Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
#WeMatterToo Campaign Urging Authorities To Address Lack Of Safety Measures In Jails, Prisons
Rapper and activist Common went into quarantine concerned about incarcerated people he has met during visits to jails, prisons and juvenile detention centers around the U.S. and who aren鈥檛 able to maintain social distance or adopt rigorous hygiene routines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a troubling time for them,鈥 Common said, 鈥渂ecause they are the people who usually are overlooked.鈥 (Morrison, 5/13)
Kaiser Health News: Under COVID Cloud, Prisons In Rural America Threaten To Choke Rural Hospitals
As the COVID-19 pandemic swept into Montana, it spread into the Marias Heritage Center assisted living facility, then flowed into the nearby 21-bed hospital. Toole County quickly became the state鈥檚 hot spot for COVID-19 deaths, with more than four times the infection rate of all other counties and the most recorded deaths in the state. Six of the state鈥檚 16 COVID deaths through Tuesday have occurred here. (Dawson, 5/14)
President Trump鈥檚 former campaign chairman Paul Manafort has been released from a federal prison due to coronavirus concerns and will continue serving his 7陆 year sentence for tax and bank fraud from his Northern Virginia home, his attorney said Wednesday. The release of Mr. Manafort, 71 years old, who was charged in special counsel Robert Muller鈥檚 Russia investigation, is part of a sweeping effort by the federal Bureau of Prisons to ease crowding to stem the spread of the virus behind bars. He was among nearly 2,500 federal inmates who have been placed on home confinement in recent weeks as prison officials try to identify those who are at high risk for the disease and low risk for re-offending. (Gurman, 5/13)