State Highlights: New York Joins 14 Other States Banning ‘Conversion Therapy’ For Minors; Doctors For Comatose Woman Who Gave Birth Leave Arizona Facility

Media outlets report on news from New York, Arizona, Massachusetts, Georgia, Florida, California, Louisiana, Oregon, Minnesota, Ohio, Kansas and Colorado.

The New York Times: New York Passes A Ban On ‘Conversion Therapy’ After Years-Long Efforts

Between 2012 and 2018, 14 states and Washington, D.C., passed laws prohibiting “conversion therapy” for minors. Deep-blue New York was not among them. That finally changed this month when the State Legislature voted overwhelmingly to bar mental health professionals from working to change a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity. (Gold, 1/21)

The Associated Press: 2 Doctors For Incapacitated Patient Who Gave Birth Leave

Two doctors who cared for an incapacitated woman who gave birth as a result of a sexual assault are no longer providing medical services at the long-term care center in Phoenix. Hacienda HealthCare says Sunday that one has resigned. The other has been suspended. The victim in her 20s had been in Hacienda’s care since she became incapacitated at age 3 after suffering a near-drowning. She gave birth Dec. 29. (1/21)

Arizona Republic: Doctor Who Cared For Hacienda HealthCare Rape Victim Has Been Suspended

Two physicians responsible for caring for the 29-year-old rape victim who gave birth at Hacienda HealthCare are no longer providing services at the Phoenix nursing facility. One doctor has resigned, while a second has been suspended, according to a statement Monday from Hacienda HealthCare. (Náñez, 1/21)

Boston Globe: Hired To Help The Sick, She Leaves A Trail Of Accusations In Her Wake

Stephanie Crosman is nothing if not consistent. The home care worker from Sharon allegedly used the credit card of one client — a woman with dementia — to pay a $1,500 veterinarian bill for her cat, part of a freewheeling $16,000 spree. (Matchan, 1/22)

Boston Globe: With New Day-Care Inspection System, High Caseloads And Shorter Visits

Over the past year, the state has launched a new day-care inspection system that requires more frequent visits to each facility, giving operators no notice at least once a year, the better to assess the true quality of each center. But it has come at a cost: The inspectors, who were already monitoring two to four times the caseloads specialists recommend, now spend far less time at most sites. (Lazar, 1/21)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Wellstar, Anthem At Impasses With Contract Nearing Expiration

Thousands of Georgia Obamacare customers who just signed up for 2019 coverage with the state’s biggest health insurance company are getting a surprise. The Wellstar health care network of nearly a dozen hospitals, three health parks, 10 urgent care clinics and untold doctors will no longer be covered for individual policyholders as of Feb. 4, as the two companies are letting that contract expire rather than agree on a new one. (Hart, 1/19)

The Hill: Florida Mother Suing Caregiver After Developmentally Disabled Daughter Becomes Pregnant

A Florida woman is reportedly suing her daughter's former health care provider and three of its employees, alleging that her developmentally disabled daughter was raped and impregnated in their care. According to a lawsuit filed in Escambia County, Florida, the 23-year-old unidentified woman was attending Westgate School on weekdays when the employees noticed changes in her behavior and bruising on her hip, the complaint reads, according to the Pensacola News Journal. (Rodrigo, 1/19)

Reuters: Lack Of School Nurses Puts Los Angeles Students At Risk, Striking Teachers Say

Los Angeles teacher Natali Escobedo says she will never forget the image of a diabetic fourth-grader “wilting” at her school because there was no nurse on hand to administer his insulin. The episode, which followed years of tight budgets that left little money for medical staff, highlights the potential impact of a lack of nurses throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District, one of the key reasons Escobedo and her colleagues are on strike. (1/19)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Program Helps New Orleans' Hospitals Support Breastfeeding Moms

Several birthing hospitals in the Greater New Orleans area were included in a program aimed at boosting breastfeeding rates, according to a study published in Pediatrics on Friday (Jan. 18). Researchers found that the Communities and Hospitals Advancing Maternity Practices program (CHAMPS) led to some particularly positive changes especially among black mothers. (Clark, 1/18)

The Oregonian: An Unvaccinated Child Brings Vancouver-Area Measles Outbreak To 22

Since Jan. 1, 21 children have been infected with measles -- the majority of them younger than 11. One adult also has measles. Of those, 19 did not receive a vaccine against measles. One person out of the 22 has been hospitalized. Three people are suspected of having measles, but have not been confirmed yet. The outbreak has hit religious and private schools in Clark County especially hard. Clark County also has one of the worst vaccination rates among all Washington counties, with just 77.4 percent of all public students having completed their vaccinations, state records show. (Harbarger, 1/21)

Pioneer Press: Home But Not Alone: Minnesota’s Aging Find Help To Live Where They Want To

The nursing home exodus has been in full swing in Minnesota for at least 20 years. The rate of people 65 and older in nursing homes fell an estimated 46 percent from 2007 to 2016. There are now 24,500 older Minnesotans in nursing homes, a mere 3 percent of the total. ...Officials say that number is increasing because seniors no longer have to move out to manage their affairs. Help has arrived — a small army of volunteers organized by nonprofits and businesses. The strategies of the groups vary. Some charge fees, while others are free. Some are strictly on-call, and others offer regular weekly visits. Some don’t offer medical services or transportation. (Shaw, 1/19)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Flu-Related Hospitalizations Rise In Cuyahoga County, Smaller Workplaces Impacted The Most By ‘The Bug’

Hospitalizations for flu-related illnesses have tripled in Cuyahoga County during the past week, but no more flu-related deaths have been reported beyond the initial two. The number of hospitalizations jumped from 72 earlier in January to 272 during the week of Jan. 6-12, the county reported Monday. (Washington, 1/21)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Flu Activity Down For Second Week In Row But Still High In Ga

Flu activity is unpredictable, and the levels are still considered high in the state. The Georgia Department of Public Health said 4 percent of patient visits to doctors were for the flu during the week ending Jan. 12. But that’s down from 5.5 percent of visits the week before, according to the most recent report released on Friday. (Oliviero, 1/18)

MPR: Rural Hospitals Retreat From Delivering Babies; Small Towns Pay The Price

A growing number of rural hospitals will not do planned baby deliveries, citing legal and insurance costs. There's also the challenge of attracting doctors to small towns and the demands of hospital systems to consolidate birthing centers. All of these spring from a fundamental problem: fewer rural babies. (Richert, 1/22)

San Francisco Chronicle: SF’s $185 Million Windfall Should Go To Housing And Homelessness

In the coming weeks, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will deliberate on how to spend $185 million of discretionary funding that’s a part of the $415 million windfall from newly available property tax revenue. These funds should be focused on the No. 1 priority for our city — homelessness, housing and clean and safe streets. (Bunim, 1/21)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: ‘There Is No Oversight:’ Staff Cuts Leave Ohio Prison Inspections To Interns

The staff of the legislative watchdog that monitors the Ohio prison system is so depleted that it uses interns to evaluate the state’s correctional facilities, authorities said. The administrative staff of the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee has just one full-time employee. Five years ago, it had six: a director and five inspectors with backgrounds in the criminal justice system. (Caniglia, 1/20)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Former Cuyahoga County Jail Director Lied About Blocking The Hiring Of Jail Nurses Weeks Before First Of 8 Inmates Died, Court Records Say

Cuyahoga County’s former jail director helped block the hiring of “necessary nursing staff” at the jail days before the first of eight inmates died, county prosecutors said in an indictment released to the public Friday afternoon. Ken Mills, who resigned in November ahead of a scathing U.S. Marshals report that found inadequate healthcare at the jail, later lied to federal and county investigators about his communications with a “high-level Cuyahoga County official," according to county prosecutors. (Ferris and Astolfi, 1/19)

Pioneer Press: Rise In Flu Cases Causes Allina To Restrict Visitation. Here’s Who Should Stay Home

Starting Tuesday, Allina Health will implement new patient visitation guidelines in what officials say is an effort to stave off an influenza epidemic. Seasonal flu is now widespread throughout Minnesota, state health officials said in its latest flu update. Based on indicators such as the number of outbreaks in schools and long-term care facilities, the state’s caseload is expected to increase this week, said Doug Schultz, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Health. (Divine, 1/21)

KCUR: Management Company To Run Rural Kansas Hospital After Bank Moved To Foreclose

A Marion County, Kansas, judge on Friday appointed a receiver to run Hillsboro Community Hospital after its lender moved to foreclose on the 15-bed facility earlier this month. The judge found that “immediate and irreparable harm is likely to result if a receiver is not appointed to operate and manage the Hospital in order to ensure that it remains open and retains as much of its value as possible.” (Margolies, 1/18)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: DFCS Dismissed Abuse Report Before Kids Were Found Buried In Effingham

The Division of Family and Children Services, the state agency responsible for protecting Georgia’s kids, heard this account in 2017 but declined to investigate because the alleged incident had occurred a year earlier, according to documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The remains of JR and his younger sister, Mary, were discovered in December, buried behind their family’s trailer in Effingham County. Experts say DFCS, which had an extensive history with the family, should have investigated the girl’s claims. (Sharpe, 1/19)

San Jose Mercury News: Verity Health Gets $610 Million Offer For Four Hospitals

erity Health System has entered into an agreement to sell four hospitals — including two in San Mateo County — to Southern California-based KPC Group for $610 million unless other bidders submit better offers. The local hospitals are Seton Medical Center in Daly City and Seton Coastside in Moss Beach and the others are the St. Francis and St. Vincent medical centers in Los Angeles County. (Vo, 1/18)

Denver Post: Colorado High Health Care Costs Due To Cost Of Living, Hiring Workers

Colorado hospitals have come under scrutiny in recent months for the high bills patients face when seeking care at their facilities, with lawmakers aiming to address the issue this session. Now, the Colorado Hospital Association has released its own report analyzing health care costs in the state. It found that the state spent almost 17 percent less per person on health care than the national average in 2014. (Seaman, 1/21)

This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription