Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Costs Rise, SNAP Cuts Put School Meals At Risk
Enrollment in the nutrition assistance program dropped following last year鈥檚 sweeping GOP tax bill. Fewer children and schools now qualify for free school meals. (Lumpkin, 10/22)
Baltimore residents battling chronic illnesses could soon have fresh fruits and vegetables delivered to their homes for free, part of a $10 million Maryland initiative that will distribute food through 14 community partnerships statewide. (Pryce, 10/23)
In other news from California, Virginia, and Louisiana 鈥�
California health officials are warning residents about a phone scam where callers impersonating Department of Public Health employees ask for sensitive personal and financial information. The department on Thursday said it has received multiple reports of scammers pretending to be CDPH personnel and asking people to verify information about pharmacy visits and prescription requests. (Ho, 10/22)
Public health officials in San Francisco reported a death associated with MGM-15, a lab-created and modified form of 7-OH. (Garcia, 10/22)
The Justice Department indicted Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas, one of the most powerful Democrats in the commonwealth, as part of a long-running corruption investigation involving a family-run marijuana business. The indictment, which was returned by a federal grand jury in Virginia last week and unsealed Thursday morning, alleges that Lucas and her relatives set up a business to sell marijuana before the substance was legalized for recreational sales in the commonwealth. (Stein and Rizzo, 10/22)
Marshall Faulk has been diagnosed with Parkinson鈥檚 disease, the 53-year-old聽Pro Football Hall of Fame running back聽shared on The Caring Neurologist podcast this week. Faulk, who said he鈥檚 鈥渋n a good place,鈥� has been living with the diagnosis for over a year and called himself 鈥渙ne of the lucky ones鈥� after catching the disease early. The former St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts star is currently the head football coach of the Southern University Jaguars in Louisiana. (Yousuf, 10/22)