Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Wisconsin Warns Against Eating Holiday 'Cannibal Sandwiches'
USA Today: Wisconsin Raw Meat Sandwich: Officials Warn About Cannibal Sandwiches
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is urging residents to put down their cannibal sandwiches, also known as raw meat sandwiches, tiger meat or steak tartare. "Many Wisconsin families consider them to be a holiday tradition, but eating them poses a threat for Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Campylobacter and Listeria bacteria that can make you sick," the department wrote in a Facebook post Saturday, which it called its annual reminder. "Remember, ground beef should ALWAYS be cooked to an internal temperature of 160° F." (Tyko, 12/13)
In news about developmental disabilities —
ProPublica: They Made A Revolutionary System To Protect People With Developmental Disabilities. Now It’s Falling Apart.
More than 40 years ago, Arizona set up a revolutionary system to protect the safety of residents with developmental disabilities like Down syndrome, autism and cerebral palsy. ... But today, the Independent Oversight Committees are falling apart, with members accusing the state Division of Developmental Disabilities, or DDD, of neglecting to provide the information and resources they need to do their job, according to interviews, official documents and a review of confidential incident reports by the Arizona Daily Star and ProPublica. (Silverman, 12/12)
In obituaries —
CNN: Actress Carol Sutton Dies Of Covid-19
Actress Carol Sutton died Friday at age 76 of Covid-19 complications, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said. The New Orleans native built an extensive list of credits, including "Steel Magnolias," "Queen Sugar," and "Lovecraft Country," according to her IMDb page. (McCleary, 12/13)
The Washington Post: Charley Pride, First Major Black Star In Country Music, Dies At 86 Of Covid-19
In the early 1960s, a young minor league baseball pitcher and aspiring country singer named Charley Pride had settled into a discouraging routine. His days were spent toiling in Helena, Mont., at a smelter operated by the Anaconda Copper Mining Co., and he spent his free time playing for its semipro baseball team, the East Helena Smelterites. He stood out as an African American working in a musical genre that seldom welcomed black voices. But he developed a small but enthusiastic fan base singing in Montana honky tonks, which in 1962 led to his invitation to perform before a show headlined by country singers Red Sovine and Red Foley. (McArdle, 12/12)
The New York Times: John Le Carré, Best-Selling Author Of Cold War Thrillers, Dies At 89
John le Carré, whose exquisitely nuanced, intricately plotted Cold War thrillers elevated the spy novel to high art by presenting both Western and Soviet spies as morally compromised cogs in a rotten system full of treachery, betrayal and personal tragedy, died on Saturday in Cornwall, England. He was 89. The cause was pneumonia, his publisher, Penguin Random House, said on Sunday. (Lyall, 12/13)
KHN: In COVID Hot Zones, Firefighters Now ‘Pump More Oxygen Than Water’
As a boy, Robert Weber chased the blazing lights and roaring sirens of fire engines down the streets of Brooklyn, New York. He hung out at the Engine 247 firehouse, eating ham heroes with extra mayonnaise, and “learning everything about everything to be the best firefighter in the world,” said his wife, Daniellle Weber, who grew up next door. (Cahan, 12/14)
