State Highlights: Wash., Iowa Governors Spotlight Mental Health Agendas; Fla. Nursing Homes Struggling To Meet Generator Requirements

Seattle Times: Gov. Jay Inslee Uses State Of The State To Urge Action On Mental Health, Climate Change, Orcas
Standing before a Washington Legislature that for years has balked at his carbon-reduction agenda, Gov. Jay Inslee implored lawmakers Tuesday to make bold moves to combat climate change. ...Inslee in his speech beseeched lawmakers to make big investments to fix Washington’s mental-health system — a point officials in both parties have broadly agreed upon. (O'Sullivan, 1/15)

Des Moines Register: Gov. Kim Reynolds Says Iowa Should Train More Psychiatrists
Iowa could soon be cranking out twice as many new psychiatrists as it did in 2017, if legislators follow Gov. Kim Reynolds’ plan to pay for more psychiatric training at the University of Iowa. Psychiatrists are scarce in Iowa, especially in rural areas. Only about 220 of them practice here, giving the state one of the deepest shortages in the nation. (Leys, 1/15)

Health News Florida: Most Nursing Homes Need More Time To Meet Generator Requirement
After 12 nursing home residents died from heat exposure during power outages from Hurricane Irma, Florida lawmakers required nursing homes and assisted living facilities have generators that can run the air conditioner for four days. More than nine months later, 97 percent of nursing homes and assisted living facilities are in compliance with the law. But that number includes many that have been granted an extension. (Aboraya, 1/15)

Richmond Times-Dispatch: New Caucus Formed To Focus On Reforming Foster Care System: 'We Have Been Failing'
A bipartisan group of lawmakers has formed what they’re calling the Foster Care Caucus to focus on passing laws and funding the costs to reform Virginia’s overwhelmed system of caring for some of the state’s most vulnerable children. A report released in December by the state legislature’s oversight body found that the Department of Social Services, the agency responsible for overseeing the foster care system, fails to recruit enough foster parents, falls behind the national averages for placing children with relatives and finding permanent homes, overwhelms caseworkers and lacks oversight. (Balch, 1/15)

The Associated Press: Hospital Replaces Leadership After Blood Transfusion Mistake
A Houston hospital has removed its president and several other leaders following an unusually high number of patient deaths, a loss of some federal funding and a recent case in which a patient died after receiving a transfusion of the wrong blood type. Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center announced the decision to replace its president, Gay Nord, its chief nursing officer and a top physician on Monday, the Houston Chronicle reported. The departures come after investigative reports by the newspaper and ProPublica last year revealed a high rate of patient deaths within the hospital's renowned heart transplant program, as well as major complications after heart bypass surgery and repeated complaints about inadequate nursing. (1/15)

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Lawmakers Seek End To Age Cap On Insurance Coverage For Children With Autism
Thousands of Virginians diagnosed with autism would be eligible for continued health care coverage if legislation removing an age cap on insurance is approved. In a news conference Tuesday, advocates and lawmakers called for action on the proposal, which they said would help an estimated 10,000 people now excluded from coverage due to a state requirement that large group insurers only cover children with the condition between the ages of 2 and 10. (Suarez Rojas, 1/15)

The Associated Press: OKC School District Approves The Use Of Medical Marijuana
Students in the Oklahoma City school district with medical conditions that require cannabis are now permitted to use the drug at school. The Oklahoma City Public Schools board voted to approve the policy Monday night, The Oklahoman reported. The district will provide a place for a guardian to administer medical marijuana to students at school. (1/15)

St. Louis Public Radio: Shop 'n Save's Exit From St. Louis Region Creates New Food Desert In North County
Most city and suburban dwellers take the convenience of a local grocery store for granted.But many residents of Spanish Lake don’t have that luxury any more. When three nearby Shop ‘n Save stores closed in November, it left shoppers fewer options and created what the USDA classifies as a food desert. (Walker, 1/15)

Health News Florida: Change Seeks To Remove ‘Stigma’ For Doctors
A committee of the Florida Board of Medicine gave preliminary approval last month to eliminate the questions about past treatment of mental health and substance abuse. Applicants would, instead, be asked whether they currently have any condition that impairs them from safely practicing and whether they currently are using drugs or intoxicating chemicals. (Sexton, 1/16)

Georgia Health News: Hospital Groups Open To A Few CON Changes; Critics Say More Needed
As Georgia lawmakers push to revamp health care regulations, two major hospital groups have proposed some revisions to the state certificate-of-need system. Those proposals stemmed from months of hospital officials’ discussions on CON, which the industry has relentlessly defended for years in the Georgia General Assembly. (Miller, 1/15)

San Jose Mercury News: Kaiser Permanente To Spend $5.2 Million To House Homeless In Oakland
Kaiser Permanente announced Tuesday it will spend $5.2 million to purchase a 41-unit apartment building in East Oakland, the health care giant’s first step in its aggressive effort to shelter the homeless and improve health care for the poor. The Oakland-based company also revealed plans to partner with the city and community aid groups to identify, house and provide services for 500 vulnerable homeless people over the age of 50. (Hansen and Debolt, 1/15)

San Francisco Chronicle: Kaiser Funding Helps Keep Oakland Apartments Affordable For 50 Residents
Kaiser Permanente said Tuesday it spent $5.2 million to help acquire a 41-unit apartment complex in East Oakland as part of the health care giant’s new effort to keep and expand affordable housing. The company, based in Oakland, said it also plans to house more than 500 homeless people in the city and create a $100 million loan fund to preserve affordable housing projects in places across the country where Kaiser operates. (Veklerov, 1/15)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Akron Researchers Launch Adhesive Products Inspired By Gecko Feet
A startup research company is testing its ultra-strong adhesive, inspired by gecko feet and being marketed as ShearGrip, at an Akron-area nursing home, a downtown eatery and elsewhere in the area. Akron Ascent Innovations plans to use the feedback on its adhesive to develop next-generation materials for health care, aerospace, cosmetics and other industries, company COO Kevin White told cleveland.com. (Conn, 1/15)

Boston Globe: When This Ceiling Alarm Sounds, She Becomes A Lifesaver
As chief medical officer at the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, the 46-year-old internist doesn’t spend a lot of time in her ordinary little office. One thing that draws her away is a “reverse motion detector” that flashes lights and emits a piercing screech when a bathroom occupant fails to move for two minutes and 50 seconds. (Freyer, 1/16)

Akron Beacon Journal: Why Most Ohio Doctors Certified To Recommend Marijuana Aren't Doing So
An estimated 80 percent of doctors certified to recommend marijuana in Ohio are not fully participating. Some just signed on to keep up on the regulations around the controversial drug. Concerned about drug abuse, others are turning away new patients seeking cannabinoids. (Livingston, 1/15)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Froedtert Health To Pay $360,000 Over Hazardous Waste Disposal
Froedtert Health will pay $360,000 in forfeitures, court costs and attorney fees in a settlement related to the disposal of hazardous waste from Froedtert Hospital. The hospital improperly disposed of pharmaceutical hazardous waste as solid waste from at least 2013 until 2016, according to the state attorney general's office. (Boulton, 1/15)