State Highlights: West Virginia Lawmakers Take Steps To Protect Health Law, Preexisting Conditions; Chicago Hospitals, AMA Invest $6M To Improve Health On West Side

Charleston Gazette-Mail: The WV Senate Approved A Safety Net For Possible ACA Repeal. The Supreme Court Doesn’t Hear The Case Until 2021.
The West Virginia Senate on Tuesday approved a bill backed by Attorney General Patrick Morrisey that would restore portions of the Affordable Care Act at the state level if Morrisey’s effort to repeal the federal act is successful. Senate Bill 284 doesn’t have an effective date, meaning it would be dormant until at least 2021, when the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments in a federal case challenging the Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare. (Pierson, 2/25)

Chicago Tribune: AMA, Hospitals To Invest $6 Million In Chicago’s West Side
Half a dozen Chicago hospital systems and the American Medical Association are doubling down on efforts to improve the health of Chicagoans living on the city’s West Side — by investing money in neighborhood businesses. The hospitals and the Chicago-based trade group for physicians will announce Wednesday that they plan to invest $6 million in businesses on the city’s West Side. (Schencker, 2/26)

Modern Healthcare: AMA Joins Chicago Community Coalition Formed By Local Health Systems
The American Medical Association announced Wednesday that it has joined West Side United, a coalition of health systems focused on improving health outcomes on Chicago’s West Side. As part of its involvement, the AMA will invest $2 million over two years in community development financial institutions that focus on improving access to healthy foods, affordable housing and help finance small local businesses located on the West Side. (Castellucci, 2/26)

North Carolina Health News: As Dementia Cases Increase, Support Groups Flourish 
North Carolina faces a flood of people with dementia that will reach 300,000 by 2030. Responses as simple as person-to-person support groups address gaps that big medicine has yet to fill. (Goldsmith, 2/26)

The Associated Press: California Wildfire Victims Fear They’ll Be Last In Payout
A $13.5 billion settlement between victims of California’s catastrophic wildfires and the utility blamed for causing them was supposed to bring some peace and hope to people still reeling from the devastation. Instead, the deal has sparked confusion, resentment, suspicion and despair as the victims, government agencies, and lawyers grapple for their piece of the pie. (2/26)

The Associated Press: Lawsuit: Jail Guard Ignored Inmate’s Pain Before He Died
A Virginia jail guard ignored an inmate’s cries of pain and medical personnel did nothing to help him before he died, according to a lawsuit filed by his estate. The lawsuit said that when one officer at Hampton Road Regional Jail spotted Victor Rhea Fountain curled up in the fetal position, he shrugged and moved on to the next cell, The Virginian-Pilot reported Tuesday. (2/25)

St. Louis Post Dispatch: St. Luke’s Hospital CEO Announces Resignation 
The president and CEO of St. Luke’s Hospital announced her resignation Tuesday, according to a news release. Christine Candio will resign effective April 1, and plans to move to the East Coast to be closer to her family… Candio has led the hospital since January 2015. Before that, she was CEO of a hospital in northern Virginia for six years. (Merrilees, 2/25)

WSBTV.com: Hepatitis A Cases Continue To Spread In North Georgia
Health officials want to educate people about hepatitis A after dozens of cases were reported in north Georgia. Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus. It can range in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months. (2/25)

Charleston Gazette-Mail: Putnam Health Board Delays Medical Marijuana Vote
The Putnam County Health Board chose not to take a vote on medical marijuana Tuesday night, which would’ve either allowed or denied cannabis businesses to operate inside the county. West Virginia’s 2017 medical marijuana law requires each county health board to submit a letter of support for medical marijuana in the county to the state Department of Health and Human Resources. (Severino, 2/25)

Boston Globe: State Lawmaker Demands Answers On How Marijuana Taxes Are Spent
A state lawmaker has asked Governor Charlie Baker’s administration to show how the state spent marijuana taxes so far, saying she hopes the money funded new initiatives, not just existing ones.The questions raised by Representative Hannah Kane, a Shrewsbury Republican, coincide with a Boston Globe report this month detailing that since July 2018, none of the $67 million in marijuana excise taxes and fees left over after paying for the cost of regulators has funded any new initiatives or supported many purposes prescribed in state law. Those purposes include public safety and aid for communities hardest hit by the war on drugs. (Martin, 2/25)