Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Leaders Resign From Texas Charity That Drew Criticism For Housing Child Immigrants; 'Trauma Deserts' Still Exist In Black Chicago Neighborhoods
The New York Times: Top Officials Resign From Troubled Texas Charity For Migrants
For months, Juan Sanchez was at the center of the national uproar over family separations at the Mexican border because the nonprofit he founded, Southwest Key Programs, was housing migrant children taken from their parents. On Monday, facing intense scrutiny from his own organization and federal investigations over alleged financial improprieties, he stepped down after 32 years at the helm. The charity’s chief financial officer, Melody Chung, left last month after a New York Times article outlined allegations of mismanagement and possible malfeasance at the charity. (Kulish, Barker and Ruiz, 3/11)
Chicago Tribune: Black Chicago Neighborhoods Farther From Trauma Care Than White Areas, Though New U. Of C. Trauma Center Helped
Chicagoans in mostly black neighborhoods are still more likely to live far from hospital trauma centers than those in white neighborhoods — though the gap has shrunk dramatically since University of Chicago Medicine opened its trauma center last year, according to a new study. Before the trauma center opened — after years of campaigning by activists — Chicagoans in mostly black neighborhoods were 8.5 times more likely than people in mostly white neighborhoods to live in “trauma deserts,” according to the study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open on Friday. (Schencker, 3/11)
The Associated Press: Police Say Shooting At Care Facility Unrelated To Rape Case
The shooting of an armed man outside an Arizona long-term care facility does not appear to be connected to the rape of an incapacitated woman who later gave birth there, authorities said Monday. Phoenix police said the 58-year-old suspect, who was shot by an off-duty officer working security at Hacienda HealthCare, was targeting a woman in the facility's parking lot. Investigators say neither the shooter nor the woman was a resident there. (3/11)
Arizona Republic: Arizona Medicaid Program Warns Of Breach Of Personal Health Information
Arizona's Medicaid program accidentally sent the personal health information of 3,146 members to incorrect physical home addresses, state officials say. An internal AHCCCS investigation was initiated after a programming error caused 3,146 IRS 1095-B forms to be misdirected to incorrect physical home addresses, AHCCCS officials said Monday. (Innes, 3/11)
NH Times Union: Executive Councilors Quiz Bidders On $1B Medicaid Contract
xecutive councilors had some tough questions on Monday for the three companies that want to share a $1 billion contract to run New Hampshire Medicaid for the next five years, especially for the newcomer, Amerihealth Caritas, which bailed out of Iowa’s Medicaid program after a little more than a year in 2017. ...New Hampshire has good reason to be concerned, because it once had three companies managing its Medicaid program. When New Hampshire launched managed care for Medicaid in 2013, three companies won bids to run the government-funded health insurance program for low-income families. (Solomon, 3/11)
The Wall Street Journal: New York City School Menus Go Meatless On Mondays
It’s bye-bye, chicken parmigiana. Hello, veggie tacos, hummus and grilled cheese. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday that all New York City public schools will officially have “Meatless Monday,” starting next fall. City schools had already cut meat from their menus on Mondays last fall, except for whatever meat appeared in salad bars, a city Department of Education spokesman said. But the mayor trumpeted the step as a formal new policy that will improve the health of children and the planet. (Brody and West, 3/11)
Modern Healthcare: Kaiser's Battle Against Homelessness Uses Data Analytics
The latest project in Kaiser Permanente's effort to address the problem of chronic homelessness will involve using data analytics to more quickly identify patients with housing issues and accelerate interventions. The Oakland, Calif.-based health system announced Monday it was investing $3 million over the next three years to partner with New York-based not-for-profit Community Solutions to help further their efforts to end chronic homelessness in 15 Kaiser patient communities as part of their Built for Zero campaign. (Johnson, 3/11)
San Jose Mercury News: Kaiser Pledges $3 Million To End Homelessness
Kaiser Permanente on Monday pledged $3 million to fight homelessness in several Northern California communities, expanding the healthcare giant’s efforts to eradicate the crisis that has swept through its hometown of Oakland and beyond. Kaiser will partner with Community Solutions’ Built for Zero Initiative, a program that uses data to help local leaders better understand their homeless populations. (Kendall, 3/11)
Boston Globe: Suffolk DA Names ‘Discharge Integrity Team’ To Probe Fatal Police-Involved Shooting
In a break with tradition and in keeping with a campaign promise, Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins Monday named a four-person team to oversee the investigation into the use of deadly force by Boston police officers last month. The four-person panel will meet monthly to assess the law enforcement inquiry into the death of 36-year-old Kasim Kahrim who was shot after he exchanged gunfire with two uniformed patrol officers on Feb. 22 in Roxbury, wounding one of the officers. (Ellement, 3/11)
Miami Herald: Why Don’t Florida Nursing Homes And ALFs Allow Medical Pot?
Fears over losing Medicaid and Medicare funding — because federal law still considers all marijuana use illegal — keep most nursing homes and assisted living facilities pot-free, despite recommendations from doctors to card-holding patients who reside there. Medical marijuana is a burgeoning industry in Florida, and seniors are a burgeoning population. (Gross, 3/11)
NH Times Union: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health CEO Named A Top Leader
Dr. Joanne M. Conroy, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health CEO and President, has been named to Modern Healthcare’s inaugural listing of Women Leaders Luminaries. These are executives whose careers have been defined by reshaping the industry. They’re perennial figures in Modern Healthcare’s recognition programs. (3/11)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: No New Flu Deaths Reported In Cuyahoga County, But Hospitalizations Rise
There were no additional flu-related deaths reported in Cuyahoga, Summit or Medina counties during the week of Feb. 24, but hospitalizations for flu-related illnesses continued to climb in those counties. Cuyahoga County has reported nine deaths this flu season, which started the week of Dec. 30, 2018. (Washington, 3/11)
Los Angeles Times: Accidental Alcohol Poisoning Caused Death Of UC Irvine Student After Party, Coroner Says
The death of a UC Irvine freshman after an off-campus party in January was caused by accidental alcohol poisoning, the Orange County coroner’s office said Monday. Noah Domingo, 18, of La Crescenta died around 3:30 a.m. Jan. 12, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The results of a toxicology report revealed that his blood-alcohol level was about 0.33%. No other substances were detected in Domingo’s system at the time of his death, the Sheriff’s Department said. (Sclafani, 3/11)
