Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas Reverses Rule, Tells Social Workers To Serve LGBTQ Community
USA Today: Texas Social Workers Can't Turn Away LGBTQ, Disabled Clients
Texas officials on Tuesday reversed a rule that would have allowed social workers to turn away clients who are LGBTQ or have a disability. Lawmakers and advocates last week criticized the Texas State Board of Social Workers and the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council for unanimously voting on Oct. 12 to remove disability, sexual orientation and gender identity from the nondiscrimination clause of its code of conduct. The board made its decision based solely on a recommendation from Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and without seeking input from social workers. (Flores, 10/27)
In news from California —
The New York Times: 90,000 Told To Flee As California Fires Nearly Double In Size
As two wildfires raged across Southern California on Tuesday, nearly doubling in size overnight and forcing thousands more people to flee their homes, the state’s utility companies are again coming under scrutiny for their potential role in sparking new blazes. Fueled by strong Santa Ana winds, the fires in Orange County have put more than 90,000 people under emergency evacuation orders, many of them in Irvine. (Arango, Penn and Bogel-Burroughs, 10/27)
KHN: As Anxieties Rise, Californians Buy Hundreds Of Thousands More Guns
Handgun sales in California have risen to unprecedented levels during the COVID-19 pandemic, and experts say first-time buyers are driving the trend. The FBI conducted 462,000 background checks related to handgun purchases in California from March through September, an increase of 209,000, or 83%, from the same period last year. That’s more than in any other seven-month period on record. (Reese, 10/28)
In news from Maine and Pennsylvania —
Bangor Daily News: Maine Among 4 States Where Health Insurance Costs Continue To Drop
New federal data shows that Maine’s average individual health insurance premium will drop 13 percent in 2021 — the third straight year state health insurance costs have declined, state officials said. Maine is among only four states in the nation to see insurance costs decrease, Maine Department of Health and Human Resources officials said in a statement on Tuesday. (Sambides Jr., 10/27)
AP: Philadelphia Victim's Family Sought Ambulance, Not Police
The family of a Black man killed by Philadelphia police officers in a shooting caught on video had called for an ambulance to get him help with a mental health crisis, not for police intervention, their lawyer said. Police said Walter Wallace Jr., 27, was wielding a knife and ignored orders to drop the weapon before officers fired shots Monday afternoon. But his parents said Tuesday night that officers knew their son was in a mental health crisis because they had been to the family’s house three times on Monday. Cathy Wallace, his mother, said one of the times, “they stood there and laughed at us.” (Lauer, 10/28)
In news from Illinois, Georgia and Oklahoma —
The Hill: Chicago To Ban Indoor Dining Amid Rise In COVID-19 Numbers
Chicago will ban indoor dining and indoor bar service again starting Friday as the city grapples with rising COVID-19 numbers. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) announced a return to some coronavirus restrictions, like the ban on indoor dining and bar service, citing rising hospitalizations and an increased positivity rate over more than seven of the past 10 days. The governor noted the number of daily coronavirus-related hospital admissions is averaging more than double the statistics from last month. (Coleman, 10/27)
Georgia Health News: A Deal That Changed Lives — But Not For All
For a year of her life, Linda Ferguson lived in a booth at a transit stop. She spent another year living under a bridge. Her homelessness, she says now, “was a bad situation. Nobody likes to be outside. It’s a very insecure feeling.’’ At one point Ferguson, who deals with severe anxiety attacks, lost her car to theft. Later, her personal belongings were taken. But for the past seven years, Ferguson, now 66, has had a place to call her own. She lives in an apartment in southeast Atlanta, thanks to a supported housing voucher for homeless people with mental illness. (Miller, 10/27)
USA Today: More Than 200,000 Without Power As 'Nightmare' Autumn Ice Storm Tears Through Oklahoma
A “worst nightmare” of an autumn ice storm wrecking trees and power lines across the Oklahoma City area left more than 200,000 without power Tuesday. Tree branches littered streets while others were uprooted altogether. As the storm hit, 911 was flooded with calls. Police were called to 11 injury crashes Tuesday morning and stopped responding to non-injury crashes. (Lackmeyer, 10/27)
