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The battle between the federal government and two area hospital systems will spill back into court Friday, in a case that could alter the Chicago health care landscape in more ways than one. The case, over a potential merger between Advocate Health Care and NorthShore University HealthSystem, could lead to changes in the cost and quality of health care in the Chicago area. Whether those changes would be good or bad depends on which side is doing the talking. (Schencker, 8/18)

Twin Cities nurses have authorized an open-ended strike at five Allina hospitals. The same group of 4,800 union nurses walked off the job for a week in June. Nurse negotiator Angela Becchetti said rank-and-file members overwhelmingly rejected Allina's latest contract offer. ... The Minnesota Nurses Association says Allina's offer is unacceptable because it would force nurses to bear the brunt of premium increases on their union-only health insurance plans. (Benson, 8/19)

Experts from a variety of fields gathered Wednesday at the Statehouse for a mental health symposium spurred by an Emporia hospital’s struggle last year to find a psychiatric care bed for a suicidal patient. House Speaker Pro Tem Peggy Mast, a Republican from Emporia, said she was inspired to convene the symposium after hearing from officials at Newman Regional Health. That hospital nearly lost federal certification after a botched transfer of a patient who was having chest pains and thoughts of suicide. (Marso, 8/18)

A San Diego woman's harrowing account of her aunt's death last month under California's new physician aid-in-dying law suggests that healthcare providers still have a long way to go to make the process work smoothly for terminally ill patients. ... Compassion & Choices, a not-for-profit group that advocates for end-of-life choices and supports the law, has heard of California doctors writing 25 lethal prescriptions so far. The actual number is probably double or triple that, said Kat West, the group's national director of policy and programs. (Meyer, 8/17)

VA staffing shortages in the Corpus Christi area have created monthslong waits for him and many others among the region’s thousands of veterans as they try to see primary care doctors, dentists and other specialists. The VA also issues vouchers so veterans can see private providers that try to help with the patient load, but delayed payments on claims have forced many doctors’ offices to stop seeing veterans. The waits are emblematic of the challenges VA clinics across Texas and the nation continue to face even after series of stories in 2014 exposed systemic problems within the VA. (Rocha, 8/19)

The U.S. Department of Justice has decided to sue Georgia over its segregated “psychoeducational” schools for disabled children. The head of the department’s civil rights division sent a letter to Gov. Nathan Deal and other state officials Monday describing a breakdown in negotiations over the future of the Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support, or GNETS. “We have determined that we must pursue the United States’ claims in federal court to vindicate the rights of thousands of affected students with behavior-related disabilities across Georgia,” wrote Vanita Gupta, who heads the civil rights division. (Judd, 8/17)

Joyce Gottesfeld remembers the moment on Feb. 10, 2012, when a code blue rippled through Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver — a patient had gone into cardiac arrest. Gottesfeld had just met with expectant mother Cassidy Smith, who was ready to deliver her daughter, before the emergency struck and mobilized dozens of staff members. During labor, Smith suffered a catastrophic amniotic fluid embolism, a rare but serious condition that caused her heart and lungs to stop working and her blood to stop clotting — as well as her fetus’ heart to stop. (Wenzel, 8/18)

A transgender inmate at a Fort Worth federal prison has reportedly been approved to begin hormone treatment, a critical step in the process to transition. Marius Mason is believed to be the the first female-to-male inmate to obtain transition-related medical care after coming into federal custody, according to The Dallas Voice.  (Mervosh, 8/18)

A new study of sports physicals has shown surprisingly high rates of obesity and elevated blood pressure among Philadelphia student athletes. Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University surveying four years of physical exam results for students ages 10 to 20 found obesity and high blood pressure appear to be as much of a problem for active kids as for their peers. The suggestion, the researchers say, is that even participation in athletics was not enough to protect the youngsters from these health concerns. (Giordano, 8/19)

As the number of cases of diarrheal disease in a two-county outbreak has nearly doubled in the past week, some swimming pools have closed and health officials are reaching out to schools and day-care centers to encourage prevention. Cases of cryptosporidiosis linked to area pools, splash pads and a water park — in Columbus and Franklin and Delaware counties — have jumped from 107 a week ago to at least 202. That's more cases than the health departments saw in the past four years combined. Late Thursday, the city of Columbus announced that it will close all of its pools, spray grounds and the Scioto Mile fountains on Friday. (Smola, 8/18)

The walkway leading up to Healthways’ building is dotted with stones memorializing the company’s 35-year history. It needs a new one to mark the next era: Dr. Mehmet Oz and WebMD founder Jeff Arnold want to turn the local health care staple into a leader in digital care. Arnold and Oz, the daytime TV medical personality, came to the firm's Franklin office Wednesday to introduce themselves to the 1,700 Healthways employees who now work for their Atlanta-based company, Sharecare. (Fletcher, 8/18)

Florida’s medical marijuana program took too long to start for the parents of some sick children. ... Gail said Lucie has seizures that can cause her to fall to the ground. She’s broken her collar bone three times, and has a scar on her face from seizing and collapsing. When Gov. Rick Scott approved the use of a non-euphoric strain of medical marijuana in 2014, Gail believed this could help people like her daughter. ... And then, she waited. It’s now been more than two years. (Forchecz, 8/18)

To many people, spring and fall are the prettiest and most pleasant times of the year in the Peach State. But these temperate, transitional seasons have a downside: They often help trigger allergies. The seasonal pollen that causes an uptick in watery eyes and runny noses has been on the rise in recent years, both in Georgia and elsewhere, and researchers and physicians are working hard to determine the cause and take preventive action. (Peters, 8/18)

As part of Florida’s Healthy Babies Initiative, state health officials are looking into several projects to help cut down on the racial disparities in infant mortality. One such project is the Baby Box—very popular in Finland. ... Mike Mason with the Florida Department of Health’s Office of Minority Health adds it also includes supplies and products for the baby. And, the baby box is seen to have helped Finland with its infant mortality rates. (Cordner, 8/18)