Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Syphilis Cases Soaring In Houston, Particularly For Women
Houston Chronicle: Houston Syphilis Outbreak On Rise Among Women, Jumps 128 Percent
A syphilis outbreak in Houston has led to a 128 percent increase in cases among women and a nine-fold increase in congenital syphilis cases since 2016, the Houston Health Department said Thursday. (Gill, 7/13)
AP: Houston To Spend Millions To Relocate Residents Living Near Polluted Union Pacific Rail Yard
Houston plans to spend millions of dollars to relocate residents from neighborhoods located near a rail yard polluted by a cancer-linked wood preservative that has been blamed for an increase in cancer cases, the city’s mayor announced Thursday. (Lozano, 7/13)
The Texas Tribune: Investigation Clears Texas Prison Contractor MTC Of Fraud Accusations
Months after one of the country’s largest private prison companies was accused of defrauding Texas by collecting millions of dollars for in-person therapy it didn’t provide to prisoners, a state investigation found there was no fraud because prison officials sanctioned the practice. (McCullough, 7/13)
The Texas Tribune: What Texas’ New School Safety Laws Mean For Schools
Almost a year after Texas’ deadliest school shooting, state lawmakers ordered school districts to secure schools with armed officers and to train more staff to identify students who may need mental health support under legislation set to become law in September. The new school safety law will grant the Texas Education Agency more authority to make sure schools have robust safety plans to respond to an active shooter — something about half of all Texas school districts lacked, according to a 2020 assessment report. Meanwhile, another law will allow schools to use school safety funds to employ unlicensed chaplains for mental health roles, a move some critics have said could allow religious activists to recruit in schools and further polarize school communities. (Mendez, 7/14)
In news from Missouri —
St. Louis Public Radio: Hawley, Missouri Leaders Demand St. Louis Nuclear Waste Cleanup
Missouri leaders are demanding the federal government accelerate its cleanup of nuclear waste that has been contaminating waterways and soil in parts of north St. Louis County for roughly 75 years and to pay people sickened by the waste. U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri legislators and statewide officials joined local advocacy groups on Thursday at the Weldon Spring Site to discuss the decadeslong complaints and worries that nuclear waste from the Manhattan Project is causing rare cancers in people who lived near Coldwater Creek and West Lake Landfill. (Davis, 7/14)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Hawley Wants Federal Government To Pay For Cleanup, Health Effects Of Nuclear Contamination
Citing decades-old government studies and memos, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley said Thursday he is drafting legislation to create a fund to pay for the medical care of the victims of radioactive contamination in the St. Louis metro region. Hawley made the announcement at a press conference, attended by other elected officials and activists, at the Weldon Spring Site Interpretative Center, a U.S. Department of Energy-managed site along Highway 94 that features a 41-acre rock-covered disposal cell packed with contaminated waste from munitions production and uranium refining. (Colbert, 7/13)
On other health news developments across the country —
San Francisco Chronicle: Berkeley Decriminalizes Some Psychedelics, Joining National Movement
Berkeley passed legislation this week to decriminalize the personal use of some psychedelics, including mushrooms, following a nationwide trend. The Berkeley City Council voted Tuesday on a resolution that instructs law enforcement to de-prioritize investigating and prosecuting people using psychedelics that come from plants or fungi. The resolution, introduced by Council Member Sophie Hahn, does not apply to synthetic drugs like LSD or MDMA, also known as ecstasy. (Ravani, 7/13)
AP: Connecticut Sues For-Profit Nursing School That Closed Abruptly And Left Students In The Lurch
Connecticut’s attorney general sued a for-profit nursing school and its owner Thursday, alleging they left hundreds of students in the lurch when the school abruptly closed its three campuses in the state in February while reaping millions of dollars in profits. (Collins, 7/13)
The Baltimore Sun: ‘He Didn’t Need To Go To Jail’: Dementia Experts Fear More Run-Ins With Police As Condition Becomes More Prevalent
Samantha Hart hardly recognized her father when she picked him up at the Baltimore County jail. Henry Hart, who days earlier had been joking and dancing at a family gathering, was slumped over in a wheelchair. The 76-year-old had lost weight, his knees and elbows were bruised, and his right hand was purple and swollen. But what concerned Samantha most was that three days after her 911 call led to her father’s arrest, he didn’t recognize her or his wife of 57 years, Rosalind. (Roberts and Jensen, 7/13)
KUNC: The Mountain West Has Trended Towards A Decrease In Mosquitos, But Disease Risks Remain
Summer is here, which means mosquitoes are on the hunt. Though you may be lighting those citronella candles more than ever, recent data shows that compared to other parts of the country, the Mountain West is experiencing fewer days with mosquitoes. However, when it comes to mosquito-born diseases, the public might not be out of the woods. (VandenEinde, 7/13)
Detroit Free Press: Michigan Hospitals To Study, Address Health Inequities In Kids' Care
Michigan’s three largest children’s hospitals are teaming up in what they say is a historic collaboration to look for inequities in how pediatric patients are treated. The goal is to address differences in the quality of patient care associated with gender, race and ethnicity, income, disability, sexual orientation, weight and more. (Jordan Shamus, 7/13)
CBS News: Justice Department Investigating Georgia Jail Where Inmate Was Allegedly "Eaten Alive" By Bedbugs
The Justice Department has launched a civil rights investigation into the conditions at a Georgia jail where an inmate died after he was, according to his family, "eaten alive" by bed bugs. The department found credible allegations that the Fulton County Jail is "structurally unsafe, that prevalent violence has resulted in serious injuries and homicides, and that officers are being prosecuted for using excessive force," officials said Thursday. Investigators will determine whether there are systemic violations of federal law at the jail and how to correct them if that's the case. (Chasan, 7/13)
