State Highlights: New Jersey Among States Considering Adolescent Consent For Vaccinations; Kansas, Missouri Neglecting To Use Discipline Database On Doctors, Report Finds
Media outlets report on news from New Jersey, Virginia, Kansas, Missouri, California, Georgia, North Carolina, New York, Arizona, Maryland, Ohio and Massachusetts.
Stateline:
Teens Of ‘Anti-Vaxxers’ Can Get Their Own Vaccines, Some States Say
A young man who had just turned 18 showed up at the Virginia office of Drs. Sterling and Karen Ransone earlier this month and asked for the vaccines for meningitis and human papillomavirus.It was his first opportunity to be vaccinated. As a minor, he needed permission from his parents, and they wouldn’t grant it because they didn’t think the vaccines were medically necessary. Now, as a legal adult, he could get the shots on his own. (Ollove, 6/24)
Kansas City Star:
Data Bank Of Doctor Discipline Goes Largely Unused In States
In the United States, the licensing and disciplining of doctors is left up to states. The patchwork of state medical boards sometimes allows physicians to keep practicing in one state even if they have a history of poor care or unethical behavior in another — particularly a problem in metro areas like Kansas City that straddle two states. (Marso, 6/21)
The Wall Street Journal:
San Francisco Set To Ban E-Cigarettes
San Francisco is expected to become the first city in the U.S. to ban e-cigarettes this week, a move that will likely pit the city against one of its fastest-growing startups: Juul Labs Inc. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors will hold a final vote on the ordinance, which bans the sale, distribution and manufacturing of e-cigarettes, on Tuesday. The measure will then need to be signed by the mayor, London Breed. (Ansari, 6/23)
The Hill:
Georgia Officials Investigating After 54 Kids Sickened At Summer Camp
Georgia Department of Health officials are reportedly investigating after 54 children attending an Atlanta-area summer camp became ill. WSB-TV reported Friday that the Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Putnam County, Ga., was closed for overnight visits this week after dozens of children staying overnight reported signs of a gastrointestinal illness. (Bowden, 6/22)
North Carolina Health News:
Funding Increases Likely For NC Personal Assistance Allowance, Community Services
A General Assembly budget likely to emerge early this week will include increases in several areas vital to older people, a Republican budget crafter said Saturday. The conference committee budget is the result of negotiations between members of the state House of Representatives and the state Senate. Budget-writer Rep. Josh Dobson (R-Nebo) said older people and advocates can expect increases in funding for the personal needs allowance for lower-income people in long-term care and in the Home and Community Care Block Grants that fund county-run services such as home-delivered meals, in-home aides, senior centers, and transportation. (Goldsmith, 6/24)
Modern Healthcare:
Prominent NYC Hospitals Close On Sale Of Liability Insurer
Three prominent New York City health systems have completed the sale of an insurance company whose reputation was tarnished in 2017 by the revelation that it had secretly funneled hundreds of millions of dollars back to the providers. Montefiore Health System, Mount Sinai Health System and Maimonides Medical Center sold their professional liability insurer, Hospitals Insurance Company, and the assets of its third-party administrator, FOJP Service Corporation, to The Doctors Company for $650 million. (Bannow, 6/21)
Arizona Republic:
$2.5M Settlement Against Sham Nonprofits To Be Distributed To Charities
A $2.5 million settlement from a lawsuit against four fraudulent cancer charities will be distributed to cancer centers throughout the country, Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced. ...Of the money collected, only 3% was directed to cancer patients in the United States in the form of “care packages” containing religious DVDs, Moon Pies, clothing and various sundries, according to a news release Thursday from the attorney general. (Moreno, 6/21)
Arizona Republic:
Arizona Auditor General: Hundreds Of Delayed School Facilities Board Projects
More than 100 facility repairs at Arizona schools took longer than a year to complete, potentially posing health and safety risks to students, according to a June 2019 audit of the state's School Facilities Board. In the report, the Arizona Auditor General's Office investigated the state's Building Renewal Grant Fund, which is managed by the School Facilities Board. (Altavena, 6/21)
The Baltimore Sun:
University System Of Maryland Announces Details Of Adenovirus Outbreak Review
The University System of Maryland outlined some of the questions it will aim to investigate as part of an independent review of a fatal adenovirus outbreak on the College Park campus in 2018. Olivia Paregol, a University of Maryland freshman from Howard County, died Nov. 18 of an illness related to the adenovirus. Forty students were sickened, including 15 treated at hospitals. The board is taking the action at the direction of Gov. Larry Hogan, who ordered an independent look at how the university responded. (Bowie, 6/21)
North Carolina Health News:
2019 Health & Human Services Budget – House & Senate
After 2018’s unusual budget process this year’s budget has unfolded in a more “traditional” way. The House unveiled it’s proposal to spend $5.569 billion on health and human services priorities in early May. The Senate finished it’s work on the budget in early June, asking for a total appropriation of $5.552 billion for the same part of the state’s HHS budget. Some of the big differences in the two budgets include across the board cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services, differences in block grant and nonprofit contractor funding and different earmarks to various lawmakers’ favored projects. (Hoban, 6/24)
Cleveland Plain Dealer:
How Ohio Parents Can Search For Safe Child Care Options
The state of Ohio provides a resource to parents searching for child care, including a searchable database of licensed providers that inspection reports and information about the quality of facilities. A Cleveland 2-year-old’s still-unexplained death Tuesday after her mother picked her up at a home daycare center renewed interest in the topic of daycare safety. (Peters, 6/21)
The Wall Street Journal:
Gavin Newsom Proposes Wildfire Fund To Bolster PG&E, Other California Utilities
Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing a multibillion-dollar wildfire fund to help California’s utilities cover mounting fire-related liability costs that have threatened their financial health. The fund is part of a wider regulatory overhaul the Democratic governor unveiled Friday as he seeks to reach consensus with state lawmakers on fixing the crisis created by the collapse of PG&E Corp., which sought bankruptcy protection in January after its role in sparking wildfires created more than $30 billion in potential liabilities. (Lazo and Blunt, 6/21)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Fines Sutter Sacramento In 2017 Overdose Death Of Patient
Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento has been fined by state regulators over a lethal dose of morphine administered by medical staff, according to a report released this week by the California Department of Public Health. A patient died after he received 166 times the prescribed dosage of morphine on Aug. 28, 2017, regulators said. (Anderson, 6/21)
Los Angeles Times:
How A Trip On Magic Mushrooms Helped Decriminalize Psychedelic Plants In A California City
Carlos Plazola locked himself in a bedroom while his cousin stood guard. For five hours, he tripped on magic mushrooms, nibbling the fungi and sipping them in tea. He ingested 5 grams — a heady amount that connoisseurs call the “heroic dose.” It was Plazola’s first time using the mushrooms, which contain the naturally occurring hallucinogen psilocybin. He started having epiphanies, one right after the other, like lightning bolts. (Branson-Potts, 6/22)
WBUR:
Mass. Policy Outlines Ban Of Some Hemp Products, Including CBD-Infused Foods
Massachusetts regulators have banned the sale of some hemp products, including foods infused with cannabidiol (CBD) and dietary supplements. The restrictions were outlined in a recent policy statement from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR). (Enwemeka, 6/21)
The Baltimore Sun:
Harford Continues To Encourage Parents To Talk To Their Children About Addiction, Mental Health
Harford County government is continuing its addiction prevention campaign this summer with its latest multi-media efforts encouraging parents to talk to their children about substance abuse and mental health. As part of its efforts, the county’s two billboards and 45-second public service announcements in two movie theaters are meant to prompt conversations that can sometimes be difficult, for parents and their children, said Cindy Mumby, a spokesperson for Harford County government. It’s a way to capture the younger generation, she said. (Butler, 6/21)