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Some of Florida’s largest health care systems and children’s hospitals are challenging two proposed state rules, alleging that facilities could get shut out of the market and quality of care could be harmed. Six challenges have been filed in the state Division of Administrative Hearings during the past two weeks. They challenge a proposed rule meant to regulate organ transplant programs and a proposed rule about pediatric cardiac services. (Sexton, 4/29)

The first time Allison Enright, a Brevard County teacher, fell at work, doctors prescribed her opioids to deal with the pain. During the year that followed her fall, she saw her body start to deteriorate. When the prescription medicines and physical therapy didn’t work, a workers' compensation doctor recommended she use medical marijuana to avoid using a wheelchair. She describes the drug as her miracle. (Feliciano and Rubin, 4/29)

Rep. Bobby DuBose, a Fort Lauderdale Democrat, never imagined he’d work on legislation with Sen. Dennis Baxley, an Ocala Republican. DuBose is the co-leader of the House Democrats and a member of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus. Conversely, Baxley, has spent 18 years in the Legislature carving out a reputation as a staunch conservative who has sponsored measures such as the “stand your ground” law that sparked massive controversy after the shooting of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012. “We’re polar opposites,” DuBose said. (Sexton, 4/29)

Changes to legislation limiting the ability of local health boards to restrict businesses or the ability of customers to access goods and services were overwhelmingly approved by the Legislature on Thursday, the last day of the session. The changes were the result of an amendatory veto issued by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte earlier in the day. The bill previously passed on largely party lines earlier in the week. Rep. Jedediah Hinkle, a Belgrade Republican who sponsored the legislation, said the governor’s proposed amendments “still retain the strength of the language for protecting businesses, but still all health departments to do their [jobs] things like inspecting restaurants for sanitary conditions and potentially having to shut down a business until the problem is resolved.” (Wilson, 4/29)

A chaplain program for first responders in Marble Falls will launch soon, providing additional support for on and off-duty officers. Spearheaded by the Marble Falls Police Department, the program focuses on the mental well-being of the force’s employees. Over the past two years, the department has made a conscious effort to address mental health issues caused by work-related traumas, previously a taboo topic in the field, Assistant Police Chief Glenn Hanson said. (Cooley, 4/29)

In Portugal, where drugs were decriminalized two decades ago, anyone found with drugs goes before a panel made up of legal, health and social work professionals who refer them to treatment. As Oregon decriminalized drugs earlier this year following a referendum, tax revenue from marijuana sales was allotted for increased public health support. But in Baltimore, where State’s Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby last month cut the cord on possession arrests that have been falling for many years, the city is only inching toward establishing a wider public health response. (Fenton, 4/30)

When COVID-19 first appeared in early 2020, legislators in North Carolina and other states wanted to make sure providers weren’t unfairly penalized for treating the unknown new disease. Lawmakers addressed this by passing the Emergency or Disaster Treatment Protection Act as part of a COVID omnibus bill in May. Now the state’s pandemic-driven emergency act is under attack from plaintiffs’ attorneys and others in North Carolina and nationally. They contend that the law may be shielding residential care interests from liability for harm to residents — even those who didn’t contract COVID-19. (Goldsmith, 4/30)