Among the changes, the state will buy mobile ambulance simulators to allow educational programs in all regions. Also in the news: the District of Columbia has named its first director of the new Office of Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing; a federal judge in Nebraska has removed an obstacle for legalizing medical marijuana; and more.

AP: West Virginia Bolstering Emergency Medical Service Workforce  West Virginia is allocating $10 million in federal coronavirus relief funding to bolster the state’s emergency medical services workforce, Gov. Jim Justice said. The Community and Technical College System, EMS community partners and state lawmakers reviewed current education and training opportunities for emergency medical technicians and paramedics and looked at areas of need, the Republican governor’s office said in a news release Tuesday. (6/15)

The Boston Globe: As Mental Health Crisis Worsens, Record-Setting Investment Languishes The $400 million in federal funding allocated by the state to mental health was seen as a watershed moment in addressing the growing crisis, a record-setting sum that advocates said would make a meaningful dent in the problem. Six months later, half of the allocation has languished, mired in bureaucratic infighting. Delayed fixes occurred as the state has struggled to bring about comprehensive and longer-term mental health care reforms. Meanwhile, the state’s mental health care crisis has only worsened, resulting in more and sicker patients coming to emergency rooms and waiting days or weeks for a psychiatric bed. (Bartlett, 6/14)

The Washington Post: Kari Cooke Named Inaugural Director Of D.C. Office Of Deaf, Deafblind And Hard Of Hearing  Kari Cooke, recently tapped by D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser to lead the city’s new Office of Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing, still remembers longing for a sense of community. Cooke, of New York, grew up with difficulty hearing that began to accelerate in her early twenties. Even as she embraced her deafness, she felt isolated from others who had found a connection through their fluency in American Sign Language. It wasn’t until later, when she joined the National Black Deaf Advocates, that Cooke finally felt that she belonged. (Brice-Saddler, 6/14)

The Washington Post: Senior Citizens Moved After Small Fire In Bowie Facility  More than 100 seniors were evacuated from a Maryland nursing home early Tuesday morning and relocated to other facilities across the state after a kitchen fire damaged part of the building and forced utilities to be shut off. Emergency responders from the Prince George’s County Fire and EMS Department were called to the Larkin Chase Center in Bowie at 3:42 a.m. for a report of an explosion that had trapped one person, fire officials said. The D.C., Anne Arundel County and Montgomery County fire departments assisted in evacuation efforts, officials said. (Hilton, Mettler and Hedgpeth, 6/14)

AP: Bills Signed By NC Governor Address Arson, Drugs, Insurance  North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed three bills into law Tuesday, including one that increases arson punishments and another that supporters say will get federally approved medicines that contain marijuana or its active ingredient quicker to those who need them. The bills are the first the Democratic governor has received — and signed — since the legislature’s annual work session began four weeks ago. Debate on all three measures began last year. (6/14)

AP: Judge Lifts Major Obstacle For Nebraska Medical Pot Campaign  A federal judge in Nebraska removed a major obstacle for activists who want to legalize medical marijuana via a ballot campaign, ruling that petition circulators no longer have to gather signatures from at least 5% of voters in 38 or more counties. U.S. District Judge John Gerrard issued an order Monday to temporarily bar the state from enforcing the requirement, which is enshrined in the Nebraska Constitution to guarantee at least some buy-in from rural voters before an issue can appear on a statewide ballot. (6/14)

AP: Governor Names 17 To Medical Marijuana Advisory Panel  Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear named 17 people on Tuesday to serve on a medical marijuana advisory team that he formed by an executive order. Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Kerry Harvey and Public Protection Cabinet Secretary Ray Perry will serve as co-chairs of the panel, which includes health care professionals, members of law enforcement and advocates for medical marijuana, Beshear said in a statement. (6/15)

On substance abuse and addiction —

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Supes OK $1.25 Million Lifeline To Financially Distressed Provider Of Mental Health, Addiction Care A leading San Francisco provider of treatment programs for substance abuse and mental health disorders that is in financial distress received a temporary lifeline from city supervisors to maintain services for more than 200 people and keep dozens of nonprofit workers employed. PRC and Baker Places, two nonprofits in the process of merging, begged the Board of Supervisors to bail them out of a combined $3.2 million shortfall so they could continue running 215 treatment beds to provide detoxification, psychiatric care and other urgently needed help to some of the city’s most vulnerable residents. (Morris, 6/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F.’s New Supervisor Pushes For Police Crackdown In ‘Drug Enforcement Priority Zones’ San Francisco’s newest supervisor is pushing a plan for police officers to prioritize arresting drug dealers and confiscating illegal drugs from users in areas where people are seeking help with addiction. The plan is part of a broader “right to recovery” initiative that Supervisor Matt Dorsey is drafting as he tries to confront the fentanyl crisis unfolding in SoMa and other parts of his district where overdoses are high and city officials want to connect more people to treatment. (Morris, 6/14)

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