State Highlights: Puerto Rico’s Hospitals Struggle In Aftermath Of Hurricane; Mo. Democrats Release Ambitious Health Plans For State

Los Angeles Times: Amid Power Outages, Hospitals Pushed To Their Limits In Puerto Rico
In the emergency room lobby at the Puerto Rico Medical Center, the island’s largest public hospital, more than a dozen patients — one with a broken leg, others with arms in slings or other wounds — were lined up on stretchers and in wheelchairs in the stifling heat. A generator hummed in the background, but that was powering the air conditioning for patients already being treated. (Hennessy-Fiske, 9/26)

Columbus Dispatch: Central Ohio Hospitals Say They're Ready To Respond To Any Likely Disaster
As central Ohio hospital executives watch the devastation in this hurricane season, they’re confident that they’re prepared to respond to whatever disasters might hit our region. No, they’re not preparing for hurricanes, but they do have plans for blizzards, tornadoes, virus outbreaks, airplane crashes, mass killings and other calamities. (Viviano, 9/26)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Advocates Seek Tighter Rules In Ohio Nursing Homes After Florida Deaths: A Critical Choice
Advocates for nursing home residents say Ohio should increase its requirements for generators at care centers after 11 people died in a Florida nursing home that lost power following Hurricane Irma. (Caniglia and Corrigan, 9/27)

KCUR: Missouri Democrats Unveil Their Vision For Health Care, Acknowledge Long Odds 
The Missouri Democratic Party announced an ambitious set of health care proposals Tuesday, including expansion of Medicaid and policy changes focused on veterans, women’s health and opioid abuse. Republicans control the House, Senate and Governor’s office in Missouri, making it unlikely the proposals will be adopted. But Stephen Webber, the party chair, said Democrats still want to present a “positive proactive vision.” (Ellison, 9/26)

The CT Mirror: Malloy: CT Has A Little Extra Time To Resolve Hospital Tax Plan
While time is dwindling for the state and its hospital industry to strike a deal on a new taxing arrangement that could help solve Connecticut’s budget crisis, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Tuesday the state might be able to stretch Friday’s deadline for about two more weeks. (Phaneuf, 9/26)

Los Angeles Times: STD Rates Hit Another Record High, With California Near The Top
The number of Americans diagnosed with chlamydia, gonorrhea or syphilis reached a record high in 2016 for the second year in a row, with more than 2 million cases reported and particularly high rates in California, according to federal data released Tuesday. Cases of these three sexually transmitted diseases have been increasing nationally since 2014, reversing a downward trend that began in 2006. Health officials say the rates reflect decreasing condom usage, a lack of awareness about STDs among doctors and patients, and a falling number of STD clinics. (Karlamangla, 9/26)

Reuters: Visiting Nurse Service Of NY Must Face Whistleblower Claims: Judge
A federal judge on Tuesday said Visiting Nurse Service of New York, which calls itself the largest U.S. nonprofit home health care agency, must face much of a whistleblower lawsuit accusing it of defrauding Medicare and Medicaid and failing to provide patients with care prescribed by doctors. U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan said the plaintiff Edward Lacey plausibly alleged that the nonprofit filed false payment claims based on several alleged fraudulent schemes, violating the federal and state False Claims Acts. (Stempel, 9/26)

The Associated Press: Medical Examiner’s Accreditation At Risk In Budget Impasse
Connecticut’s budget impasse is putting the state medical examiner’s office at risk of completely losing its accreditation, a prospect that could cast some doubt on the agency’s credibility and raise questions in court about its findings in murder cases. The office has until Wednesday to show the National Association of Medical Examiners that it has addressed a short-staffing problem that has resulted in the agency’s seven forensic pathologists performing more than 325 autopsies a year — the limit set by the association’s accreditation standards. (Collins, 9/26)

Kansas City Star: McCaskill Investigating Emergency Room Bills From EmCare
U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill is investigating potential overcharging of patients by a company that staffs emergency rooms across the country, including several in the Kansas City area. McCaskill, a Democrat from Missouri, sent a letter last week to Christopher Holden, the CEO of Envision Healthcare. (Marso, 9/26)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Race And Infant Mortality: Why Are Black Babies In Northeast Ohio Dying More?
In 2015, Cuyahoga County's infant mortality rate was almost double the national rate. ... The infant mortality rate among black mothers in some Cleveland neighborhoods is the same as in developing countries where women lack access to regular prenatal care. (Zeltner, 9/26)

Chicago Tribune: Chicago's Outcome Health To Add 2,000 Jobs
Healthcare technology company Outcome Health plans to add another 2,000 jobs to Chicago by 2022, the company announced Tuesday. The announcement follows news earlier this year that the company plans to move in April into a nearly 400,000-square-foot space at 515 N. State St., from its current 66,000-square-foot location at AMA Plaza, 330 N. Wabash Ave. It also follows news that the company recently raised more than $500 million. (Schencker, 9/26)

California Healthline: California Scrambles To Contain ‘Unprecedented’ Hepatitis A Outbreaks
Health officials in California are struggling to contain fierce outbreaks of hepatitis A among homeless people and drug abusers in three counties, including San Diego, where at least 17 people have died. Hundreds more have become ill and been hospitalized, mostly in the San Diego area, often not far from tourist destinations. The disease also has cropped up farther north in Los Angeles and Santa Cruz counties. Poor access to restrooms and sinks in homeless encampments is largely to blame. (O'Neill, 9/26)

Los Angeles Times: Hepatitis A Outbreak Sparks Call For L.A. To Give Homeless People More Street Toilets
A Los Angeles councilman called on the city Tuesday to fund emergency portable toilets to stem the public health threat posed by the hepatitis A outbreak among homeless people. Westside Councilman Mike Bonin said that because of a public bathroom shortage, homeless people in neighborhoods are forced to defecate in the streets. Public health officials, who last week declared L.A.’s hepatitis A outbreak, say the disease is most commonly transmitted from feces through contaminated food or sexual activity. (Holland, 9/26)

The Associated Press: Patient At Center Of Utah Nurse’s High-Profile Arrest Dies
A hospital patient who a Utah nurse said she was protecting when she refused to allow police to draw his blood has died. William Gray, a commercial truck driver and reserve police officer, died late Monday of the injuries he suffered when a fiery July 26 crash left him with burns over nearly half his body, University of Utah Health spokeswoman Suzanne Winchester said. (Whitehurst and McCombs, 9/26)

The Baltimore Sun: Cecil Health Center Takes Over Dental Program For UM To Keep Services For The Needy 
A Cecil County health center is taking over a dental clinic from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry in an effort to keep the services available to residents of rural communities. The West Cecil Health Center, Inc. will own and operate the clinic under the arrangement. The health center received a $325,000 grant from the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission to help run the clinic located in Perryville. (McDaniels, 9/26)

San Francisco Chronicle: Recreational Marijuana Sales Won’t Start In January In SF After All
People eager to start buying recreational marijuana from shops in San Francisco when sales become legal throughout the state in January are going to have to wait a little longer. The city won’t issue permits to sell recreational marijuana until it passes new laws to regulate the industry and creates an equity program to help low-income entrepreneurs, people of color, and former drug offenders break into the market. (Swan, 9/26)