Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Colorado Cleared To Import Lower-Cost Drugs From Canada
The Food and Drug Administration said Monday that it will allow Colorado to import certain prescription drugs from Canada in an effort to bring prices down for residents, making it the second U.S. state to be granted such authorization. (Lawrence and Silverman, 6/15)
Two years ago, Emily Donovan stood on a stage in Fayetteville and introduced then-EPA Administrator Michael Regan. Regan, who was secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality before being tapped by the Biden administration to lead the EPA, had returned to the region 鈥 where in 2017 the public first learned that the Cape Fear River was contaminated with per鈥 and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) 鈥 to announce the first鈥慹ver national drinking water standards for six of them. (Atwater, 6/16)
News from Alabama, Maryland, Minnesota, and Texas 鈥
A lawsuit filed on behalf of the man accused of fatally shooting a DCH Health System nurse alleges the Tuscaloosa, Ala.-based system failed to provide emergency psychiatric care before the attack, a claim DCH disputes, saying the man never entered its emergency department or presented himself for care, WBRC News reported June 15. The complaint, filed in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court on behalf of Matthew James Taylor by his mother, Amanda Taylor, alleges Mr. Taylor sought emergency psychiatric evaluation and treatment at DCH Regional Medical Center but was refused screening, stabilization, treatment or admission on May 12. (Ruder, 6/15)
Howard County residents now have a new tool to help them decide whether to head to the emergency room 鈥 where the county鈥檚 only hospital logs wait times more than an hour longer than the national average. (Hacker, 6/15)
A clinic in south Minneapolis will soon offer forensic sexual assault exams, giving survivors another option for care besides the emergency room. Southside Community Health Services, which previously operated out of an elementary school, recently opened its new location on East Lake Street. The community health center aims to support low-income and uninsured residents in a diverse corridor of the city. (Pross, 6/15)
Working to create the Texas Lottery in 1991, state lawmakers ran into concerns that government-sponsored gaming would tempt Texans prone to compulsive or problem gambling. In response, lawmakers devoted $2 million a year to a state-run 鈥渃ompulsive gambling program鈥 to identify and treat problem gamblers. (Runnels, 6/15)
