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The relatively high percentage of American women who die as a result of pregnancy, which exceeds that of other developed nations, is prompting a new national prevention campaign that is relying on the states to take a leading role. The key element in that effort is to encourage all states to go beyond the information provided on a typical death certificate by having mortality review panels investigate the causes behind every maternal death that occurs during pregnancy or in the year after delivery. The hope is the investigations will reveal systemic causes for at least some of the deaths and lead to preventive measures to save the lives of more would-be or new mothers. (Ollove, 5/3)

The Missouri Legislature has voted to override the governor and block a wage hike for home-care attendants. House members voted 119-36 on Tuesday to undo Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto. Two-thirds of senators voted for the override in April. (5/3)

Georgia’s governor has signed a bill inspired by former President Jimmy Carter’s cancer treatment. The measure signed Tuesday by Republican Gov. Nathan Deal prevents insurance companies from limiting coverage of drugs for stage four cancer patients. Supporters of the bill say patients sometimes cannot get certain drugs unless they first try other treatment options. Carter, now 91, announced in August that he had been diagnosed with skin cancer that had spread to his brain and would begin receiving doses of Keytruda. The newly approved drug helps the immune system seek out cancer cells appearing in a patient’s body. (5/3)

New York City agreed to pay the U.S. government $4.3 million to settle a civil fraud lawsuit accusing the city's fire department of accepting tens of thousands of improper Medicare reimbursements for emergency ambulance services. The accord signed on Tuesday resolves claims that the city cheated the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services out of millions of dollars from October 2008 to October 2012 by submitting claims for services that were not medically necessary, violating the federal False Claims Act. (5/3)

Seven people traveling back to Georgia and diagnosed with the Zika virus have joined a preliminary study at Emory analyzing immune responses to the disease. The seven volunteers are among the 13 people returning to Georgia who have been diagnosed with Zika. None of them were pregnant, Emory officials say. (Miller, 5/3)

StepOne launched in January, part of Franklin County’s CelebrateOne, a multi-layered initiative aimed at reducing infant mortality in the community. Since then, the two care coordinators who answer the StepOne calls have arranged more than 300 appointments and other help for pregnant women who might not have seen a doctor otherwise. (Kurtzman, 5/4)

Lauretta Jackson spent an hour on a recent Friday morning in the home of Bushra, an Iraqi refugee, trying to help Bushra teach her seven-month-old daughter, Sara, how to gain control of her muscles and live a normal child’s life. (Walters, 5/3)

A physician at Evanston NorthShore Hospital has been charged with stealing nearly $200,000 worth of equipment from two of the medical group's facilities, according to prosecutors and Evanston police. (Eltagouri, 5/3)

In the current academic year, 17 water sources at 12 D.C. public schools tested positive for elevated lead levels. And in recent weeks, the school system has come under fire for not communicating to parents when their children’s school tested positive for the elevated levels. Now, the District says it is responding with more lead testing out of an “abundance of caution” and vows to be upfront about any elevated levels. (Stein, 5/3)

Parents of four students filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against New Jersey's largest school district and other public officials over lead found in drinking water. The parents allege in the suit against Newark's public schools that the district deliberately exposed children to harmful levels of lead, which is known to severely affect a child's development. The district shut off water fountains at half of its buildings in March because of elevated lead levels. (5/3)

Charles Smith, a longtime ally of Gov. Greg Abbott, will be the next executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, the governor announced Tuesday. Smith, the chief deputy executive commissioner at the massive agency, will start his new position on June 1. (Walters, 5/3)

When a man accused of torturing a woman to death broke out of Washington state's largest mental hospital with another patient in early April, officials called it a rare occurrence and cited only two other escapes in the past seven years. But a review of police reports and interviews by The Associated Press reveal 185 instances in which patients escaped or walked away over just the past 3 1/2 years or so. (5/3)

Ohioans could not legally smoke medical marijuana under a revamped proposal being rolled out today by state legislators. Those with a prescription for medical marijuana would be allowed to use vaporization or other inhalant devices. (Rowland, 5/4)