Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Utah Bans Gender-Affirming Care For Trans Youth
CBS News: Utah Becomes First State To Ban Gender-Affirming Care For Trans Youth In 2023
Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed a bill Saturday that bans hormone replacement therapy and gender-affirming surgery for transgender youth, making Utah the first state in 2023 to ban such care. (Mandler, 1/29)
Wyoming Public Radio: Senate Committee Advances Bill That Would Criminalize Gender-Affirming Care
The Senate Labor, Health and Social Services committee heard testimony on a bill which would make it a felony to give anyone under the age of 18 hormone blockers, hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgery. "What's happening is that people are preying on young adolescents that are having that kind of confusion and persuading them the way to solve it is to get their sex changed to the other sex," said Senator Charles Scott (R-Casper), the bill's primary sponsor. (Victor, 1/27)
Indianapolis Star: Indiana General Assembly: GOP Targets Transgender Rights
"I’ve never seen anything like this before out of the Indiana General Assembly," Blair said, calling it an "absolute onslaught." Republican lawmakers have filed more than 20 bills this session tackling subjects like gender-transition treatment, school curricula and the ability to change one's gender on identification documents ― triple the highest number of bills seen in any other year, by the ACLU's count. (Dwyer and Herron, 1/30)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
WMFE: Florida Gets An F On The American Lung Association's Tobacco Control Report Card
Florida’s lack of tobacco control and efforts to prevent smoking has earned the state failing grades in an annual report from the American Lung Association. "With the 2023 state of tobacco control report, Florida, unfortunately, was listed as one of the states with the worst policies to prevent and reduce tobacco use," said Janelle Hom, director of the Central Florida Lung Association office. (Pedersen, 1/27)
AP: Nuclear Strike Chief Seeks Cancer Review Of Missile Crews
The top Air Force general in charge of the nation’s air- and ground-launched nuclear missiles has requested an official investigation into the number of airmen who are reporting blood cancer diagnoses after serving at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. (Copp, 1/28)
The Colorado Sun: Arvada Library Becomes Fourth Denver-Area Library To Close Due To Methamphetamine Contamination
Another Denver-area library has closed over concerns about methamphetamine residue. The Arvada Library’s doors will be shut for an indefinite period of time after testing for the substance by EnviroSpec. The announcement from the Jefferson County Public Library came on Saturday. The library is the fourth in the metro area to close due to meth contamination. (Dunn, 1/29)
The Washington Post: Two Women Die In Fire At Assisted-Living Facility
A fire that left two women dead in Prince George’s County ripped through a home that authorities said had been converted into an assisted-living facility, leaving loved ones to grieve as investigators determine what caused the blaze. ... It is not clear whether those who escaped that night were residents or employees at the five-bed facility, which was licensed in 2018 by the state and had no pending complaints at the time of the fire, said Chase Cook, acting director of communications for the Maryland Department of Health. (Beachum and Hilton, 1/28)
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada State Sen. Julie Pazina Wants To Keep More Doctors In The State
Pazina said her bill draft requests have focused on issues she centered her campaign around, including economic development, accessible and affordable healthcare and providing better education for children. Her “most ambitious” bill idea, however, is focused on increasing the number of residencies and fellowships available to newly-graduated doctors and health care providers. (Avery, 1/27)
The Marshall Project: Texas Prisons Detail Plan To Improve Food
The Texas prison system has a new goal: Serving slightly more edible food. As part of a long-term strategic plan, the corrections agency aims to do away with the worst of prison fare — the meager and sometimes moldy brown-bag meals served during lockdowns, which occur regularly and can last for weeks. Though lockdown meals have generated complaints for years, the public didn’t get a look at how awful they really were until 2020, when The Marshall Project and Hearst Newspapers published images of them captured with contraband phones. Afterward, the food improved in some prisons — but only for a short time, prisoners reported. (Blakinger, 1/20)
