Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Worries Of Toxic Gas Risk After Train Derailment In Ohio
The Washington Post: Ohio Train Derailment: Officials Urge People To Stay Away From Hazardous Scene
Authorities warned Sunday night that a “major explosion” or toxic gas release could happen at the site of a train derailment in northeastern Ohio, ordering anyone within a mile to evacuate or face possible arrest. ... Because some cars were carrying hazardous chemicals, including vinyl chloride and phosgene, firefighters could not safely put out the blaze. By Sunday afternoon, investigators said the area remained a hot zone. (Salcedo and McDaniel, 2/5)
The New York Times: Train Derailment In Ohio Sparks Huge Fire And Prompts Evacuations
“Those with children in their homes who decline to evacuate may be subject to arrest,” Gov. Mike DeWine added. There were no reports of injuries or deaths, Trent Conaway, the mayor of East Palestine, said at a news conference on Saturday. But 1,500 to 2,000 residents had been asked to evacuate the area near the derailment, officials said. (Medina, 2/4)
On Medicaid coverage —
AP: As Many As 80K Marylanders Could Lose Medicaid Eligibility
Maryland officials are preparing for as many as 80,000 residents who could no longer qualify for Medicaid coverage this spring, as the federal government reinstates a requirement that existed before the COVID-19 pandemic for states to verify the eligibility of recipients. Michele Eberle, the executive director of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, said that beginning in May, the state can start ending Medicaid coverage for people who no longer qualify. Maryland, she added, is in a better position to reach people than many other states to either continue Medicaid coverage or move them into other health plans. (Witte, 2/5
Columbus Dispatch: Medicaid's Pandemic Benefits Are Ending: Here's What You Need To Know
For nearly 200,000 Ohioans, the end of the federal government's public health emergency for COVID-19 will likely mean the end of their Medicaid benefits. It's called an unwinding, and it basically means that a requirement for states to keep people continuously enrolled during the pandemic (even if their income changed) will come to an end on March 31. (Staver, 2/5)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
AP: Legal Recreational Pot Sales Begin For Missouri Adults
Recreational marijuana sales in Missouri officially began Friday after the state health department unexpectedly began approving dispensary permits early. Medical marijuana has been legal in the state since a ballot measure passed in 2018, but voters went a step further this November by approving a constitutional amendment legalizing the drug for anyone 21 or older. The new law made Missouri the 21st state to allow recreational use. (Ballentine, 2/3)
NBC News: Washington Woman With Tuberculosis Refuses Treatment, Prompting Court Orders
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department in Washington has obtained multiple court orders requiring a Tacoma resident to get treatment for her active tuberculosis, officials told NBC News on Friday. The woman has thus far refused to isolate or take the necessary medications, according to Nigel Turner, the department's division director of Communicable Disease Control. (Bendix, 2/4)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Pennsylvania Law Makes It Easier To Treat Sexually Transmitted Infections Like Chlamydia And Gonorrhea
The approach, called expedited partner therapy (EPT), allows a person with a diagnosed STD to ask a doctor for a prescription for a sex partner, and the doctor can fill that prescription without evaluating the partner, or even knowing that person’s name, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported. A doctor can fill out a script addressed simply to “EPT,” and a pharmacist will fill it. The person the prescription is meant for can pick it up at a pharmacy anonymously or can have their partner pick it up. (Laughlin, 2/3)
Columbus Dispatch: Dispatch Investigation Shows Medical Board Failed On Sexual Misconduct
Operating in secret for decades, the State Medical Board of Ohio failed to properly investigate sexual misconduct cases, leaving serious abuse and even criminal behavior unaddressed, only sporadically referring it to law enforcement. (Smola Shaffer, Filby and Wagner, 2/2)
San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Hoped To Mandate Treatment For Up To 100 More Mentally Ill Homeless People. Years Later, No One Is In The Program
New data shows that a program in San Francisco to mandate more homeless people struggling with addiction and mental illness into treatment has largely failed, pointing to the city’s ongoing struggle to help thousands of people suffering on its streets. (Moench, 2/3)
The Baltimore Sun: Diverse Baltimore County ‘Village’ Helps Seniors Stay Safer, Healthier, While Still Living At Home
An icy wind sweeps across the grounds of the busiest mosque in the Baltimore area, swirling up little patches of snow, but the atmosphere inside a ranch house on the 8-acre campus is as warm and friendly as a neighbor’s kitchen. The aroma of kofta, a curried meatball dish, fills a cozy front room. White-haired men surround a folding table to watch an impromptu game of chess, some standing, others sitting, speaking in an animated mix of Urdu, Punjabi and English. (Pitts, 2/6)
Side Effects Public Media: Evictions On The Rise In The Midwest Put Public Health At Risk
The trouble for Rolland Carroll started last fall. That’s when the 61-year-old said his apartment complex in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, informed him that his federal housing aid for his one-bedroom apartment had been reduced months ago. He owed more than $2,000 in back rent. “I was in shock,” Carroll said. “Like, how the heck could I owe this amount of money without you guys saying something months ago?” (Krebs, 2/2)
KHN: Why Two States Remain Holdouts On Distracted Driving Laws
He had lost a grandson to an overdose just hours before, but aiding stranded motorists was second nature to the 73-year-old retired school custodian, who remembered thousands of students’ names and regularly brought food pantry donations to a retirement community. “He always was there to help people,” said his son Bobby Herrick, who was in the car with him that night. Just moments later, a truck driver trying to text his wife a picture of the hand sanitizer he had purchased swerved onto the shoulder and plowed into the vehicles, according to court and crash records. (Berger, 2/6)
KHN: Journalists Probe Problems In Providing Care For Foster Kids And Propping Up Addiction Treatment
KHN senior editor Andy Miller discussed the problems with Georgia’s foster care system on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s “Lawmakers” on Jan. 26. ... KHN Midwest correspondent Bram Sable-Smith discussed Howard Buffett’s $30 million donation for a recovery center on KMOX’s “Total Information A.M.” on Jan. 25. (2/4)
