Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: NYC Eyes New $400M Public Health Lab; Fla. Judge Blocks Abortion Delay Law
The Wall Street Journal: New York Plans New, $400 Million Public-Health Lab For Harlem Site
New York City will spend about $400 million to build a new, public-health laboratory, a larger facility expected to open in about seven years on the campus of Harlem Hospital Center, officials said. The move, which is to be announced in the coming weeks, is intended to give the city’s Department of Health & Mental Hygiene more flexibility for its lab equipment and help its staff work more easily in the event of a crisis such as Zika in 2016 and Ebola in 2014. (West, 1/9)
Reuters: Florida Judge Blocks Abortion Delay Law, Rules It Unconstitutional
A Florida judge on Tuesday permanently blocked and declared unconstitutional a law requiring a woman to delay an abortion by at least 24 hours after making a visit to a doctor who would have to inform her of possible risks of the procedure."Florida law subjects no other medical procedure, including those that pose greater health risks than abortion, to a mandatory delay," Circuit Judge Terry Lewis wrote in his judgment. (Gonzales, 1/9)
The Associated Press: California Examines Prison Guards' High Suicide Rate
Correctional Officer Scott Jones kissed his wife goodbye on July 8, 2011, and headed off to a maximum-security prison in the remote high desert of northeastern California. He never came home. Jones' body was found a day later, along with a note explaining why the 36-year-old took his own life: "The job made me do it." (1/9)
Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Lawmakers Must Make Health Care Top Issue Of Legislative Session, Advocates Say
As state lawmakers returned to Nashville Tuesday for the start of another legislative session, more than 100 people rallied outside the House and Senate chambers demanding health care lead this year’s agenda. They cited the opioid crisis, the closure of rural hospitals and the growing number of Tennesseans uninsured. Many wore purple T-shirts or carried signs listing the number of uninsured residents in the state and questioned lawmakers entering the chambers about what each of them would do to address those issues. (Buie, 1/9)
The Associated Press: Group Home Administrator Pleads Guilty In Resident’s Death
The former administrator of an Ohio group home has pleaded guilty to charges of reckless homicide and patient abuse in connection with the death of an 85-year-old resident. Fifty-five-year-old Alice Ramsey entered the plea Monday after reaching an agreement with prosecutors to drop a charge of involuntary manslaughter. (1/9)
California Healthline: Listen: How A ‘Hippie Clinic’ In San Francisco Inspired A Medical Philosophy
Fifty-one years ago in San Francisco, a small community clinic opened its doors. Its mission: to treat many of the young people who flocked to the city — who were often homeless, hungry and sick. The Haight Ashbury Free Clinic, now part of a larger network, still operates out of a second-floor office overlooking Haight Street in San Francisco, and it still helps people on the fringes of society. Carrie Feibel of San Francisco’s KQED filed this radio story for NPR and KHN on the history of the clinic. (Feibel, 1/10)
New Hampshire Public Radio: New Hampshire House Votes For Marijuana Legalization
The New Hampshire House of Representatives voted Tuesday morning in favor of legislation to legalize recreational marijuana. ...The amended bill would permit adults to possess up to three-quarters of an ounce of marijuana, 5 grams of hashish, and certain marijuana-infused products. (Tuohy and Ropeik, 1/9)
