State Highlights: Study Finds Months-Long Waiting Times For Mental Health Services In Mass.; Death Toll Climbs In San Diego’s Hepatitis A Outbreak

Boston Globe: Wait For Mental Health Treatment Can Take Months, Study Says
For those seeking help for mental illness or addiction in Massachusetts, the path can be long and tortuous, often taking several months before treatment begins. That’s what members of focus groups told researchers commissioned by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, as part of a study released Tuesday on barriers to outpatient mental health services in Massachusetts. (Freyer, 10/31)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Death Toll From San Diego Hepatitis A Outbreak Rises To 20
San Diego’s hepatitis A outbreak has now claimed 20 lives across the region. The county Health and Human Services Agency published new weekly totals late Tuesday morning, raising by one the number of deaths recorded since the health crisis started in November 2016. The running tally of confirmed cases also continues to increase, up to 536 from the previous total of 516. (Sisson, 10/31)

Detroit Free Press: Hepatitis A Cases Found At Firewater Bar, Little Caesars Pizza
The Detroit Health Department is investigating separate Hepatitis A cases connected with two Detroit restaurants. The first case is in connection with a Detroit resident who worked at Firewater Bar and Grill, 107 E. Milwaukee. The second case involves another Detroit resident who worked as a crew member at Little Caesars Pizza located at 12712 Fenkell. (10/30)

The CT Mirror: Malloy Rejects Hospital Tax Plan But Signs Most Of CT Budget Into Law
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy used his line-item veto to reject a new taxing arrangement on hospitals, but signed into law the bulk of a new, two-year state budget negotiated without direct input from his administration. (Phaneuf and Pazniokas, 10/31)

NH Times Union: Bill To Establish Paid Family, Medical Leave In NH Moves Forward
In a bipartisan 13-6 vote on Tuesday, the House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services Committee voted to move forward with HB 628, establishing paid family and medical leave insurance in New Hampshire. The bill, filed by Concord Democratic Rep. Mary Gile, would require New Hampshire Employment Security to establish and administer a family and medical leave insurance fund. (Solomon, 11/1)

Boston Globe: Steward Health Care Sues State Over Financial Data
Steward Health Care System, escalating a long-running dispute with state officials, has filed a lawsuit against a Massachusetts agency for demanding details about the company’s operations. Boston-based Steward, a for-profit company that owns nine Massachusetts hospitals, has failed to submit several years’ financial data to the state, racking up more than $300,000 in fines for its lack of transparency. (Dayal McCluskey, 10/31)

The Associated Press: Michigan Health Chief Back In Court In Legionnaires’ Case
Testimony is resuming in a criminal case against Michigan’s health director, who is accused of keeping the public in the dark about Legionnaires’ disease during the Flint water disaster. Nick Lyon is charged with involuntary manslaughter and misconduct in office. A judge must decide whether there is enough evidence to send him to trial. The case picks up again Wednesday. (11/1)

The Associated Press: Utah Nurse Settles Over Rough Arrest Caught On Video
A Utah nurse who was arrested for refusing to let a police officer draw blood from an unconscious patient settled Tuesday with Salt Lake City and the university that runs the hospital for $500,000. Nurse Alex Wubbels and her lawyer, Karra Porter, announced the move nearly two months after they released police body-camera video showing Detective Jeff Payne handcuffing Wubbels. The footage drew widespread attention online amid the national debate about police use of force. (Whitehurst, 10/31)

Detroit Free Press: Judge In Vaccine Case Faces Threats, Calls For 'Painful Death'
Oakland County Circuit Judge Karen McDonald is facing online harassment, including calls for her to "die a painful death," for her handling of two controversial cases involving divorced parents who disagree about vaccines. McDonald has drawn the online ire of vaccine critics, upset with her decision to order a 9-year-old boy immunized over the objections of his mother. In a separate case, McDonald has questioned the qualifications of a witness brought in to argue vaccines are harmful. (Wisely, 10/31)

Minnesota Public Radio: Mint Conditions: Stores Say Menthol Restrictions Hurt Their Bottom Lines
The city council Wednesday is expected to tighten restrictions on the sale of flavored tobacco, adding menthol, mint, and wintergreen to the list of products banned from gas stations and corner stores. ... Some convenience store owners who rely on menthol cigarette sales worry they'll be driven out of business entirely. (Sepic, 11/1)

Seattle Times: Woman Who Accused King County Sheriff Urquhart Of Rape Now Says He Offered To Share Her Medical Records
The woman who last year accused Sheriff John Urquhart of raping her years earlier has obtained a temporary protection order against Urquhart, claiming he’s disseminating her medical information to discredit her during his re-election campaign. King County Superior Court Commissioner Pro Tem Terence Wong on Monday signed the temporary sexual-assault protection order, which prohibits Urquhart from knowingly coming within 500 feet of the woman. The sheriff was served with the order later Monday. (Kamb, 10/31)

St. Louis Public Radio: Local Transgender Community Applauds Ruling Against Trump's Ban On Military Service
The St. Louis transgender community and others are cheering a ruling that blocks President Donald Trump’s attempt to ban trans people from serving in the military. Monday’s decision by a federal court judge in Washington, D.C. will allow transgender people to continue serving for the foreseeable future. (Fowler, 10/31)

The Washington Post: A Child Went Trick-Or-Treating And Brought Home A Bag Of Meth
A Wisconsin mother searching for a late-night snack in her child’s trick-or-treat bag was frightened to find a small packet of methamphetamine among the candy, authorities said. About 2:30 a.m. Monday, the mother contacted Menominee Tribal Police and told them how she’d found the small, yellow bag containing a crystal powder after dumping her child’s Halloween candy onto a table. The police came to her house, located on the Menominee Indian Reservation, and picked up the substance. It tested positive for methamphetamine, said Master Sgt. Warren Warrington. (Eltagouri, 10/31)

Detroit Free Press: Mega Medical Pot Growers Good For Michigan? Lawmakers, Towns Disagree
Glenn Rowley would like the medical marijuana entrepreneurs that come to Bangor Township “to make a pile of money so tall that they’ll need a Sherpa to get to the top of it.” As a result, the Bangor Township supervisor told members of the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that his township has passed an ordinance that will allow for up to 100 grow licenses and 15 dispensaries. Since opening up their permitting process on Sept. 1, township officials have approved permits for 27 grow operations and six dispensaries in the town that has a population of 14,641 people in a county that has 2,327 medical marijuana card holders. (Gray, 10/31)