State Highlights: New Hampshire Businesses Gear Up To Be Recovery-Friendly; Mental Health Care Report On Calif. Prisons Prompts Judge To Call For Investigation
Media outlets report on news from New Hampshire, California, Illinois, Texas and other states.
New Hampshire Union Leader:
Beyond The Stigma: State Launching Push To Promote 'Recovery-Friendly' Workplaces
The state is ramping up its “recovery-friendly workplace” program to help New Hampshire businesses support their employees who have substance use disorders. Gov. Chris Sununu announced his RFW initiative at a press conference last March, and a working group has been meeting behind the scenes since then. The state has just started advertising for four positions, including a program director and three “recovery friendly advisers” who will help companies develop their own policies and programs. (Wickham, 11/6)
Los Angeles Times:
Federal Judge Wants Investigation Into Mental Health Care At California Prisons Following Scathing Report
A federal judge on Monday said she plans to appoint an investigator to launch a probe into whether California has painted an inaccurately rosy picture of psychiatric care inside its prison system as part of a lawsuit against the state that has spanned nearly three decades. U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller’s move comes on the heels of a 161-page report written by the chief psychiatrist for the prison system alleging the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has concealed issues surrounding the adequacy of mental health care and staffing in prisons from officials who could mandate changes. (Fry, 11/6)
Boston Globe:
N.H. Supreme Court Upholds Owen Labrie Conviction In Sex Assault On 15-Year Old Girl
The New Hampshire Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the convictions of Owen Labrie, the former St. Paul’s student found guilty in 2015 of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in a room on campus the year before and using a computer to lure her into the encounter. Labrie’s convictions were affirmed by a 3-0 margin. (Andersen and Ellement, 11/6)
Crain's Chicago Business:
Two Medicaid Managed Care Insurers Become One
And then there were six … again. The state’s overhauled Medicaid managed care program is back down to six insurers following the consolidation of two health plans. Harmony Health Plan is becoming part of Meridian Health Plan following WellCare’s $2.5 billion acquisition of Meridian. Harmony members will automatically be enrolled with Meridian on Jan. 1, unless they request otherwise. (Goldberg, 11/6)
Houston Chronicle:
UTMB Takes Over Old Bay Area Regional Hospital, Holds Job Fair
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston is seeking employees through a series of job fairs to staff its new campus at the former Bay Area Regional Medical Center in Webster, according to a UTMB spokesman. Jobs are available at the newly named UTMB Clear Lake Campus Hospital, which is expected to open in the spring, according to a UTMB press release. (Jones, 11/6)
NPR:
How Hospitals Can Tackle The Maternal Mortality Crisis
Having a baby in the United States can be dangerous. American women are more likely than women in any other developed country to die during childbirth or from pregnancy-related complications. And while other countries' maternal death rates have gone down, U.S. rates have risen since 2000, a fact that has left both doctors and expectant mothers concerned about the state of maternity care in this country. But many of these problems could be prevented if hospitals would standardize the way they care for women in labor, according to the authors of a recent essay in the New England Journal of Medicine. They say hospitals can improve quality of care for three common complications in childbirth: heavy bleeding after delivery known as postpartum hemorrhage, problems with high blood pressure, and blood clots before or after delivery. (Gordon, 11/6)
Chicago Tribune:
Barriers For Cops Seeking Mental Health Treatment Remain Despite FOID Card Law
When a new state law took effect in August, supporters believed it would finally remove an obstacle for police officers seeking mental health treatment and maybe help lower a high suicide rate. Turns out it was not that simple. The law prohibits police departments from firing officers whose firearm owner’s identification cards have been revoked after an inpatient stay at a mental health facility. Many departments, including the Chicago Police Department, require officers to have FOID cards. (Buckley, 11/7)
