State Highlights: Md. Health Secretary Leaves Job; Atlanta’s Last ‘Standalone’ Hospital To Seek Alliance

The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Health Secretary Leaves Hogan Administration
Gov. Larry Hogan's health secretary will immediately leave his job, the governor's office announced Thursday.Outgoing Secretary Van T. Mitchell, a former lobbyist and Democratic state delegate, has led the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene since Hogan was inaugurated almost two years ago. This year, his department has been under scrutiny. State facilities do not have enough beds to treat dangerous patients with mental illness. And assaults on some workers have risen, an increase a state employee union has blamed on under staffing. (Cox, 12/15)

Georgia Health News: Struggling Health System In Metro Atlanta Looks For A Partner
One of metro Atlanta’s last “standalone” hospital organizations will seek an alliance with another health system in the coming months. The DeKalb Medical system, which runs hospitals in Decatur and Lithonia, will look for both local and out-of-state potential partners, said Cheryl Iverson, vice president of marketing and strategic planning. (Miller, 12/15)

NH Times Union: Bedford Medical Center Breaks Ground On Leavy Drive Facility
Elliot Health System broke ground Thursday on a new Bedford Medical Center being constructed on Leavy Drive near Copper Door restaurant. The first phase of the 58,000-square-foot medical office is expected to be open in January 2018...The new facility at 24 Leavy Drive is being constructed in two phases. The first phase includes two levels and should be completed in about a year; the second phase includes construction of a third level. The Bedford Medical Center will consolidate three existing primary care practices housed throughout different locations in Bedford — Elliot Family Medicine at Bedford Commons, Elliot Family Medicine at Bedford Village and Pediatric Health Associates of Bedford. (Houghton, 12/15)

San Francisco Chronicle: SF Mayor, Judges At Odds Over Quality-Of-Life Punishment 
The leaders of two of the most powerful governmental institutions in San Francisco are at odds over how to deal with one of the city’s most enduring problems, demonstrating how little agreement there is when it comes to tackling homelessness. (Green, 12/15)

Kansas Health Institute: Kansas Stuck In The Middle In Overall Health Even As Obesity Rate Climbs
Kansas was the only state where the obesity rate went up significantly in 2015, according to an annual report, and state officials are trying to figure out why and how to reverse the trend. The state also lagged on vaccination rates and remained stuck in the middle on overall health, according to the America’s Health Rankings Report, which was released Thursday by the United Health Foundation. Kansas ranked 27th in the report, which rates the 50 states on a broad range of measures, including health behaviors, access to care, state policies and residents’ health outcomes. The state has hovered at 26th or 27th since 2013. (Wingerter, 12/15)

Kansas Health Institute: Study May Provide Clues To Improving Health Of Wyandotte County Mothers, Babies
A recently released study shows where babies in Wyandotte County are at the highest risk of dying, but figuring out how to prevent infant deaths and help their mothers stay healthy remain unsolved problems. The study on health disparities in Wyandotte County, sponsored by the Community Health Council, found that residents in some parts of the county were more likely to die prematurely, with residents of the least healthy neighborhoods dying at an average age of 59. While many factors contribute to early deaths, high numbers of infants dying can pull down the average. Infant mortality rates have been consistently higher in Wyandotte County than the state as a whole in recent years. (Wingerter, 12/15)

Boston Globe: Are Concussions Among Mass. Student Athletes Being Taken Seriously Enough? 
A newly released survey has found that half of Massachusetts student athletes who said they experienced concussion-like symptoms continued playing that day. At the same time, more than 200 schools have violated state rules by failing to report data on head injuries students suffered during the 2015-16 academic year. (Rocheleau, 12/15)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Local Hospitals Hold Line On Rates
The health care market in southeastern Wisconsin has changed significantly in the past decade, with hospitals overall becoming more efficient and keeping rate increases for commercial health plans at roughly half the pace of a national benchmark, according to a study released Thursday. (Boulton, 12/15)

Columbus Dispatch: In First-Of-Its-Kind Plea, Columbus Foundation, ADAMH Seek 'Critical-Need' Donations To Battle Opiate Abuse
As the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County took new steps this week to fight the still-raging opiate crisis, the Columbus Foundation added support by announcing a first-of-its kind community fundraising effort to aid in the battle. (Price, 12/15)

Arizona Republic: Companies That Serve Arizona Residents With Disabilities To Get A Raise
In hopes of avoiding a crisis as Arizona's minimum-wage rises, the state's Medicaid program plans to boost the amount it pays companies that serve people with disabilities. The companies that serve the state's most vulnerable residents have said they may not survive the voter-approved minimum-wage hike without a pay raise of their own from the state. (Rau, 12/15)

Columbus Dispatch: Proposed Rules Would Allow 40 Medical Marijuana Dispensaries In Ohio
Ohio's medical-marijuana program is coming into focus with rules now proposed for cultivators who grow it, doctors who recommend it for patients, and dispensaries that sell it. The latest development came Thursday when the Ohio Board of Pharmacy recommended that 40 dispensaries be scattered around the state to sell medical marijuana to qualifying patients. (Johnson, 12/16)

KQED: Why Bay Area Nurses Are Educating Themselves About Pot 
There is a growing body of data about marijuana’s medicinal benefits, and groups like the American Nurses Association acknowledge it can help with chronic pain, MS, anxiety and many other conditions. But because it’s still illegal under federal law, there aren’t a lot of places medical professionals can learn about it. And if you ask your regular doctor whether it will help your particular ailment, there’s a good chance they might not know. (Stelzer, 12/15)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Ohio Medical Marijuana Dispensary, Physician Rules Released 
Up to 40 medical marijuana dispensaries would be licensed in Ohio under draft rules released Thursday morning. Would-be dispensary owners would have to pay a $5,000 application fee and an $80,000 license fee every other year. Applicants must show they have liquid assets totaling at least $250,000. (Borchardt, 12/15)

Pioneer Press: Minnesota Woman Is Deathly Allergic To Most Everything 
Johanna Watkins had hoped to be raising a family by now. Instead, the 29-year-old is battling a life-threatening disorder that’s forced her into isolation.Johanna hasn’t seen her parents, Gail and Jon Fuenning, in more than a year, the Post-Bulletin reported. Her husband’s mere presence in the same room has caused anaphylaxis — an acute allergic reaction that can be fatal — since April...The symptoms are startling: migraines that leave welts, food allergies that cause a distended stomach and pregnancy-like stretch marks, nonfunctioning bowels, life-threatening sensitivity to sunlight, odors and virtually all foods, among other things. She’s even allergic to common pill casings and pain relief medication, which makes surgery basically impossible. (Boese, 12/15)