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The idea behind the “drug-free school zones” was to deter dealers at the height of a national crack cocaine epidemic from peddling drugs to children where they could be found most days. Now those laws are undergoing new scrutiny, as states revisit long sentences for drug crimes that have led to mass incarceration and as they face a new drug epidemic, this time opioid addiction. (Wiltz, 9/15)

The dispute centers on exactly what types of treatment can be provided by advanced practice registered nurses (APRN), and under what level of oversight. Tennessee is among the dozen states with the most restrictive scope of practice laws — and the reform debate is a recurring flashpoint in legislative sessions. The nurses contend they are equipped to administer many of the same primary care and preventative treatments as doctors. Further, they point to a growing primary care physician shortage across the region. (Fletcher, 9/14)

Baltimore school officials are warning parents that their children will be prohibited from attending school starting next week if they have not received immunizations for certain diseases. The policy could mean that thousands of students will be barred from classes. Neighboring Baltimore County barred hundreds of children from school this week after failing to meet a Tuesday deadline for required vaccinations. (Green, 9/14)

State regulators moved Wednesday toward making it significantly easier for patients to gain access to medical marijuana, proposing an overhaul of a program hobbled by missteps when it dawned three years ago. The rules would allow nurse practitioners to certify patients for marijuana use, similar to the way such nurses already write prescriptions for other medicines. Now, only physicians can certify patients for medical marijuana use. (Lazar, 9/15)

The program will allow uninsured Cook County residents earning up to twice the federal poverty level — in other words, $48,600 a year for a family of four — to get primary care physicians within the Cook County Health and Hospitals System who could also refer them to specialists within the system. The program is expected to help nearly 40,000 people in 2017. Patients will have access to the system's two acute care hospitals, Stroger Hospital and Provident Hospital, and more than a dozen clinics where they will be able to present a special membership card to receive services. (Schencker, 9/14)

Whether you're sick or just need a checkup, it can be inconvenient to go to the doctor. Especially if you're not feeling well, you may not want to navigate traffic and flip through old magazines in the waiting room while surrounded by other sick people. And if you have mobility issues, getting out could be difficult. A few options are available that will let you get health care in Atlanta without leaving your home. (Caldwell, 9/14)

A majority of Californians support an initiative on the November ballot to require performers in adult films to use condoms during sex scenes, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll of registered voters conducted by SurveyMonkey. Fifty-five percent said they would back Proposition 60 if the election were held today, the survey found. (Panzar, 9/15)

Beverage companies and retailers on Wednesday sued to try to halt Philadelphia’s special tax on sweetened drinks slated to go into effect in January. Philadelphia become the first large U.S. city to pass such a measure in June, when the city council approved a levy of 1.5 cents per ounce on non-alcoholic beverages with added sweeteners ranging from soda to sports drinks and energy drinks. (Esterl, 9/14)

Michigan's former state epidemiologist acknowledged in a plea deal Wednesday that she was aware of dozens of cases of Legionnaires' disease in the Flint area around the same time the city changed its water source, but that she didn't report it to the general public. (Karoub, 9/14)

The owner of one of the state's largest home health care companies admitted in federal court Wednesday that he paid nearly $790,000 in bribes to doctors in exchange for patient referrals. His Lemont-based firm, Home Bound Healthcare Inc., has also agreed to pay $6.8 million to the government related to Medicare reimbursements the company received, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release. (Nolan, 9/14)

Miami Township has become the first the first local government in Clermont County to outlaw all tobacco products and electronic cigarettes — which contain nicotine but no tobacco – on its property. The prohibition extends to the 277 acres of the five township parks. (Houck, 9/14)

As if visiting the dentist wasn’t scary enough, Orange County health officials are alerting parents to an outbreak of oral infections that appear linked to a children’s dental office in Anaheim. At least one case of a Mycobacterial abscessus infection has been confirmed in a patient who visited the Children’s Dental Group, in the 2100 block of East Lincoln Avenue in Anaheim, according to the OC Health Care Agency. The infection was detected after the child underwent a pulpotomy procedure to remove or treat an infected tooth, health officials said. (Rocha, 9/14)

Franklin County is one of 50 U.S. communities chosen to participate in the 2016 Healthiest Cities and Counties Challenge. The county has been awarded $10,000 to develop ideas to contribute to improving residents’ health; areas include income, poverty, nutrition, violence, education and decreasing stress. (Perry, 9/15)