Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
VA Hospital Resident In Massachusetts Finds Body Of Missing Veteran In Stairwell; Steps Taken By San Francisco's Health Officer Saved Thousands
CNN: Veteran Missing For A Month Found Dead In Stairwell At VA Hospital
The body of a missing veteran was found in a stairwell on the campus of a Massachusetts VA hospital one month after he was reported missing.The 62-year-old man was found dead in a building on the Bedford Veteran Affairs Hospital campus in Bedford on Friday by another resident, according to the Middlesex County District Attorney's office. (Romine, 6/16)
San Francisco Chronicle: He’s Been SF’s Most Powerful Person In Pandemic Response. You Don’t Know His Name
Arguably the most powerful public official in San Francisco during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a soft-spoken, reliably white-smocked epidemiology expert you’ve probably never heard of before. While he has kept mostly to the backstage of the city’s pandemic response, Dr. Tomás Aragón, the city’s health officer, could be considered its architect.For months, each health order that bears his signature has changed the course of everyday life in San Francisco. He has compelled hundreds of thousands of people to stay sheltered in their homes since mid-March, dictated which businesses may stay open and which must remain closed, and ushered in compulsory public mask-wearing. (Fracassa, 6/14)
The Associated Press: California Legislature OK's Budget, But Changes Coming
Facing an estimated $54.3 billion budget deficit because of the coronavirus, California lawmakers on Monday approved a state spending plan that rejects most of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed cuts to public education and health care with the hope that Congress will send the state more money by Oct. 1 to cover the shortfall. But the budget likely won’t become law because it does not have the backing of Newsom, who has the power to sign, veto or alter whatever the Legislature sends him. (Beam, 6/16)
Bangor Daily News: What Declining Virus Cases In Maine’s Biggest Hotspots Means For Reopening
Gov. Janet Mills’ Monday move to remove restrictions on indoor dining and other establishments in Cumberland, York and Androscoggin counties came after those areas reached an important milestone with daily cases declining as testing increases. (Piper, 6/16)
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Southern Nevada Cities Left Out Of Coronavirus Relief Money
More than a billion dollars of federal coronavirus relief money flowed into Nevada, but some cities will not benefit directly from it. (Apgar, 6/15)
The Washington Post: Ohio State Football Players Sign Coronavirus Pledge Acknowledging Risk Involved
Ohio State is asking its football players and their parents to sign a two-page document that acknowledges the risks involved with playing the sport amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Columbus Dispatch reported Sunday. By signing the document, the players also pledge to follow guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help contain the spread of the virus. (Bonesteel, 6/15)
Atlanta Journal Constitution: What COVID-19 Collaboration Between Emory, Georgia Will Look Like
Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health has announced a new partnership with the state Department of Public Health to help fight the COVID-19 health crisis. The Emory COVID-19 Response Collaborative (ECRC) will provide continuous support to the DPH in the areas of planning coordination, outbreak response and evaluation, training and placement of public health professionals statewide and research and monitoring. (Rhone, 6/16)
Atlanta Journal Constitution: Georgia Absentee Voters Given 3 Days To Fix Problems
The Georgia secretary of state’s office has extended the time for voters to correct signature discrepancies so their ballots can be counted. The change came the same day the Democratic Party of Georgia filed a lawsuit arguing that many voters wouldn’t be notified about problems with their ballots until it was too late to correct them. (Niesse, 6/15)
Los Angeles Times: UCLA To Reopen With Mainly Online Classes Due To Coronavirus
The vast majority of classes at UCLA this fall will be virtual, with only a small percentage offered on campus, the university announced Monday. Officials announced the plan in a letter to the community as each university in the 10-campus UC system is likewise preparing to release its own reopening plans. At UCLA, only about 15% to 20% of courses would probably be offered on campus or in a hybrid format, including some that involve laboratory work, performing arts and clinical health fields. (Esquivel, 6/15)
Atlanta Journal Constitution: Ruling In Case Against Georgia’s Anti-Abortion Law Could Be Weeks Away
A federal judge said it could be a few weeks before he rules on a case challenging Georgia’s anti-abortion law, saying he wanted to wait until the U.S. Supreme Court decides another abortion case. Gov. Brian Kemp last year signed one of the nation’s strictest abortion laws, outlawing the procedure in most cases once a doctor can detect fetal cardiac activity. District Judge Steve C. Jones in October temporarily blocked the law from going into effect while the case plays out in court. It was set to take effect the first day of this year. (Prabhu, 6/15)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Atlanta Company Aliera Accused Of Illegal Insurance Scheme
An Atlanta company is selling illegal health insurance to its members and reaping massive profits under the guise its plans are part of a legitimate health care sharing ministry, a federal lawsuit contends. The suit was filed against Aliera Cos. in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. It accuses the company of running a scheme that allows them to skirt state and federal insurance laws. (Rankin, 6/15)
Boston Globe: Harvard Reaches Tentative One-Year Contract With Graduate Students Union
Harvard University and the Harvard Graduate Students Union reached a tentative agreement Monday for their first contract, a one-year deal the union said was a “major victory” not only for its more than 4,000 members, “but also for the graduate student worker movement across the country.” The deal includes a 2.8 percent raise for research assistants and teaching fellows, a minimum wage of $16 per hour for nonsalaried student workers, and a $17 minimum wage for hourly instructional workers, according to a message to faculty from Harvard provost Alan M. Garber. (Fox, 6/15)
Modern Healthcare: New Jersey Proposes 'Truth In Advertising' Bill For Providers
A new bill in the New Jersey Legislature proposes requiring healthcare providers to wear a name tag that identities their license type whenever they interact with a patient. Providers would also have to display their education, training and licensure in their office under the New Jersey Health Care Transparency Act, according to the Medical Society of New Jersey, a professional group representing physicians and the architect of the legislation introduced on Thursday. (Brady, 7/11)
