Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Troubled Theranos Settles Walgreens Lawsuit; Minn.'s Rural Clinics Are Better At Coordinating Patient Care Than Their Big City Rivals
Los Angeles Times: Theranos Settles Lawsuit Brought By Walgreens Over Blood Tests
Theranos Inc., the once highflying blood-testing firm, said Tuesday it settled a lawsuit filed against the company by the drugstore chain Walgreens and its parent, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but Theranos said there was “no finding or implication of liability” and Walgreens’ lawsuit will be dismissed. (Peltz, 8/1)
The Star Tribune: Minnesota's Small-Town Clinics Outperform Big City Rivals In Coordinating Patient Care
Rural medical clinics coordinate patient care better than Twin Cities clinics, on average, according to a new Minnesota survey that suggests small facilities and do-it-all small-town doctors still offer advantages in an era of modern medicine. The survey data published Wednesday by Minnesota Community Measurement, a nonprofit health care rating organization, showed below-average marks for Twin Cities clinics on care coordination — items such as whether doctors know their patients' histories before their appointments and call patients afterward about test results or prescription drugs. (Olsen, 8/1)
Sacramento Bee: Special Interest Lobbying Spending Spikes In California
Between April 1 and the end of June, lawmakers in Sacramento passed a controversial gas tax, put the breaks on universal health care and began negotiations on a cap-and-trade deal to extend the state’s marquee climate change program. During the same period, business groups, unions, nonprofits and other interests shelled out $91.2 million to influence officials. (Luna and Miller, 8/1)
Orlando Sentinel: Florida Confirms Its First Sexually-Transmitted Zika Case For 2017
Florida health officials confirmed Tuesday the state’s first case of sexually transmitted Zika in 2017. ...The infected individual had no recent travel history but that person’s sexual partner had recently traveled to Cuba and was sick with symptoms consistent with Zika infection, health officials said. (Miller, 8/1)
Miami Herald: Zika Virus: Florida Reports First Sexually Transmitted Case Of 2017
Health officials on Tuesday reported Florida’s first sexually transmitted Zika infection of 2017, which occurred in Pinellas County and brings the statewide total to 90 cases this year. The person who acquired Zika through sex had not traveled outside of Florida, but the partner recently visited Cuba and fell ill with symptoms consistent with the virus. (Chang, 8/1)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Cleveland Clinic Launches Center For Men's Health
he Cleveland Clinic has started a Center for Men's Health to offer specialty health services to men. Housed in the Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute on the main campus, the new center is designed to treat those who have been medically under-served, the Clinic said. (Christ, 8/1)
Arizona Republic: Banner Health Opens Small Health-Care Clinics At Safeway Stores
Arizona's largest health-care provider is partnering with Safeway grocery stores to open retail-based clinics at three different store locations — Chandler, Tempe and Tucson. The initiative is designed to make health care more accessible and affordable, said Corey Schubert, a Banner Health spokesman. (Na, 8/1)
The Star Tribune: Trend Of Drinking Hydrogen Peroxide Can Be Deadly, Minnesota Doctors Warn
It’s meant to boost your health but Minnesota doctors caution that this alternative health remedy can send you or a loved one to the emergency room. Six people have been treated at Hennepin County Medical Center this year for injuries sustained after accidentally drinking highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide. (Shah, 8/1)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Agency Lands $1.6 Million Grant To Combat Violence Among High School Youth
A Milwaukee nonprofit group announced Tuesday it has received a $1.6 million federal grant to combat youth violence in the city. The four-year grant awarded to the Center for Self-Sufficiency will focus on working with Milwaukee high school students on violence prevention and staying on a path toward higher education and careers. (Oxenden, 8/1)
Boston Globe: Brigham And Women’s Looking For More Employees To Give Up Jobs
Hoping to minimize layoffs, Brigham and Women’s Hospital is considering asking more employees to volunteer to give up their jobs. The hospital already has a buyout offer on the table to some 1,600 employees, with the deadline to accept looming on Friday. (Conti, 8/1)
The Star Tribune: First-Ever U Study Analyzes The Patterns Of Sex Buyers In Minnesota
In an effort to shed some light on the least understood part of the underground sex trade, University of Minnesota researchers for the first time have studied the demand for commercial sex in Minnesota and who the typical client is. ...Researchers, who combed through court records and media reports and interviewed more than 150 experts statewide, found that most sex buyers in Minnesota seek quick and anonymous sex with young-looking girls or women. (Smith, 8/2)
Austin American-Statesman: Adler, Big City Mayors Tell Straus They Oppose Planned Parenthood Ban
Mayor Steve Adler and the mayors of Texas’ three largest cities sent a letter to Texas House of Representatives Speaker Joe Straus on Tuesday opposing bills that would prohibit local governments from partnering with Planned Parenthood. The Texas Senate has passed Senate Bill 4, which prevents any tax money from going to abortion providers and their affiliates, including Planned Parenthood. (Jankowski, 8/1)
Texas Tribune: House Backs Bill Putting $212 Million Toward Retired Teachers' Health Care
The Texas House has approved taking money from a state emergency savings fund to pay to temporarily bolster the state-run health insurance program for retired teachers. The lower chamber voted 130-10 Tuesday to pass House Bill 20 authored by Rep. Trent Ashby, R-Lufkin, which would put a one-time influx of $212 million into TRS-CARE, the health plan that serves hundreds of thousands of retired teachers. (Swaby, 8/1)
Minnesota Public Radio: Mpls. Weighs Restricting Minty Tobacco Products
The city of Minneapolis is weighing new restrictions on menthol tobacco sales that would limit sales to adult-only smoke shops. Public health advocates have pushed for the limits, claiming menthol products entice kids into smoking and make quitting more difficult. (Zdechlik, 8/2)
The Star Tribune: Can Yoga Help Heal Racial Trauma? These Twin Cities Yogis Think So
Symptoms of racial trauma can include depression and angry outbursts, but also a general reluctance to trust white people. Can the healing powers of yoga ease at least some of the symptoms of racial trauma? (Duan, 8/2)
