Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pediatricians Lawsuit V. Florida House Over Gender Care Info Set For Trial
A federal judge this week set the stage for a trial in a battle over the state House鈥檚 attempt to obtain internal information about how the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics developed standards of care for children diagnosed with gender dysphoria. (Saunders, 7/25)
The Washington University Transgender Center continues to offer some treatments to transgender patients under 18 after state legislators passed a law last year that prohibits doctors from providing minors with comprehensive gender-affirming care. Wash U officials recently sought to clarify that Washington University would continue some services after a former caseworker at the center said that the pediatric center would close. (Fentem, 7/29)
On the gun violence epidemic 鈥
15-year-old who was among those charged with opening fire during the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally has been sentenced to a state facility for youths. 鈥淭hat is not who I am,鈥 the teen, who was referred to as R.G. in court documents, said at Thursday鈥檚 hearing. He described himself as a good kid before he became associated with a group of peers involved in the Feb. 14 shooting, The Kansas City Star reported. The host of a local radio program was killed, 25 were wounded and 69 others sustained other injuries, such as broken bones and dislocated joints, as they fled, Kansas City police detective Grant Spiking testified. (7/26)
The Moon Township man who was injured during the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump is out of the hospital. James Copenhaver has been discharged from Allegheny General Hospital, a spokesperson for Highmark Health said. (Lang, 7/28)
More health news from across the U.S. 鈥
Children with a family history of incarceration are more likely to be diagnosed with physical and mental health conditions than other kids, a recent analysis suggests. Published in Academic Pediatrics, the study looked at 11 years鈥 worth of electronic health records from Cincinnati Children鈥檚, analyzing over 1.74 million unique patients under age 21 years between 2009 and 2020. It sheds light on the ripple effects of mass incarceration. (Blakemore, 7/28)
They are plumbers and casino supervisors, pizzeria managers and factory workers. They deliver groceries, sell eyeglasses and unload trucks at Amazon. And they鈥檙e the new, unlikely face of homelessness: Working Americans with decent-paying jobs who simply can鈥檛 afford a place to live. Homelessness, already at a record high last year, appears to be worsening among people with jobs, as housing becomes further out of reach for low-wage earners, according to shelter interviews and upticks in evictions and homelessness tallies around the country. (Bhattarai, 7/28)
Legionella bacteria 鈥 a pathogen that can cause the serious Legionnaires鈥 disease and the less serious Pontiac fever 鈥 has been detected in the water fixtures of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Social Security Administration facilities in Woodlawn. Out of an 鈥渁bundance of caution,鈥 most employees and contractors at the CMS headquarters are working remotely, but the agency isn鈥檛 aware of any health problems affecting its workforce, a CMS spokesperson said. (Roberts, 7/26)