Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Florida, Connecticut Brace For Caregiver Shortages As Haitian TPS Ends
Central Florida Public Media: Haitian TPS Ends. Healthcare Leaders Fear The Impact On Long-Term Care
On Monday, the Trump administration ended the Temporary Protected Status once offered to Haitian immigrants. With the end of TPS, comes the end of the employment authorization for those Haitian immigrants. (Pedersen, 7/28)
The CT Mirror: Loss Of Haitian Workers Will Impact CT Healthcare, Officials Say
Elected officials gathered with immigrant advocates and staff of a Manchester nursing home on Tuesday to bring attention to how the revocation of Temporary Protective Status from Haitians in Connecticut will affect the state’s workforce and residents, specifically in the healthcare industry. (Tillman, 7/28)
On heat and health —
Mississippi Today: Mississippi Is Getting Hotter. Experts Say It’s Hurting Moms And Babies
Going for nearly a year with broken heating and air conditioning has been miserable for Ashley Matthews. But the last few months have been unbearable – and potentially dangerous. Matthews, 27, is six months pregnant with her third child. (Paffenroth and Kenen, 7/28)
Verite News: Many Of City’s Cooling Centers Closed Amid Dangerous Heat
New Orleans is facing dangerously hot conditions. With no rain and clear conditions expected throughout much of the week, temperatures are hovering in the mid-90s. Heat indices, or “feels like” temperatures in and around the city could soar to 115 degrees on Tuesday (July 28) and Wednesday, according to the National Service, which has issued an extreme heat warning for the area. ... For those without easy access to air conditioning at home or in a workplace, the city of New Orleans offers some refuge from the heat in the form of cooling centers — air conditioned public buildings open to anyone seeking relief. ... But on Tuesday afternoon, as the heat index neared 110 degrees in the city, a number of those sites were closed. (Chabrier, 7/28)
More news from across the nation —
Bloomberg: PE Firm Unloads Mental Health Chain Into Muni Bond Market
A Connecticut-based private equity firm plans to sell a chain of mental health centers and sober-living homes through a deal financed by municipal bonds. Clearview Capital, which buys lower-middle market companies, is selling the New Jersey-based Advantage Behavioral Health, just over a year after recapitalizing the company in partnership with its founders and management. (Braun, 7/28)
Chicago Tribune: Leaders Push To Reopen West Suburban, Weiss Hospitals
A group of faith and community leaders are pushing the governor’s office to step in to help reopen Weiss Memorial Hospital and West Suburban Medical Center — as a battle over the hospitals’ futures drags on in court. (Schencker, 7/28)
WUSF: Ladapo Issues New Florida Guidance On Children’s Psychiatric Medications
New guidance from the Florida Department of Health urges providers to take a more comprehensive approach before prescribing psychotropic medications to children. The recommendations were released Friday in Orlando during a roundtable discussion on youth mental health hosted by state Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. (Mayer, 7/28)
The Baltimore Sun: Flesh-Eating Bacteria Vibrio Thrives As Chesapeake Bay Warms
A warming Chesapeake Bay may mean more days of swimming, but it brings a greater threat from a flesh-eating bacterium that thrives as the mercury rises. (Hille, 7/28)
On the elections front —
The 19th: As Maternity Wards Close, Community Outrage Rises In Key Battleground States
When Angel Smith showed up for a mandatory staff meeting last month at OhioHealth Grady Memorial Hospital, the longtime labor and delivery nurse was fresh off a busy night shift caring for a patient who delivered her baby early, at about 35 weeks. (Becker, 7/28)
North Carolina Health News and The Charlotte Ledger: Questions Surround Campaign Donations Tied To Charlotte Mental Health Facility
In 2020, Charlotte businessman Michael Estramonte set out to build a nonprofit treatment center to create more space for kids in mental health crisis. The idea quickly won support from state and local lawmakers. Since 2023, the Katie Blessing Center has secured more than $40 million in public money, including $35.2 million from the state. (Crouch, 7/29)
Iowa Public Radio: Sand Meets With Survivors And Advocates To Discuss Iowa’s Growing Cancer Rate
Democrat Rob Sand participated in the first of two roundtables directed at the state’s gubernatorial candidates on addressing Iowa’s high cancer rates. Iowa has the second highest rate of cancer in the country. It's a topic that’s become a major issue in the competitive race for the state’s next top official. (7/28)
AP: Beshear Demands McConnell Prove Capacity To Serve Or Resign
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a rising national figure in the Democratic Party, is calling on the state’s Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell to either prove that he is fit to continue serving after his lengthy hospital stay or resign from office. Beshear made the demand in a letter after McConnell’s office said Monday that the 84-year-old senator had not yet been medically cleared to leave the rehabilitation facility where he has been undergoing physical therapy. The office said he would miss a major Kentucky political event and upcoming Senate votes. (Cappelletti, 7/28)
