Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Illinois Governor Signs Bill Improving Insurance For Mental Health, Substance Abuse Disorders; Nursing Home In Minnesota Cited For Neglect In Patient's Death
Chicago Tribune: New Law Boosts Insurance Coverage For Mental Health, Substance Abuse Treatment
Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill Wednesday that strengthens insurance coverage for mental health conditions and addiction treatment – a measure that advocates say is one of the strongest of its kind in the nation. Federal and state laws already prohibit insurers from covering mental health and substance use disorders at lower levels than physical medical conditions, but advocacy and other groups have expressed concerns that insurance coverage for treatment was still getting short shrift. They considered the issue especially pertinent given the current epidemic of opioid addiction. (Schencker, 8/22)
The Star Tribune: Duluth Nursing Home Cited In Patient's Death After Four Nurses Fail To Perform CPR
A Duluth nursing home has been cited for neglect after state investigators found that four of its nurses failed to attempt resuscitation last May of a patient who was found unresponsive and died. The 170-bed nursing home, Chris Jensen Health and Rehabilitation Center, which has a history of regulatory violations, also lacked a system to ensure that patients’ medical wishes were followed when they are found without a pulse and not breathing, according to a Minnesota Department of Health investigation that was made public Wednesday. (Serres, 8/22)
Pioneer Press: State Report: Nurses At Duluth Assisted Living Facility Didn’t Start CPR On Resident Who Died
Four nurses at a Duluth assisted living facility neglected a resident when they failed to perform CPR after the resident was found unresponsive, a state agency has found. The resident at Chris Jensen Health and Rehabilitation Center died, according to a report by the Minnesota Department of Health’s Office of Health Facility complaints. The date of death is not listed in the report by special investigator Peggy Boeck, which the agency posted online Tuesday. The investigation concluded July 31 after site visits on June 12-13. (Lundy, 8/22)
The Associated Press: Louisiana, Mississippi Top Nation In Worst West Nile Illness
Louisiana and Mississippi are leading the nation in the number of people who have become the most seriously ill from West Nile virus this year. State health departments are warning residents to take precautions against mosquitoes, which spread the virus. "Not in my house, not on my skin, not in my yard," said Dr. Raoult Ratard, Louisiana's state epidemiologist, as he repeated the state slogan for fighting the disease Wednesday. Precautions include making sure door and window screens don't have holes; wearing long clothes and using mosquito repellent; and making sure the yard doesn't hold any standing water where mosquitoes might breed — even a bottle cap. (8/22)
New Hampshire Public Radio: New Hampshire Community Health Centers Win Over $800,000 In Federal Awards
Ten community health centers in New Hampshire are splitting over $835,000 in federal grants to improve health care delivery. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded the money last week after reviewing the performance of all 1,400 federally qualified health centers in the United States. (Gibson, 8/22)
St. Louis Public Radio: ‘Society Has Written Them Off’: Research Reveals Challenges For Incarcerated Moms
Missouri’s incarceration rate for women is among the highest in the country. The majority of these women have children, yet little research has examined the effects of incarceration on mothers specifically. (Farzan, 8/23)
Austin American-Statesman: Partnership Means Covered Hospital Care Closer To Home For Austin Vets
Previously, veterans who went to the Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Austin but ended up needing hospitalization were sent to the VA hospital in Temple, the nearest option despite being about an hour away, said Christoper Sandles, who directs the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System. ...As of a new partnership unveiled Wednesday, the local VA clinic will now send veterans to Dell Seton Medical Center to receive covered care. (Goldenstein, 8/22)
Denver Post: Pueblo Jail Inmate Said To Be “Faking Illness” Nearly Dies Awaiting Health Care, Lawsuit Says
A 37-year-old inmate suffered life-threatening symptoms for weeks without medical treatment at Pueblo County Detention Center after numerous staff members allegedly accused him of faking a serious illness and excruciating pain, a federal lawsuit says. Jeremy Laintz nearly died before he was taken to a Pueblo hospital and then sent by Flight for Life to St. Anthony Hospital in Denver on Nov. 1, 2016, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Denver U.S. District Court by Denver attorney Anna Edwards. (Mitchell, 8/22)
Georgia Health News: Blue Cross Of Georgia Changing Its Name
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia is going to become Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield effective Jan. 1. Anthem, based in Indianapolis, is the parent company of the Georgia insurer. The name change will take effect Jan. 1, 2019, the company announced Wednesday. In addition, Greater Georgia Life, an affiliated Anthem plan, is changing its brand name to Anthem Life. (Miller, 8/22)
Tampa Bay Times: Foster Children Still Sleep In Offices, But Eckerd Connects Says Foster-Care Fix Is Working
Thirteen Hillsborough County foster children slept for a total of 22 nights in offices this month because child welfare workers could not find them foster beds for the night, agency officials said. That is despite moves by Eckerd Connects to provide better care for traumatized teens who refuse to go to group homes, including the creation of a 24/7 mental-health crisis team. (O'Donnell, 8/22)
The CT Mirror: CT To Pay Former Inmate $1.3M After Claims Of Improper Medical Treatment
The state has agreed to pay $1.3 million to a former inmate who claimed correctional staff delayed identifying and properly treating his skin cancer, despite his rapidly deteriorating condition while incarcerated. The former inmate, Wayne World, sued in 2016. (Rigg, 8/22)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Pioneer Drum Corps Suspended Over Poor Health Care, Sex Offender
A nationally known youth drum corps based in the Milwaukee area has been suspended after reports of poor health care and other safety concerns. Pioneer Drum & Bugle Corps & Color Guard had a registered sex offender on its staff, which works with youth age 14 to 21, according to a statement issued this week from Drum Corps International, the Indiana-based organization and an organizer of such events nationwide. (Diedrich, 8/22)
The Associated Press: Authorities: Mom Shot Disabled Son, Then Attempted Suicide
A single mother fatally shot her severely disabled 7-year-old son and then attempted suicide after years spent caring for her child, authorities and family friends in Oregon said Wednesday. A relative found Tashina Aleine Jordan, 28, unconscious Monday at the Bend home she shared with her son and mother. Authorities found the boy, named Mason, and pronounced him dead. Notes at the scene indicated Jordan was the shooter, police spokesman Lt. Clint Burleigh told KTVZ-TV. (8/22)
MPR: Air Quality Improving, But Smoke Took A Toll On Upper Midwest
The air quality around Minnesota is improving, and state officials are predicting good to moderate air quality for the rest of the week. But it's been a summer of many air quality alerts, and doctors and people who are active outdoors have noticed the effects. (Lebens, 8/22)
The Associated Press: State Prisons Make Changes After Staff Mysteriously Sickened
Pennsylvania’s state prison system is tightening security and revamping procedures after 18 staff members were treated at hospitals for exposure to a yet-unidentified substance at three prisons earlier this month. Corrections Department spokeswoman Amy Worden said Wednesday state police investigators are testing the substance, which she described as a “liquid synthetic drug that’s taking different forms.” (Scolforo, 8/23)
Boston Globe: Payments For Marijuana Licenses Appear To Skirt State Law
At their most recent meeting, the state’s top marijuana regulators debated whether they need to crack down on cities and towns that are seeking unlawfully large payments from companies in exchange for permission to open recreational cannabis businesses. ...But a Globe review found all 19 provisional licenses issued by the commission are tied to host community agreements that appear to violate the agency’s own guidance on how such deals should be structured. (Adams, 8/22)
