Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Toxic Effects In The Air And On The Ground Lingered Long After Maui Wildfires Were Extinguished, Study Finds
AP: Metals In Smoke, Ash From Maui Wildfire Harmed Lung Health, Study Says
Metal mixtures found in the leftover smoke, ash and debris from the deadly 2023 Maui wildfires were harmful to the lung health of people living nearby long after the burning ended, a new study says. The work shows that major wildfires, which are worsening with the planet’s warming, could have lasting effects beyond immediate exposure. Post-wildfire air quality needs to be monitored longer term, the research suggests, and recovery efforts need to consider what might remain in contaminated soot, residue and dirt well after burning stops. (St. John, 9/29)
More health news from across the U.S. —
The Washington Post: Homelessness Stubbornly Persists Even As U.S. Cities Spend More To End It
A Washington Post review of 12 cities found combined spending rose more than 75 percent in the past five years. Is it too little or too much? (Craig and Hacker, 9/29)
Chicago Tribune: About 9,300 Immigrants In Illinois To Lose Medicaid This Week
Teresita V. Morales was in for a shock when she read a letter delivered to her longtime partner recently. It was a letter from the state informing him that he would no longer qualify for Medicaid coverage after Sept. 30 because of a new federal law that changes which types of immigrants are eligible for the program. (Schencker, 9/28)
KFF Health News: Confusion And Angst Follow State's Early Rollout Of Medicaid Work Rules
Bethany Zulick went back to school in January to become a high school English teacher. Years ago, she taught English as a second language overseas and loved it. “It’s so exciting to me to watch someone learn a new word or have that spark of understanding,” she said. Zulick knew she could earn enough money as a substitute teacher to make going back to school financially viable — except for the cost of health insurance. She didn’t want to risk being unable to see her doctor for her allergies, or for preventative care. (Bolton, 9/29)
The Colorado Sun: Colorado Targets Addiction Recovery Coaches As Medicaid Spending Jumps 286%
The letter Brian Bauer received in the mail hit hard — with one sentence, his northern Colorado nonprofit providing addiction counseling and sober living to people fresh out of prison and homeless shelters was over. (Brown, 9/28)
North Carolina Health News: NC Officials Confront Broken Involuntary Commitment System
Earlier this month, Jacob Dehart’s daughter was in the emergency room in Winston-Salem after she attempted to harm herself. The family was asking for help. Days later, when it was time to admit his daughter to a psychiatric hospital, a uniformed law enforcement officer transported the vulnerable teen in a marked car. In between, Dehart said he and his child’s mother were shut out of the decision-making process. (Knopf, 9/29)
Fortune: Billionaire Oil Tycoon Harold Hamm Donates $150M To The University Of Oklahoma
More than 40 million Americans live with diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. One of them is billionaire oil tycoon Harold Hamm, who just donated $150 million to the University of Oklahoma to study the disease he was diagnosed with in his 50s. (Lake, 9/29)
The Washington Post: Tennessee To Execute A Woman For First Time In Over 200 Years
Christa Pike was convicted in a brutal 1995 killing committed when she was 18. Advocates pushing for her life to be spared point to abuse she suffered as a child. (Mettler and Dennis, 9/29)
KFF Health News: After Failed Execution, Health Workers Say State’s Rules Flout Medical Ethics
In May, a group of healthcare workers spent about an hour trying to establish complete IV access so they could inject Tony Carruthers, an inmate at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tennessee, with a lethal dose of sedative. Maria DeLiberato, an attorney for Carruthers, was in the room. She said the workers stuck his arms and feet with needles, to no avail. A doctor then tried to insert a central line through his collarbone and shoulder. That didn’t work, either. (Sweeney, 9/29)
The Washington Post: A Novel Form Of Mosquito Birth Control Comes To The D.C. Area
When male mosquitoes are infected with a naturally occurring microbe called Wolbachia, the eggs laid by their female mates don’t hatch. (Douglas, 9/28)
In reproductive and maternal health news —
The Hill: Nevadans For Reproductive Freedom Launches $1M Campaign
A leading abortion rights group in Nevada is launching a $1 million ad campaign to mobilize voters around a ballot initiative to enshrine abortion protections in the state constitution. Abortion is legal by statute up to 24 weeks after conception in the state, thanks to a 1990 citizen-driven referendum. That meant the state Legislature was legally prohibited from amending or repealing the law without taking it back to the voters for a direct ballot vote. But given the onslaught of attacks on abortion rights in the Trump era, advocates want to ensure there are as many protections in place as possible. (Weixel, 9/28)
San Francisco Chronicle: Planned Parenthood Workers Rebel Against Group's Prop 40 Stance
The battle over California’s proposed tax on billionaires is growing increasingly personal. Weeks after reports substantiated allegations that Dave Regan, the leader of the healthcare union behind California’s controversial billionaire tax initiative, bullied, intimidated and attempted to extort fellow labor leaders in his quest to marshal support for the measure, Proposition 40 supporters are targeting another leader opposing the proposal. (Garofoli, 9/28)
STLPR: Jamaa Birth Village Opens Missouri's First Midwifery School
Jamaa Birth Village Cultural Heritage Center opened Missouri’s first midwifery school in Ferguson this month. Okunsola’s School of Traditional Midwifery will provide students a path toward becoming a certified midwife through African Indigenous and professional birthing methods. (Henderson, 9/28)
The Washington Post: Lindsay Clancy Is Back In Court Tuesday After Her Case Ended In A Mistrial
Legal proceedings resume Tuesday for Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother who strangled her three children to death in 2023. Clancy’s trial ended without a verdict in early September after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision about whether she should be held criminally responsible for the killings. The judge eventually declared a mistrial. Prosecutors, Clancy and her legal team are expected to appear before Judge William Sullivan at 9 a.m. to determine how the case will move forward. (Jira, 9/29)
