State Highlights: In Rare Move, Utah Law Allows Pharmacies To Issue Birth Control; Sweeping Mental Health Reforms Headed For Passage In Iowa

The Associated Press: Conservative Utah Lets Women Get Birth Control From Pharmacy
Women in conservative Utah will soon be able to get birth control directly from a pharmacist rather than visiting a doctor each time they want to obtain or renew a prescription, a move taken by only a few other states, many of them liberal. Republican Gov. Gary Herbert signed a measure into law Tuesday allowing those 18 and older to get pills, the patch and some other contraceptive devices, putting Utah in line with a handful of other states that have passed similar laws, including California, Colorado and Oregon. (3/21)

Des Moines Register: Iowa Mental Health Bill Headed To Gov. Kim Reynolds' Desk
Sweeping legislation aimed at making comprehensive changes to Iowa's often-criticized mental health system is headed to Gov. Kim Reynolds desk. House File 2456 was approved 49-0 in the Iowa Senate on Wednesday. The bill previously passed the Iowa House, and Reynolds is expected to sign it. Patient advocates have cheered the legislation, which is intended to improve a system many believe has fallen short of serving Iowans in need, sometimes with tragic consequences. A recent Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll, showed 73 percent of Iowans believe the state’s mental health system is in crisis or is a big problem. (Petroski, 3/21)

Iowa Public Radio: Emotional Debate Over School Shootings: How To Pay For Emergency Plans
A school safety bill requiring all districts to be prepared for active shooters and other emergencies is making its way through the Iowa legislature, as lawmakers grapple with the tragedy of school shootings across the country. (Russell, 3/21)

Texas Tribune: Rural Texas School District Began Arming Staff Years Before Parkland In 2007
Harrold ISD was the first of more than 172 Texas school districts — mostly in rural or isolated areas — to arm educators and other employees to prevent a possible tragedy. ...But since the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in which 17 people died, districts with such a policy have come under national scrutiny as more politicians have pushed for arming teachers or other school personnel. (Dugyala, 3/22)

KCUR: Health Officials Name Possible Exposure Sites As Measles Spread In Johnson, Miami, Linn Counties 
Eight measles cases have now been identified in Johnson County, with another two in Linn and Miami counties, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Health departments in the three counties have pinpointed where and when the individuals were infected. Because people can acquire measles anywhere from a week to three weeks after exposure, KDHE said there are concerns that additional cases may be identified. (Margolies, 3/21)

KCUR: KU Health System To Take Over Former EPA Building In Kansas City, Kansas 
In a major boost to downtown Kansas City, Kan., the long-vacant former EPA office building will be converted to a mental and behavioral health facility employing 400 people. The University of Kansas Health System plans to invest $61 million converting the unique 220,000 square-foot office building, vacant since 2011, into what’s being described as a “state-of-the-art” healthcare facility. (Collison, 3/21)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: 'The Mothers' Milk Bank Of Louisiana Was But A Dream,' And Now It's A Reality 
The first human milk bank in the state opened this week at Ochsner Baptist in New Orleans. The Mothers' Milk Bank became accredited in March and accepts donated human milk following a detailed screening process of a lactating woman. The milk is then given to infants born prematurely and unable to get enough milk from their birth mothers. (Clark, 3/21)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Diabetes Is A Top Killer In Louisiana. This Tech Startup Just Won $36,000 For Its Idea To Help.
Alertgy, a real-time blood-glucose monitoring and alert system that works through a smartphone application, won $36,000 during the New Orleans Health Innovators Challenge on Tuesday (March 20). The New Orleans Business Alliance partnered this year with Ochsner Health System and Blue Cross Blue Shield to find startups nationwide that are developing new technology to innovate diabetes care. Three startups, including Alertgy, were chosen to pitch their ideas Tuesday at the first Health Innovators Challenge. (Clark, 3/21)

Miami Herald: Miami Hospital Allowed Tribal Police To Kidnap Newborn Baby, Parents Allege
A smiling baby with a thick head of black hair, Ingrid Ronan Johnson was born to a Miccosukee mother and a white father, inside Baptist Hospital in Kendall. Two days later, police detectives arrived at the hospital acting on a court order to remove the baby from the new parents. ...The incident is the latest test of the legal authority of the court and police department with the sovereign Miccosukee tribe, which has clashed with state authorities for years over jurisdiction. (Ovalle, 3/21)

The Associated Press: Arkansas Judge Tosses Medical Pot Growing Licensing Process
An Arkansas judge on Wednesday struck down the state's decision to issue its first licenses to grow medical marijuana, ruling that the process for awarding the permits and the rankings of applicants were unconstitutional. Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen granted a preliminary injunction preventing the state Medical Marijuana Commission from awarding cultivation licenses. Griffen last week issued a restraining order preventing the state from awarding licenses to five companies. (3/21)

Miami Herald: Virus Found In Connecticut Pond Offers Hope For Bacterial Superbugs Resistant To Antibiotics, Study Finds
People sick with a bacterial infection that resists antibiotic treatment might be able to fight off their illness in a different way. It involves infecting people with a virus that will in turn target bacteria, according to a study published in the journal Evolution, Medicine, & Public Health. (Magness, 3/21)

The Cannabist: Prescription CBD Could Soon Be Sold In Colorado Pharmacies
Cannabidiol is available in Colorado health food stores, but the state’s marijuana laws prevent the cannabis compound from being sold in pharmacies. A bill moving through the Statehouse would open the doors for GW Pharmaceuticals’ CBD-centric Epidiolex drug to be prescribed and sold in pharmacies across the state. A House committee passed the “Food and Drug Administration Cannabidiol Drug Use” late Tuesday in a 9-0 vote. The unanimous approval of House Bill 1187 followed three hours of public comments and debate that saw amendments added to address concerns raised by the hemp and marijuana industries. (Wallace, 3/21)