State Highlights: ‘Street Medicine’ Movement To Help Sick Homeless Is Surging Across County; Advocates Ask Judge To Block Idaho’s Abortion Reporting Law
Media outlets report on news from Texas, Idaho, Illinois, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Kansas, Georgia, California, Pennsylvania and Arizona.
Stateline:
The Homeless Get Sick; ‘Street Medicine’ Is There For Them
Toting a huge olive-green backpack stuffed with medical supplies, physician assistant Joel Hunt pushes through a dense cluster of woods less than two miles from downtown Fort Worth. He approaches a suspended tarp that serves as a makeshift tent, peeking inside at an elderly woman who was evicted from her home nearly eight months ago. “So how have you been doing?” Hunt asks. The woman, who is lying on her back, warms up to Hunt’s gentle questioning. She says she is out of medicine for her back pain, and was “kicked out” of her residence in January. Hunt invites her to his clinic for a back-pain referral, then extends his hand in a fist-bump gesture. The woman reaches out and pats his wrist. (Montgomery, 9/18)
The Associated Press:
Judge To Consider Suspending Idaho's Abortion Reporting Law
Lawyers are asking a U.S. judge to issue a preliminary injunction blocking a new Idaho law requiring doctors to report extensive personal information to the state about women who have had abortions. The law, which took effect July 1, requires health care providers to disclose information about patients who had one of several "complications" listed in the law, the Idaho Press reported . A preliminary injunction means the law would not be enforced while the matter is being discussed in court. (9/18)
NPR:
Jails Work With Communities To Get Treatment For Mentally Ill Inmates
DeVonte Jones began to show signs of schizophrenia as a teenager. His first public episode was nine years ago at a ball game at Wavering Park, in Quincy, Ill. "He snapped out and just went around and started kicking people," says Jones' mother Linda Colon, who now lives in a Chicago suburb. The police were called. Jones was arrested, charged with aggravated battery and placed in Adams County Jail. Colon says Jones had no recollection of what happened. (Herman, 9/19)
NH Times Union:
Number Of NH Legionnaires' Disease Cases Rises
State health officials have increased the number of confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease to 18, following an outbreak in Hampton this summer which left one person dead and 16 hospitalized. Health officials believe the outbreak began near Ashworth Avenue and the surrounding area between June 10 and Aug. 26. (Feely, 9/18)
NH Times Union:
Student-Athletes Kick Off Effort To Raise Awareness Of Mental Health
Some pretty important people — the governor, a former Supreme Court justice and a hospital CEO, to name a few — were at the State House for Monday’s official unveiling of a poster campaign to raise awareness of mental health in the schools. But it was the students who stole the show. R.E.A.C.T. is a partnership among Dartmouth-Hitchcock, the state Department of Education and the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association (NHIAA). It aims to encourage students who are dealing with emotional suffering and mental illness to get the help they need. (Wickham, 9/17)
The CT Mirror:
CT Hospitals Collect $1.2B In Outpatient Facility Fees Over Three Years
Connecticut hospitals and health networks have received an estimated $1.2 billion in outpatient facility fees from 2015 through 2017, according to data released Tuesday. These fees are collected for a wide-range of services, including oncology, eye surgery and psychotherapy, provided at off-site facilities run by hospitals and health networks. (Kara and Rigg, 9/18)
Kansas City Star:
Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center At KU Has New Director
The new director of a stem cell research facility at the University of Kansas Medical Center said he’s not concerned about recent reductions in the facility’s space. But he does think it needs more money.Sunil Abhyankar, a KU oncologist who specializes in blood cancers, was introduced to the Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center Advisory Board as the center’s new director Monday night. (Marso, 9/18)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Emory Gets $29 Million Grant From Wounded Warrior Project
Veterans hoping for more mental health services may soon get it in the form of a $29.2 million grant given to the Emory Healthcare Veterans Program. The Wounded Warrior Project awarded the program with the five-year grant at Monday night’s Braves game. (Habersham, 9/18)
The CT Mirror:
DOC Health Care Workers Call On Gubernatorial Candidates To Fill Staff Vacancies
Department of Correction health care workers stood in the pouring rain outside a Hartford prison Tuesday to rally against staffing vacancies and demand an agreement from gubernatorial and legislative candidates to fill empty jobs they say are undermining quality inmate care. Sheltering underneath a blue and yellow umbrella as he tried to see through rain-speckled glasses, social worker Matthew Eggen said the insufficient staffing levels have left health care workers unable to provide the type of care the state and inmates in the system deserve. (Silber, 9/18)
Georgia Health News:
State’s Obesity Rate Not The Worst, But Not Good
Georgia’s obesity rate for adults is about average among states, the CDC reports. But it’s still a startlingly high figure. Almost one in three residents in the state is obese. (Miller, 9/18)
NH Times Union:
Beyond The Stigma: After Son's Suicide, Orford Mom Speaks Out, Pleads For Kindness
Jack Isenberg was funny and quirky, sweet-natured and kind-hearted.Jack was devoted to his family, his collie and his two cats. He liked riding his bike and playing basketball, and he loved cartoons. He wanted to become a chef. "He was just the fun in our house," his mom says. "He glued everything, all the kids, together." (Wickham, 9/16)
Los Angeles Times:
Surgeon Who Appeared On Reality TV Dating Show Is Accused Of Sexual Assault And Preying On Drugged Women
Dr. Grant William Robicheaux billed himself as an elite orthopedic surgeon catering to Newport Beach’s famous and wealthy. It was a lifestyle he pushed not only in his medical work but on realty TV, where he appeared on a Bravo dating show wearing his hospital scrubs and a wide smile. (Winton, 9/18)
Philadelphia Inquirer:
‘Why Not Me?’ Great-Grandmas In New Jersey Are Getting On Board With Medical Marijuana.
Ruggiero is among a small but growing group of people in their 80s and 90s who have decided to experiment with marijuana, still an illegal substance under federal law. A majority of states have legalized it to treat a wide array of ailments and its popularity is rising. (Hefler, 9/19)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Fulton Jail: Judge Pledges Fixes For Mentally-Ill Women Behind Bars
Court and jail officials are taking steps to improve what have been described as “barbaric” conditions for mentally ill women inmates held at a south Fulton County jail, one of the county’s top judges said. The Sheriff’s Office is providing extra correctional officers to work with the women prisoners, and the jail’s healthcare provider is doubling its visits to the jail and educating guards on how to properly interact with the women, Fulton State Court Chief Judge Diane Bessen said. (Rankin, 9/18)
Arizona Republic:
Arizona Homeless: Who Cares For Them When They Die In Phoenix Streets
According to a 2017 report by the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, 26 percent of heat-associated deaths occurred among homeless individuals. The department estimated 94 homeless individuals died due to the heat between 2016-2017. (Castle, 9/18)