Monday, June 10, 2024 – KFF Health News

Politico: Following in Florida’s footsteps, New York wants a taste of Canadian medicine

New York is taking a rare step in following in the footsteps of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. State legislators are pushing to create a program to import drugs in bulk from Canada, buoyed by federal approval of a similar plan in Florida earlier this year. The bill directs New York health and education officials to create a list of drugs that are “expected to generate substantial savings for consumers in the state” when purchased from Canadian suppliers. (Kaufman, 6/7)

Reuters: US CDC says Texas bird flu strain has killed ferrets used to mimic disease in humans

The bird flu virus that infected a Texas dairy farm worker in March was lethal to ferrets in experiments designed to mimic the disease in humans, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Friday. Seasonal flu, in contrast, makes ferrets sick but does not kill them, the CDC said. Ferrets are considered the best small mammal to study influenza virus infection and transmission, and are commonly used as a tool to inform public health risk assessments of emerging influenza viruses, according to the CDC. (Lapid, 6/7)

Modern Healthcare: Texas rejects Centene, Elevens protests over alleged Aetna leak

Texas rejected requests from Centene, Elevens Health and six other insurers to reconsider which managed care companies it would rely on to run its $116 billion Medicaid program over the next six years, rejecting allegations that local officials’ process improperly benefited rival CVS Health. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced in March that it intends to award new, six-year Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program managed care contracts to 14 companies, including CVS Health’s Aetna, Centene, Elevens Health, Human, Molina Healthcare and UnitedHealthcare. (Tepper, 6/7)

Reuters: Lawsuits over healthcare data breach concentrated in Minnesota

A federal panel on Friday centralized 49 lawsuits accusing UnitedHealth Group’s Change Healthcare payment processing unit of failing to protect personal data from a February cyberattack in Minnesota. The federal Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation said in an order Friday that Minnesota, where UnitedHealth is based and where several cases are already pending, was the most logical location. (Pearson, 6/7)

Other news from across the country –

Modern Healthcare: Layoffs at Oregon Health & Science University affect hundreds

Oregon Health & Science University said Friday that it plans to lay off at least 500 employees in the coming months. According to a message sent to employees on Thursday, the academic health center cited financial pressures from rising labor and supply costs as the reason for the layoffs. (Hudson, 6/7)

The Hill: Midwest health departments warn of emergence of new deadly animal tranquilizers

Health departments in the Midwest are warning of the emergence of a new deadly animal tranquilizer linked to overdose deaths. The drug, called medetomidine, is a powerful sedative used in veterinary medicine to keep dogs calm and comfortable during exams and medical procedures, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said when it approved the drug in 2022. (Irvine, 6/7)

Wall Street Journal: ‘Trank’ is crippling illegal drug users

As a child, Nathan Clark feared he would lose his limbs and be unable to go fishing and crabbing with his grandfather. Today, Clark is three limbs disabled. He lost his limbs after using fentanyl and xylazine, an animal tranquilizer also known as “trank” that rots flesh and bones. Less than five years after xylazine was found in his dope bag, the 29-year-old Clark can no longer bathe or use the toilet by himself. (Wernou, 6/9)

Colorado Sun: A car accident devastates a Colorado family. Amputation changes everything.

At the dinner table the night before she died, Judy Rover told her daughters and grandchildren that they were all working too hard on the family farm. They should stop working seven days a week, take breaks and do fun things. “She wanted each of us to come up with two things we wanted to do away from the farm,” Angela Rover said. About 12 hours later, they were forced from their jobs when their pickup truck was hit as they left their southwestern Colorado farm for the Durango Farmers Market on May 21, 2022. They were carrying a trailer full of plants and produce. (McMillin and Carey, 6/9)

CT Mirror: Data shows CT’s black mothers face greater risk during childbirth

In addition to increased mortality rates due to heart disease, cancer, and overdose, Connecticut’s black residents also face higher rates of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity. (Martinez, 6/7)

Too –

The Charlotte Ledger: Charlotte-area urgent care center staying open late

On a Friday night in late May, 12-year-old Dhruvtej Karande was hit in the face by a soccer ball, jabbing the edge of his glasses into his eyebrow and causing a two-inch gash. His parents rushed to the nearest urgent care center, but it was already closed when they arrived, his mother, Priyanka Karande, said. He was then taken to another urgent care center in the University City area of ​​Charlotte. That was closed, too. (Crouch, 6/10)

St. Louis Public Radio: Advocates allege Missouri prison health care is declining

Healthcare conditions in Missouri state prison facilities are getting worse, according to activists and groups like Missouri Prison Reform. The nonprofit has been receiving concerns about healthcare conditions from prison residents, their families and current medical staff for years, but Executive Director Lori Curry said conditions are getting worse. She said the organization has received complaints from both staff and residents this week. (Holcomb, 6/10)

Wyoming Public Radio: White Buffalo Recovery Center grounds intergenerational healing in culture and connection

On a white plastic table in an Arapaho office, Lance Oldman is turning a mixture of ground cedar, water and honey into something unexpected: an empty chapstick tube. “Fill it with cedar and use a stick, push them out and they come out in perfect little cylindrical circles,” he said. Oldman is Northern Arapaho and a certified peer specialist at White Buffalo Recovery Center, an outpatient addiction treatment facility in Riverton and the Wind River reservation. He is making cedar incense. He said cedar is traditionally used to heal the mind, body and spirit. (Haberman, 6/7)

St. Louis Public Radio: Drug treatment tool to protect Missouri children is underutilized

Alisha Griffith experienced firsthand the positive impact of a tool that motivates parents to seek drug rehabilitation. Griffith is a Franklin County resident and mother of four children. Eight years ago, her daughters were placed in foster care for four years because she was struggling with substance abuse. “They were very shocked by it, and I’m still in shock remembering that moment,” Griffith said. “My daughter had blemishes on her face and was panicking and didn’t know what was going on or where she was going with strangers.” (Rosenbaum, 6/10)