State Highlights: Public Option Opponents In Colorado Try To Harness Political Power Of Doctors; Seattle Addiction Treatment Center’s Closure Rankles Advocates

Colorado Sun: Colorado Public Option Opponents Accused Of Trying To “Weaponize” Doctors Against Health Insurance Proposal
A newly formed organization backed by Colorado hospitals, business leaders and Republican elected officials is encouraging doctors and other medical professionals to join the fight against a proposed public health insurance option and harness the trust people have in those professions. The new tactic comes on the heels of a pricey ad campaign — costing at least $150,000 and counting — launched last month to persuade Coloradans to contact their state lawmakers and speak out against the public option plan. (Paul, 1/21)

Seattle Times: This South Seattle Treatment Center Has Been Helping Native People Beat Substance Use Disorders For More Than 30 Years. So Why Is It Closing?
Roxanne White was in a “very desperate and very broken place” when she first came to Thunderbird Treatment Center in 2002.White, who is Nez Perce, Yakama, A’aninin (Gros Ventre) and Nooksack, was grappling with addiction and a history of trauma she had not yet confronted. Thunderbird was the first place White heard a story that paralleled her own, told by women attending one of the center’s open Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. (Brownstone, 1/21)

The Washington Post: Alleged White Supremacists Planned Deadly Violence At Richmond Gun Rally, Federal Prosecutors Say
Before being arrested by the FBI last week, three alleged members of a white supremacist group were plotting deadly attacks at Monday’s gun rights rally in Richmond, including shooting “unsuspecting civilians and police officers” in hopes of igniting what one called a “full-blown civil war,” authorities said in court filings. (Duggan, 1/21)

Los Angeles Times: Use-Of-Force Incidents Against Homeless People Are Up, LAPD Reports
More than one out of three times that a Los Angeles police officer used force in recent months involved a person experiencing homelessness, according to a new LAPD report. During the third quarter of 2019, officers used force on homeless people 217 times, a 26% increase from the same period in 2018 when that number was 172. (Miller, 1/21)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Began More 'Sensitive' Homeless Camp Cleanups. Now It's Taking A Harder Line
Last summer, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti declared that the city was launching a new system to clean up the trash and filth around homeless encampments, calling it “an even more nimble, flexible, targeted and sensitive approach.” But the Comprehensive Cleaning and Rapid Engagement system — known as CARE — quickly spurred concerns at City Hall. Just months after Garcetti and other officials heralded its rollout, some council members lamented that streets looked worse than before. Council President Nury Martinez said that L.A. must lead with compassion, but “we also have to restore order in our streets.” (Reyes, 1/21)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Can A Philly-Area High School Course Help Prevent Intimate Partner Violence? ‘Coach V’ Thinks So.
The class is part of Open Door Abuse Awareness and Prevention (ODAAP), a nonprofit that Peterson started in 2014 to break the cycle of domestic violence and sexual assault by equipping students with tools to manage their emotions, an understanding of what healthy relationships look like, and someone they can talk to about these issues. ODAAP is currently working with six schools in the Philadelphia area: Conwell Egan Catholic High School, Imhotep Institute Charter High School, Wissahickon High School, Truman High School, Penn Wood and Delaware Valley University. (Ao, 1/21)

The Associated Press: So-Called Conversion Therapy Banned In Conservative Utah
The discredited practice of conversion therapy for LGBTQ children is now banned in Utah, making it the 19th state and one of the most conservative to prohibit it. Supporters navigated a winding path to passage and some dissent remains, but barring it in Utah could give a boost to similar efforts in other right-leaning states, said Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights. (Whitehurst, 1/22)

CBS News: Yo Gotti And Team Roc Pen Letter To Mississippi Governor: Prison Conditions "Growing More Dire By The Moment"
Rapper Yo Gotti is calling on Mississippi's Republican governor to address the "humanitarian crisis" unfolding in prisons across the state. His plea comes a day after two inmates were beaten to death inside the state penitentiary in Parchman. The Memphis-born rapper, whose real name is Mario Mims, took out a full-page ad in the Clarion-Ledger newspaper on Wednesday. The open letter, co-written with Team Roc, urges Governor Tate Reeves to declare a state of emergency and "put the full weight of your office and authority to protect [inmates'] basic human rights." (Kendall, 1/22)

St. Louis Post Dispatch: St. Louis Churches Buy Up $12.9 Million In Medical Debt, Then Give It Away
In a broader effort to push for Medicaid expansion in Missouri, United Church of Christ congregations and the Deaconess Foundation on Saturday announced they’d paid pennies on the dollar for $12.9 million in medical debt that they are giving away. More than 11,000 families from across dozens of ZIP codes in St. Louis and St. Louis County will receive yellow envelopes in the mail this week notifying them that lingering medical bills have been paid. The average reimbursement is $1,166. (Bogan, 1/20)

Georgia Health News: Chemical Group Testing 7 Georgia Locations For Ethylene Oxide
A powerful trade association representing the chemical industry is testing the air in seven Georgia locations to measure ethylene oxide, a toxic gas used for sterilizing medical supplies.“These sites were selected to get a broad range of data on background levels of [ethylene oxide] across differing environments,” said Tom Flanagin, a spokesperson for the American Chemistry Council, who confirmed the testing in an email to Georgia Health News. Background levels of a chemical are levels measured when there are no specific, identifiable sources likely to influence the data, said Barry Ryan, a professor of chemistry and environmental health at Emory University in Atlanta. (Miller, 1/21)

Nashville Tennessean: Mayors Press Governor Bill Lee To Release Child Care Funding
The mayors of Tennessee's four biggest cities are pressing Gov. Bill Lee and lawmakers to release tens of millions of dollars in child care spending before it disappears. Since 2015, the state's Department of Human Services has failed to distribute more than $214 million in federal funding intended to help low-income working families pay for childcare. (Wadhwani, 1/21)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Lawmakers Pass Limits On 'Forever Chemicals' In Firefighting Foam
Foam used by firefighters containing chemicals that don't break down in the environment could largely be used only in emergencies under legislation Wisconsin lawmakers approved Tuesday. The bill would restrict the use of the foam to extinguish fires to prevent the chemicals they contain known as PFAS from contaminating water and soil. Democrats called the measure too narrow because it doesn't deal with other aspects of PFAS contamination. (Beck, 1/21)

St. Louis Public Radio: Missouri Program Works To Keep Newly Released Prisoners Free From Recidivism
Then a friend told him about the local nonprofit Concordance Academy of Leadership. Hill applied for the program while he was still incarcerated. Last May, he was accepted into the program that supports reentry into society after prison. Recently, the academy received $1 million to advance its mission of reducing recidivism in Missouri and Illinois with a holistic approach to reentry into society. Beth Kerley, the academy’s senior vice president and director of marketing, communications and development, said not only is the organization hoping to heal the participants, but the community is reaping the benefits as well. (Henderson, 1/22)

Concord (N.H.) Monitor: Concord Homeless Shelter Badly In Need Of Volunteers At Busiest Time Of The Year
The Concord Coalition to End Homelessness’ emergency winter shelter, which opened in the 2018/19 season, allows 40 adults in need a place to sleep at night away from the cold. The shelter is a “low-barrier” shelter, meaning even those with active addictions and felony convictions can sleep there during cold winter months. Volunteers are critical to shelter operations. They help to check guests in, stay overnight, clean and take care of laundry and other organizational tasks. (Willingham, 1/21)

Chicago Sun Times: 22nd Cold-Related Death In Cook County Reported In Bridgeview
The cold-related death toll is at nearing two dozen this season in Cook County. Clayton L. Wynne, 96, was pronounced dead in the 7000 block of Birch Street in southwest suburban Bridgeview just before 2 p.m. Monday, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. It is the 22nd cold-related death. (Behm, 1/21)

St. Louis Public Radio: Fuzzy Rules On Emotional Support Animals Are Hurting Some Missouri Landlords
The federal Fair Housing Act protects people with disabilities from being denied having their emotional support animals live with them. That protections apply to pet deposits and additional rent.But some renters in Rolla have been going online to have their pets certified as ESAs in order to escape the fees. (Ahl, 1/22)

Des Moines Register: Iowa Vaping Ban Moves Forward For Many Public Places, Work Areas, Bars
Vaping would be subject to the same indoor prohibitions as cigarette smoking under a measure an Iowa Senate panel advanced Tuesday. The measure, which is similar to bans on vaping in public places approved in several other states, met with opposition from representatives of the vaping industry. (Richardson, 1/21)

Kaiser Health News: Listen: How Vaping Regulations Are Playing Out In The States
KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber joined Wisconsin Public Radio’s Rob Ferrett on “Central Time” to discuss what’s happening on vaping in the states amid concerns about a vaping lung illness. Weber has written about how Wisconsin health officials were among the first to pinpoint the rise in lung illness cases. She has also reported on how the crackdown on vaping has politicized vapers around the nation who are fighting bans on vaping products. (1/21)

Detroit Free Press: Michigan Recreational Weed Dispensaries: Shop Opens In River Rouge
Seven weeks after recreational marijuana sales started in Michigan, First Quality Medz in River Rouge has become the first shop in metro Detroit to begin selling legal weed. The state first allowed recreational sales on Dec. 1 with four shops — three in Ann Arbor and one in Morenci — licensed and open for sales. (Gray, 1/21)