Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Report Finds Lead Levels In Flint Water Are Safe; Organ Donation Rates In New York Reach New Highs After Enrollment Push
The Wall Street Journal: Flint Water Tests Show Safe Lead Levels, NRDC Report Says
The amount of lead in the drinking water of Flint, Mich., has fallen again, according to a study released Friday, as the city works to replace old pipes and takes other measures to ensure the city’s water quality is safe. The Natural Resources Defense Council released a report Friday that found lead levels well below the federal action level of 15 parts per billion in a sample of 92 homes. A researcher at Michigan State University found a lead level of 4 ppb at the homes tested. (Maher, 4/13)
The Associated Press: Cuomo: Number Of NY Registered Organ Donors Tops 5 Million
Efforts by the state and nonprofit organizations to boost the number of New Yorkers registered to donate their organs are paying off. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced that more than 5 million New Yorkers are now enrolled in the New York State Donate Life Registry as organ donors. The Democrat says organ donation rates have reached historic levels thanks to several coordinated efforts. (4/16)
The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Lawmakers Pass Legislation To Help Preserve The Fertility Of Cancer Patients
The legislation requires insurance companies to pay for standard fertility preservation procedures, such as sperm and egg freezing, for people who undergo medical treatment that would result in infertility. This includes chemotherapy treatment for cancer patients. Gov. Larry Hogan still must to sign the bill for it to take effect. A spokeswoman, Amelia Chasse, said the governor is waiting for an opinion from the attorney general’s office. (McDaniels, 4/13)
Health News Florida: Living Kidney Donation Might Be The Answer To National Shortage
Blayne Badura thought that he had this kidney disease thing figured out. For two decades, he had worked as a Seminole County Deputy, a job that he loved and allowed him to provide for his wife and two children, while doing dialysis three times a week. “Work kept my mind off my own illness it sounds crazy but it’s true. When I went to work I didn’t have to worry about me. I dealt with other peoples’ problems.” (Prieur, 4/16)
Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Providers Do More To Fight Hunger, But Efforts Could Be Hindered By Funding Cuts
Working in partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository, a "Fresh Truck" arrives at one of 12 clinic sites once every other month and stays for 90 minutes. Cook County staffers screen patients for food needs with a two-question survey. Those identified as being food-insecure get a voucher to take part in the distributions. Such efforts provide patients a small opportunity to gain access to nutritious food, but arguably the program's greatest impact is in enrolling people into government aid programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC. In 2016 and 2017, nearly 300 patients who visited a distribution site were enrolled and began receiving benefits. (Johnson, 4/14)
Pioneer Press: MN Legislature Eyes Regional Mental Health Centers
The bill would provide $80 million for state grant programs to construct six mental health crisis centers around the state that cities, counties, hospitals and other public entities would operate to serve mentally ill and chemically dependent people. The plan also would grant the funding to build three long-term housing facilities to support mental health services. Numerous studies have reported huge gaps in Minnesota’s mental health services. The crisis center proposal “would be a start in closing those gaps,” said Sen. David Senjem, the Rochester Republican who introduced the bills and chairs the Capital Investment Committee that will decide whether to fund it. (Salisbury, 4/15)
Health News Florida: Orlando Health Wants To Share What They Learned From Responding To The Pulse Shooting
With the recent Parkland shooting, a local hospital that responded to the Pulse nightclub shooting wants to start a nationwide conversation about emergency preparedness. Orlando Health released a video and report, detailing each team’s location and response that night, along with hospital-wide recommendations for responding to similar events. (Prieur, 5/16)
Dallas Morning News: Medical Records Of Texas Health Patients May Have Been Exposed In Data Breach
Medical records, driver's license and Social Security numbers, and other personal information of Texas Health Resources patients may have been accessed unlawfully, the Arlington-based health system is warning. Texas Health is one of North Texas' largest provider groups with more than 350 community access points. Over 1.7 million patients visit its physician offices annually, public documents show. (Rice, 4/15)
Health News Florida: Counties Throughout Florida Get Grants To Fight Zika Before Mosquito Season
Orange County is putting a $325,000 grant it got from the Florida Department of Health toward preventing the spread of Zika. Ten counties throughout the state received grants. “We will use that money to buy equipment, handheld sprayers, truck-mounted sprayers, backpack sprayers as well as control materials.” (Prieur, 5/16)
Kansas City Star: Deadly Shootings Result From Low-Level Marijuana Drug Deals
Timothy Durden Jr. made it a habit to throw his arms around his grandmother, plant a big kiss on her cheek and proclaim, “I love you, Grannie.” The former Park Hill High School basketball and football player had a passion for joking, dancing, lifting weights. But the 18-year-old also enjoyed "smoking his weed," family wrote in his obituary, and that habit cost him his life when he allegedly tried to rob the teenager who was selling him 2 ounces of marijuana in the Northland. (Rise, 4/14)
