Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: A Doctor's Views On Guns; Ohio Lawmakers Must Not Curb Cities Lead Abatement Powers
The Washington Post: I’m A Doctor. I Want You To Live And Thrive. So I Want Semiautomatic Guns Banned.
There are no simple solutions to drastically reduce America’s gun violence. Much needs to be done on many fronts, ranging from expanded mental health access to addressing the adverse socioeconomic circumstances that engender street crime and day-to-day violence in the first place. Nevertheless, much will be said about gun control in coming days. Many proposals will be offered, and realistically nothing will be accomplished — at least in the short term. As political circumstances change, however, some good may be able to be done. When that happens, insofar as we want to do anything about the types of guns people can buy, we should aim for an across-the-board semiautomatic firearms ban. (Adam Gaffney, 10/4)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Legislature Must Not Derail Ohio Cities' Anti-Lead-Poisoning Efforts
Stop. Right. There. Pending in the Ohio House is a bill to strip from Ohio cities their power over lead abatement. House Bill 299 is sponsored by suburban Toledo Republican Derek Merrin. Last spring, he got the House to add the measure to Ohio's then-pending budget bill, but it was deleted before passage. (10/4)
Stat: Doctors Need Help Managing Their 'Perpetual State Of Transition'
At every level of training beyond medical school, there is a strong assumption that these periods of transition are limited to big new beginnings, and that the trainees will rapidly settle in. Orientations tend to focus on the logistics of starting a new job, pivoting from a deluge of information about electronic medical records and human resources packets to ice breakers and password setups. After a few weeks, programs designed to aid in transitions taper off, aside from a few individual review meetings with the program director. Trainees are expected to take flight relatively independently. (Jason J. Han and Neha Vapiwala, 10/3)
The Columbus Dispatch: Help For Addicts Only A Click Away
Will addicts in the throes of opioid cravings really click through a smartphone app for help? As central Ohio communities remain overwhelmed by the still-skyrocketing numbers of overdose deaths, the idea is well worth pursuing. The Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County will make such an addiction-support app available to 200 drug users within the next few weeks, thanks to a $108,000 donation by The Columbus Foundation for a pilot program. (10/4)
Chicago Tribune: Abortion Funding, Truthfulness And A Question: Can Rauner Recover?
In the months leading to the March 20 Illinois primary, when incumbents will need majority support in their party, Gov. Bruce Rauner finds himself jilted by much of his 2014 base. His Sept. 28 signature on a controversial abortion bill has undercut his support among former loyalists who hoped that in 2018 he would elevate the GOP from its longstanding minority status in Springfield. (10/3)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Education And Testing Can Help Reduce The High STD Rate In St. Louis
St. Louis health care advocates had something to celebrate recently when the city was toppled for the first time in a decade from its reigning position as the nation’s capital of sexually transmitted diseases. But coming in second place to Etowah County, Ala., still means there’s much work to be done locally to impress upon sexually active people that condoms are the best method to prevent the spread of infection. (10/3)
