Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Texas Asks Federal Court To Revive Law On Burial Of Fetal Remains; On California Vaccine Bill, Governor's Plan For Revisions Baffles Lawmakers
The Associated Press: Texas Hoping To Revive Law On Burial Of Fetal Remains
Texas attorneys asked a federal appeals court Thursday to revive the state’s requirement that fetal remains from abortions and miscarriages at health care facilities be buried or cremated. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans gave no indication when it would rule following the arguments. One panel member raised the possibility that a decision could be delayed until after the Supreme Court rules in a pending Louisiana abortion regulation case. No date for consideration has been set in that case. (McGill, 9/5)
Los Angeles Times: California Vaccine Bill: Newsom's Changes To SB 276 Cause Confusion
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s effort to change legislation that would tighten immunization rules for California schoolchildren could prompt a rush for new vaccine exemptions, revisions that go far beyond what his advisors have insisted would be nothing more than a “technical” tweaking of the proposal. The governor’s 11th hour demands — which could reduce or eliminate the number of existing vaccine exemptions that would be scrutinized by state officials — were made just days before the Legislature adjourns for the year, creating confusion and new conflict at the state Capitol. (Gutierrez and Luna, 9/5)
California Healthline: Lawmakers Send Contested Vaccine Bill To Governor. But Will He Sign It?
California lawmakers dropped this year’s most controversial public health bill into Gov. Gavin Newsom’s lap on Wednesday, but it’s not clear whether he will sign the measure, which would tighten the rules for exempting children from routine vaccinations. The state Senate voted 28-11 to approve SB-276 by state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), prompting protesters who were watching from the gallery to chant, “You are not representing California for all!” All Senate Republicans voted against the measure and all Democrats voted in favor, except for one who didn’t vote. (Ibarra, 9/5)
The Hill: New York State Senator Introduces Bill Allowing Mental Health Days For Students
Legislation introduced in the New York state Senate Thursday would grant students mental health days to take during the school year. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Brad Hoylman (D), would “establish mental or behavioral health issues as permitted reasons for a student’s absence from school,” according to a statement from Hoylman. (Pitofsky, 9/5)
Des Moines Register: Gov. Kim Reynolds Names Kelly Kennedy Garcia As New Human Services Director
Gov. Kim Reynolds on Thursday appointed a top health official from Texas to lead Iowa's human services department, a move the governor said came after a national search. Reynolds, a Republican, said she selected Kelly Kennedy Garcia to serve as director of the Iowa Department of Human Services after narrowing an applicant pool of between 30 and 40 people from multiple states. Garcia starts the job on Nov. 1. (Rodriguez, 9/5)
Iowa Public Radio: Gov. Reynolds Appoints Texas Official To Lead Department Of Human Services
Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Thursday she appointed Kelly Kennedy Garcia to be the new Iowa Department of Human Services director, two and a half months after Reynolds abruptly ousted the previous director. Garcia is currently a deputy executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. She has also worked for the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, which studies whether state agencies should be abolished, and for former Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry. (Sostaric, 9/5)
The Wall Street Journal: Judge Approves Sale Of Hahnemann Resident Program
A coalition of Philadelphia-area health systems led by Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Inc. won bankruptcy court approval Thursday to buy the residency program of Hahnemann University Hospital, effectively killing hopes of reviving the historic institution, which served the city’s poor. (Brickley, 9/5)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Cuyahoga County Jail Conditions Are Much Better, But Many Challenges Remain, Says American Correctional Association
Key improvements have been made to Cuyahoga County jail operations this year to address crowding, security issues and abysmal conditions, says a consultant’s report released Friday, but county officials still have a long list of challenges to overcome. A dozen county officials, including County Executive Armond Budish and jail leadership, met with cleveland.com Thursday to discuss a long list of changes they have made or are making in the troubled jail. (Astolfi, 9/6)
Pioneer Press: State Delays Awarding $5 Billion Worth Of Public Health Contracts
Minnesota officials are delaying updating new contracts for public health programs worth as much as $5 billion a year after some local leaders complained about the selection process and a current provider sued the state. The decision came after a Ramsey County district judge issued a temporary restraining order Aug. 30 putting the brakes on the state’s efforts to finalize new provider contracts in 80 counties outside the Twin Cities metro. The state plans to renew the current contracts for another year. (Magan, 9/5)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Health Care Task Force Looks At Use Of Data
Just using data better might save the state $600 million in what it spends on publicly funded medical care. That was one of the takeaways from a task force meeting Thursday at the state Capitol on the cost of health care and access to it. (Hart, 9/5)
The Wall Street Journal: PG&E’s Long Record Of Run-Ins With Regulators: A ‘Cat And Mouse Game’
The company had several warnings. In-house audits at PG&E Corp. as early as 2010 said workers were falsifying records of ground-marking at excavation sites intended to protect buried electricity cables and gas pipelines. The workers made it appear they were keeping up with their workload when they were not. Midlevel managers told higher-ups by 2014 that an ambitious program director was pressuring people to burnish on-time results, according to sworn testimony from utility employees to a California regulator. (Smith, 9/5)
Wyoming Public Radio: Report Finds Wyoming's Students Of Color Are More Likely To Be Suspended
The report, "KIDS COUNT, Exclusionary Discipline, Racial Disparities in the Equality State" draws on data gathered by the U.S. Department of Education. It found that in the 2015-2016 school year, Native American students were overrepresented by more than 5 percent when it came to in and out-of-school suspensions. Hispanic students were overrepresented by close to 4 percent. (Maher, 9/5)
The Star Tribune: August: Minnesota Health Officials Declare Outbreak Of Hepatitis A
An outbreak of hepatitis A has been identified in Minnesota, prompting state health officials to appeal for broader vaccination efforts in high-risk areas such as homeless shelters and jails. While Minnesota has been insulated somewhat from a national hepatitis A outbreak — which has sickened more than 23,000 individuals and caused 233 deaths since 2016 — state officials said Wednesday that a recent uptick in cases is cause for concern. None of the Minnesotans has died, but 23 infections have been identified and 13 patients required hospital care for a virus that can cause severe liver damage. (Olson, 9/6)
The Advocate: Lafayette-Based Leading Health Care Of Louisiana To Opens Baton Rouge Office, To Expand At Three Others
Leading Health Care of Louisiana, a Lafayette-based in-home care company that serves elderly and disabled patients, opened an office in Baton Rouge. It's the latest for the company, which opened on office in Opelousas in April and offices in Thibodaux and Lake Charles last year. It has begun expansion projects at its Hammond, Baton Rouge and Thibodaux offices this month that will add 65 new jobs. (Boudreaux, 9/5)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Covington, Madison Sterilization Plants Also Suffered Toxic Gas Leaks
Medical sterilization plants in Covington and Madison suffered inadvertent leaks of ethylene oxide years before concerns about emissions of the toxic gas raised alarms by federal regulators, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned. The leaks at plants now owned by Becton Dickinson in Covington in 2016 and a separate facility in Madison in 2006 were reported to state regulators at the time they occurred. (Trubey, 9/5)
The Associated Press: San Francisco Bay Area Medicare Kickbacks Scheme Charged
Thirty people have been charged with a multimillion-dollar scheme that allegedly bribed doctors and others to steer Medicare patients to the largest home health care provider in the San Francisco Bay Area, federal prosecutors announced Thursday. The criminal complaints name Amity Home Health Care and its CEO along with a related company, hospice service provider Advent Care Inc., along with dozens of doctors, nurses, marketers and a social worker. (9/5)
North Carolina Health News: Vibrio Survivor, Wife Warn Of Bacteria’s Risks
While V. vulnificus is a concern following hurricanes, the bacteria are not directly related to pollution, but occur naturally in warm waters such as bays, estuaries and rivers close to the ocean during the summer months. About 80 percent of vibrio infections occur between May and October, according to the CDC. The CDC estimates vibriosis causes 80,000 illnesses each year in the U.S. About 52,000 contract it as the result of eating contaminated shellfish. Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the most commonly reported species and is estimated to cause 45,000 illnesses a year in the U.S. (Talton, 9/6)
CNN: California Meat-Processing Company Recalls Nearly 25,000 Pounds Of Raw Beef Deemed Unsafe To Eat
A California beef processing and packaging company has announced a recall of approximately 25,000 pounds of beef after declaring it's just not safe to eat, the USDA announced. American Beef Packers, Inc., of Chino, California, deemed the beef "unfit for human consumption," according to the the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service. The company told the regulator a carcass that was awaiting test results had been mistakenly put back into the production line, where it was processed into a variety of products. (Johnson, 9/5)
NH Times Union: Newmarket Doctor Gets 5-10 Years For Sexually Assaulting Patient With Mental Disorders
Newmarket doctor who was affiliated with Wentworth-Douglass Hospital pleaded guilty Thursday to sexually assaulting a patient with multiple mental health diagnoses and was sentenced to five to 10 years in prison. Dr. Hugh MacDonald, 58, of Newfields, pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault for three incidents that occurred at his office in March and April 2018. The plea and sentence were part of a negotiated agreement between MacDonald and the Rockingham County Attorney’s office. (Schreiber, 9/5)
