Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
#WeMatterToo Campaign Urging Authorities To Address Lack Of Safety Measures In Jails, Prisons
The Associated Press: Common's #WeMatterToo Push Urges Jail Releases Amid Virus
Rapper and activist Common went into quarantine concerned about incarcerated people he has met during visits to jails, prisons and juvenile detention centers around the U.S. and who aren’t able to maintain social distance or adopt rigorous hygiene routines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. “It’s a troubling time for them,” Common said, “because they are the people who usually are overlooked.” (Morrison, 5/13)
Kaiser Health News: Under COVID Cloud, Prisons In Rural America Threaten To Choke Rural Hospitals
As the COVID-19 pandemic swept into Montana, it spread into the Marias Heritage Center assisted living facility, then flowed into the nearby 21-bed hospital. Toole County quickly became the state’s hot spot for COVID-19 deaths, with more than four times the infection rate of all other counties and the most recorded deaths in the state. Six of the state’s 16 COVID deaths through Tuesday have occurred here. (Dawson, 5/14)
The Wall Street Journal: Ex-Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort Released From Prison To Home Confinement
President Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort has been released from a federal prison due to coronavirus concerns and will continue serving his 7½ year sentence for tax and bank fraud from his Northern Virginia home, his attorney said Wednesday. The release of Mr. Manafort, 71 years old, who was charged in special counsel Robert Muller’s Russia investigation, is part of a sweeping effort by the federal Bureau of Prisons to ease crowding to stem the spread of the virus behind bars. He was among nearly 2,500 federal inmates who have been placed on home confinement in recent weeks as prison officials try to identify those who are at high risk for the disease and low risk for re-offending. (Gurman, 5/13)
