Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Maryland Will Participate In 'AHEAD Model' That Promotes Health Equity
Gov. Wes Moore signed an agreement Friday pledging Maryland鈥檚 participation in a federal model to promote equitable and affordable health care for all Maryland residents. With Moore鈥檚 signature, the state will participate in the federal States Advancing All-Payer Equity Approaches and Development Model, also known as the AHEAD Model. (Hacker, 11/3)
A Kansas City, Kansas, woman incarcerated in a state prison alleges the Department of Corrections ignored her medical problems, leading to a hospitalization and surgery in September, as well as lifelong kidney failure. (Moore, 11/2)
The SEED School of Washington, D.C., a rare charter boarding campus in the District, has been accused of flouting local and federal education laws that protect students with disabilities 鈥 drawing outrage and a 鈥渘otice of concern鈥 from the city鈥檚 charter school board. A September audit found the high school, one of D.C.鈥檚 oldest charter schools, suspended students without first holding federally mandated meetings that are supposed to determine whether a child鈥檚 behavior is the manifestation of a disability or the result of an IEP 鈥 or individualized education program 鈥 that has not been fully implemented. IEPs are legal documents that detail a student鈥檚 special education needs and how they should be met. (Lumpkin, 11/3)
To Dioselina Salto, the first two weeks of motherhood were amazing, even though she spent much of it in the hospital after her daughter was born prematurely. She visited her daughter Janelle twice a day, held her close to her own skin and pumped breast milk for her, which doctors supplemented with specialized formula. But a midnight call from the hospital changed everything. Doctors told Salto that Janelle had developed a life-threatening intestinal disease called necrotizing enterocolitis, or NEC. (Schencker, 11/3)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday warned against the use of compounded drugs, including versions of popular weight-loss treatments, made by a California-based facility over concerns that they could be contaminated. The facility, Fullerton Wellness, makes compounded versions of Novo Nordisk's and Eli Lilly's weight-loss drugs, among others. It distributes them to patients by medical offices and clinics. (11/1)
The remnants of Hurricane Helene claimed at least 101 lives in western North Carolina, burying many victims beneath rubble and floodwater.聽Highly trained dogs have played a crucial role in finding victims鈥 remains; one canine-assisted search team from Guilford County recovered 20 bodies in the immediate aftermath of the storm. These specialist canines and their handlers are likely to find more casualties in the weeks to come, according to cadaver dog expert Cat Warren.聽(Baxley, 11/4)
Also 鈥
Los Angeles County health officials said they have detected H5N1 bird flu virus in wastewater collected from the A.K. Warren Water Resource Facility in Carson. The viral 鈥渉it鈥 was detected on Oct. 28 by WastewaterSCAN, an infectious disease monitoring network run by researchers at Stanford, Emory University and Verily, Alphabet Inc.鈥檚 life sciences organization. Hits were also seen during the last week in San Jos茅, Redwood City, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, Marina and Turlock. (Rust, 11/1)
Two Elmhurst University students tested positive for tuberculosis Thursday, according to a statement from university President Troy VanAken. They have been isolated and placed under medical supervision. The private liberal arts school has been working with the DuPage County Health Department to identify and notify individuals who may have been exposed to the potentially serious but treatable bacterial infection that primarily affects the lungs. (Atkins, 11/3)
Cases of whooping cough are significantly on the rise in Missouri, echoing a nationwide trend that federal health officials are warning the public about. Missouri has so far this year tallied 422 cases of whooping cough, a 744% increase over a year ago, when there were 50 cases statewide. In Illinois, the numbers are similarly high: There were 1,356 reported cases, compared with 428 at this time last year. (Fentem, 11/4)
Yesterday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, investigators describe a deadly outbreak of meningococcal disease primarily in Virginia's Eastern Health Planning Region from 2022 to 2024. The outbreak is notable, as almost 80% of the cases occurred in Black residents, and 63.9% were in an age group (30 to 60 years) not generally considered at increased risk of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD). (Soucheray, 11/1)