Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Federal Judge Blocks Idaho From Prosecuting Doctors For Health-Related Abortion Care
AP: Judge: Idaho Cannot Prosecute Doctors For Abortions To Protect A Patient's Health
A federal judge says Idaho can’t prosecute doctors who perform abortions to protect a pregnant person’s health or prevent self-harm. U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill made the ruling Thursday, writing that Idaho’s “Defense of Life Act” and “Fetal Heartbeat Act” — which together create a near-total ban on abortion — violate the due process and equal protection clauses of the 14th Amendment. Physicians who violate the laws can lose their license and face up to five years in prison. (Boone, 8/14)
Updates from California —
MedPage Today: HIV-Positive Woman Donated Breast Milk Over Social Media
Health officials from California warned on the dangers of acquiring breast milk outside of vetted channels after multiple infants were potentially exposed to HIV from donor milk obtained via social media. It's unclear if infants actually drank the milk in four of the five cases, and they all tested negative for HIV, reported Akanksha Vaidya, MD, MPH, of the Santa Clara Public Health Department, and colleagues in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (Henderson, 8/14)
KFF Health News: Newsom Promotes Affordable Insulin, But California’s Generic Label Off To A Slow Start
At a Walgreens in this city’s bustling Japantown neighborhood, pharmacist Margaret On stocks two boxes of long-acting insulin pens from California’s new prescription drug label, CalRx, emblazoned with the state’s iconic grizzly bear. Although she hasn’t dispensed any, On plans to keep them on hand. “It’s good to have if a patient comes in and doesn’t have health insurance,” she said. “Or just in case of emergencies.” (Hart, 8/17)
The New York Times: This Pesticide May Be Too Dangerous To Use. Farmers Say They Need It
California’s pesticide regulator announced on Monday the state would phase out the herbicide paraquat, which studies increasingly associate with Parkinson’s disease and other health problems. The action by the country’s largest agricultural state highlights the growing concerns over the chemical’s health effects, even as American farmers say it is an essential tool and continue to spray millions of pounds of it on crops each year. (Alcorn, 8/13)
San Francisco Chronicle: SF Is Embracing Saunas And Cold Plunges. Are They Good For You?
When Adam Zolot was ready to expand his paddleboard business into a warehouse-size space on San Francisco Bay, he wedged in one feature that was mostly just for himself: a sauna and cold plunge. An avid longtime traveler, Zolot had picked up his interest in saunas overseas — in the thermal springs of the Aeolian Islands of Italy, in the onsen bathing culture of Japan, and of course in Scandinavia, the heartland of sauna culture. (Allday, 8/16)
More news from around the nation —
The CT Mirror: CT’s First State-Funded Methadone Vans Expand Access To Treatment
Mobile methadone units did not exist in Connecticut when Frankie DeJesus started his recovery in 2012. He wishes they did. DeJesus, a recovery support specialist for Community Health Resources, has spent nearly all his life in Enfield, right by Connecticut’s northern border. After a Percocet prescription for knee pain developed into a dependence on heroin and other opioids, DeJesus began traveling to Hartford’s Root Center to receive methadone, widely considered the most effective treatment for opioid use disorder. (Oetama, 8/16)
North Carolina Health News: What Is Medetomidine?
North Carolina’s supply of illicit street drugs is in a constant state of change. People are no longer buying just heroin, fentanyl or opioid pills anymore, as most samples of these illegal drugs have more than one substance in them. People often don’t know what is in their drugs because dealers constantly change the adulterants in the supply. This has made it challenging for advocates who want to help people who use drugs stay safe or get into treatment. (Knopf, 8/17)
Bridge Michigan: A Renewed Push To Ban Seclusion, Reduce Restraint In Michigan Schools
Thousands of times a year in Michigan schools, students who are considered a potential danger to themselves and others — many of them children with disabilities — are physically restrained or put in seclusion. That’s despite an almost 10-year-old law aimed at reducing instances where students are secluded or restrained. The broad consensus is that schools should do more to reduce their reliance on these techniques, but there’s disagreement on whether new legislation is needed to make that happen. (Lohman, 8/14)
MPR News: As Pig's Eye Park Closes Residents Move From One St. Paul Encampment To The Next
Not long after St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her announced the city would shut down the Pig’s Eye Park encampment, citing health and safety concerns, Marty Johnson knew what was coming. He had been through this before. Still, when the morning of Aug. 5 arrived, he stood in the middle of the encampment in disbelief. (Spencer, 8/15)
