Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Tennessee Study Highlights Public Health Benefits Of Treating Hepatitis C In Prison
Right now hardly any of the nearly 3,500 Tennessee inmates who are known to have hepatitis C are receiving the cure. The cure is costly, but at least one study suggests providing it to inmates could result in stemming the tide of an epidemic affecting the entire country. (Boucher, 5/8)
Tim Leslie still remembers the St. Paul house near Victoria Street and Selby Avenue where he鈥檇 regularly respond to calls as a patrol officer from a resident who was convinced there was something landing on the roof. There wasn鈥檛, but police learned how to talk him down anyway. 鈥淭he first couple calls, it was, 鈥榃e do this, too?鈥 鈥 he said. Today he鈥檚 the Dakota County Sheriff, responsible for a jail where perhaps a third of the inmates have mental health needs. And like others with a hand in the criminal justice system, he鈥檚 trying to manage those needs while navigating the growing, thorny nexus between law enforcement and mental illness. (Eccher, 5/8)
A federal appeals court Friday overturned an order requiring [Washington] state health officials to provide competency evaluations to mentally ill defendants within seven days of a judge鈥檚 order, but said there should be limits on the wait times for these defendants. (Bellisle, 5/7)
As soon as the officers on the Kansas City porch announce themselves as the police, the man standing inside the door slams it shut. Bam. The officers in their black bulletproof vests 鈥 Ashley McCunniff and Aric Anderson 鈥 stand there a moment, exchanging a look. (Robertson, 5/8)