Massachusetts State

UnitedHealthcare will launch a national program Oct. 1 for physicians to override traditional prior authorization requirements. The gold card program, which applies to commercial, individual exchange and Medicare Advantage plans, allows certain physician practices to not submit prior authorization requests for “certain medical, behavioral and mental health services,” according to a fact sheet released by the company.

UnitedHealth institutes gold card program to address prior authorization concerns

Oregon State

West Linn, OR

West Linn Tidings

With trial set to begin in less than a week, Clackamas County Circuit Court Judge Susie Norby has denied a request from the city of West Linn to reconsider her decision to bar West Linn residents from the jury pool in the case over a proposed sale of Oppenlander fields.
                The city submitted a motion to reconsider Aug. 6, only six days before trial is scheduled to begin on Aug.12. Norby, who made her initial ruling last week, rejected the city’s motion Aug. 7.
 ...

Judge denies city’s request to reconsider ban of West Linn residents from Oppenlander jury

Atwater, CA

ABC News

The employee was rushed to the hospital and later died.

Bureau of Prisons employee dies after coming into contact with 'unknown substance'

Ohio State

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The Lantern

On Tuesday, licensed Ohio dispensaries began legally selling non-medical marijuana to consumers; however, the drug’s possession, growth and/or usage are still prohibited on Ohio State’s campus. Credit: Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times/TNS [Original caption: Four citizen-led petitions with proposals to update Dallas’ charter hit the 20,000 valid signature threshold to make it on the Nov. 5 election ballot, including one that would ban police officers from arresting or citing people carrying less than four ounces of marijuana.] As of Tuesday, students 21 and older can now legally purchase marijuana in Ohio.

Dispensary sales of recreational marijuana began Tuesday; possession and usage still prohibited on Ohio State’s campus

Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville Today

A historic marker could be erected to honor the victims of the racist mass shooting at the Dollar General store in Jacksonville’s New Town neighborhood nearly a year ago. If approved by the Jacksonville City Council, a marker would be installed at Kings Road and Canal Street on Aug. 25, a day before the first anniversary of the shooting, when a white gunman took the lives of three Black people.

Memorial considered to honor Dollar General victims

Georgia State

Douglas, GA

Daily Coffee Press

Last week, a 32-year-old was arrested on trafficking charges after allegedly fleeing from a traffic stop and abandoning the vehicle with a child in the passenger seat. The chase resulted in the discovery of 230 grams of methamphetamine, which the suspect allegedly threw out while fleeing on foot. According to local detectives, the vehicle the suspect was driving was registered to NFL football player Tyreek Hill.

Man Driving Vehicle Registered to Tyreek Hill Arrested on Drug Trafficking Charges in Douglas

California State

Community Voices represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program but not yet verified their accounts. Community Voices are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

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Golden Gate Media

Optum, the health services segment of UnitedHealth, announced it will lay off 524 employees in California. This news was disclosed in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filed with the state on July 18. The impending layoffs and departmental closures will impact a variety of healthcare facilities and administrative roles across the state.

More than 500 California workers with healthcare giant to be laid off in waves, stste filing shows

A former Jacksonville police officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Josue Garriga III, 34, faces a mandatory penalty of 10 years to life in federal prison and must register as a sex offender. A sentencing date has not been set.

Former cop pleads guilty to enticing 17-year-old girl

Atlanta, GA

A 40-year-old man has been sentenced to over 28 years in prison for distributing significant amounts of fentanyl and other controlled substances to dealers in the Middle Georgia region. Authorities revealed that investigators uncovered evidence linking the drugs provided by the defendant, 40-year-old Lagary Williams, also known as "Frog," from Atlanta, to a fatal overdose.

Atlanta Man Sentenced to 28 Years for Supplying Deadly Fentanyl Linked to Fatal Overdose

Colorado State

David Heitz

A bill quietly introduced this spring in the Colorado legislature to decriminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia obtained by harm reductionists has become law. As low-key as the legislation was introduced, the bill was signed into law without fanfare June 6. It garnered little to no media attention.

Colorado legalizes needles, pipes for meth and crack if obtained by harm reduction group

Great Falls, MT

Montana Free Press

The state’s largest nursing home plans to close its doors weeks after being terminated from the federal Medicare and Medicaid program after “a history of serious quality issues” and violations for deficient patient care. In a recent public notice, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid announced that...

State’s largest nursing home prepares to close following patient safety violations

WashingtonExaminer

The Department of Veterans Affairs predicts it will have a $15 billion budget shortfall, which would put disability, medical, and benefit payments to over 7 million veterans and survivors at risk. The shortfall is attributed to an increase in filing prompted by the PACT Act. For this year, the DVA expects to be $2.9 billion […]

Millions of veteran benefits at risk as VA deals with predicted $15 billion budget shortfall

The New Republic

California Governor Gavin Newsom has chosen cruelty, emboldened by the conservative Supreme Court.  Following the Supreme Court’s 6–3 decision on Grants Pass v. Johnson in June, which essentially criminalized homelessness, Newsom issued an executive order Thursday for the removal of homeless encampments throughout his state. Newsom urged local governments to destroy the encampments, where tens of thousands of unsheltered Californians live, “with urgency and dignity.”“We are done,” said Newsom. “It’s time to move with urgency to clean up these sites.”Local governments now have the tools they need to address the decades-long issue of homelessness.Today, we are issuing an executive order that...

Gavin Newsom Issues Cruel Order Over Supreme Court Homelessness Ruling

Mesa County, CO

The Supreme Court on Monday turned down a request from a former Colorado county clerk to halt her upcoming trial on charges stemming from her alleged involvement in an apparent security breach at the county’s election offices in 2021.

Supreme Court declines to halt former Colorado official’s trial on charges related to election security breach

Ocilla, GA

Last Thursday, agents from the South Central Drug Task Force (SCDTF) made an arrest following a successful execution of a search warrant at a residence in Ocilla. According to officials, the search yielded a significant quantity of drugs, including tablets suspected to contain fentanyl, associated with a criminal street gang.

Successful Drug Bust in Ocilla Leads to Arrest Linked to 'Local Criminal Street Gang'

Texas State

NewsNation

The filing alleges the rule exceeds the authority of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Texas AG sues Biden administration over nursing home staffing rule

Creditors to bankrupt Yellow Corp.’s estate said its advisers are “no closer to a chapter 11 plan” than they were two months ago when a Delaware bankruptcy court extended them another 90 days to plot a course to best liquidate the remaining assets. The official committee of unsecured creditors to the estate asserts that “these cases continue to languish in chapter 11” while professional fees mount.

Yellow’s unsecured creditors frustrated as professional fees mount

Denver, CO

In addition to collecting more than 8,000 used needles in the past year from Denver drug users, the Harm Reduction Action Center passed out 10,000 meth pipes and “snort kits,” according to a newsletter sent to its supporters Thursday. They also connected about 1,700 people to medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Denver group hands out 10K meth pipes, ‘snort kits,’ connects 1,700 to treatment annually

A federal judge has determined the competing claims that Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado and its union have lodged against each other will proceed to trial, with the parties both alleging a breach of staffing responsibilities in their collective bargaining agreement. In a pair of orders, U.S. District Court...

Federal judge allows competing staffing claims by Kaiser, union to proceed to trial

NewsBreak

Maura Healey demands severance for laid off workers, as Steward delays sale hearing again

Gov. Maura Healey is demanding that Steward Health Care pay the employees of two soon-to-close Bay State hospitals the severance they are owed, and says they’ll...

Maura Healey demands severance for laid off workers, as Steward delays sale hearing again

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