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Three states are empowering dental therapists to perform some tasks that previously were done by dentists. Dentists say the shift could weaken the quality of patient care because therapists are not sufficiently trained, an assertion therapists dispute. Vermont became the latest state earlier this summer to recognize dental therapists, which are licensed dental hygienists who have gone on to complete a dental therapy graduate program. The Green Mountain State joins Maine and Minnesota in allowing dental therapists to practice under the supervision of a dentist. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium also recognizes dental therapists to help on tribal land but state lawmakers have not formally passed legislation that would allow them to practice statewide. (Evans, 7/18)

While the budget adopted by legislators often doesn't explain how various cuts will be achieved, the Department of Social Services has now formulated a detailed plan for saving the tens of millions of dollars legislators and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy cut from its budget. ...The plan for the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services also includes millions in cuts, which will be finalized over the next several weeks. The largest cut to the agency's budget was also in personnel. The plan does not outline whether 87 positions that already have been eliminated through layoffs will be enough to achieve the $22 million in savings the state budget calls for. (Rabe Thomas, 7/21)

Parents in Dallas may be getting mixed messages about whether or not their children need to be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted infection linked to several types of cancers. While the Gardasil vaccine is now recommended for both boys and girls starting at age 11, nearly half of Texas teens fail to get it. Part of issue might be the way clinicians approach the topic, says a study analyzing recorded discussions between parents and providers at six pediatric safety-net clinics in Dallas. (Rice, 7/20)

Unionized nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital voted Wednesday to approve a new three-year contract, formally ending a bitter labor dispute with one of the state’s largest hospitals. Officials at the Massachusetts Nurses Association declined to say how many nurses turned out for the vote, or how many voted in favor of the contract. The union represents 3,300 Brigham nurses. Union and hospital leaders reached agreement on a contract in the early hours of June 26, capping 10 months of tense negotiations — just one day before a planned strike. (McCluskey, 7/20)

About 40 of the hundreds of former patients who were purposely misdiagnosed with cancer or poisoned with unnecessary treatment by Oakland County oncologist Farid Fata will share in an $8-million settlement entered today in lawsuits filed against Fata and three hospitals... The malpractice victims represent just a fraction of Fata's victims, who number at least 550, but many didn't file malpractice claims; some were unable to sue because of the statute of limitations. (Dixon, 7/20)

A city health clinic was broken into a third time in two weeks last night, leaving city officials frustrated and employees of the facility unnerved. No patient files or drugs were stolen during the incidents at Eastern Health Clinic, where foot patrols by private security and Baltimore police officers have been increased, said Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen. (McDaniels, 7/20)

Columbus City Schools and Nationwide Children’s Hospital are expanding student health-care mini-clinics to eight more buildings in Linden and the West Side. The district opened the first seven clinics in the past school year after it announced in November that the hospital would provide nurse practitioners and medical equipment for the program. The clinics rolled out between November and late January, and since then 251 students have visited on average twice each. (Bush, 7/21)

University of Central Florida and Adventist University of Health Sciences are among the recipients of a new batch of federal grants aimed at expanding health-care workforce. UCF received nearly $350,000 for training advanced nurse practitioners and more than $33,000 for a program to offer eligible nursing students partial loan forgiveness when they graduate and serve as full-time nursing faculty. (Miller, 7/20)

It's summertime, and to Sandra Gompf, that means 'amoeba season'. Seven years ago, her 10-year old son Philip went swimming in a lake in Auburndale. About a week later, he died from a brain-eating amoeba that lives in freshwater and enters the body when water is forced up the nose. Both of Philip's parents are doctors. And since their son's death, they've been educating the public -- including posting a series of billboards along Interstate 4 through August. (Walters, 7/20)

Three Sutter Health hospitals have made a list of best places to work. Sutter Amador Hospital, Sutter Davis Hospital and Sutter Center for Psychiatry were named by Modern Healthcare magazine as three of the 100 best places to work in healthcare in 2016. It is the 8th year in a row that Sutter Davis Hospital has made the list, the fifth year for Sutter Center for Psychiatry and the first time for Sutter Amador Hospital. (Lindelof, 7/20)

For thousands of Minnesota students, surviving the school day isn't as simple as it seems. MPR News host Tom Weber guides a conversation that looks at how undiagnosed mental health issues can play out in the classroom. Weber is joined by Mark Sander, Director of School Mental Health, Hennepin County and Minneapolis Public Schools talks about how hundreds of children will go through their elementary school years with undiagnosed mental health issues. (Weber, 7/20)

A Madrid nursing home that repeatedly has been cited by state inspectors is temporarily barred from accepting new residents who use Medicaid or Medicare to pay for their care...Inspectors’ allegations included that in April a resident tumbled to the floor and broke a hip because a nursing home supervisor failed to properly secure a sling to a mechanical lifting device. (Leys, 6/20)

That was the point of the Summer Feeding program at the Veggie Truck Farmers Market put on by Wholesome Wave, Augusta Locally Grown and Icebox Ministries, to feed the kids and give them the chance to learn about and try something new, Knox said. “It opens them up to different things,” she said. The groups partnered this summer to help the Richmond County Board of Education distribute meals at the market as part of its summer feeding program, which tries to reach kids who would normally be getting meals through the National School Lunch Program. (Corwin, 7/19)

An appeals court Wednesday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit against a Broward County hospital and a psychiatrist in the death of a former patient who overdosed a day after being discharged from the hospital. The ruling stems from a negligence lawsuit filed by the estate of Michael Taime against Broward Health Imperial Point Medical Center and psychiatrist Robert Antoine. (7/20)