State Highlights: Oregon Takes Steps To Combat Alarming Disappearances Of Native American Women; Philly Voters May Indirectly Decide Fate Of City’s Soda Tax

The Associated Press: Oregon Joins Effort To Solve Crimes Against Native Women
Native American women have gone missing or been killed at alarming rates, federal and private studies show, and there is growing concern that confusion by law enforcement over who has jurisdiction can lead to lax pursuit of cases and insufficient data. Oregon, home to nine federally recognized tribes or confederations of tribes, has now joined a movement to account for and solve more of the crimes. (5/20)

The New York Times: Tuesday Could Be The Beginning Of The End Of Philadelphia’s Soda Tax
Jeff Foster, 58, a retired security guard with an abiding sweet tooth and a generous paunch, scowled as he considered the cornucopia of refrigerated soft drinks at his local convenience store. “It’s just not right,” he said, complaining that prices on his favorite brands had nearly doubled since a tax on sweetened beverages went into effect here two years ago. (Jacobs, 5/20)

Reveal: California Regulators Aren’t Taking Action Against Care Homes That Ignore Wage Theft Judgments
Across California, at least 20 companies providing care for the elderly, disabled and mentally ill continue to operate illegally after being cited for failing to pay their workers more than $1.4 million in back wages and penalties. ... But the state Department of Social Services’ Community Care Licensing Division, which is in charge of licensing facilities for the elderly and disabled, has not acted, Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting found. (Gollan, 5/20)

The New Orleans Advocate: New Orleans EMS Names Liaison To LGBTQ Communities, The Latest In A Series Of Outreach Steps 
New Orleans’ Emergency Medical Services on Monday named an agency liaison with members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities, whose members can sometimes be reluctant to seek help from first responders when they need it, according to city officials. In his liaison role, emergency medical technician Tracy “TJ” Boyd Jr.’s duties will include training first responders on health care conditions that frequently affect LGBTQ people, as well as “respectful practices when caring for these individuals” before many of them are turned over to hospital staffs, EMS said in a statement. (Vargas, 5/20)

The CT Mirror: Students With "Emotional Disturbances" Face High Rate Of Suspensions
Tucker’s school experience as a student with an emotional disturbance is a symptom of a system-wide problem. An analysis of state data by Connecticut Public Radio shows that students with emotional disturbances are four times more likely to be thrown out of class than the average student. (Skahill and Desroches, 5/20)

Austin American-Statesman: Texas To Get New Tools To Crack Down On Unsafe Day Care Centers
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission will soon have more tools to crack down on unsafe day cares thanks to a bill approved Monday night by the Texas House. Senate Bill 568 by Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, increases fines the state can levy on child care centers and homes that violate safety rules. (Collins Walsh, 5/20)

KQED: Asbestos In Your Makeup? Legislature Rejects Proposal To Ban Toxics From Cosmetics
California’s Legislature considered banning the sale of of cosmetics containing any of at least 15 toxic chemicals and minerals — including formaldehyde, asbestos and mercury. But after major pushback from powerful players such as the California Chamber of Commerce, which put the bill on its annual list of “job killers,” Assembly Bill 495 failed to survive its first committee hearing. (Castillo, 5/20)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Abele Signs Resolution Declaring Racism Public Health Crisis
Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele signed a resolution Monday declaring racism a public health crisis, saying this was "about action." ... The resolution is about making a public commitment to taking action, he said. Every decision across the county should be framed in terms of how to make a difference in these disparities, he said. (Dirr, 5/20)

The Associated Press: Governor Orders Probe Of Medical Board In Ohio State Abuse
Gov. Mike DeWine declared the late Ohio State University team doctor Richard Strauss a monster Monday as he ordered a review of the state medical board's handling of his case decades ago and called for lawmakers to lift the statute of limitations on rape charges. The Republican governor signed an executive order at a Statehouse news conference creating a group to review a complete, unredacted version of an investigative report released last week to see what the board knew about Strauss, who took his life in 2005, and when. Portions of the report involving the board's actions had been blacked out. (Carr Smyth, 5/20)

Miami Herald: Florida Has Second-Highest Rate Of Deadly Skin Cancer
More Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer annually than all other cancers combined, and one in five will develop skin cancer by the age of 70, according to the American Cancer Society.Last year, about 8,000 Floridians were diagnosed with melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. The Sunshine State had the second highest number of melanoma cases in the nation, after California. (Dahlberg, 5/21)

Arizona Republic: Prison Problems: Miscarriages, A Baby Born In A Cell, Inadequate Services For Disabilities
Women miscarrying due to a lack of proper health care, a woman giving birth alone in a cell, and deaf inmates not getting interpretation services during doctor visits. These instances and numerous others were detailed in more than 200 letters lawyers sent to Arizona Department of Corrections officials over the past four months. (Castle, 5/20)

North Carolina Health News: Zero New HIV Cases: The Goal For Mecklenburg County 
An estimated 6,682 Charlotteans live with HIV today, according to AIDSvu, a website which tracks HIV and AIDS in the U.S. If those patients effectively take antiretroviral drugs for long enough, then they can no longer transmit HIV to sexual partners. That fact is the basis for Treatment as Prevention, another pillar of the Getting to Zero Plan. Once someone is diagnosed with HIV, they need to begin treatment quickly in order to prevent new cases. (Duong, 5/21)

The Star Tribune: Park Nicollet Spending $13.5 Million To Replace Lakeville Clinic 
Park Nicollet broke ground earlier this month on a $13.5 million clinic in Lakeville that will replace a nearby facility and is the health system's second project to launch in Dakota County within the past year. Construction started in 2018 to expand a Burnsville facility to offer specialty care from Park Nicollet, which is part of the Bloomington-based HealthPartners network of clinics and hospitals. (Snowbeck, 5/20)