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Medical marijuana bill passes the Senate

Thursday, the Alabama Senate passed a bill that, if passed by the House and signed by the governor, would make Alabama the 34th state in the country to legalize medical marijuana. Senate Bill 165 was sponsored by State Senator Tim Melson, R-Florence. “This is a big step for Alabama,” Melson said. “But there is still … Continued
March 13, 2020

Scott Harris updates House Health Committee on coronavirus crisis

Wednesday, House Health Committee Chairman Paul Lee (R-Dothan) asked Alabama Public Health Officer Scott Harris and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama Vice President for Governmental Affairs Ted Hosp to provide an update on the coronavirus theat. Harris said as you know, we have not had a lot of testing. “I have no doubt,” we … Continued
March 13, 2020

Senate Health Committee updated on coronavirus crisis

Wednesday, Alabama Public Health Officer Scott Harris told the Alabama Senate Health Committee, “We have no cases in Alabama,” referring to the new strain of the coronavirus – COVID-19. The Chairman of the Senate Health Committee is Senator Jim McClendon (R-Springville). McClendon asked Dr. Harris to update the Committee on the threat from the coronavirus. … Continued
March 5, 2020

Health Committee gives favorable report to bill to mandate vaccination reporting

Wednesday, the Senate Health Committee gave a favorable report to a bill that would require that all medical providers share their vaccination records with the State of Alabama. Senate Bill 56 is sponsored by State Senator Tim Melson (R-Florence) Sen. Melson said that SB56 would require medical providers to report vaccinations in the registry. “This … Continued
February 13, 2020

Alabama Medical Cannabis Study Commission approves draft bill

Friday, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Study Commission voted to recommend legislation that would legalize marijuana for persons with diagnosed medical conditions. The commission voted twelve in favor and three against. Three members abstained. State Health Office Scott Harris voted against the bill. The proposed bill would allow farmers to grow marijuana, doctors to prescribe marijuana … Continued
December 23, 2019

Measles not in Alabama yet

The Senate Health Committee was briefed Wednesday on the measles epidemic that is gripping the nation and Alabama’s measles status. “We are hearing more and more measles discussion in our state,” said Health Committee Chairman Jim McClendon, R-Springville. “We asked Dr. (Scott) Harris to update the committee on this.” Harris is the Alabama public health … Continued
May 2, 2019

CHIP program changes will cost Alabama an estimated $1 billion over the next decade

Recent changes to the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) means that the state of Alabama is going to have to shoulder substantially more of the cost for the program. An estimated 220,000 children receive their health insurance through the CHIP program, which is managed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama (BCBSAL) and marketed under … Continued
January 31, 2019