State Highlights: Striking Nurses Union Asks Minn. A.G. To Examine Allina’s Finances; In Texas, High Rates Of Uninsured Kids, Teen Pregnancies

Minnesota Public Radio: Amid Strike, Nurses Union Asks Attorney General To Scrutinize Allina's Finances
Allina Health and union leaders for some 4,800 striking nurses are trading increasingly pointed barbs as the strike continues. The union said it figures Allina will spend some $25 million on replacements for striking nurses. Union attorney Mathew Keller questioned whether it's reasonable for Allina to spend that much money on a strike when it's demanding much smaller savings on union health benefits. (Moylan, 6/21)

The Dallas Morning News: Report: Texas Among Worst In Country For High Numbers Of Teen Moms, Uninsured Kids
Texas has some of the highest rates of uninsured kids and teen births in the country despite progress in recent years, according to a report released Tuesday. (Martin, 6/21)

Kansas Health Institute: Committee Seeks Broader View Of Behavioral Health Efforts
Funding limitations and a sometimes-narrow focus have kept Kansas mental health, substance abuse and suicide prevention groups from fully coordinating their efforts, according to a program director with the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. (Hart, 6/21)

Wyoming Public Radio: Wyoming Department Of Health Cuts Will Impact Programs And Cost Private Sector Jobs
Due to declining revenues the Wyoming Department of Health has been told to cut $90 million from its budget, that’s a nine percent reduction, the largest cut faced by any state agency. It will impact the two year budget that begins July first. Director Tom Forslund said the loss of state funds also means the Department will lose an additional $43 million in federal matching money. (Beck, 6/21)

The Dallas Morning News: Texas Health Resources Buys Corinth Hospital, Plans $13 Million Makeover
Texas Health Resources is buying a 62,500-square-foot hospital in Corinth with plans to spend more than $13 million to convert it to a behavioral healthcare facility. (Baker, 6/21)

North Carolina Health News: Ending Solitary For Juveniles, Prison Commissioner Cites Use Of Evidence-Based Alternatives
Juveniles under the age of 18 who are incarcerated in North Carolina prisons will no longer be subjected to solitary confinement starting this fall, prison commissioner David Guice announced last week. (Hoban, 6/21)

The Baltimore Sun: Two Telehealth Projects Gain Funding Under Pilot To Show The Technology'S Value
Two private medical practices with offices around Maryland will receive grants from the Maryland Health Care Commission totaling more than $115,000 to demonstrate the value of telehealth technology. (Cohn, 6/22)

The Dallas Morning News: Harris County Man Loses Leg To Flesh-Eating Bacteria After Visiting Galveston Beach, Family Says
A Harris County man is battling a flesh-eating bacteria after visiting a Galveston beach, his family says. The bacteria prompted doctors to amputate 50-year-old Brian Parrott’s right leg, KHOU-TV reports. (Farmer, 6/21)

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Ex-Richmond Blood-Testing Firm Settles $59M Suit Brought By Cigna
A settlement between former Richmond-based Health Diagnostic Laboratory and Connecticut-based insurance giant Cigna has put a $59 million lawsuit to rest. ... Cigna filed its lawsuit against HDL in October 2014. In its suit, the insurer alleged that in responding to insurance claims that HDL filed with Cigna, the insurer overpaid HDL. In May of the following year, HDL filed a counterclaim alleging that Cigna withheld reimbursement claims from HDL. (Demeria, 6/21)

California Healthline: Boeing Contracts Directly With California Health System For Employee Benefits
In another sign of growing frustration with rising health costs, aerospace giant Boeing Co. has agreed to contract directly for employee benefits with a major health system in Southern California, bypassing the conventional insurance model. The move, announced Tuesday, marks the expansion of Boeing’s direct-contracting approach, which it has already implemented in recent years in Seattle, St. Louis and Charleston, S.C. (Terhune, 6/21)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Nursing A New Generation Of Health Workers: A Union Program Provides A Pipeline
Last year, HHS's Office of Minority Health launched its National Workforce Diversity Pipeline Program in hopes of attracting more young people like [Amir] Showell, who is African American, into health and health-related tech professions. Of the 14 grants handed out, one, for $474,500, came to Philadelphia, to the District 1199C Training and Upgrading Fund and its partnership with Roxborough High (Von Bergen, 6/22)

California Health Report: Rising Rate Of STD Infection In California Troubles Public Health Officials
The rates of the most common sexually transmitted diseases – chlamydia and gonorrhea – have risen over the last five years in California, particularly among men and in the case of gonorrhea, and even in counties that have made a concerted effort to reduce the number of infections. (Stolz, 6/21)

KQED: San Francisco Voters Will Decide On Soda Tax In November
It was a circuitous route, but a ballot measure was submitted to the San Francisco Department of Elections Tuesday afternoon, and voters in November will decide whether to levy a penny-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. The soda tax was supposed to be placed on the ballot last month, following a signature gathering campaign. Proponents were thrilled that they had collected twice the number of signatures needed. Just one problem: they turned those signatures in a day late. (Aliferis, 6/21)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Can Ohio Attorneys Use Medical Marijuana? Supreme Court Panel Will Weigh In
Ohio's new medical marijuana law prohibits disciplining professionals for working with marijuana businesses or patients, but it's not clear whether that applies to attorneys. Only the Ohio Supreme Court can discipline licensed attorneys. Lawyers have submitted at least two requests for formal opinions on the matter to the Ohio Supreme Court's Board of Professional Conduct. (Borchardt, 6/21)

St. Louis Public Radio: Life After A Stroke: Fontbonne Program Helps Patients With Speech Therapy
[John] Rush, of Manchester, is one of seven people who have experienced a stroke and are participating in a six-week long “Aphasia Boot Camp” at Fontbonne University in St. Louis. The group meets four times a week for one hour, and then breaks into individual therapy sessions with graduate students. (Bouscaren, 6/21)

Chicago Tribune: Misericordia Opens Home To Care For Elderly With Disabilities
At Quinlan Terrace, while some activities are similar to those offered at other senior facilities — playing bingo, flipping through scrapbooks and doing memory exercises — staff members keep in mind nuances that are especially important for people with disabilities. (Healy, 6/22)