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Not so long ago, Connecticut couldn’t get masks at any price. Now, it can’t get rid of 202,500 reusable cloth masks, leftovers from a gift of 2 million face coverings procured by the federal government from the maker of Hanes underwear. Connecticut used about 1.8 million, but the rest sit in 450 cases on nine pallets in a New Britain warehouse. They contain 40,500 five-mask packs made by Hanesbrands Inc., a company briefly bullish on a PPE product line. (Pazniokas, 10/14)

A new analysis of air quality in the United States clears up just how far smoke from wildfires burning in the western part of the nation can travel, as the fires continue to pose significant health risks to nearby communities. Wildfire smoke produced in the west reached as far east as Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, increasing the number of smoky days in the east by 40 percent, according to an analysis released in September by NPR’s California Newsroom and Stanford University’s Environmental Change and Human Outcomes Lab. Researchers analyzed more than 10 years of data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While the smoke was dispersed widely, California communities closest to the wildfires have experienced high amounts of air pollution lasting for days in the past two months. In some cases, pollution indexes reached levels unlike any seen before, according to health and education officials who spoke to the PBS NewsHour. (Rodriguez-Delgado, 10/13) 

Members of the Los Angeles City Council are urging new measures to protect residents from extreme heat, citing a recent Los Angeles Times investigation that revealed the state has failed to adequately address the health dangers of worsening heat waves or accurately count heat-related deaths. City Councilman Paul Koretz introduced a motion this week directing the city’s Emergency Management Department, among other actions, to report back on the status and cost of a surveillance system to track “when and where heat-related deaths are occurring, the identification of vulnerable populations in those locations, and the development of plans to minimize to near-zero deaths related to heat.” (Barboza, 10/13)

KHN: Q&A: How Will California’s New 988 Mental Health Line Actually Work? 

In September 2020, Congress passed bipartisan legislation creating a three-digit national suicide hotline: 988. Think of it as an alternative to 911 for mental health emergencies. The system is intended to make it easier to seek immediate help during a mental health crisis. Instead of calling 911 or the 10-digit national suicide hotline, Americans theoretically will be able to speak to a trained counselor by calling 988 from most any phone line. (Gold, 10/14)

Hollywood production workers pushing for a larger share of pandemic-era profits and better working conditions will walk off the job Monday unless they win concessions on bathroom and meal breaks and other issues in contract negotiations, their union announced. Members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) contend that television and film studios have raked in massive profits during the coronavirus pandemic as consumers turn to streaming options to fill more time at home. But those gains have not extended to workers, they say, who now put in significantly longer workweeks. The union seeks to have new rest periods, meal breaks and pay raises for entry-level workers codified in a new collective bargaining agreement. (Bogage, 10/13)

Residents of Benton Harbor, Michigan — a predominantly African American city just three hours away from Flint, Michigan — are dealing with a lead water crisis. People are under orders not to drink, cook or even brush their teeth with tap water because of the high levels of lead from old pipes. And city officials have known about the problem for years. Benton Harbor gets its water from nearby Lake Michigan, but residents like Frances Davis say what comes out of the faucet is not safe to use. She instead turns to bottled water for everything from cooking, to brushing her teeth, to bathing. (Villafranca, 10/13)

Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday announced a $45 million allocation of federal pandemic aid for violence prevention and crime victim services that he anticipated would begin reaching communities across Wisconsin within weeks. "Much like the pandemic, this is another public health crisis that deserves our attention and our action. And much like any public health issue, it starts with prevention. Violence and its impact on kids, families and communities is not inevitable," Evers said during a news conference at the COA Goldin Center, 2320 W. Burleigh St. in Milwaukee. (Dirr, 10/13)

Responding to the deaths of at least seven elderly residents during the Hurricane Ida blackout, New Orleans officials are proposing new rules to ensure that operators of independent living centers follow emergency procedures during disasters. The proposed ordinance, which passed the City Council’s Community Development Committee on Tuesday, would create a new license for apartment buildings that are designated for people older than 55 but that do not fall within Louisiana licensing requirements. The new classification would apply to about 75 centers around the city. (Myers, 10/13)

Connecticut has a history of collecting billions of dollars from the tobacco industry and smokers — and not using those resources to fight addiction. Gov. Ned Lamont insisted, during his first year in office in 2019, that this needs to change. And now that Connecticut coffers are flush with cash — much more so than they were two years ago — anti-smoking forces are challenging the governor and legislators to reverse what many call an embarrassing and dangerous trend. (Phaneuf, 10/13)

More than 350 Florida doctors signed a letter asking the state Senate to closely scrutinize Gov. Ron DeSantis’ selection for surgeon general before confirm the nomination during next year's legislative session. The letter Tuesday outlined a series of questions about nominee Dr. Joseph Ladapo’s positions, including his opposition to required masks in schools. Many of his approaches to the COVID pandemic put him into conflict with the recommendations of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics on masks for children. (Heddles, 10/13)