Good morning and welcome to Monday’s New York Health Care newsletter, where we keep you up to date on what’s happening this week in health care news and offer a look back at important stories from the past week.
World Health Organization has declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency. The virus now joins H1N1, Zika, polio and Covid-19 as declared public health emergencies of international concern.
New York City opened 17,000 monkeypox vaccine appointments on Friday and at 7:30 p.m., said the city’s health department that they were all filled. More vaccines are expected to arrive in New York as the Biden administration considers declaring a public health emergency to quell the current outbreak, which is circulating among men who have sex with men.
Rockland County administered 18 polio shots Friday in the wake of the state’s first case in nearly a decade. Twenty more appointments are set for Monday, said Beth Cefalu, a spokeswoman for County Executive Ed Day, though she added that anyone seeking a polio vaccine can get one through a primary care doctor. The person who contracted polio “developed symptoms of weakness and paralysis a month ago, but Rockland County cannot confirm anything else about this individual’s status,” according to a Friday news release.
This is also Amanda’s newsletter last Monday before she leaves for a bachelorette party and then begins her new job at Morning Brew. “It was such a privilege to work with and learn from so many readers, and I hope to stay in touch and collaborate on future installments together. Thank you for also investing in the kind of journalism that POLITICO does so well. I’ve had the best four years because of all of you.”
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DOUBLE CRISIS – POLITICO’s Shannon Young and Amanda Eisenberg: New York City is again experiencing an outbreak of Covid-19 cases, but state and city officials are laser-focused on containing a smaller but fast-growing monkeypox outbreak — while they still they can. Public health officials are scrambling to stop the spread of the rare viral infection, which has seen case rates double in New York in the past week. They have pressed the Biden administration for more vaccine doses and access to treatment, opened vaccination clinics in hot spots and launched new public awareness campaigns — all while Covid rates in New York City and its surrounding suburbs return to levels not seen since this spring.
POLIO RETURNS – Shannon reports: New York health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed the country’s first case of polio in nearly a decade, state authorities said Thursday. The virus, which can spread quickly among asymptomatic individuals and take up to 30 days for symptoms to appear, was discovered in Rockland County, a suburb of New York City, according to the state Department of Health. It’s the first case the CDC has confirmed in the U.S. since 2013, the state said.
… The state said it was coordinating with Rockland County Health Department and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to investigate, proactively respond and promote vaccination. He also advised doctors to be on the lookout for other possible cases.
SHOULD WE CALL IT? — POLITICO’s Daniel Payne: US health officials are debating whether to declare a public health emergency over the monkeypox outbreak as they work to make treatments and vaccines available to more people. The discussions come as the virus — which is endemic in West and Central Africa but uncommon in the United States — continues to spread across the country. As of Thursday, there were 2,593 reported cases, up from 1,470 last week. The federal government announced Friday that it has sent more than 300,000 doses of the vaccine to states and cities to control the outbreak.
IN OTHER NEWS:
— Administration of Mayor Eric Adams announced Sunday that $1 million from an anonymous donor will go toward attracting mental health professionals to work in the public hospital system. “NYC Health + Hospitals will offer psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, psychologists and licensed clinical social workers between $30,000 and $50,000 in debt relief in exchange for a three-year commitment to serve the public health system,” the release said. .
– Close to 100 doctors,in a letter sent today, called on the Adams administration to “stop the purge” of homeless individuals living on the streets. They cited the results of the first round of clearances, which took place between March 18 and May 1, and in which only 39 of the 264 displaced people had access to temporary housing. “The result is an inhumane game of cat and mouse between city authorities and the most vulnerable members of our community,” according to the letter. “The fact is people who are forced out of a public space without being offered safe and affordable housing end up in other public spaces.”
– Thousands of working New Yorkers “Experienced punitive pay of 10 percent of their gross pay between 2015 and 2020 because they were unable to pay their hospital bills,” according to new analysis by the Community Service Society.
– MAKING ROUNDS: Brett Friedman, who resigned as acting state Medicaid director in May, has joined Ropes & Gray LLP as a partner in its health care practice.
— MORE ROUNDS ARE MADE: Phelps Hospital has named Amy Matthews chief nursing officer.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: This review is for you! Submit news tips, health tips, ideas, critiques and corrections [email protected] AND [email protected].
NOW WE KNOW – It’s kidney stone season.
TODAY’S TIP –Trying to stay cool during a heat wave? The state Department of Health recommends drinking plenty of fluids but avoiding alcohol, caffeine and sugary drinks.
BE SURE TO FOLLOW Amanda @Aisy17 and Shannon @ShannonYoung413 on Twitter. And for all New Jersey health news, check out Daniel Hahn, @danieljhan_.
STUDY THIS – NBC News reports: “Hiring a more diverse nursing workforce may help address ‘racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes’ and improve maternal health, according to a report by Columbia University researchers. “
Some inhalers exacerbate climate change.
Kaiser Health News profiles a Charleston maternity home for pregnant teens and how the Supreme Court has changed Roe v. Wade may affect the demand for such facilities.
“The spread of monkey pox in the US may represent the dawn of a new sexually transmitted disease,” reports the Associated Press.
STAT looks at how Experts are trying to “make sense of the ongoing mystery” that is the long-running Covid.
From the New York Times: “Ghana reported the country’s first outbreak of Marburg virus disease after two unrelated people died on June 27 and 28. Word of a new outbreak of a deadly disease caused by viral infections added to the anxiety of a public weary of the fight against the coronavirus. pandemic, and recently alarmed by the spread of monkeypox and a new case of polio.”
Miami-Dade County Students could go months without sex education books after school board members rejected two proposed textbooks this week over concerns they would violate the state’s Parents’ Rights in Education bill, known by opponents as “Don’t Say Gay.” POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury reports.
POLITICO’s Jeremy B. White: California has issued a direct challenge to the US Supreme Court linking gun rights and abortion, as Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a firearms bill that embraces the private enforcement doctrine. The new law allows Californians to sue manufacturers and citizens who distribute banned assault weapons or ghost guns. Newsom explicitly modeled the concept on a Texas law, upheld by the high court, that allows people to pursue legal claims against abortion providers.
Vice President Kamala Harris will head to Indianapolis on Monday, as Indiana is poised to become the first state to hold a special legislative session on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down. Roe v. Wade last month, POLITICO’s Adam Wren reports.
HAS A SUMMARY POSSIBLE? Catch up on the New York Health Care Bulletin.
