Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Teachers Win $185 Million Damages For Brain Injuries From Monsanto PCBs
Bloomberg: Monsanto Told To Pay Teachers $185 Million Over PCB Exposure
Bayer AG’s Monsanto unit must pay $185 million to three teachers who blamed their brain injuries on exposure to the company’s PCBs at a school in Washington state. A state jury in Seattle awarded $50,150,000 in actual damages, and $135 million in punitive damages to the teachers following a six-week trial, which was broadcast by Courtroom View Network. The jury deliberated 1 1/2 days before reaching the verdict Tuesday afternoon. (Burnson, 7/27)
NBC News: 2 Dead After Leak At Texas Chemical Plant
Two people were dead and several were injured after a leak at a Texas chemical plant Tuesday night, authorities said. Five people were treated for injuries on the scene, two were transported to the hospital and 31 nearby were assessed, Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie Christensen said at a news conference Tuesday night. The chemical company LyondellBasell said in a statement that an acetic acid leaked was to blame in the fatal injuries at its La Porte complex near Houston. (Fitzsimons, 7/28)
The New York Times: Woman Faces Murder Charge After Man Shaken As Baby Dies At 35
A former babysitter who served a few months in jail for shaking a 5-month-old boy so forcefully 37 years ago that he suffered permanent brain damage now faces a possible life sentence after his death from those injuries in 2019, at age 35, the authorities said. Terry McKirchy, 59, who now lives in Texas, was arrested again on July 2 after a grand jury in Broward County, Fla., indicted her on a first-degree murder charge in the death of Benjamin Dowling, prosecutors said this week. (Vigdor, 7/27)
KQED: Free School Meals For All Here To Stay In California
With 1 in every 6 children facing hunger in the U.S., California is the first state to promise every public school student — all 6 million of them — free school meals. The universal school meals program, which will launch in the 2022-2023 school year, is part of the landmark state budget agreement reached between Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature last month. Days later, Maine became the second state to commit to offering a universal school meals program with the signing of its budget. The program ensures that all students will be offered breakfast and lunch at their school, which state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, said is “essential to learning.” Skinner has led the effort to establish a universal school meal program. (Tadayon, 7/27)
North Carolina Health News: Is MAT The Key To Reducing Recidivism In NC’s Jails?
Rain or shine, whether it is a holiday, the weekend or a regular workday, patients at Johnston Recovery Services come in every morning for the medication that helps them manage and overcome their opioid addiction. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, some patients were allowed to take home medications such as methadone or buprenorphine to reduce the number of people in the clinic, which offers medication-assisted treatment, otherwise known as MAT, to help treat people with opioid use disorder in and around Clayton, but otherwise they are expected to come in daily. (Thompson, 7/28)
