Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Texas Institute Awards $3M To Attract Cancer Research Startups; Lawsuits Claim Arizona Firms Profited From Unsafe Weight-Loss Surgeries
Dallas Morning News: Texas Aims To Lure Cancer Startups With $3 Million Grants
A major funder of cancer research in Texas is offering up to $3 million in seed funding to help lure startups to the Lone Star State — and keep them here. On Monday, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas announced a new Seed Award, which will target startups trying to introduce disruptive technologies in the cancer-care market. The institute has already doled out more than $1.9 billion to cancer research and prevention programs statewide since 2007. But the new grant is unique in that it specifically targets companies that are just getting started, an area where venture capital funds are sparse. (Rice, 4/30)
Arizona Republic: Patients Claim To Be Mislead About Quality, Safety Of Border Surgeries
Two related lawsuits contend that Arizona businesses and individuals marketed and profited from weight-loss operations in Mexico that led to the death of one patient and harmed several others. (Alltucker, 4/27)
Columbus Dispatch: Agencies Ramping Up Efforts To Recruit Caregivers
Public and private agencies that serve people with developmental disabilities say they are embracing various initiatives — from recruitment campaigns to longevity pay and an emphasis on the emotional rewards — to attract the workers the system so desperately needs. (Price, 4/30)
Columbus Dispatch: Franklin County Hopes To Help More Than 26,000 Residents Kick Tobacco With New Program
The three-year Community Cessation Initiative, referred to as CCI, will place special emphasis on people who are pregnant, have low socioeconomic status or have mental-health and substance-abuse disorders, Health Commissioner Joe Mazzola said. But any resident can participate, and advocates hope to reach about 26,250 people, or 15 percent, of the roughly 175,000 tobacco-users in the county. (Viviano, 4/30)
Georgia Health News: Med School In South Georgia Aims To Address Primary Care Needs
The first four-year medical school established in South Georgia aims to address the primary care physician shortages in underserved areas of the state. ...While rural areas in Georgia account for 18 percent of the population, only 7 percent of Georgia’s physicians currently practice in rural area. (Miller, 4/30)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Doctor Accused Of Branding Women In Sex Cult Worked At Columbia St. Mary's
The doctor accused of branding female members of a New York "sex cult" worked at Columbia St. Mary's Hospital and two of its affiliates as recently as last summer — and reportedly tried to recruit at least one of her Milwaukee patients. Danielle D. Roberts, a 36-year-old family doctor, has been identified in multiple media accounts as a leader of Nxivm, a controversial self-help group. (Bice and Spicuzza, 4/30)
Columbus Dispatch: Number Of Support Workers For The Disabled Plummets As Demand Rises
As more people with disabilities leave government-run institutions and work programs, the need for workers to assist them at home and in their communities has dramatically increased. The compensation of those who work for private companies and nonprofits, however, generally hasn’t matched that of public employees. (Price, 4/29)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: LaToya Cantrell To Replace City's Health Director
Mayor-elect LaToya Cantrell will replace New Orleans Department of Health Director Dr. Joseph Kanter, who took over the post last year after Mayor Mitch Landrieu replaced Marsha Broussard. Kanter, reached Monday (April 30), confirmed his departure but declined to comment further. Three sources familiar with internal discussions on Cantrell's transition team said that Broussard's name has been floated for a possible return to City Hall in an oversight role at the health department. (Litten, 4/30)
Modern Healthcare: Judge Tosses Envision Lawsuit Against UnitedHealth
A federal judge dismissed physician staffing firm Envision Healthcare's lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group in a case involving a payment dispute. The U.S. District Court in Miami said late last week that the two companies must resolve their dispute through arbitration, as outlined in their contract. (Livingston, 4/30)
KQED: A Push For Mental Health Care At Colleges: Depression And Anxiety 'Really Eat Up Our Kids'
When student leaders from all 23 California State University campuses came together last fall to set priorities for the academic year, improving campus mental health services received more nominations than any other issue. It beat out even that perennial concern, tuition costs. (Mello, 4/30)
The Washington Post: Dr. Marian Antoinette Patterson Flew Into A Sudden Rage And Threatened To Decapitate, Disembowel Employees And Patients
A few months ago, a patient left a glowing, exclamation-point-heavy review on her doctor's Facebook page: “My primary care physician is truly the most incredible woman that I have ever met in my life!!!!!!!” Marian Antoinette Patterson “takes the time to listen to me, converse with me, figures out a solution to every problem that arises,” the patient said. The physician was sensitive to her financial situation, too, giving her free samples of a vital medication and even consulting by phone to save the patient money. Patterson, the patient said, “is truly an angel and the meaning of what a doctor should be.” (Wootson, 4/30)
