Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Thousands Line Up For Free Care At Mega Health Clinic In St. Louis
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Free Health Clinic In Downtown St. Louis Draws Thousands
People began getting in line at 5 a.m. for a free mega health clinic held at St. Louis’ downtown convention center this week. Lines stretched for blocks by the time it opened at 7 a.m., and hundreds were turned away. (Munz, 5/8)
AP: Asbestos Clinic Forced To Close In Montana Town Where Thousands Have Been Sickened By Dust
An asbestos screening clinic in a small Montana town where thousands have been sickened by toxic dust from a nearby mine has been abruptly shuttered by authorities following a court order to seize the clinic’s assets to pay off a judgment to the railroad BNSF. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office closed on Wednesday the Center for Asbestos Related Disease in Libby, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the U.S.-Canada border. The town of about 3,000 people is near a mine that produced asbestos dust for decades, and the clinic has been at the forefront of efforts to help victims. (Brown, 5/9)
AP: Judge Awards $680K To 17 Families Exposed To Jet Fuel-Tainted Water At Hawaii Naval Base
A federal judge has awarded a total of more than $680,000 to 17 families who say they were sickened by a 2021 jet fuel leak into a Navy drinking water system in Hawaii. The bellwether cases set the legal tone for another 7,500 military family members, civilians and service members whose lawsuits are still awaiting resolution. ... In her order, Kobayashi wrote that it was clear that even though the contaminated water could have caused many of the kinds of medical problems the military families experienced, there wasn’t enough evidence to prove a direct link. (Boone, 5/8)
Bloomberg: San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie Taps Billionaires For Homeless Shelter Beds
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has turned to some of the country’s wealthiest philanthropists to advance his agenda on homelessness while the city faces a daunting budget deficit. The $37.5 million fundraising haul includes $10 million from Charles and Helen Schwab’s foundation and another $10 million from Crankstart, the personal foundation of billionaire venture capitalist Michael Moritz. (Kamisher, 5/8)
CBS News: Colorado Startup Hopes To Be At Forefront Of Psilocybin Cultivation And Treatment
The State of Colorado is continuing to license businesses that will provide psilocybin therapy, but so far, only a handful of licenses have been given out. The state has approved one standard healing center, one manufacturer and one testing facility. Two cultivation licenses have been handed out, with nine more pending. One of those pending applications belongs to startup Entheogyn. (Young, 5/8)
CIDRAP: Kansas, New Mexico, New York Report More Measles Cases
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) in its weekly update reported 2 more measles cases today, lifting the state's total to 48, with the number of affected counties remaining at eight, all in the southwestern corner of the state. Kansas is among a handful of states that have reported cases linked to a large outbreak centered in West Texas. Of the 48 cases, 43 were unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status. The number of hospitalizations remains at one, and no deaths have been reported in the state. (Schnirring, 5/8)
Health News Florida: Florida Seeing More Tuberculosis Cases. Here's What To Know
The confirmation of two recent tuberculosis cases in South Florida is prompting health officials to keep an eye out for a developing trend. The first case of active TB was reported in a high school student in Fort Lauderdale on April 29. Health officials immediately began reaching out to those who were directly impacted. A few days later, tuberculosis was found in an inmate at a federal detention center in Miami. Officials confirmed that further exposure is being limited. (Petracek, 5/9)
