The Health News USA October 11 2017

• Starting January 1, 2018, it will no longer be a major crime in California to knowingly expose a sexual partner to HIV without disclosing the infection. Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation on Friday that lowers the offense from a felony to a misdemeanor. The California legislature passed SB 239 on September 11.
• Brandon Marshall hosted his Third Annual Celebrity Ping-Pong Challenge at SPiN New York on East 23rd street Friday night as part of his “Project 375,” inviting fans and fellow teammates to face off in ping-pong matches and donating the proceeds from the event to children struggling with mental health disorders. In 2011, Marshall’s admitting to Borderline Personality Disorder which later sparked his Project three seven five initiative.
• Nationally, the rate of American children born with neonatal abstinence syndrome, a set of symptoms experienced by babies exposed to drugs in the womb, has quadrupled over the past 15 years. In East Tennessee the number of infants born with NAS has skyrocketed, with some counties reporting rates eight times the national average.

News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the 11th of  October 2017. Read by Tabetha Moreto. Health News

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/07/health/california-hiv-bill-signed/index.html

Starting January one, two thousand eighteen, it will no longer be a major crime in California to knowingly expose a sexual partner to HIV without disclosing the infection. Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation on Friday that lowers the offense from a felony to a misdemeanor. The California legislature passed SB two three nine on September eleven. The law previously punished people who knowingly exposed or infected others with HIV by up to eight years in prison. This new legislation will lower jail time to a maximum of six months.The new law also reduces the penalty for knowingly donating HIV-infected blood from a felony to a misdemeanor.
Bill sponsors Senator Scott Wiener and Assemblyman Todd Gloria, both Democrats, argued California law was outdated and stigmatized people living with HIV, especially given recent advancements in medicine. Evidence has shown that a person with HIV who undergoes regular treatment has a negligible chance of spreading the infection to others through sexual contact.
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Many Republicans staunchly opposed SB two three nine, saying it could lead to an increase in HIV infections.Senator Jeff Stone voted against the bill and strongly expressed his disapproval in September when the Senate voted on it. Stone, who is also a pharmacist, took aim at Wiener and Gloria’s argument that modern medicine can lower the spread of HIV. The senator said three out of four people who are on prescription medication in the United States do not comply with their doctor’s orders on how to take it. Sen. Joel Anderson, another Republican who voted against the bill, argued that people infected with HIV could never live their lives “to the same extent” again. He said it was irresponsible not to disclose the possibility of a life-altering infection. The bill enjoyed support from Californians for HIV Criminalization Reform, a coalition of several organizations, including the ACLU of California, whose mission is to replace The Los Angeles LGBT Center who also supported the bill.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/brandon-marshall-wins-passion-mental-health-article-1.3548026

Amid a frustrating season, Brandon Marshall is still finding a way to make an impact off the gridiron.Marshall hosted his Third Annual Celebrity Ping-Pong Challenge at SPiN New York on East  twenty third street Friday night as part of his “Project three seven five,” inviting fans and fellow teammates to face off in ping-pong matches and donating the proceeds from the event to children struggling with mental health disorders. This is the second year Marshall has held the event in New York since MetLife became his home field in two thousand fifteen – first with the Jets. He’s made a name for himself outside of football while in New York with both the ping-pong events and his appearances on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” as a TV panelist, which he stepped away from temporarily after joining the Giants this offseason.
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In two thousand eleven, Marshall’s admitting to Borderline Personality Disorder which later sparked his Project three seven five initiative. His organization aims to raise awareness about the need for mental health care for children. Marshall has been inconsistent on the field since then, but has made big strides in mental health treatment. He said he’s seen his goal for his legacy come to life in recent years with fellow players reaching out to him and opening up about problems.

https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/americas-heroin-epidemic/born-addicted-number-opioid-addicted-babies-soaring-n806346

As a team of nurses unwrap baby Jayden from the comfort of his swaddling cloth, he wails. His tiny feet shake. His hands clench and unclench. His suffering is obvious. Born dependent on opiates, the month-old boy and thousands like him are the smallest victims of the opioid epidemic. Scenes like this now play out everyday in hospitals across the country, as increasing numbers of women of childbearing age struggle with opioid addiction. Nationally, the rate of American children born with neonatal abstinence syndrome or NAS, a set of symptoms experienced by babies exposed to drugs in the womb, has quadrupled over the past fifteen years. In East Tennessee the number of infants born with NAS has skyrocketed, with some counties reporting rates eight times the national average. The problem is so bad that eight of the region’s district attorneys general are suing opioid manufacturers on behalf of local babies born with NAS in  twenty four counties. The suits are two of the latest to be filed in a mounting nationwide effort to drag drug-makers and distributors into courtrooms.

The number of children needing intensive treatment for NAS has become so overwhelming that the hospital opened a new ward this year just to care for them. Since two thousand nine, hospital staff have treated over one thousand eight hundred babies with NAS. In the past twelve months, Doctor Shawn Hollinger has seen three hundred fifty one infants with NAS come through the NICU. District Attorney General Barry Staubus has filed a suit with other district attorneys general against opioid manufacturers on behalf of their counties and children born with neonatal abstinence syndrome. A recent analysis by the Centers for Disease Control estimated that nearly six out of every one thousand infants born in the U.S. are now diagnosed with NAS. However, experts say that rate is likely higher, as not all states regularly collect such data.