Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
California Logs 4th Human Bird Flu Case
California on Thursday confirmed a fourth case of bird flu in a person who had contact with infected dairy cattle. Nationwide, 18 people this year have tested positive for the virus, which has been confirmed in dairy herds in 14 states. All but one of the people were known to be exposed to sick cattle or poultry. The four people who tested positive in California, the most populous U.S. state, were exposed to infected cows at four separate farms, the California Department of Public Health said. (10/10)
Iowa, along with 19 other states and nursing home industry groups, is suing the federal government over a rule that would set new minimum staffing requirements in nursing homes. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is co-leading the lawsuit with Kansas and South Carolina against U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Seventeen other states’ attorneys general, along with several nursing home industry groups, have also signed on. (Krebs, 10/10)
The hospital is celebrating its 100th year, and still welcomes patients whether they can pay or not. (Neman, 10/10)
Also —
Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News: Colorado’s Naloxone Fund Is Drying Up, Even As Opioid Settlement Money Rolls In
On a bustling street corner one recent afternoon outside the offices of the Harm Reduction Action Center, employees of the education and advocacy nonprofit handed out free naloxone kits to passersby. Distributing the opioid reversal medication is essential to the center’s work to reduce fatal overdoses in the community. But how long the group can continue doing so is in question. (Cleveland, 10/11)