Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Montana Will Ignore Order Allowing Trans Birth Certificate Changes
Just hours after a Montana judge blocked health officials from enforcing a state rule that would prevent transgender people from changing the gender on their birth certificate, the Republican-run state on Thursday said it would defy the order. District Court Judge Michael Moses chided attorneys for the state during a hearing in Billings for circumventing his April order that temporarily blocked a 2021 Montana law that made it harder to change birth certificates. (Brown and Hanson, 9/15)
In other health news from across the U.S. 鈥
California will be the first state to require online companies to put kids鈥 safety first by barring them from profiling children or using personal information in ways that could harm children physically or mentally, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday. 鈥淲e鈥檙e taking aggressive action in California to protect the health and wellbeing of our kids,鈥 Newsom said in a statement announcing that he had signed the bill. He noted that as a father of four, 鈥淚鈥檓 familiar with the real issues our children are experiencing online.鈥 (Thompson, 9/15)
The investigation into the North Texas doctor accused of compromising IV bags revealed at least 10 more 鈥渦nexpected cardiac emergencies鈥 between May and August, the U.S. attorney鈥檚 office for the Northern District of Texas announced Thursday. (Landers and Ferguson, 9/15)
The Augusta Planning Board unanimously voted to approve plans for a new 19,000-square-foot facility on Hospital Street that will allow the medical examiner鈥檚 office to meet national standards, the Kennebec Journal reported. The new facility will also provide much-needed space to perform autopsies, as the rate of homicides continues to rise throughout the state. Maine is on track to see a record number of homicides in 2022, with homicide investigations underway in more than half of the state鈥檚 counties. (Stockley, 9/15)
Four new pediatric centers aimed at providing therapy for younger children with autism are coming to the Des Moines metro over the next year, with two set to open this month. (Tugade, 9/15)
More people are calling for help in a mental health emergency since the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline replaced a 10-digit suicide prevention hotline this summer. (Colombini, 9/15)
