Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Water Supply Crisis Deepens In Arizona As Backup Supply Dwindles, Utility Costs Soar
The Southwestern US is in an ongoing megadrought that began in 2000, largely driven by overconsumption of water and climate change. As the region's agricultural industries and human populations grow, water levels continue to fall. Currently, surface reservoirs contain just 15 months' worth of water, based on average current consumption rates. But researchers from Virginia Tech and Indiana University Bloomington say groundwater supplies are also rapidly declining, in ways they didn't expect. (Cockerill, 10/24)
City leaders in Arizona’s Queen Creek say water fee hikes are necessary to secure their water supply for the next 100 years as the Colorado River continues to shrink. (Knowles, 10/25)
More health news from across the U.S. —
At Southside Community Health Services on East Lake Street, sunlight fills a bright, spacious lobby. The south Minneapolis clinic has served its community for over 50 years, providing care to thousands of patients, many with limited access to affordable healthcare. (Zurek, 10/23)
Seniors in Carroll and Coos counties will now have access to Medicare Advantage plans through the insurance carrier Devoted Health starting on Nov. 1, according to a press release from Gov. Kelly Ayotte this week. Devoted Health also offers Medicare Advantage plans in Hillsborough, Grafton, and Sullivan counties. (10/23)
In strip malls across rural parts of Western North Carolina, a grassroots harm reduction movement has taken root. In counties from Madison to Macon, volunteers deliver safe supplies to people using drugs, they test substances without judgment and provide things like clothes and food, too. They are saving lives without stigma, advocates say. (Livingston, 10/25)
Vincent Fiordilino was 18 months old when he was found to be alive after having been declared dead at an Arizona hospital in February. (Chao, 10/24)
Six Flags said it would add seat belts to some of its roller coaster rides after the death of a man at its theme park in Georgia this month. Six Flags chief executive John Reilly said in a statement Friday the company was “taking additional measures, including adding seat belts on Goliath and other coasters with a similar restraint.” (Bisset, 10/25)
When doctors diagnosed Jen Chan with an aggressive form of breast cancer last year, she and her wife, Emily, faced a frightening reality: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and uncertainty about whether the treatment would even work. (Christensen, 10/24)
