. (DeWitt, 4/1)
Tampa Bay Times:
Certificate-Of-Need Repeal Starts Inching Forward Again In Florida Senate
A bill prioritized by the Florida House that would eliminate regulations on where hospitals can build or add beds is moving again in the Senate, as legislative leaders begin putting pressure on passing their top bills and negotiate toward agreement on the state budget. The Senate Health Policy committee voted 9-1 Monday to advance SB 1712, with only Sen. Janet Cruz, D-Tampa, dissenting — it would remove a requirement that general hospitals apply and obtain approval from the state to build or expand. (Koh, 4/1)
New Hampshire Union Leader:
Manchester Health Center Receives $45K To Help Pregnant Women, Newborns With Substance Abuse Disorder
The one2one USA Foundation, based in New York, announced Monday it has awarded the Manchester Community Health Center a $45,000 grant to help pregnant women and their newborn babies suffering from substance abuse disorder. Proceeds from the grant are designated to create a new health and social services position within the Manchester Community Health Center (MCHC) to provide local women with medical and social welfare services. (Feely, 4/1)
The CT Mirror:
Bill Allowing Doctors To Prescribe Lethal Doses Of Medication Dies In Committee
Despite fresh optimism at the Capitol and a change of heart by the state’s medical society, leaders of the legislature’s Public Health Committee could not muster enough support Monday to advance a controversial measure allowing doctors to prescribe a lethal dose of medication to terminally ill patients. State Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, a co-chair of the Public Health committee, said “strongly held” religious beliefs among lawmakers, coupled with concerns from people with disabilities, prevented the bill from advancing to the House floor. (Carlesso, 4/1)
Arizona Republic:
Nonprofit Arizona Hospitals Struggling To Keep Expenses Under Control
In general, hospitals in the state perform better financially than the national average. They've had to be frugal, particularly during the Great Recession, when the state's Medicaid program was cut. Now, new competition and innovation are causing some pain. (Wiles and Innes, 4/1)
Sacramento Bee:
Earthquake Safety Law Could Add Stress To State's Hospitals
California’s hospitals are scrambling to retrofit their buildings before the “The Big One” hits, an effort that will cost tens of billions dollars and could jeopardize healthcare access, according to a newly released study. The state’s 418 hospitals have a deadline from the state, too. They’re racing to meet seismic safety standards set by a California law that was inspired by the deadly 1994 Northridge Earthquake, which damaged 11 hospitals and forced evacuations at eight of them. (Sheeler, 4/1)
Bloomberg:
SCOTUS Rules Against Death-Row Inmate With Rare Health Issue
A divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that Missouri can give a lethal injection to a convicted murderer who says his rare medical condition means he would probably choke on his own blood. Voting 5-4 along ideological lines, the justices rejected arguments from Russell Bucklew, who suffers from cavernous hemangioma, a disease that has caused blood-filled tumors in his head, neck and throat. (Stohr, 4/1)
Georgia Health News:
State Asking Feds To End Oversight Of Mental Health Services
Early this year, in the waning days of his tenure as Georgia governor, Nathan Deal wrote the U.S. Department of Justice a four-page letter, asking for an end to federal oversight of the state’s mental health and developmental disabilities system. The oversight role stems from a 2010 settlement agreement between the state and the Justice Department. (Miller, 4/1)
Modern Healthcare:
Western Maryland Health System Seeks To Join UPMC
Western Maryland Health System has signed a letter of intent to join UPMC in a deal that would expand UPMC's reach into a third state. The providers are still working out exactly how the affiliation would work, but they said they expect it to close by the end of the year. They did not disclose terms. (Bannow, 4/1)
New Hampshire Union Leader:
House Budget Draft Nixes Plan For $26M Secure Psychiatric Hospital
House budget writers have zeroed out one of Gov. Chris Sununu’s most widely applauded initiatives — his plan for a new secure psychiatric unit to house some of the state’s most challenging mental health patients. The House Finance Committee will vote Wednesday on its version of the two-year revenue and spending plan, which is at odds with the governor’s plan on several fronts, including family medical leave, capital gains taxes, business taxes, education funding and mental health services. (Solomon, 4/1)
Kansas City Star:
Kansas’ Hopes For Medical Marijuana Wither As No Votes Taken
Advocates saw momentum for the movement in November, when Missouri voters approved medical marijuana by a comfortable margin and Kansans elected a Democratic governor, Laura Kelly, who said she would support a “well-regulated” program. But most of the legislative session has now come and gone with little action on several medical marijuana bills. (Marso, 4/1)