News: Webinar: New budget impact tool estimates costs of MOUD in jails/prisons; Reentry job barriers; Impacts of poor air quality on health; More.

HEALTH & JUSTICE IN THE NEWS

Thursday, June 8, 2023

Upcoming Webinars Events

Webinar: New Budget Impact Tool to Help Estimate Costs of Providing Medications to Treat Opioid Use Disorder in Jails/Prisons

JCOIN CTC, June 9, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. Central

There has been a substantial increase in the number of jails and prisons offering medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD; namely, methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone) in recent years. However, the resources and associated costs required to implement MOUD programs in jails and prisons can vary widely depending on the availability of services and the chosen delivery model.

This webinar will discuss a new customizable budget impact tool to assist jails and prisons with identifying an optimal MOUD delivery model, based on existing resources, and the costs that would be required to implement and sustain the model at their facility. Developed by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine, the tool captures critical nuances of the individualized budgeting process and accompanying tradeoffs faced by decision-makers of carceral settings who are interested in offering MOUD. Presenters will discuss the budget impact tool, how it works, and how it can be utilized by practitioners who work in correctional settings.

Learn more: https://www.jcoinctc.org/budget-impact-tool-to-help-estimate-costs-of-providing-medications-to-treat-opioid-use-disorder-in-jails-prisons/

Criminal Justice

Don’t ‘Punish Them More.’ Effort Grows to Ease Job Barriers After Prison Release

The Marshall Project, 06/05/2023

When formerly incarcerated people try to reintegrate into society, more than 1,600 laws and regulations often shut them out from employment, housing and educational opportunities. Some of those limitations may soon change in Ohio and beyond. A bipartisan bill moving through the state Legislature would expand access to public housing and some rental properties for people who have been released. Also this year, President Joe Biden designated April as “Second Chance Month” to recognize formerly incarcerated people and reentry programs. The Biden Administration directed the federal Small Business Administration to offer more business start-up loans to applicants with criminal records.

https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/06/05/ohio-job-barriers-after-prison-release

Prison sexual assault victims can now petition for compassionate release

NPR Illinois, 06/07/2023

For years, Aimee Chavira suffered sexual abuse in a Dublin, Calif., federal prison by the officers responsible for protecting her. Now, thanks to a program known as compassionate release, she is free. And her freedom could help pave a similar path for other people who experienced physical or sexual assault behind bars. "We are very hopeful that this can lead to more women who were abused at Dublin getting out," said Erica Zunkel, Chavira's lawyer. Chavira, 44, has been home for less than two weeks after learning her request for compassionate release had been granted by a federal judge. Those petitions allow people in prison the chance to convince a court they should be freed because of extraordinary and compelling circumstances. Typically, those cases involve terminal illness or other dire medical conditions. In April, the U.S. Sentencing Commission, a federal body that sets advisory guidelines, voted to expand the bases for compassionate release to include sexual and physical assault by prison workers.

https://www.nprillinois.org/2023-06-07/prison-sexual-assault-victims-can-now-petition-for-compassionate-release

No objection to waiving court fees for low-income defendants, Cook County state’s attorney says

Chicago Sun Times, 06/06/2023

The Cook County state’s attorney’s office announced Tuesday it will no longer object to waiving court fees for low-income defendants, a move it said was aimed at reducing racial disparities in the criminal justice system. “One of the tragedies of the criminal justice system is that a disproportionate amount of its financing is shouldered by people of color and those living in poverty,” State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said in a statement. “Rather than end the cycles of racial disparities and criminalization, fees and fines perpetuate them.” Fines and fees are used to cover court expenses. The office said the new policy was in line with other measures it has taken, including not prosecuting cases involving driving with a suspended license or possessing small amounts of narcotics and expunging cannabis convictions.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/6/6/23751444/cook-county-states-attorneys-office-no-longer-object-to-waiving-court-fees-low-income-defendants

Sharing the sentence: Separation takes toll on incarcerated moms and their kids

St. Louis Post Dispatch, 06/05/2023

… Crystal Martinez’ five children, including the three aged 13, 10 and 6, last month traveled for three hours from Chicago to visit her in Logan Correctional, Illinois’ largest state prison for women and transgender people, on the Reunification Ride. The donation-dependent initiative buses family members 180 miles from the city to Logan every month so they can spend time with their mothers and grandmothers. The number of incarcerated women in the United States dropped by tens of thousands because of COVID-19. But as the criminal justice system returns to business as usual and prison populations creep back to pre-pandemic norms, more children are being separated from their mothers, putting them at greater risk of health and behavioral problems and making them vulnerable to abuse and displacement. Black and Hispanic women are more likely to be imprisoned than white women and are affected disproportionately by family separation due to incarceration. Women held at Logan describe the Reunification Ride — one of the increasingly rare, under-funded programs designed to keep families together — as a crucial lifeline.

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/sharing-the-sentence-separation-takes-toll-on-incarcerated-moms-and-their-kids/article_8d86c200-03b3-11ee-9836-3fe0251d9f80.html

Related: “Supporting Incarcerated Parents and Their Families” (CSG Justice Center): https://csgjusticecenter.org/projects/second-chance-act-grant-program/supporting-incarcerated-parents-and-their-families/

Expansion of program that gives break to first-time gun offenders awaits Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature

Chicago Tribune, 06/05/2023

With some Republican support, Illinois lawmakers approved a measure to expand and indefinitely extend a probation program for first-time offenders charged with illegally possessing a gun. A pilot program the Democratic-controlled General Assembly passed six years ago was limited to defendants under 21 with no prior convictions for violent crimes and was set to end in January. Under the new legislation, the age limit would be dropped, the probationary period would be shortened and the program would continue indefinitely. “It’s one thing to have someone who’s 18 years old being caught with a firearm versus somebody who’s 55 or 60 years old, and so it just gives the judge and the prosecutor that discretion to figure out what program works best for them,” freshman Democratic state Rep. Kevin Olickal of Skokie, the main House sponsor of the legislation, said in an interview. While the legislation is the latest example of the Democratic supermajority’s progressive stance on criminal justice, it attracted Republican support in part because of fears that the state’s strict gun laws, including a ban on many high-powered weapons, which is now tied up in court, could ensnare otherwise law-abiding citizens.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-first-time-gun-offense-probation-20230605-hygt7p2bbjfq5cr42ssoqvdibe-story.html

Substance Use, Treatment, & Recovery

Recovery From Addiction Is a Journey. There’s No One-and-Done Solution.

KFF Health News, 06/06/2023

The atmosphere inside the Allen House is easygoing as residents circulate freely through the hallways, meet in group sessions, or gather on a large outdoor patio that features a dirt volleyball court with an oversize net. The 60-bed safety-net residential treatment center in Santa Fe Springs, run by Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse, has a dedicated detox room, on-site physicians and nurses, substance abuse counselors, licensed therapists, and other practitioners. It offers group counseling as well as individual and family therapy, and it endorses the use of medications for substance use treatment, such as buprenorphine and naltrexone, which are increasingly considered the gold standard. Willard Sexton, a staff member and former Allen House patient, says the most important part of his job is speaking with each resident daily. Most of them, like him, came to treatment straight from jail or prison, and he knows as well as anybody how stressful it is to stop using. “It’s similar to grief and loss,” says Sexton, 35. “The drug was their best friend for a long time.” Interacting with them, he says, helps him in his own ongoing recovery. At a time when drug use is among the nation’s gravest public health crises, a visit to the Allen House offers key lessons: substance use disorder is a chronic illness requiring constant vigilance, there’s no one-and-done solution, and relapses are part of the journey to recovery. Peer mentoring is an invaluable element of drug counseling, since people who have plodded the difficult path from dependence to sobriety understand the mindset of patients on a visceral level.

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/recovery-from-addiction-is-a-journey-theres-no-one-and-done-solution/

Opinion: The DEA needs to officially allow telehealth prescribing for opioid use disorder

Danny Nieves-Kim, M.D., MPH, is an addiction medicine specialist at Bicycle Health.

STAT News, 06/01/2023

The statistics are dismal, though they bear repeating: 81% of overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2021 involved an opioid. But as an addiction medicine specialist, there are figures that give me hope: one seminal study showed that 75% of patients who were given the FDA-approved medication buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder daily for 12 months remained in recovery — compared with 0% who did not receive buprenorphine treatment for the entire 12 months. That’s right: 0%. Though there are many barriers to accessing medication for opioid use disorder, many were reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of broadened telehealth services. I’ve seen this firsthand: I work for Bicycle Health, which offers medical assistance for opioid use disorder via telehealth. But don’t just take my word for it — research shows that online treatment options have achieved undeniable benefits. Now, this progress is under threat. The DEA is considering a rollback on these services, suggesting that people with opioid use disorder seeking treatment for the first time should receive just a 30-day supply of buprenorphine via telehealth. After this, according to the proposed ruling, patients must receive subsequent medication from an in-person prescriber. But this is where things get risky: The average time to get a doctor’s appointment in 2022 was 26 days, and even when an appointment is secured, 1 in 4 patients no-show to their in-person appointments for myriad reasons.

https://www.statnews.com/2023/06/01/dea-telehealth-prescribing-opioid-use-disorder/

White House vows an improved effort against drug overdoses

Reuters, 06/06/2023

President Joe Biden's administration on Tuesday pledged an improved effort to combat drug overdoses that claimed the lives of about 100,000 Americans last year, using a White House summit to tout a multifaceted approach to tackle synthetic and illicit drugs such as the powerful opioid fentanyl. "Today's summit is needed because the global and regional drug environment has changed dramatically from just even a few years ago," Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, told the summit, being held jointly with public health officials from Mexico and Canada. Gupta added that "synthetic drugs have truly become a global threat." Biden administration officials said they would use tools such as medications to reverse opioid overdoses and use data collection to guide their efforts.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/white-house-vows-an-improved-effort-against-drug-overdoses-2023-06-06/

NH Senate votes to legalize fentanyl, xylazine test strips

New Hampshire Public Radio, 06/02/2023

State and federal health officials say fentanyl test strips can reduce overdoses and other harms from drug use, at a time when overdose deaths have been rising in New Hampshire. But in New Hampshire, those materials are considered illegal drug paraphernalia — limiting who can distribute them. A bill that recently cleared the New Hampshire Senate could change that. It would legalize materials that test for fentanyl or xylazine, an animal tranquilizer that’s increasingly entered the New England drug supply in recent years. Advocates said the measure could expand access to things like fentanyl test strips, which allow people to check if their drugs contain the dangerous synthetic opioid. “People need to be able to use harm reduction tools without fear of reprisal, without fear of being prosecuted for it,” said Democratic Rep. Jodi Newell of Keene, the bill’s main sponsor. She said the change “will save lives.”

https://www.nhpr.org/health/2023-06-02/nh-senate-votes-to-legalize-fentanyl-xylazine-test-strips

Related: “California Confronts the Threat of ‘Tranq’ as Overdose Crisis Rages” (KFF Health News, 06/05/2023): https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/california-confronts-tranq-xylazine-overdose-crisis/

Healthcare and Social Determinants of Health

How poor air quality hurts your health

NBC News, 06/06/2023

… Many of the health issues people see from poor air quality, in general, can overlap with health issues people see from wildfire smoke, said Dr. Wynne Armand, a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate director of the MGH Center for the Environment and Health. Air pollution from wildfire smoke can make breathing difficult for anyone, but especially for young children, older adults, pregnant women and people with asthma or other pre-existing respiratory conditions, she said. Dr. Aida Capo, a pulmonologist at Hackensack Meridian Health in New Jersey, said on Wednesday that she's already seen an influx of patients because of the poor air quality, including patients with worsening symptoms of asthma or emphysema. "It's an almost immediate effect," Capo said. "If you're outside for any length of time, your symptoms can start and can worsen quickly." In the short term, wildfire smoke can cause irritation to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs, as well as an increased risk of respiratory infection. Studies have also found that short-term exposure to small particulate matter increases the risk of a range of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Longer term, exposure to air pollution is associated with several chronic health conditions

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/air-quality-alerts-symptoms-signs-health-complications-know-rcna87953

Burnout Threatens Primary Care Workforce and Doctors’ Mental Health

KFF Health News, 06/07/2023

… Burnout in the health care industry is a widespread problem that long predates the COVID-19 pandemic, though the chaos introduced by the coronavirus’s spread made things worse, physicians and psychologists said. Health systems across the country are trying to boost morale and keep clinicians from quitting or retiring early, but the stakes are higher than workforce shortages. Rates of physician suicide, partly fueled by burnout, have been a concern for decades. And while burnout occurs across medical specialties, some studies have shown that primary care doctors, such as pediatricians and family physicians, may run a higher risk… Doctors say they are fed up with demands imposed by hospital administrators and health insurance companies, and they’re concerned about the notoriously grueling shifts assigned to medical residents during the early years of their careers. A long-standing stigma keeps physicians from prioritizing their own mental health, while their jobs require them to routinely grapple with death, grief, and trauma. The culture of medicine encourages them to simply bear it.

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/burnout-threat-primary-care-workforce-doctor-mental-health/

A new system in California recasts gun violence as a public health concern. It’s saving lives

The Guardian, 06/07/2023

When Josh Hatcher ( a victim of gun violence) woke up in the hospital, a frontline worker named Carlos met him there. Carlos, an Oakland native who shared common ground with Hatcher, was working with the Oakland non-profit Youth Alive. Programs like Youth Alive meet survivors of gunshot or stab wounds in the hospital, and fast – when the need is greatest. It’s at this moment that survivors are at their most vulnerable. They’re recovering from wounds, questioning their safety and facing a higher risk of re-injury and perpetuation of violence through retaliation. These hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs) dispatch “intervention specialists” like Carlos to their bedsides to offer support, redirect them away from retaliation and connect them with the services they need to rebuild their lives: counseling, finding safer housing, getting insurance, enrolling in school, navigating bureaucratic paperwork or simply helping with rides to doctor’s appointments or the store. And it’s effective, advocates say. Forty percent of those who survive a violent injury will become victims again within five years, according to Gabriel Garcia, policy and advocacy director for Youth Alive. “But with our services,” he said, “that gets cut down to 2%.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/07/gun-violence-medicaid-california-intervention-program

Related: “One person died from gun violence every 11 minutes in 2021, setting new record: study” (The Hill, 06/06/2023): https://thehill.com/homenews/4037688-one-person-died-from-gun-violence-every-11-minutes-in-2021-setting-new-record-study/

LGBTQ health coverage improved after same-sex marriage ruling

Axios, 06/06/2023

Health insurers responded to the 2015 Supreme Court decision recognizing same-sex marriage with more equitable coverage for LGBTQ couples, including spousal benefits, according to a new study published in Health Affairs. What they found: The percentage of all LGBTQ adults with a usual source of health care access increased from 64% to 75% from 2013 to 2019. Disparities in coverage began to decline in 2014, when the main coverage provisions of the Affordable Care Act went into effect. By 2017–2019, coverage rates for LGBTQ adults were comparable to those of non-LGBTQ adults, although significant disparities in access remained. Partnered LGBTQ adults were slightly more likely to have health insurance coverage than single individuals by 2019. Single LGBTQ adults had lower coverage rates than non-LGBTQ adults in 2013, but by 2019, "were 3 percentage points more likely to have insurance." But even with expanded access to care, LGBTQ adults "were still more likely to report having trouble paying medical bills and going without necessary medical care because they could not afford it," researchers wrote. But some states are now targeting LGBTQ care, including services for transgender youth, which could reverse some of the coverage gains, experts say.

https://www.axios.com/2023/06/06/lgbtq-health-coverage-after-same-sex-marriage-ruling

Many Americans Are Skimping on Medication to Save Money

U.S. News and World Report, 06/02/2023

A new report shows that close to 1 in 10 adults ages 18 to 64 who recently had prescription medication in 2021 did not take it as directed to save money – an issue that was more common among groups including women, the uninsured and those not in good health. According to the report, published Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and based on a nationally representative survey, about 58% of adults in that age range took prescription medication within the past 12 months in 2021. More than 9 million – or 8.2% – of those adults sought to cut costs by skipping doses, taking less medication or delaying getting a prescription filled. These practices were particularly common among the uninsured, 22.9% of whom took such measures. Just 6.5% of privately insured adults and 8.0% of those on Medicaid did the same.

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-06-02/many-americans-are-skimping-on-medication-to-save-money

“Women more likely than men to skip or delay medications due to cost, CDC report finds” (NBC News, 06/02/2023): https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/women-likely-men-skip-delay-medications-due-cost-cdc-report-finds-rcna87264

HIV protection, cancer screenings could cost more if ‘Obamacare’ loses latest court battle

Associated Press, 06/06/2023

A judge’s order that would eliminate requirements that health insurance plans include cost-free coverage of HIV-preventing drugs, cancer screenings and various other types of preventive care should remain on hold while it is appealed, the Biden administration argued before an appellate panel Tuesday. It’s the latest legal skirmish over mandates in former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law, commonly known as “Obamacare,” which took effect 13 years ago. Enforcing the judge’s order could jeopardize preventive care for at least some of an estimated 150 million insured people, Alisa Klein, arguing for the administration, told three 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges in New Orleans.

https://apnews.com/article/obamacare-affordable-preventive-care-texas-appeal-1bd9703ec3a68129301366d53c197f97

Related: “Appeals court weighs nationwide freeze of Obamacare’s coverage mandate” (Politco, 06/06/2023): https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/06/appeals-court-weighs-nationwide-freeze-of-obamacares-coverage-mandate-00100625

As Fewer MDs Practice Rural Primary Care, a Different Type of Doctor Helps Take Up the Slack

KFF Health News, 06/06/2023

…Broad swaths of rural America don’t have enough primary care physicians, partly because many medical doctors prefer to work in highly paid specialty positions in cities. In many small towns, osteopathic doctors like de Regnier are helping fill the gap. Osteopathic physicians, commonly known as DOs, go to separate medical schools from medical doctors, known as MDs. Their courses include lessons on how to physically manipulate the body to ease discomfort. But their training is otherwise comparable, leaders in both wings of the profession say. Both types of doctors are licensed to practice the full range of medicine, and many patients would find little difference between them aside from the initials listed after their names. DOs are still a minority among U.S. physicians, but their ranks are surging. From 1990 to 2022, their numbers more than quadrupled, from fewer than 25,000 to over 110,000, according to the Federation of State Medical Boards. In that same period, the number of MDs rose 91%, from about 490,000 to 934,000. Over half of DOs work in primary care, which includes family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics. By contrast, more than two-thirds of MDs work in other medical specialties.

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/rural-primary-care-gaps-osteopathic-physicians/

Leapfrog Group Report Identifies Racial Disparities in Patient Safety

Healthcare Innovation, 06/07/2023

A report published by the Leapfrog Group found that higher-graded hospitals are safer for all patients, but Black and Hispanic patients are still at increased risk of experiencing certain surgery-related adverse safety events when compared to white patients, even at hospitals at all grade levels. Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, the nonprofit Leapfrog Group assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety. Its new report, Racial, Ethnic and Payer Disparities in Adverse Safety Events: Are there Differences across Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, was developed in partnership with Urban Institute, with funding from AARP. “We must honestly acknowledge the persistent racial and ethnic disparities, but we can't stop there,” said Missy Danforth, vice president of healthcare ratings at the nonprofit Leapfrog Group, in a statement. “Achieving safe care for all patients requires a focused commitment to transparency, better data collection, and targeted interventions.”

https://www.hcinnovationgroup.com/clinical-it/patient-safety/news/53062820/leapfrog-group-report-identifies-racial-disparities-in-patient-safety

Youth

Many Youth Kept on Probation Despite Being at Low Risk for Rearrest

Pew, 05/31/2023

A new study by The Pew Charitable Trusts shows that young people who are not arrested in their first year of juvenile probation are unlikely to be arrested for a new offense in the rest of their supervision term, regardless of its length. The study, based on data provided by the Texas Department of Juvenile Justice and analyzed by researchers at the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center and Pew, suggests that long community supervision terms for youth in the juvenile justice system may have diminishing public safety benefit—a finding mirrored in Pew’s earlier research about adults on probation. Probation is U.S. juvenile courts’ most frequent response to delinquency, according to data from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)... Although the findings may not be representative of all youth on probation in the U.S., the study found that if young people on probation in Texas were arrested, this arrest happened relatively early in their supervision.

https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2023/05/many-youth-kept-on-probation-despite-being-at-low-risk-for-rearrest

Many Kids Wait Too Long for Mental Health Care After Gun Injury

HealthDay, 06/05/2023

U.S. gun deaths and injuries in children have risen at astronomical rates. Yet, among kids on Medicaid, only about two of every five children who get shot receive mental health care within six months of these traumatic incidents, researchers say. The need is great, given that more than 11,250 U.S. kids experienced nonfatal firearm injuries in 2020. "There are many things that can happen after a traumatic accident like this from a mental health perspective. One, there are very frequently people who experience chronic pain associated with it, and chronic pain has a high rate of developing substance use disorders and addiction," said study co-author Dr. Eric Fleegler. These patients may have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and could be dealing with depression. Without proper therapy and medication, this may lead to worse school performance, trouble retaining work, issues in relationships, suicidal ideation and premature death, added Fleegler, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Boston Children's Hospital. He's also an associate professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School. Those most likely to receive care already had sought mental health care or they received a mental health diagnosis at the time of the firearm injury, the study found. They were also more likely to be white. "There should be nothing different between somebody who is Black versus somebody white versus somebody who's Hispanic in terms of whether they get access to care. And yet we see that there's about a 25% increased rate of getting access for those kids who are white compared to Black. That's an important finding," said Fleegler.

https://consumer.healthday.com/gun-injury-kids-2660722918.html

Texas’ juvenile justice system provides an ‘unsafe environment’ for detained children, report says

Houston Public Media, 05/30/2023

A federal investigation has found that the state’s juvenile justice system provides an “unsafe environment” for both children and staff due to severe understaffing and a lack of resources, according to an early report. The report from the Texas Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights found that despite most children having “clear mental health needs,” the Texas Juvenile Justice Department lacks enough resources and staff to “provide proper treatment for the mental health” of children who are in custody. Additionally, the report found that chronic understaffing has led to “increased violence, unsanitary living conditions, and lack of basic health care and medical attention,” which may further traumatize detained children and exacerbate their mental health needs, according to the report.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/criminal-justice/2023/05/30/452741/texas-juvenile-justice-system-provides-an-unsafe-environment-for-detained-children-report-says/

Related: “Facing youth prison crisis, Texas lawmakers opt to build new facilities and funnel more kids to adult system” (The Texas Tribune, 06/02/2023): https://www.texastribune.org/2023/06/02/texas-youth-prison-crisis/

Wisconsin 'Safe Harbor' bill would bar minors from being prosecuted for prostitution

Wisconsin Public Radio, 06/02/2023

Lawmakers heard testimony Thursday on a bipartisan bill that would bar people under the age of 18 from being prosecuted for prostitution in Wisconsin. More than two dozen states have passed similar laws, often referred to as "Safe Harbor" laws, according to Shared Hope International. Supporters say such measures help combat sex trafficking by ensuring that young victims will have legal immunity if they come forward to authorities. "In circumstances where a child, an individual under 18-years-old, is engaged in sex trafficking, the trafficker will manipulate and utilize the risk of their prosecution to deter the child from seeking help," said Ozaukee County Sheriff Christy Knowles, who testified in favor of the bill on behalf of the Badger State Sheriffs' Association and the Wisconsin Sheriffs and Deputy Sheriffs Association. Wisconsin lawmakers introduced similar legislation in 2017, 2019 and 2021, but it never cleared the full Legislature.

https://www.wpr.org/wisconsin-safe-harbor-bill-would-bar-minors-being-prosecuted-prostitution

More kids are anxious but fewer are getting the right help, study shows

CNN, 06/07/2023

More kids, teens and young adults are experiencing anxiety — but fewer are getting the appropriate treatment, according to the latest research. A new study looked at data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 2006 to 2018 and assessed office-based physician visits to see how many included an anxiety disorder diagnosis and what treatment, if any, was given. The patients observed ranged in age from 4 to 24 years old. While visits for anxiety increased from 1.4% in the 2006 to 2009 period to 4.2% in the period from 2014 to 2018, the proportion of visits with therapy decreased, according to the study published Monday in the American Academy of Pediatrics’ journal Pediatrics.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/07/health/anxiety-kids-medication-therapy-wellness/index.html

Around Illinois

Chandlerville meeting offering education, awareness about opioid epidemic

Jacksonville Journal-Courier, 06/05/2023

Health and emergency officials are hoping this week to make a proactive strike against an epidemic of opioid overdoses through a free Narcan education and awareness event. Chandlerville Fire Department and Cass County Health Department will host the event at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Chandlerville Community Building, on the back side of Chandlerville Village Hall at 111 W. Lake St. The discussion will look at opioids and resources available for those at risk and their friends and family members. It is open to anyone, and no names will be taken, according to organizers.

https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/chandlerville-meeting-focusing-awareness-opioids-18135739.php

Pike considering ordinance targeting juvenile e-cigarette users

Jacksonville Journal-Courier, 06/02/2023

Pike County is beginning to brainstorm ways to curb underage vaping. The county's Agriculture Committee began discussion during its April 21 meeting of a possible "vaping ordinance" that would punish underage e-cigarette users. Pike County Board chairman Andy Borrowman, who was in attendance for the meeting, said superintendents from the county's four school districts were meant to be there but only one — Darin Powell of Western school district — was present. The ordinance would go after juveniles who use or possess e-cigarettes, which Borrowman said is a particular issue among junior high schools in the county, "even to the point where parents are purchasing some of this stuff for them."

https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/pike-county-vaping-ordinance-discussion-18128487.php

Drought creating challenges for area farmers

The News Gazette, 06/02/2023

Despite brief storms, drought conditions will likely continue to spread across Illinois, creating potential challenges for farmers as the growing season stretches on. Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford expressed concerns Thursday about soybean and corn growth in central and western Illinois, as “most places have had only 25 to 60 percent of normal precipitation since the start of May.”

https://www.news-gazette.com/news/weather/drought-creating-challenges-for-area-farmers/article_feae87e1-7860-5643-a1a5-d2d5b7b5cf19.html

West Suburban Pantry launches drive to help children facing hunger

Shaw Local, 06/01/2023

As school lets out for the summer, many area families face a dilemma- how will they feed their children when they are not receiving the free breakfast, lunch and snacks they normally get at school? In areas of DuPage and Will counties served by West Suburban Community Pantry, about 9,675 children will need nutritional support through the summer months. The strain is likely to be more pressing, given the recent cuts in pandemic-level SNAP benefits, according to a new release… Because the pantry is able to purchase food from Northern Illinois Food Bank and receives donations of food and supplies from its food partners, every dollar raised can provide a nutritious meal for two children, according to the release.

https://www.shawlocal.com/my-suburban-life/news/dupage-county/2023/06/01/west-suburban-pantry-launches-drive-to-help-children-facing-hunger/

City officials, community discuss proposal to transform Diplomat Motel in Lincoln Square into transitional housing for homeless residents

Chicago Tribune, 06/01/2023

In a standing-room-only crowd Wednesday night, Ald. Andre Vasquez, 40th, led a meeting alongside city officials at which he presented a proposal to turn the Diplomat Motel into transitional housing with a variety of on-site services for homeless residents of the ward. Through the proposal, the Diplomat Motel at 5230 N. Lincoln Ave. would be redeveloped following in the steps of a pilot project in 2020 by which a handful of downtown hotels, including Hotel One Sixty-Six in the Gold Coast, were transformed into supportive housing for 259 individuals. “The purpose of this model is to pair housing plus services, to position people to become able to live independently in the community,” said Matt Richards, deputy commissioner for behavioral health at the Chicago Department of Public Health (CPDH), who helped with the project for hotel housing during the pandemic. City officials have touted that pilot project as a success, saying it allowed homeless people to find jobs, stable housing and more permanent health care during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a report from the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, an estimated 65,611 people experienced homelessness in Chicago in 2020, an estimate different from that offered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development because it takes into account people living doubled up or temporarily staying with others.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-diplomat-motel-transitional-housing-homeless-20230601-wez7hqmytjfl7clhiblkd4fwpq-story.html

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