Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Victims' Families, Tribes Want Public Reckoning For IHS Officials Who Protected Abusive Doctor. They Might Not Get One.
The U.S. Indian Health Service says it can鈥檛 disclose a report that identifies the officials responsible for mishandling a government pediatrician who abused Native American boys for decades, citing a law meant to protect medical reviews. That stance has angered relatives of the pediatrician鈥檚 victims, tribal members and former agency employees who hoped the report would provide a public reckoning and greater accountability for those who didn鈥檛 do enough to protect Native American children. (Weaver and Rosch, 2/20)
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that it plans to regulate two nonstick and stain-resistant compounds in the drinking water amid growing concerns the chemicals found in everything from pizza boxes to carpet pose a health hazard. The agency is targeting a class of chemicals known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. It will regulate the compounds, PFOA and PFOS, which are among the oldest chemicals in this class and have been phased out in the United States. It also plans to research whether other PFAS chemicals will be added to the list. (Casey, 2/20)
After nearly a dozen years moving through the U.S. visa system, Sai Kyaw's brother and sister and their families were at the finish line: a final interview before they could leave Myanmar to join him in Massachusetts and work at his restaurant. Then a dramatic turn in U.S. immigration policy halted their plans. The interview was postponed, and it's not clear when, or whether, it will be rescheduled. (Marcello and Tareen, 2/20)
The mother of a U.S. Navy Reservist who killed himself outside the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin last year has filed an $8.2 million wrongful death claim against the Veterans Affairs Department. Rhonda Wilson said a VA doctor abruptly stopped refilling an opioid painkiller prescription for her 28-year-old son, Gary Pressley, causing him to go into a painful withdrawal. (Redmon, 2/20)