State Highlights: Kan. Budget May Fall Short In Mental Health Funding; Fla. Efforts To Curb Access To Guns Hit Roadblocks

KCUR: ‘Tough’ Budget Situation Makes New Funding Unlikely For Kansas Mental Health System 
A key Kansas lawmaker says the state doesn’t have the money to fix problems in its mental health system, which a new report says are getting steadily worse. The report, the second from a task force created in 2015 to advise the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, says the system has continued to deteriorate. The task force’s first report, issued about 18 months ago, concluded the system was “stretched beyond its ability to provide the right care at the right time in the right place.” (Wingerter, 2/6)

Tampa Bay Times: After Mass Shootings, Little Changes In Florida On Mental Illness And Access To Guns 
As news spread that the suspected gunman told FBI agents in Alaska that he was hearing voices, Florida officials called for improvements to mental health care and tougher measures to keep guns away from people with severe psychological disorders. The Jan. 6 mass shooting was just the latest to be followed by hand-wringing from politicians, particularly gun-rights supporters, who blamed shortcomings in the mental health system for the tragedy. Despite years connecting mental illness and mass shootings, lawmakers in both parties have been reluctant to pass major legislation taking firearms out of the hands of people diagnosed with severe disorders. (Auslen and Clark, 2/6)

Los Angeles Times: Zika Virus Is Here To Stay. Here's How California Is Preparing For That New Reality
Jason Farned set down a clear container in the middle of a table. The people gathered around leaned forward to peer at the tiny, zooming blurs trapped inside. “The deadliest creature in the world is the mosquito,” said Farned, who works for the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District, a government agency that manages insect populations. By some estimates, mosquitoes transmit diseases that kill more people each year than any other creature. (Karlamangla, 2/6)

Orlando Sentinel/Tampa Bay Tribune: When Facing Public-Health Crises, Orange County Calls On 'Batman And Robin' 
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs calls them Batman and Robin. When county leaders summon Dr. George Ralls and Dr. Chris Hunter, trouble’s usually afoot. Name a public health threat in Orange County, from a heroin epidemic to Zika, and Ralls, Hunter or both swing into action. (Hudak, 2/6)

KCUR: Gonorrhea And Other STDs Rise In Kansas City, Preliminary Data Show 
Reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases in Kansas City, Missouri, rose last year, in some cases dramatically, in part due to increased testing and outreach by health authorities. Preliminary data from the Kansas City Health Department shows a nearly 27 percent increase in reported cases of gonorrhea, 8 percent in chlamydia and 7.6 percent in syphilis. The figures reflect national trends, with reported STDs reaching an unprecedented high in the United States in 2015. (Margolies, 2/6)

The Associated Press: 79-Year-Old Doctor On Trial In $200M Health Fraud Scheme
To prosecutors, Bernard Greenspan saw dollar signs when a blood-testing lab company came to his office seeking referrals several years ago, and he reaped a $200,000 windfall in illegal bribes. Greenspan's attorney tells a different story, of an "old-school, solo family practitioner" still practicing while pushing 80 whose transactions were legitimate but who wound up in the wrong place at the wrong time — in the middle of an investigation into a $200 million health care fraud scheme. (2/7)

Miami Herald: UHealth And VitalMD Partner For Women's Healthcare Network In Florida 
The University of Miami Health System and VitalMD — among South Florida’s largest physician providers — are teaming up to create a network of doctors focused on women’s health and cancer care, the two institutions announced this week. Under the alliance, patients who use VitalMD doctors will have access to UHealth’s broad range of specialty medical services and research, including cancer treatment at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. In return, UHealth will reach a broader segment of South Florida patients and their families, according to a press release announcing the partnership. (Chang, 2/6)

Minnesota Public Radio: Charges: Minn. Medical Marijuana Execs Illegally Distributed Oils
The Wright County Attorney's office has brought felony charges against two former employees of Otsego-based Minnesota Medical Solutions, saying they smuggled concentrated marijuana oils out of state to aid their parent company. According to the complaint filed Monday, Ronald Owens, who worked as security director of Minnesota Medical Solutions, and Laura Bultman, the company's former chief medical officer, conspired in December 2015 to transport 5.6 kilograms of concentrated marijuana oils from its Otsego, Minn. facility to New York because parent company Vireo Health was struggling to meet a production deadline for facilities licensed in New York state. (Scheck, 2/6)

Los Angeles Times: Santa Monica Middle School Reopens After Possible Norovirus Exposure
anta Monica middle school reopened Monday after being ordered closed late last week after a potential norovirus outbreak, officials said. John Adams Middle School officials on Friday canceled classes and closed the campus for cleaning after dozens of students came down with symptoms akin to norovirus, which typically include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, aches and fever, after a recent science trip to Yosemite National Park. (Fry, 2/6)