Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Native American Men File Suit Against Indian Health Service Over Allegations Of Sexual Assault
Three Native American men filed a civil lawsuit alleging that the U.S. Indian Health Service failed to protect them from sexual abuse by a pediatrician, Stanley Patrick Weber, in Montana during the 1990s, a federal court filing shows. The lawsuit filed in the Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C., is the first civil action seeking monetary compensation from the U.S. government over Mr. Weber’s growing legacy of sexual abuse of Native American children. His case has shaken the IHS, which provides medical care to 2.6 million tribal members. (Weaver and Frosch, 1/23)
In other news from the federal agencies —
Rising rents across the country and hiring difficulties at the Department of Veterans Affairs have left unused thousands of housing vouchers designated for homeless veterans. Last week, officials testified at a congressional hearing that 11,000 vouchers remain unused. They cited a number of issues such as a shrinking number of homeless veterans, which makes it harder to find people eligible to use the vouchers. More than 100,000 of housing vouchers for veterans are currently allocated to public-housing authorities. (Kesling, 1/23)
