State Highlights: Sailor Shoots Three Others, Himself At Pearl Harbor; Inmate’s Near Suicide As Guards Stood By Sends Rikers Into Crisis

USA Today: Pearl Harbor Shooting: Sailor Shot Three People, Base Says
A U.S. Navy sailor shot three people, then killed himself at Pearl Harbor on Wednesday, military officials said, three days before the anniversary of the attack that prompted the United States to enter World War II.  Two victims are dead and one is hospitalized in stable condition, officials at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam said. The shooting at the naval shipyard happened at about 2:30 p.m. local time. Military forces responded to the scene and put the roughly 66,000 people who live at the base on lockdown for about an hour. (Lam, 12/4)

The New York Times: He Waited 6 Hours For Medical Help. Then He Tried To Hang Himself.
The guards brought the 18-year-old detainee with a gashed lip into a special holding cell on Friday night. He had been injured after a fight with seven other inmates and was being transferred to an urgent care facility on Rikers Island. What happened over the next six hours would plunge the jail and the city’s correction department into a crisis on Wednesday over the supervision of inmates, especially those at risk of suicide, at a time when the city is seeking to close Rikers. (Ransom, 12/4)

The Associated Press: At Notorious Jail, Guards Feel Heat For Teen’s Near Suicide
Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted the allegations that officers failed to immediately intervene in Feliciano’s suicide attempt are “deeply troubling.” “The people in our jails are human beings,” de Blasio wrote. “Their well-being is our responsibility.” Correction Commissioner Cynthia Brann said in a statement the allegations were “extremely troubling and we are taking them seriously.” (12/4)

The Associated Press: Rapper T.I.’s Remarks Spark NY Bill To End Virginity Tests
New York could bar doctors from performing so-called virginity tests under legislation prompted by the rapper T.I.'s controversial claim that he has a gynecologist check his daughter's hymen annually. Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages said Tuesday the bill she submitted last month would prohibit medical professionals from performing or supervising such examinations, though it's unclear how common they are in the U.S. New York would also consider it sexual assault when such tests are performed outside of a medical setting. (12/4)

Sacramento Bee: Kaiser’s Behavioral Health Clinicians To Strike Dec. 16-20
The union representing roughly 4,000 Kaiser Permanente mental health clinicians announced Wednesday that they have rescheduled their five-day strike for the week of December 16, after postponing it in November after the death of the company’s chief executive officer, Bernard Tyson. The National Union of Healthcare Workers said the strike would affect patients at more than 100 Kaiser facilities in California from Sacramento to San Diego. (Anderson, 12/4)

Columbus Dispatch: Leaders Say $4.5 Million Will Help Reverse Rising Infant Mortality Rate Among Black Families 
The push to lower Ohio’s infant mortality rate will likely carry on for years to come, but local leaders say a recently awarded $4.5 million grant will help make a dent in longstanding racial disparities. A coalition of 13 organizations, led by CelebrateOne, will use the grant awarded Monday by the Ohio Department of Medicaid to expand programs addressing the issue. About 52% of births in the state are covered by Ohio’s Medicaid system, state Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran said in a statement. (Fixby, 12/4)

Los Angeles Times: Flesh-Eating Bacteria Linked To Black Tar Heroin Kills 7 In San Diego County
A flesh-eating bacteria linked to the use of black tar heroin has killed at least seven San Diego County residents who injected the drug since early October, county health officials said Wednesday. Between Oct. 2 and Nov. 24, nine people who injected black tar heroin were hospitalized with severe myonecrosis, a soft-tissue infection that destroys muscle, health officials said. The patients ranged from 19 to 57 years old; of the seven who died, five were men. (Riggins, 12/4)

Modern Healthcare: Mental Health-Related ED Visits Among Kids On The Rise In Colorado
One-quarter of Colorado's mental health-related emergency department visits were for children in 2018, a new report has found. The share of children's emergency department visits where mental health was the primary diagnosis grew from 21% in 2016 to 25% in 2018, according to an analysis performed by the Center for Improving Value in Health Care using claims data for commercially insured, Medicaid and Medicare Advantage patients. Those visits for adults dropped from 79% to 75% in that time. (Bannow, 12/4)

St. Louis Public Radio: Hate Crime Reports Down In Missouri Almost 40% But Some Are Skeptical
According to the FBI, there were more than 16,000 law enforcement agencies participating in the Hate Crime Statistics Program in 2018, but only about 12% reported incidents. The other 87% reported that no hate crimes occurred in their jurisdictions. Agencies participate on a voluntary basis and provide one to 12 months of data. (Driscoll, 12/4)

ProPublica/Chicago Tribune: Illinois Will Allow Prone, Supine Restraints On Children While Schools Learn To Phase Them Out
Amending emergency rules put in place two weeks ago, the Illinois State Board of Education says it will again allow schoolchildren to be physically restrained in positions it had banned, though only in crisis situations. The change comes after several schools said they could no longer serve some students with behavior issues because of the new restrictions, put in place after publication of a Chicago Tribune/ProPublica Illinois investigation that found overuse and misuse of “isolated timeouts” in public schools across the state. (Richards, Cohen and Chavis, 12/4)

St. Louis Post Dispatch: Health Care Provider To Expand To St. Louis Next Summer 
Next summer, a health care provider for seniors will open three new locations here. ChenMed, which serves low-to-moderate-income seniors through Medicare, announced Tuesday that it would expand into five new cities: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Memphis, Orlando and St. Louis. ChenMed advertises a more personal care model, where doctors provide patients with their cellphone numbers, and primary care doctors each serve 400 patients on average. (Merrilees, 12/4)

New Hampshire Public Radio: Study: Fewer Medical Students Are Coming From Rural Areas, Tied To Rural Workforce Shortages
The number of medical students coming from rural areas has fallen by almost 30% since 2002, according to a new report. Researchers say the trend is partly to blame for healthcare workforce shortages in rural states like New Hampshire. The research, which appears in Health Affairs, was led by Dartmouth professor Scott Shipman. It examined medical school enrollment across the country from 2002 to 2017. (Moon, 12/4)

Modern Healthcare: Quorum Health Considering Buyout Offer From KKR
Quorum Health could be the latest healthcare provider to be gobbled up by private equity investors, if the beleagured chain accepts a buy-out proposal from KKR. The 24-hospital, publicly traded company has struggled since it was formed in 2016, posting more than $300 million in net losses in 2017 and 2018 combined. Quorum said it's considering private equity firm KKR's offer to buy out its public shares held by minority owners for $1 per share. That would value the company at about $33 million, based on the number of outstanding shares as of Nov. 6. (Bannow, 12/4)

Nashville Tennessean: Williamson County Schools Give Parents Tips As Flu, Illnesses Rise
According to the recent influenza-like illness regional report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seasonal influenza activity in Tennessee is considered "high." With widespread cases of flu being reported across the state, Williamson County Schools encouraged parents to review the district's illness guidelines when deciding whether a student should go to school or stay home. (Bartlett, 12/4)

Health News Florida: Tallahassee Could Decide To Ban Conversion Therapy Wednesday
Tallahassee’s City Commission will hear a presentation on conversion therapy during its December 4th meeting. The move comes as state lawmakers prepare to weigh a statewide ban of the practice. Conversion therapy is the practice of trying to change someone's sexuality from gay to straight. Studies have shown the practice is harmful for people and has led to depression, substance abuse and suicide. (Gaffney, 12/4)

Seattle Times: Dozens Sickened In Norovirus Outbreak Associated With Brave Horse Tavern In South Lake Union
Public-health officials are investigating a norovirus outbreak associated with Brave Horse Tavern in South Lake Union that has sickened 43 people. Of those who fell ill, 30 were customers who ate at the restaurant on Nov. 23 and Nov. 24, while 11 were employees who experienced symptoms dating back to Nov. 24, according to a statement from Public Health — Seattle & King County. Two of the employees lived with people who had experienced symptoms since Nov. 20, according to Public Heath. (Fields, 12/4)

Tampa Bay Times: USF’s Downtown Medical School Is Almost Complete. Here’s A Sneak Peek.
From the outside, the University of South Florida’s new Morsani College of Medicine building looks complete. The sleek skyscraper in downtown Tampa is about to become the among the first completed pieces of the Water Street project backed by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik. About 1,800 students, faculty and staff will fill the 13-story tower when the next semester begins Jan. 13. With 395,000 square feet of space, it has been billed as a state-of-the-art teaching and research facility connecting the medical school with nearby Tampa General Hospital and other downtown destinations. (Griffin, 12/5)

San Francisco Chronicle: ‘We Don’t Want To Be Outside’: Homeless Say Few Beds Offered During Tenderloin Sweep
San Francisco cleared a Civic Center alley of tents Wednesday, one of its largest homeless sweeps of the year, causing dozens of people to fold up their makeshift homes, throw out their belongings and scatter elsewhere. City officials say outreach workers spent the past six weeks visiting Willow Street and tried connecting as many people as possible to services. (Thadani, 12/4)

New Hampshire Public Radio: Marijuana Legalization Loses Steam At N.H. State House
Efforts to loosen New Hampshire's marijuana laws appear to be losing momentum at the State House, as separate Senate committees took action this week against bills that would make marijuana more accessible. New Hampshire decriminalized up to three-quarters of an ounce of marijuana in 2017, but if the Senate committee votes stand, full legalization will be off the table in 2020. So will allowing doctors to prescribe medical marijuana for "any condition." (Rogers, 12/4)