Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Shortage Of Elder Care Workers In Maine Is Warning To Nation; States Like Indiana Install 'Baby Boxes'
The Washington Post: ‘This Will Be Catastrophic’: Maine Families Face Elder Boom, Worker Shortage In Preview Of Nation’s Future
Across Maine, families like the Flahertys are being hammered by two slow-moving demographic forces — the growth of the retirement population and a simultaneous decline in young workers — that have been exacerbated by a national worker shortage pushing up the cost of labor. The unemployment rate in Maine is 3.2 percent, below the national average of 3.7 percent. The disconnect between Maine’s aging population and its need for young workers to care for that population is expected to be mirrored in states throughout the country over the coming decade, demographic experts say. And that’s especially true in states with populations with fewer immigrants, who are disproportionately represented in many occupations serving the elderly, statistics show. (Stein, 8/14)
The Wall Street Journal: States Adopt ‘Baby Boxes’ In Effort To Protect Unwanted Infants
For volunteer firefighters in Coolspring, Ind., a buzzing pager could mean a house fire, a trapped elevator, a highway wreckage—or a baby in a box. The township in northern Indiana is the site of a so-called Safe Haven Baby Box, an incubator-like device that can be found at a growing number of firehouses and hospitals around the country. ... In the past four years, Indiana, Arkansas, Ohio and Pennsylvania have passed laws allowing parents to surrender their children without needing to interact with any medical or emergency personnel, face-to-face or otherwise. (Gershman, 8/15)
Bloomberg: The State With The Highest Suicide Rate Desperately Needs Shrinks
The problem isn’t a lack of demand; Montana is cursed with the highest suicide rate in the nation, and it’s higher in this predominantly rural part of the state than in any other region. During the rare times when the unit is up and running, the supply of incoming patients is predictably, and sometimes frantically, consistent. The problem here is staffing. Administrators can’t find anyone to run the place. (Reel, 8/15)
The Wall Street Journal: Vaccination Foes Ask Judge To Strike Down Law Banning Religious Exemptions
Antivaccination advocates packed a courtroom Wednesday in Albany and asked a state judge to stop a new law that bans religious exemptions to school-vaccination requirements. State lawmakers repealed the exemption in June in response to a measles epidemic. A group of 55 families sued to stop the law from taking effect, saying it was hostile to their religious beliefs and should be struck down. (Vielkind, 8/14)
The Wall Street Journal: New York City Council Members Move To Expand Health Care For Uninsured
New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson unveiled a health-care plan that would expand a program Mayor Bill de Blasio recently launched to reduce emergency-room visits at public hospitals and provide services for the uninsured. Mr. Johnson, as well as Councilman Mark Levine and Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, all Democrats, introduced a bill during a Wednesday council meeting that would require the city to create a new health-access program that would help the uninsured and fund primary-care providers. (Honan, 8/14)
Tampa Bay Times: The VA Wants To Take Better Care Of Its Female Patients, With Help From USF Center
Women may still be a minority among veterans in the United States, but they're the fastest-growing segment of the veteran population. To better serve their needs, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has signed a five-year contract with the University of South Florida's Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation to offer a women's health mini residency program. (Griffin, 8/14)
Concord (N.H.) Monitor: State Budget Limbo Putting STD Treatment In Jeopardy, Providers Say
The trend lines are clear: A 17% increase in chlamydia rates in New Hampshire over a recent five-year period; a 103% surge in the syphilis rate; a 352% explosion of gonorrhea. New Hampshire has had a disconcerting swell of sexually transmitted diseases in recent years, according to numbers published by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2018. (DeWitt, 8/14)
The Associated Press: California Alleges Doctor Killed 4 Patients With Opioids
California’s attorney general said Wednesday that he is charging a Northern California doctor with killing four patients by overprescribing opioids and narcotics, crimes he linked to the nationwide opioid epidemic. Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed multiple criminal charges against Dr. Thomas McNeese Keller, 72, of Santa Rosa related to nine of his patients. The charges include second-degree murder in four deaths and felony elderly abuse for a fifth patient who also died. The murder charges could bring a life sentence. (Thompson, 8/14)
NPR: In NYC, Cycling Deaths Increase But Gears Turn Slowly On Safety Measures
In New York City, eight people have been killed while riding their bikes since June, bringing the total number of deaths so far this year to 19. "My friends [and I] ... we are really in a weird time right now," [Jenny Jo] Marine said. "No one really wants to go ride even though it's the thing we love to do most. So we do it and hope we make it home safe." Bike deaths are on the rise across the United States, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. They recorded 840 cycling fatalities in 2016 — the highest they've been in 25 years. (Juhasz, 8/14)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: After Second Look, State Committee Rejects Ohio Medical Marijuana For Anxiety, Autism
After listening to 80 minutes of testimony late Wednesday afternoon – this time mostly from opponents – a State Medical Board of Ohio committee rejected medical marijuana for people with anxiety and autism spectrum disorder. The four physicians who testified against medical marijuana for the conditions said the drug offers a momentary relief from anxiety but leads to panic attacks or worsening of anxiety over the long run for some patients. (Hancock, 8/14)
Sacramento Bee: California To Pay $1.5 Million Settlement In Inmate Suicide
On April 14, 2016, one day before she was to appear before a parole board hearing at which she was expected to be granted her freedom, Rocha hanged herself inside her cell with a bed sheet tied to an air vent. Her death followed years of suicide attempts by the troubled young woman – court records say tried to kill herself eight times between the ages of 7 and 14 – and the corrections department eventually determined her death was “both foreseeable and preventable,” the Rocha family’s lawyer, Lori Rifkin, said Tuesday. (Stanton, 8/14)
Miami Herald: Will The Homestead Detention Center Reopen?
The Homestead detention center for unaccompanied immigrant children is expected to begin accepting kids again as early as October or November, federal government sources say, even though it officially shut down less than two weeks ago. Sources close to the operation told the Miami Herald the federal government is anticipating an influx of children at the border some time in October. (Madan, 8/14)
Boston Globe: Your Marijuana Delivery Is Here — Now Smile For The Body Cam
A pot consumer’s nightmare? No — it’s a proposal by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission for regulating forthcoming recreational pot deliveries. The body camera requirement is just one part of a restrictive plan that is drawing pushback from critics who say it would violate consumers’ privacy and make operating a delivery company financially infeasible. (Adams, 8/14)
USA Today: California Mother Sues Los Angeles School District, Alleging Son Suffered Brain Damage After Bullying Attack
A California mother is suing a Los Angeles school district, alleging that her 12-year-old son was left with permanent brain and spinal injuries after another student assaulted him last year. The mother said her sixth-grade son was "brutally assaulted and strangled" last January by a 14-year-old boy who had allegedly been violent toward other students, according to a lawsuit filed this week in Los Angeles Superior Court. (Ravikumar,8/14)
