Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Still No Water: Parts Of Mississippi Push To Restore Services After 2 Weeks
CBS News: Jackson, Mississippi, Residents Remain Without Water For More Than 2 Weeks After Storm
Winter storms that passed through the South last month caused long-term damage in several states, with millions in Texas without power and water for days. While the focus was on the Lone Star State, Jackson, Mississippi continues to suffer from storm-related issues as well. ... Jackson is still feeling the effects of the storm, with a boil water notice still in place, more than two weeks after the snowstorm. Reeves also activated the National Guard to help with water distribution efforts in the area. And the city has set up several sites for distribution of non-potable or flushing water this week. (O'Kane, 3/1)
Stat: Amid Covid-19, Spiking Overdose Deaths Fall To Back Burner In Washington
There’s an epidemic sweeping the country, causing thousands of needless deaths each month and billions in economic damage. The government response is haphazard. Many Americans remain resistant to the prevention and treatment strategies shown to work best. It’s not Covid-19. It’s the country’s “other” health emergency: accelerating drug overdoses, which could soon, for the first time, claim 100,000 U.S. lives in a single year. (Facher, 3/2)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Hartsfield-Jackson’s Approach To Homeless Outlined In Proposed Ordinance
A proposed city ordinance intended to discourage homeless people from going to Hartsfield-Jackson sleep now specifies how violators should be handled. While police can detain or cite anyone found at the airport during restricted hours, the updated ordinance proposal says that, if a homeless person is arrested or issued a citation, the person will be given access to “certain pre-trial intervention services.” City Council is trying to walk the line between securing the airport and making sure that homelessness isn’t criminalized. (Yamanouchi, 3/1)
CBS News: NYC Tenant Owes $20,000 In Back Rent As Millions Face Possible Eviction During Pandemic: 'Can Happen To Anybody'
A federal moratorium on evictions runs out at the end of March, potentially forcing people who owe back rent amid the COVID-19 pandemic out of their homes. An estimated 10 million renters were behind on payment at the beginning of 2021, owing a combined $57 billion in rent and utilities. New York City resident Allilsa Fernandez said the situation has left them hanging on by a thread. Fernandez told CBS News' Jericka Duncan they owe nearly $20,000 in rent, and described the last 11 months of the pandemic as "traumatic." (3/1)
KHN: States Aim To Chip Away At Abortion Rights With Supreme Court In Mind
When Rep. Lola Sheldon-Galloway introduced a bill in the Montana House two years ago that would have prohibited abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, the Republican legislator knew it was unlikely to survive the veto pen of the Democratic governor. Sure enough, then-Gov. Steve Bullock vetoed that bill and two other anti-abortion measures passed by the Republican-led state legislature. In his veto message, Bullock wrote that “for over 40 years, the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized that the U.S. Constitution prohibits a state from banning abortion.” (Franz, 3/2)
