Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas Appeals Court Reverses Clinic Closure For Midwife Accused Of Illegal Abortions
The Texas Tribune: Ruling Overturns Closure Of Texas Midwife’s Clinics
A Texas appeals court on Thursday dismissed an injunction that forced a Houston-area midwife to close her clinics, ruling that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office relied solely on an anonymous email as evidence that she violated the state’s 2022 abortion ban. (Langford, 7/23)
Verite News: ‘Pray About It, And Then Do Something’: New Orleans Church Works To Break Stigma Around Maternal Mental Health Problems
It was February 2013 when Jasmine Luter’s world suddenly went dark. Luter had just arrived home from the hospital after giving birth. Exhausted from the labor, the nursing and a lack of sleep, she said she lay down for a nap. When she woke after sunset, she said, she noticed something was “off.” “I can’t really describe it except I just felt off,” Luter said. Luter heard people in the living room of her Metairie home — family members visiting with the new baby boy. To this day she struggles to describe the experience, but she remembers feeling heavy. (Stewart, 7/24)
More health news from across the U.S. —
The New York Times: Los Angeles Homeless Population Grows Again, After 2 Years Of Decline
Homelessness increased in Los Angeles over the past year, according to numbers that will be released by the region’s homelessness authority on Friday, setting up Mayor Karen Bass for a fresh round of criticism amid an already bruising re-election campaign. The city’s homeless population increased by 3.4 percent from last year, based on the most recent point-in-time count, an annual January census of the region’s homeless population, according to two people who were not authorized to release the data before tomorrow’s announcement. (Cowan and Hubler, 7/23)
Chicago Tribune: Illinois To Lay Off Workers, Reduce Operations At Choate
Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration is significantly reducing staffing at a long-troubled downstate center for people with mental health issues and developmental disabilities, state and union officials said Thursday. (Olander, 7/23)
MPR News: Minneapolis HIV Prevention Programs At Risk With Federal Funding Changes
A long-standing federal funding program that supports HIV prevention efforts nationwide may soon come to an end. Last week, the Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget informed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that it will not reauthorize $46 million in federal funding for HIV prevention programs. (Zurek, 7/23)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Planning For End-Of-Life Medical Care Sound Scary? These NH Doctors Want To Help
On a hot July day, a group of Cheshire Medical Center patients are sitting in an air-conditioned conference room at the hospital. They’re all mostly over 50 years old, and they’re here for a presentation on advance directives — plus the free pizza that comes with it. (Harris, 7/23)
Public News Service: Extreme Weather Exacerbates Wyomingites’ Mental Health Risks
More frequent and severe wildfires, prolonged drought, deadly storms and other effects of a changing climate are affecting Wyomingites’ mental health. Symptoms can range from anxiety and feelings of helplessness to post-traumatic stress disorder and increases in violence and suicide, according to research from Canada's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. (Galatas, 7/23)
KFF Health News: To Afford Aging In Place, Older Adults Turn To ‘Golden Girls’ Housing
Shirley Jennett, a retired nurse, loves her spacious ranch-style house in Denver, with its big backyard and gazebo. “I want to stay here,” she vowed. “And die here.” She might pull that off. In relatively good health, Jennett still drives to lunch with friends, does her own housekeeping and grocery shopping, and plows through a book a day, usually a mystery. But her children worry about her living alone at 89, especially after she has had a couple of falls. (Span, 7/24)
KFF Health News: ‘The Child Is Terrified’: Doctors On The Front Lines Of A Measles Comeback Speak Out
This isn’t just a bad year for measles. It looks to be the start of a bad era. Confirmed measles cases just hit a 35-year high, and it’s only July. Together with last year, the number of cases has exceeded the combined total over the previous 25 years. The vast majority of cases stem from domestic outbreaks fueled by low rates of vaccination—and rates are declining. (Maxmen, 7/24)
Also —
The Washington Post: U.S. Homicides Could Fall To A Historic Low This Year, Report Shows
Homicide rates are falling precipitously in many cities across the United States, dropping by 18 percent since the same period last year, and by the end of 2026 the murder rate could plummet to its lowest nationwide in more than a century, according to a new midyear crime trends report. (Mettler, 7/24)
