Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Wis. Police Chief Urges Congress To Fund Home Visits For At-Risk Moms; Texas Behind On HPV Vaccinations
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Police Chief To Congress: Invest In Home Visits For At-Risk Mothers And Improve Public Safety
Milwaukee's police chief and a former executive at A.O. Smith called on Congress to act quickly and re-up funding for a home visiting programs for at-risk mothers. ... A key initiative of the program is the voluntary Nurse-Family Partnership that connects at-risk mothers with a nurse, who serves as a mentor on child-rearing until the baby reaches age 2. (Luthern, 11/28)
Texas Tribune: Texas Falling Behind In HPV Vaccinations, Study Says
Human papillomavirus is preventable through a routine vaccine recommended by the CDC for adolescents, but Texas currently has the fifth-lowest vaccination rate in the country, says the study, released Wednesday by the University of Texas System Office of Health Affairs. ...According to the report, just 39.7 percent of women and 26.5 percent of men in Texas were up-to-date with the vaccine in 2016. (Arraiga, 11/29)
Arizona Republic: Dentists, Dental Professionals And Volunteers Can Give The Needy Something To Smile About
The Central Arizona Dental Society Foundation is looking for additional dentists and volunteers to be part of its sixth annual Dental Mission of Mercy event to provide free care to adults and children in need. The foundation estimates that dental professionals will provide $2 million in free care to more than 2,000 adults and children on a first-come, first-served basis on Dec. 8 and 9 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix. (Carbajal, 11/28)
Stat: Come For A New Hip, Stay For The Beach? San Diego Bets On Medical Touism
Among the many issues that need to be addressed: Local hotels need to be equipped appropriately to handle patients recuperating from various types of treatments. Hospitals need to train their doctors to be culturally sensitive to patients coming from different parts of the world. They may need more translators. Or special prayer rooms. Or luxury cars to ferry patients to and from the hospital. Their cafeterias need to brush up on global flavors and culinary favorites, as well as faith-based dietary restrictions. (Keshavan, 11/29)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: Before Dying In Cell, Inmate With Mental Illnesses Not Cared For By Jail Staff: Lawsuit
An Orleans Parish inmate diagnosed with multiple mental illnesses who told jail staff he was "hearing voices and seeing spirits" was moved last year from a psych ward to the jail's general population as a punishment for minor infractions, a lawsuit claims. Five months after the transfer, the suit says, deputies found 23-year-old inmate Colby Crawford dead in his cell after overdosing on cocaine that another inmate in the general population housing unit smuggled into the jail. (Lane, 11/28)
The Washington Post: Marylanders Are Days Away From Being Able To Legally Buy Medical Marijuana
Within the next week, Rise is scheduled to begin selling a variety of cannabis products, such as flowers, patches and oils. Four of the state’s other eight dispensaries — including Potomac Holistics in Rockville — say they expect to have medical pot delivered and available for sale by Friday, marking the official launch in Maryland of an industry that is worth billions nationwide. Two said they expect to receive their initial batch of marijuana from Curio Wellness in Baltimore County, which did not return messages seeking comment. (Siegel and Nirappil, 11/28)
San Francisco Chronicle: SF Supervisors Pass Recreational Marijuana Rules After Months Of Talking
Cannabis dispensaries in San Francisco will be allowed to operate closer to schools under rules the Board of Supervisors approved Tuesday. The new regulations, passed on a 10-1 vote with Ahsha Safai in dissent, will reduce the school buffer zone from 1,000 to 600 feet, the amount recommended by the state. (Swan, 11/28)
The Philadelphia Inquirer/Philly.com: Cancer Survivor Donates 50,000 Condoms With A Message For Men
Standing amid stacks and stacks of boxes of condoms, Scott Petinga made his pitch Tuesday to about 50 advertising and public relations professionals gathered in a restaurant meeting room. His message: Men, especially young men, need to take care of their sexual health. The entrepreneur and philanthropist wasn’t trying to sell the boxes of his company’s prophylactics brand, Rouse. He gave away 50,000 of the condoms to the South Jersey AIDS Alliance. (Urgo, 11/28)
The Associated Press: Special Court To Oversee Hundreds Of Deadly Asbestos Claims
The Montana Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the creation of a special court to oversee hundreds of claims filed on behalf of people who became ill or died following exposure to asbestos from the now-closed W.R. Grace Inc. vermiculite mine in northwestern Montana. With at least 540 lawsuits pending and Grace’s bankruptcy proceedings complete, justices said there was sufficient need to create the Asbestos Claims Court under an act passed by lawmakers in 2001. (Hanson and Brown, 11/29)
Minnesota Public Radio: Helpline Offers Support, Advice To Minnesota Farmers
Minnesota farmers and rural residents who need financial guidance or emotional support again have a place to go: The Farm and Rural Helpline. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture launched the service this fall, replacing an earlier farm crisis line. (Weber, 11/28)
KQED: Bay Area Scientists Say Computers Can Develop Cancer Drugs 6 Times Faster
Since one of every four deaths in the U.S. is due to cancer, a lot of lives could be saved if that drug development time could be cut down to just a year. Cancer researchers at UCSF and computer scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are partnering with researchers from the National Cancer Institute’s Frederick National Laboratory and pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in an attempt to do just that. (Snow and Venton, 11/28)
Kaiser Health News: Teaching Teens The Perils Of Pot As Marketplace Grows
After Yarly Raygoza attended the drug prevention program at the Boys & Girls Club here last year, she used what she learned to talk a few friends out of using marijuana. The 14-year-old took the class again this year but worries that counseling her friends will become more difficult. Recreational marijuana is now legal in California, which could bring a massive boom in drug sales and advertising when stores can begin selling the drug to adults without a prescription in January. (Gorman, 11/29)
The Washington Post: The Long Five Minutes: Abortion Doulas Bring Comfort During A Complicated Time
“Do you support reproductive choices of all shapes and sizes?” the flier had read, posted online in early April. “Become an abortion doula.” More than 50 women had seen the flier on Facebook or Twitter and responded to the email address at the bottom, not entirely sure what an abortion doula was. Twenty-five had been selected for a weekend-long training at a Virginia abortion clinic, and now, one Saturday morning in May, they’d arrived to see whether they were right for the work. (Hesse, 11/28)
