Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
10% Of All Fentanyl Seized By Feds In 2023 Was In New York City
The battle to keep fentanyl off New York City streets continues. Federal agents seized the highest amount of fentanyl ever in the Big Apple last year. And of all the fentanyl seized in the United States last year, New York City accounted for 10% of it. CBS New York recently sat down for an exclusively interview with the Drug Enforcement Administration's Special Agent in Charge. "This has been the biggest drug threat we have ever seen in the history of DEA," Frank Tarentino said. (Bisram, 1/22)
On gun violence and mental health 鈥
Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of the Oxford, Mich., teen who killed four students in 2021, heads to trial Tuesday in a high-profile case that marks the first time parents of a school shooter have faced involuntary manslaughter charges related to their child鈥檚 crime. The Crumbley parents acknowledge that they bought their son a gun in the days before the Nov. 30, 2021, shooting at Oxford High School, but they are not accused of knowing about their son鈥檚 plan. Prosecutors say the parents gave their son access to a deadly weapon while ignoring his mental health struggles, including ones raised by his teachers on the day of the shooting. (Bellware, 1/22)
Some patients resist getting more treatment because they're afraid their guns will be confiscated. This is the reality of suicide prevention work in a state with one of the highest gun ownership rates in the United States. For most of the last decade, Wyoming has also had one of the highest suicide rates and, specifically, high gun suicide rates. Firearms are used in roughly 75% of suicides in the Cowboy State, compared with just over 50% nationally. (Siegler, 1/23)
Talkspace said it is partnering with the American Federation of Teachers to offer therapy and other mental health resources to union members.聽The partnership between the digital behavioral health company and the union representing 1.7 million workers including teachers, nurses聽and retirees exemplifies a strategy priority for the company this year, said聽Natalie Cummins, Talkspace's chief business officer. (DeSilva, 1/22)
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More health news from across the U.S. 鈥
Lori Kelley was decorating her Concord home for Christmas when she pierced her finger on a shard of glass from a broken ornament. It seemed like a minor injury at first. Kelley wasn鈥檛 in pain, and the glass hadn鈥檛 cut deeply enough to draw blood. 鈥淚 totally ignored it,鈥 she said.聽Two days later, she was hospitalized with a 鈥渉orrible鈥 bacterial infection that required surgery. Her procedure was covered thanks to Medicaid expansion. (Baxley, 1/23)
Cardinal Sean P. O鈥橫alley, the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, condemned physician-assisted suicide at a conference concerning the value of human life over the weekend in Washington, D.C., according to a Catholic news service. O鈥橫alley forewarned that 鈥渢he next major assaults鈥 on the value of life over the next quarter-century 鈥渁re going to come from those pushing physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia,鈥 according to OSV News. An archdiocese spokesperson confirmed the report as accurate on Monday. (McDonald, 1/22)
At least seven laws passed by Texas legislators and signed by the governor last year target LGBTQ people in violation of federal and international human rights law, four LGBTQ advocacy groups wrote Monday in a petition to the United Nations. The groups in a聽joint letter of allegation聽submitted Monday to 17 independent experts, working groups and special rapporteurs at the U.N. wrote that Texas leaders during the state鈥檚 last legislative session intentionally targeted the LGBTQ community through hostile laws that have upended the lives of LGBTQ Texans. (Migdon, 1/22)
A Florida House panel on Monday backed a measure that would require state-issued identification cards to reflect a person's sex assigned at birth and impose requirements for insurers who cover gender-affirming care. The Republican-controlled House Select Committee on Health Innovation approved the bill (HB 1639) along party lines, despite opposition from transgender people and their allies. (1/22)