Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Legal Challenges Ahead For Expansion At Boston Children's; Virginia Gets Mediocre Grade On Dental Health
Boston Globe: Boston Children’s Hospital Expansion Faces New Legal Challenge
Opponents of a controversial expansion plan by Boston Children’s Hospital notified the state they will appeal its decision to allow the project. The group, which objects because the project would build over Prouty Garden, a serene green space on the hospital’s Longwood Medical Area campus, is claiming that state public health officials who approved the $1 billion expansion in October “conducted a flawed and legally insufficient review.” (Dayal McCluskey, 11/11)
Richmond Times Dispatch: Virginia Receives C+ On Dental Health Report Card
A new report suggests that when it comes to oral health, Virginia has room for improvement. The state earned a C+ on a new report card released by the Virginia Oral Health Coalition, which was compiled by examining data on residents’ oral health. (Demeria, 11/11)
Boston Globe: Spotlight: A Suicide In The Courtroom
Massachusetts’ court system ranks among the worst in the country at providing specialized services for people with mental illness and keeping them out of prison or jail, where they often suffer emotionally and get subpar treatment. Court personnel are, in the main, poorly equipped to deal with those with mental illness. (Cramer, Russell, Rezendes, Helman and Wallack, 11/12)
Health News Florida: 5 More Zika Cases Pop Up In Miami-Dade
State health officials said Thursday that five more locally transmitted cases of the Zika virus have been found in Miami-Dade County, which has been hit hard by the mosquito-borne illness. One of the new cases was linked to an area of Miami Beach where health officials have worked to prevent the spread of the virus. The other four involved Miami-Dade residents, and the state Department of Health said it is investigating to determine where they were infected. (11/14)
The Philadelphia Inquirer/Philly.com: Temple Doc Among Global Leaders In COPD Research
On Wednesday, international experts on a devastating lung disease will gather in Philadelphia to discuss the latest research on prevention and treatment. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, better known as COPD, is the third leading cause of death in the United States, according to the American Lung Association. Gerard Criner has just led Temple's contribution to a study that questioned the value of oxygen therapy for some COPD patients. The meeting is part of a global initiative to raise awareness about COPD, heighten prevention efforts, promote better treatments, and improve outcomes for those who have it. (Bauers, 11/12)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Child Is First American To Survive Birth Without Trachea
In more than a century, medical literature has recorded fewer than 200 cases in which the fetal trachea fails to form. Babies born with this anomaly, called tracheal agenesis, die silently, having never drawn a breath. Only five, and only due to extraordinary surgical intervention, have survived. None in the United States. None, until Thomas David Richards, born this spring at Ministry St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Marshfield. (Stephenson, 11/13)
Sacramento Bee: Body Donation Programs At University Of California Campuses, Including UC Davis, See Rise In Human Donors
While some parts of the country have reported shortages of body donors, the UC body donation program has seen “modest but consistent” increases statewide, roughly 3 percent a year in the last decade, said Brandi Schmitt, executive director of the University of California’s Anatomical Donation Program, which covers five medical school campuses in Irvine, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco. (Buck, 11/12)
Columbus Dispatch: Nonprofit Group To Take Over Troubled Autism Program
Step by Step Academy, a long-time provider of therapy and educational services for central Ohio children with autism, has been struggling financially and is turning over operations to a larger nonprofit agency. Franklin County Residential Services has signed a 120-day management contract with Step by Step, which likely will lead to a merger, JoAnn Reilly, a spokeswoman for Franklin County Residential Services, said on Friday. (Pyle, 11/11)
Pioneer Press: Medica Says Individual Insurance Policies Sold Out In Minnesota
Minnesotans looking to buy new Medica individual insurance policies, but have not already made the purchase for 2017, are out of luck. The state Commerce Department announced early Friday that Medica of Wisconsin and Medica Insurance Co. reached a cap on the number of new policies they are willing to sell. That means that for much the state, Medica stopped selling policies to people who are not already customers. People who already have Medica policies are not affected. Also unaffected are the majority of Minnesotans who get insurance through their employers or government programs. Five percent of Minnesotans purchase insurance in the individual market. (Davis, 11/11)
Seattle Times: Teen Struggles To Recover Amid New Polio-Like Cases
Eight Washington children have been hospitalized with confirmed AFM since September, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The disorder has been ruled out in a ninth child, Daniel Ramirez, 6, of Bellingham, who died Oct. 31. The cause of his death remains under investigation. (Aleccia, 11/12)
San Francisco Chronicle: Fresh Approach With Farm-To-School Meals In Oakland
Conducted once a week, these taste tests are part of what makes the Oakland Unified School District a national model for farm-fresh school food. Up to 80 percent of the produce it serves comes from nearby farms, and some of its pasta and meat brands are commonly seen on Whole Foods shelves. (Duggan, 11/13)
The Baltimore Sun: Few Doctors Sign On To Recommend Medical Marijuana In Maryland
Just 1 percent of the 16,000 doctors who treat patients in Maryland have signed up for the state's medical marijuana program, and two of the largest hospital systems in the state have banned their physicians from participating. The lack of enthusiasm threatens to undermine the fledgling program by limiting access to the drug that has shown promise in easing pain and other severe conditions...Only 172 doctors have registered to be able to recommend patients for medical marijuana, according to information obtained by The Baltimore Sun from the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission through a public records request. (Cohn and McDaniels, 11/12)
Austin American Statesman: Texas Marijuana Advocates High On Odds Of Medical Use Law Passing
The Lone Star debate will likely coalesce around medical marijuana, according to both proponents and critics of more permissive weed laws. The most high-profile advocates say they will try to expand a law passed last year that allows doctors to prescribe low-THC cannabis oil to children with epilepsy. (Toohey, 11/13)
Columbus Dispatch: Legal Marijuana Too Late For Ohio Man With Seizures
Earlier this year, Carr heard about something new, Epidiolex, an experimental drug using cannabinoid ingredients — essentially a form of medical marijuana. A new law made medical marijuana legal in Ohio on Sept. 8. But being legal and being available are different things. (Johnson, 11/14)
