State Highlights: Mich., Ill. Take Action Against Children’s Lead Exposure; Conn. Budget Cuts May Undermine Mental Health Advances
Outlets report on health news Michigan, Illinois, Connecticut, Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania.
The Associated Press:
Gov. Snyder Tasks Board With Eliminating Child Lead Exposure
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder created a new board on Friday to eliminate children's exposure to lead statewide, saying the state needs to do more than just reduce exposure to the harmful chemical in the wake of the lead-tainted water crisis in Flint. The Republican governor, whose administration has been deemed primarily responsible for the public health emergency, formed the board with an executive order and tasked it with recommending a strategy to protect children from all sources of lead poisoning. Flint's crisis stems from old pipes contaminating the water after the city switched from Detroit's water system to improperly treated Flint River water in 2014. (5/20)
Chicago Tribune:
Chicago To Test All Public Schools For Lead After 1 Shows High Levels
Officials said Friday that water will be tested for lead at all public schools in Chicago after a pilot testing program uncovered elevated levels of the toxic metal in three water fountains at a South Side elementary school. Water coolers were brought in to Tanner Elementary in the city's Park Manor neighborhood, one of 32 schools where officials said water was tested for lead as part of the pilot program. (Perez Jr. and Eltagouri, 5/21)
The Wall Street Journal:
Connecticut Cuts Stir Worries On Mental-Health Funding
Mental-health advocates say state budget cuts may impede the improvements Connecticut has made in outreach and care after the deadly 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The state started several new mental-health programs after the killings at the Newtown school, where a disturbed 20-year-old man shot and killed 20 children and six adults. One such effort, based in schools, helps children who show symptoms of trauma and depression. (de Avila, 5/22)
The Associated Press:
Arizona Prisons Ordered To Improve Health Care For Inmates
A judge in a class-action lawsuit that protests the quality of health care in Arizona’s prisons has ordered the state to improve medical and mental health services for inmates after attorneys who won a settlement in the case complained that officials were dragging their feet in making required changes. (5/21)
Georgia Health News:
A Lifesaving Message For Georgia Babies
Every week, three infants in Georgia die due to sleep-related causes, many of which are preventable, health officials say. “We must educate parents about creating a safe sleeping environment for their babies,’’ Sandra Deal, wife of Gov. Nathan Deal, said in a statement. “It is vital that babies sleep alone, on their backs, and in a crib. By promoting these ABCs of safe sleep, we hope to spread awareness and provide the tools necessary to protect babies across the state.” (Miller, 5/20)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Making End-Of-Life Care More Scientific
Two Penn Medicine patients are part of a clinical trial that is analyzing how the wording of advance directives changes patient choices and outcomes. It is among the portfolio of studies overseen by the 4-year-old FIELDS (Fostering Improvement in End-of-life Decision Science) program, an effort to look at how we die in a more scientific way. (Burling, 5/20)
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Doctors Test New Device For Uterine Fibroids
When Kelly Hidleburg's confounding case of anemia was traced to heavy bleeding due to uterine fibroids, she faced the same tough choice that confronts thousands of American women every year. She could have her uterus or just the fibroids surgically removed, or she could try one of several newer procedures aimed at shrinking the usually benign but troublesome tumors. ...But then her gynecologist, Minda Green, suggested another option: a new tool that requires no incision and uses heat to damage the fibroids, which then shrink. (Kadaba, 5/20)