Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Letting Thousands Of Children Languish In Tent City Is A Shameful Time In U.S. History; Gun Owner Steps Up As Sponsor Of Assault Weapons Ban
The Washington Post: Hundreds Of Children Are Still Separated From Their Parents. When Will This End?
Like an electrocardiogram or a stock ticker, filings in a California federal court case known as Ms. L. vs. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement provide a real-time and precise gauge — in this case, of the residual but ongoing cruelty visited upon children by the Trump administration’s family separation policy. In its fully realized form, that policy lasted just six weeks, but its remnants — in trauma inflicted, lives upended and tears — live to this day. More than three months after President Trump signed an order ending family separations, hundreds of children separated from their parents by U.S. officials remain apart. In the case of more than two-thirds of them, their parents were deported — often without knowing how or whether they might be reunified with their children. (10/1)
The New York Times: Hundreds Of Children Rot In The Desert. End Trump’s Draconian Policies.
It doesn’t take a psychologist to understand that ripping children from their beds in the middle of the night, tearing them from anyone they’ve forged a connection with, and thrusting them into uncertainty could damage them. Yet the crisis that has led federal immigration authorities to bus nearly 2,000 unaccompanied children (so far) from shelters around the country to a “tent city” in the desert town of Tornillo, Tex., is almost entirely of the American government’s own making. (10/1)
The Washington Post: I Voted Against An Assault Weapons Ban. Here’s Why I Changed My Mind.
Though I remain convinced that strengthening our background-check system is critical, I also believe we must do more to end mass shootings. So today I am signing on as a sponsor of the assault weapons ban. I do this as a gun owner and a proud supporter of the Second Amendment. Before coming to the Senate, I served as governor of Virginia, a state with a long tradition of gun ownership. During my time in office, I signed into law a number of reasonable bipartisan bills solidifying the rights of law-abiding gun owners to purchase and carry firearms for sport and self-defense. (Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, 10/1)
The Hill: Suicide Rates Are Rising Across The US And The Numbers Are Not Subtle
Suicide rates are rising across the United States and the numbers are not subtle. According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 1999 and 2016 suicide rates increased in almost all states, with a greater than 30 percent increase in 25 states. And before you blame depression alone for this or a faltering economy earlier in the century, consider that in 27 states in 2015, for example, 54 percent of those who committed suicide were found not to have prior mental health conditions at all.And since 2005, at a time of two wars and plenty of societal strife and stress that might indirectly increase your risk for heart disease or even cancer, suicide is literally the only leading cause of death in the U.S. that is on the rise. Deaths from heart disease, cancer and stroke are all on the way down, thanks to an increased emphasis on prevention and early intervention.So why suicide? The answer is a combination of factors. (Marc Siegel, 10/1)
Charlotte Observer: Kavanaugh Accuser A Criminal? NC Republican Drives More Women To Stay Quiet About Sexual Assault
The head of the North Carolina Republican Party calls one of Brett Kavanaugh’s accusers “a criminal” who “should go to prison.” And we wonder why women are hesitant to report sexual assault? Dallas Woodhouse, the executive director of the North Carolina GOP, said of Julie Swetnick’s claims: “These things not only did not happen, they are impossible. So she needs to be prosecuted…”How many women decide to remain in hiding when they hear comments like that? Republicans, from President Trump on down, have questioned why Kavanaugh’s accusers stayed quiet about the Supreme Court nominee for so long. But with his tweets about Swetnick on Sunday, Woodhouse himself becomes the living embodiment of why a woman might keep her secret hell to herself. (10/1)
The Baltimore Sun: Md. Officials Must Ensure Health Care For All, Regardless Of Income
The health care delivery system in Maryland is among the best in the country, with nationally ranked hospitals and an abundance of highly trained health professionals across the state. As such, most Marylanders have access to great health care. However, for some Marylanders our health care system does not work well and access to health care is challenging. (Darrell J. Gaskin, Roland J. Thorpe Jr. and Jamar Slocum, 10/1)
Portland Press Herald: In-Prison Drug-Treatment Deal Could Save Lives
An Aroostook County man facing nine months in prison got some good news in court last week. It won’t reduce his sentence, but it could save his life. Zachary Smith of Caribou, who is in treatment for opioid use disorder, sued the Maine Department of Corrections in August, challenging the state’s policy of denying prisoners access to addiction medication. In a humane and farsighted settlement, Smith agreed to drop his lawsuit, and the state agreed to maintain his doctor-prescribed medicine while he is an inmate at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham. The agreement reflects the best thinking on how to fight the overdose epidemic and help people turn their lives around. (10/1)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Issue 1 Is Pushback Against Failed War On Drugs
Issue 1 is a much-needed and long-overdue pushback against the thoroughly failed, decades-long War on Drugs. In other words, it is an indictment against our state legislators and elected officials, who still subscribe, in bipartisan fashion, to the notion that locking up everyone in sight solves drug problems. (Gary Daniels, 10/1)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Issue 1 Gives Drug Dealers More Freedom
Issue 1 will enshrine weaker laws for possession of illegal drugs in Ohio’s constitution. According to Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, this proposed amendment would allow an individual carrying enough fentanyl to kill 10,000 people to escape felony drug charges. (Ken Blackwell, 10/1)
