Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: New York Becomes First State To Name Hospitals, Nursing Homes Treating Patients With Deadly Fungus; Dayton, Ohio's Last Abortion Clinic Granted Operating License
The New York Times: New York Identifies Hospitals And Nursing Homes With Deadly Fungus
Nearly 35,000 people in the United States are dying each year from drug-resistant infections, public health officials said on Wednesday, an alarming problem that New York state underscored by revealing that it had found one particularly new and virulent fungus in 64 hospitals and 103 nursing homes. The numbers show just how widespread drug resistant infections have become, with the latest projection of deaths in America double previous estimates. (Richtel and Jacobs, 11/13)
Columbus Dispatch: Dayton’s Last Abortion Clinic Back In Business
The Dayton area’s last abortion clinic is back in business. Ohio Health Director Amy Acton granted an operating license to Women’s Med Center, allowing the clinic to resume surgical abortions. The clinic had been forced to offer limited services and turn many patients away for more than two weeks while challenging a state law requiring abortion clinics to have a written patient-transfer agreement with a local hospital in case something goes wrong during the procedure. (Candisky, 11/13)
The Wall Street Journal: Fewer New York City Kids Showing Elevated Lead Levels In Blood
New York City has seen a slight decrease this year in the number of children with elevated blood-lead levels, city officials said Wednesday. In the first six months of 2019, 1,794 children were reported to have an elevated blood-lead level of 5 micrograms per deciliter, officials testified at a City Council hearing. That represents a 10% decline when compared with the same period a year before. (West, 11/13)
New Hampshire Public Radio: State Presses Casella On PFAS, Dioxane Contamination At Bethlehem Landfill
State regulators want more information on groundwater contamination at the Casella landfill in Bethlehem. The North Country landfill's latest groundwater monitoring results show PFAS chemicals above strict new state limits, as well as elevated levels of the suspected carcinogen 1,4 dioxane. (Ropeik, 11/13)
Georgia Health News: Deal Reached On Millions In Erroneous Medicare Payments
Federal health officials have worked out an agreement to resolve an overpayment problem with medical providers in Georgia and other states. The terms of that agreement, like the payment issue itself, are complicated. (Miller, 11/13)
Sacramento Bee: UC’s Lowest-Paid Workers Strike To Protest Outsourcing
The University of California’s lowest-paid employees — 25,000 janitors, patient billers, medical transcribers, cooks and other workers — picketed Wednesday at Sacramento’s UC Davis Medical Center and at other UC hospitals and campuses around the state over their employer’s use of contract workers. (Anderson, 11/13)
The Washington Post: Report Finds U-Md. Followed Protocols In Mold, Adenovirus Outbreaks
Nearly a year after an adenovirus outbreak killed a freshman at the University of Maryland, an outside review found the college followed protocols in how it responded to the crisis but made numerous recommendations for handling campuswide emergencies. Olivia Paregol, an 18-year-old freshman, died of adenovirus on Nov. 18, 2018, after suffering from health problems during the several months she lived in a mold-infested dorm. (Abelson, 11/13)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Suicide Climbs 45% In Ohio, With A Sharper Rise Among The Young
One young Ohioan dies by suicide every 33 hours, the state reported Wednesday, and the rate of suicide has risen by 56% among people 10 to 24 in the past 11 years. The Ohio Department of Health released its annual state report on suicide, which found that five people died by suicide every day in the Buckeye State, reflecting a growing public-health crisis nationally. In Ohio, 1,836 people died by suicide in 2018. (Saker, 11/13)
Iowa Public Radio: Report: Survival Rates For Iowans With Lung Cancer Among Lowest In Nation
Iowa has one of the lowest survival rates for lung cancer in the nation, according to a new report by the American Lung Association. The annual report found the state’s five-year lung cancer survival rate is 19 percent, which is below the national average of 21.7 percent. It ranks 35th out of the 45 states that had available data. (Krebs, 11/13)
The Star Tribune: Minnesota Medical Board Reinstates Sanctions On Controversial Lyme Disease Treatment
Doctors who prescribe long-term antibiotic therapy for tick-borne Lyme disease are now at risk for licensing sanctions in Minnesota, a sign that many leaders in the profession regard the therapy as discredited. The Minnesota Board of Medical Practice earlier this week lifted its decadelong moratorium on such actions because of research suggesting that long-term antibiotic therapy offers no benefits over the short-term therapy that most patients receive when their Lyme cases are diagnosed. (Olson, 11/13)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Area Nonprofits See Fewer Contributions, Higher Demand In Aiding Poor
The nonprofit sector in Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky raises and spends about a half a billion dollars annually in its efforts to fight poverty. An Enquirer analysis, focused on finances of 10 of the area’s largest nonprofits that deal with poverty, shows there are headwinds against such agencies helping the poor. (Pilcher, Dufour and Goad, 11/13)
Miami Herald: South Florida Company Announces Study Of CBD As Painkiller
One leading hemp research company is looking at creating an FDA-approved capsule that could replace ibuprofen to treat acute pain. Fort Lauderdale-based Green Point Research, which funded the existing hemp pilot program at the University of Florida, has announced a new partnership with Florida State University to conduct a study analyzing Green Point’s Satividol CBD softgel capsule and its benefits. (Gross, 11/13)
Tampa Bay Times: Tampa Bay Flu Season Heats Up With Outbreaks In Hillsborough Schools
Flu season is here and Tampa Bay is already feeling under the weather. While the number of cases is still relatively low across the state, the number of outbreaks so far this year is higher in November than in past seasons, health officials said. And Hillsborough County is seeing rising activity among school kids, prompting officials to send letters home with students. “We’re seeing multiple outbreaks in schools right now, and we are strongly encouraging parents to get their children vaccinated as soon as possible,” said Kevin Watler, a spokesman for the health department in Hillsborough. (Griffin, 11/13)
The Washington Post: Fentanyl-Laced Tablets Bring Murder Charge To Maryland Drug Dealer Who Sold What Looked Like Percocet
On a Monday in August, authorities say, Percell “Pete” Arrington sold purported Percocet pills to two women at a restaurant in Germantown, Md. One woman went home, swallowed a single tablet and within 15 minutes had passed out, according to court records. Her boyfriend called 911. Paramedics revived her with doses of naloxone and took her to a hospital. She survived. (Morse, 11/13)
