Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas Supreme Court To Hear Challenge To Youth Gender Care Ban
The Texas Tribune: Texas Supreme Court Hears Transgender Health Care Lawsuit
The Texas Supreme Court will hear a legal challenge Tuesday to a new state law banning doctors from prescribing gender-affirming care for transgender youth, a prohibition that a district court judge said was unconstitutional. (Melhado, 1/30)
AP: After Alabama Pioneers Nitrogen Gas Execution, Ohio May Be Poised To Follow
Ohio politicians may be poised to consider whether the state might break its unofficial moratorium on the death penalty by following Alabama in using nitrogen gas to execute inmates. Ohio hasn’t executed anyone since 2018. In 2020, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine declared lethal injection “no longer an option,” citing a federal judge’s ruling that the protocol could cause inmates “severe pain and needless suffering.” Republican state Attorney General Dave Yost scheduled a news conference Tuesday to discuss “next steps to kickstart” Ohio’s capital punishment system. (Smyth, 1/30)
WUFT: HCA North Florida Hospital Extends Surgery Shutdown Due To Instrument Sterilization
The large Florida hospital that shut down surgeries abruptly this month over concerns about sterilized operative room equipment is suspending all nonemergency surgeries for an additional week as it grapples with issues that could lead to serious patient infections, surgeons said. (Sandoval, 1/29)
The Colorado Sun: Colorado Aid-In-Dying: Residency Requirement, Waiting Period May Change
Colorado may become the third state to allow out-of-state residents to receive medical aid in dying through a bill that would also shorten the mandatory waiting period for people seeking to end their lives. Senate Bill 68, which was introduced in the legislature on Jan. 22, would shrink the waiting period to 48 hours from 15 days and also let advanced practice registered nurses, in addition to doctors, prescribe aid-in-dying medication. (Paul, 1/30)
North Carolina Health News: Health Care High Schools Help Address Shortages
At Duke Health, annual openings for nurses hover around 5,000. For nursing care assistants, the hospital system sees more than 1,200 openings. The list goes on and on: certified medical assistants, 350 openings; respiratory care practitioners, 170; medical lab scientists, 170; clinical research coordinators, 100; surgical technicians, 100. (Fernandez, 1/30)
WLRN: Broward Inmate Deaths Sound Alarms For Reform And Resources In County Jails
Calls for reform, increased staffing and resources for Broward’s four jail facilities are rising following reports of 21 inmate deaths in less than three years. The latest happened last week when Joseph Kirk, a 34-year-old inmate in the Broward County’s Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale, died at the facility’s hospital. Kirk was being held on a misdemeanor charge in the Main Jail’s detox unit. His death is under investigation. (Acevedo, 1/29)
