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Michigan auditors will probe state health agency on Flint water

Snyder called for the state’s Auditor General and the health agency's inspector general to investigate the problems in Flint and surrounding Genesee County, and they agreed, the state said. Snyder has repeatedly apologized for the state's poor handling of the water crisis but has rejected calls to resign.

Jesse Jackson to speak at rally about contaminated Flint, Michigan water

By Serena Maria Daniels FLINT, Mich. (Reuters) – Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson is scheduled to speak on Sunday at a rally in Flint, Michigan, about the city’s lead-contaminated drinking water that has led to investigations, two lawsuits and multiple apologies by the state’s governor. The rally, which will be held at 1:30 p.m. local time (1830 GMT) at the Heavenly Host Church of the Harvest, comes two days before Michigan Governor Rick Snyder gives his annual speech about the state. State officials expect this month to ask lawmakers to tap Michigan’s budget surplus to cover costs related to the crisis.

Rio de Janeiro declares health system emergency as Olympics loom

By Rodrigo Viga Gaier RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – The governor of Rio de Janeiro declared a state of emergency late on Wednesday as a budget shortfall caused chaos in the state's healthcare system only eight months before the city of Rio is due to host the 2016 Olympic Games. The declaration comes as hospitals, emergency rooms and health clinics cut services or closed units throughout the state as money ran out for equipment, supplies and salaries. Governor Luiz Fernando Pezão's decree immediately provides 45 million reais ($25.3 million) in federal aid and he hopes it will speed the release of more emergency funds for healthcare.

State Integrity 2015 reporters

The State Integrity Investigation is a collaboration between the Center for Public Integrity and 50 state-based reporters.

China tells patients to go local to cut costs, improve access

China will push patients to seek medical treatment locally in a bid to overhaul a over-burdened healthcare system where wide gaps between urban and rural care often mean people travel hundreds of miles to seek help in cities. The country is aiming that by 2017 all patients with serious illnesses will receive treatment within their own county, the State Council said in a statement laying out various ways to improve access and lower healthcare fees. China’s healthcare reform drive could reduce steep costs for its citizens, who often save up large “rainy day” funds in case a family member falls ill.

Tennessee governor expected to sign bill requiring abortion waiting period

By Tim Ghianni NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Reuters) – Tennessee abortion clinics will have to be licensed as surgical centers and women will be required to wait 48 hours after counseling before undergoing an abortion under bills approved by state lawmakers on Tuesday. Republican Governor Bill Haslam is expected to sign both measures into law when they get to him, a spokesman said. Tennessee would join 22 states that require abortion providers to meet ambulatory surgical center standards and 26 states that have waiting periods, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports access to abortion. The measures follow a Tennessee amendment approved by voters in November that allows the state General Assembly to change abortion policies for the first time since the state Supreme Court struck down abortion restrictions in 2000.

Justice Department sides with transgender inmate in Georgia lawsuit

The Obama administration on Friday weighed in on the side of a transgender Georgia prison inmate who is suing the state over prison officials’ refusal to provide treatment such as hormone therapy. On Thursday, a federal judge ruled that California must provide sex reassignment surgery to a transgender inmate.

California has three new measles cases, Arizona says outbreak winding down

By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – California public health officials have confirmed three more cases of measles in an outbreak that began in late December, bringing to 113 the total number of people believed to have been infected in the state. Health officials in Arizona, where seven cases of measles have been documented, said the outbreak would likely be considered over in that state if no further infections were reported over the weekend. Across the United States, more than 150 people have been diagnosed with measles, many of them linked to an outbreak that authorities believe began when an infected person from out of the country visited Disneyland in late December. The California Department of Public Health said 39 of the 113 people who contracted measles in the state were believed to have been exposed while visiting Disneyland.