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Morning Briefing

Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

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Tuesday, May 19 2026 UPDATED 9:30 AM

Full Issue

Children's Hospital Colorado Likely Violated Law When It Halted Transgender Care, State Supreme Court Rules

The Colorado high court ruled 5-2 that the case be returned to a lower court, where it said a judge should issue an injunction requiring the hospital to resume gender-affirming care, The Colorado Sun reported. Also: Thousands of Illinois nurses vote to unionize; legislation in Hawaii could alter juvenile justice; and more.

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Monday that Children’s Hospital Colorado should resume providing gender-affirming care to transgender youth. In a 5-2 decision, the state’s highest court concluded there is sufficient evidence that Children’s violated state antidiscrimination law when it suspended gender-affirming care earlier this year in the face of mounting federal threats. (Ingold, 5/18)

In other health news from across the U.S. —

Oregon gave the green light for Compassus to acquire a 50% stake in Providence’s home health and hospice operations across the state. After more than a year of review, Oregon Health Authority’s Health Care Market Oversight program said in a Friday news release it approved the joint venture with conditions. The Oregon deal is expected to close in the fall, Providence said in an email. (Eastabrook, 5/18)

Nurses at Rush University Medical Center have voted to unionize, a vote that will make Rush one of the largest Chicago hospitals with unionized nurses. (Schencker, 5/18)

The St. Louis County health department purchased a new patient record-keeping system that will cost nearly $19 million over the next five years, but the county has no long-term plan to pay for it, according to a recent audit. (Landis, 5/18)

Hawaiʻi is poised to become one of the first states in the nation to require a judge to consider a child’s exposure to trauma before charging the youth as an adult. Senate Bill 2108, which would also bar minor victims of trafficking or sexual assault from being charged as adults for going after their abuser, is the state’s latest juvenile justice reform. The move reflects research that shows most youth in the criminal justice system have experienced significant trauma – something experts, judges and even wardens say can be better addressed through a more rehabilitative approach on the juvenile side rather than a punitive one on the adult side. (Thompson, 5/18)

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø News: Efforts To Understand The Nation’s Drugged Driving Problem Stall Under Trump

Two state transportation workers were replacing a sign on the shoulder of U.S. Highway 6 in western Colorado one morning when a Jeep Grand Cherokee swerved off the road and struck them. The workers, Nathan Jones and Trent Umberger, died in the September 2024 crash, as did a passenger in the Jeep. Tests found that the driver, Patrick Sneddon, then 59, had oxycodone and six times Colorado’s presumed impairment threshold for THC — the psychoactive compound in cannabis — in his blood. He pleaded guilty and is serving 30 years in prison on three counts of vehicular homicide and other charges. (DiCola, 5/19)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
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