Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Kansas' Tumultuous 1990s Left Long-Lasting Mark On State's Abortion Policies; California Gay Conversion Ban Shelved
KCUR: Kansas' Abortion Past Could Foretell Its Future
Throughout the summer of 1991, anti-abortion protesters went to all kinds of lengths to stop abortions at Wichita’s three clinics — blocking doors, standing and lying in front of cars, bringing out their children, filling parking lots and sidewalks outside Wichita clinics. An anti-abortion group called Operation Rescue, which gained prominence after the 1988 Democratic National Convention, chose Wichita as its target for the summer of 1991 mostly because it was the home of George Tiller, one of a few physicians in the country performing abortions terminating third-trimester pregnancies. (Fox, 9/4)
Los Angeles Times: California Legislator Shelves Bill To Ban Paid 'Gay Conversion Therapy' For Adults
The author of a high-profile measure to curb paid “conversion therapy,” which purports to change a person’s sexual orientation, said he is shelving his bill Friday in hopes of finding consensus with religious communities that vigorously opposed the proposal. The bill by Assemblyman Evan Low (D-Campbell), which would have designated paid “conversion therapy” services as a fraudulent business practice under the state’s consumer protection law, easily cleared prior legislative hurdles thanks to large Democratic majorities in both chambers, as well as a handful of Republican votes. (Mason, 8/31)
The Associated Press: Water Coolers Replace School Drinking Fountains In Detroit
Thousands of Detroit public schools students were told Tuesday to drink from district-supplied water coolers or bottled water on the first day of classes, after the drinking fountains were shut off because of contaminants in some water fixtures. Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said last week that elevated levels of lead or copper were found in fixtures at 34 schools. Test results are pending for other schools. (9/4)
The Associated Press: ACLU Seeks Info On Inmate Health As Guards Have Fallen Ill
The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania said Tuesday that the state prison system should reinstate inmate mail and visitation privileges that have been suspended because about 50 guards and other employees have fallen sick in recent weeks. Pennsylvania ACLU Executive Director Reggie Shuford called the lockdown in place over the past week "gravely serious," arguing that state officials should provide more information to the public. (9/4)
NPR: Is A Prestigious Medical Honor Society Perpetuating Racism?
Senior medical student Giselle Lynch has plenty of accomplishments to list when she applies for a coveted spot in an ophthalmology residency program this fall. But one box she won't be able to check when she submits her application? One of the highest academic awards medical students can receive, election to the honor society Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA). (Gordon, 9/5)
Des Moines Register: West Nile Virus Danger Spikes In Iowa As Late Summer Mosquitoes Take Flight
Iowa’s early-summer clouds of mosquitoes have faded, but don’t put away the bug spray just yet. The relatively few mosquitoes buzzing around now include the most dangerous kinds, experts warn. Late summer and early fall are prime time for Culexbreeds of mosquito, which are most likely to carry West Nile virus. The virus has killed at least two Iowans so far this year, and seriously sickened 16 others, the Iowa Department of Public Health said. There were 12 cases all of last year. (Leys, 9/4)
Tampa Bay Times: WellCare’s $2.5 Billion Purchase Of Meridian Makes It The Tampa Bay Area’s Biggest Company By Market Cap
WellCare Health Plans has closed on its biggest acquisition ever, a $2.5 billion purchase of three Midwestern health plans and, along the way, has become the Tampa Bay area’s biggest company by market value. WellCare, a Fortune 200 company that focuses on providing government-sponsored managed care services, has seen its market capitalization rise from less than $10 billion when the purchase of Meridian Health Plans was announced in May to $15.2 billion by the close of markets Tuesday. (Danielson, 9/4)
The Star Tribune: 38,000-Plus Blue Cross Enrollees Receive Termination Notices By Mistake
More than 38,000 Medicare beneficiaries with health plans from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota are wrongly receiving termination notices, prompting the Eagan-based insurer to begin calling subscribers to explain the mistake. The letters are related to the elimination of Medicare Cost health plans at the end of the year, which will prompt true health plan terminations for an estimated 320,000 seniors across much of Minnesota. (Snowbeck, 9/4)
KQED: Is Help On The Way For Californians With Tainted Water?
In the Central Valley, in particular, excess amounts of arsenic, nitrates and other substances that can cause cancers and birth defects have tainted drinking water. In Compton, residents have been living with foul-smelling brown water because the cost of fixing the pipes is high, and many can’t afford to buy a constant supply of bottled water. (Gorn, 9/4)
Dallas Morning News: Third Doctor Agrees To Plead Guilty In Massive Kickback Scheme At Forest Park Medical Center
An eighth defendant, a Colleyville surgeon, has agreed to plead guilty to accepting kickbacks in exchange for referring his patients to Forest Park Medical Center, federal court records show. Dr. David Daesung Kim, 55, will plead guilty to soliciting or receiving illegal remuneration, court records show. A judge has to accept his plea before it becomes official. (Krause, 9/4)
The Associated Press: Last Resident Leaves Institution For Disabled In Virginia
Another of Virginia’s institutions established decades ago for housing developmentally and intellectually disabled people has closed under an agreement with the federal government to move the residents into community settings. The last resident moved out of the Southwestern Virginia Training Center in Carroll County on Aug. 21, said Maria Reppas, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. The closure marks another milestone in complying with a deal reached with the Department of Justice in 2012. (Rankin, 9/4)
Houston Chronicle: New Medical Interpreter Class Offered In Houston At University Of Texas Location
To help meet a need for English/Spanish interpreters within the city's vast medical infrastructure, the University of Texas Extended Campus will begin a three-month program for translators, the school announced. The Medical Interpreter Certificate program, launched by the university's Center for Professional Education, will start Oct. 3. It is being expanded to Houston and modeled after a similar program in Austin, a spokesman said. (Deam, 9/5)
Houston Chronicle: Health Event Offers Eye Screening To Houston-Area Children
More than 70 Houston-area children were screened for vision issues Friday, Aug. 24, at a back-to-school event, and those that needed it will receive follow-up care and a free pair of glasses. The vision screening event at BakerRipley Leonel Castillo Community Center was funded by a $5,000 grant provided by UnitedHealthcare to Prevent Blindness Texas, an organization that works to fight blindness and save people’s sight through screening, educating, training and advocating, said Heather Shirk Patrick, Prevent Blindness Texas president and CEO. (Maness, 9/4)
