State Highlights: Questions Surround Top Health Officials In Oregon, Florida; Colo. Physicians Prepare For New Aid-In-Dying Law

The Oregonian: State Claims Raussen, Head Of Insurance Board, Accepted Meals, Gifts 
In eight months on the job as executive director of the Oregon Educators Benefits Board, James Raussen allegedly accepted a handful of spendy meals and, on one occasion, tickets to a Blazers game courtesy of insurers and consulting firms. He went out of his way in state vehicles to attend wine tastings in Hood River and Walla Walla, the state alleges. And when confronted about some of these events, Raussen inaccurately told state officials he had paid his own way, according to newly released state documents. The benefits board put Raussen on paid leave in September and asked the Department of Justice to investigate. Board members refused to explain why at the time. Raussen resigned earlier this month before state investigators could conclude their inquiry. (Manning, 11/28)

Tampa Bay Times: Eight Months After Losing Confirmation Fight, Armstrong Leaves DOH 
Since March, when it was clear the Senate would not confirm him as state surgeon general, Dr. John Armstrong has continued to cash a paycheck while on medical leave as deputy secretary of health. On Nov. 21, he finally left the Department of Health. The state announced Monday that Michele Tallent will officially take over the role of deputy secretary of health for administration after holding the job on an acting basis since January. (Auslen, 11/28)

Denver Post: Colorado Physicians Contend With New Aid-In-Dying Law, Whether Or Not They Approve 
Physicians across Colorado are preparing to work under the new law, whether or not they approve of it. The constitutional amendment, approved by a two-thirds, one-third margin Nov. 8, makes clear that doctors do not have to participate — they are required only to transfer a patient’s medical records to a new physician. According to a Colorado Medical Society survey of its membership earlier this year, 56 percent of doctors are in favor of medical aid in dying, while 35 percent are opposed (including 25 percent “strongly” opposed). Doctors in Denver were more likely to approve, at 62 percent, compared with 48 percent approval in rural parts of the state. (Brown, 11/28)

Boston Globe: Haunted By A Word, A Family Does Battle With The Medical Examiner’s Office
The medical examiner’s office has drawn controversy several times in the past two years over how it decides the manner of death in cases, especially those involving infants. A Globe report in August found it gives extraordinary power to its 12 medical examiners to rule how people died, with little oversight by the chief medical examiner and virtually no legal mechanism for critics to appeal. The Globe has also found there are no standards dictating the level of certainty medical examiners must have before ruling on a manner of death. (Wen, 11/29)

Kansas Health Institute: Study Delves Into Wyandotte County Health Divide 
To the east of Seventh Street, the average resident dies around age 72, according to a new study of health disparities in Wyandotte County. Cross the street, however, and that average drops to 59. The next-closest community where most people live into their 70s is west of Interstate 635, about four miles away. Wyandotte County consistently ranks near the bottom of Kansas counties on health outcomes, despite sharing a border with Johnson County, which usually comes in first or second. Even within Wyandotte County, however, a person’s address can have a serious effect on his health. (Wingerter, 11/29)

The Baltimore Sun: Harford Health Department To Offer Free Flu Shot Clinics Next Month For School-Age Children K-12 
With the arrival of cold weather comes flu season and the need to be vaccinated. This year, there are some key changes about influenza vaccination programs in Harford County, according to local health officials, and free flu shot clinics will be offered next month for school-age children only. The Harford County Health Department urges everyone in the county ages six months or older to be vaccinated against the flu. The first reported case of flu in Maryland was on Oct. 7, which is about a month earlier than last year, Harford Health Office Susan Kelly said during her six-month Board of Health update to the Harford County Council on Oct. 18. The council also sits as the county's Board of Health. (Vought, 11/28)

Sacramento Bee: Pot Doctors Who Thrived Under CA Medical Marijuana Law Adapt Business Model For Recreational Era
In the weeks since Californians voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use, the phones have been ringing more intensely and the flow of walk-in patients has picked up at 420 Med Evaluations, a midtown Sacramento clinic specializing in medicinal pot referrals. The passage of Proposition 64 on Nov. 8 instantly allowed adults 21 and older to consume marijuana, regardless of medical need. Along with that, went the thinking, people seeking pot for pleasurable pursuit no longer had to endure the inconvenience of going to a doctor and citing a physical ailment to get a medical recommendation to legally light up a joint. (Hecht, 11/28)

Boston Globe: Marijuana Legalization Advocates Furious At Lawmakers’ Proposed Changes
Secretary of State William F. Galvin said Monday that the results of the Massachusetts marijuana legalization measure passed by voters may not be certified in time for it to go into effect Dec. 15, when the drug is slated to become legal for possession and use. A successful ballot initiative does not officially become law until it is certified by the eight-member Governor’s Council, a Colonial-era body that meets every Wednesday. (Miller and Phillips, 11/28)