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Colorado's marketplace health plans must cover a wide range gender-affirming services for transgender individuals beginning Jan. 1, 2023, the federal government announced Tuesday. It's the first time the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has signed off on such a requirement. The cost of related medical treatments can add up to more than $100,000, according to some accounts. "I am proud to stand with Colorado to remove barriers that have historically made it difficult for transgender people to access health coverage and medical care," Secretary of the Health and Human Services Department Xavier Becerra said in a statement. (Hellmann, 10/12)

A nationwide blood shortage is being felt locally as Montana’s primary blood supplier is calling for 1,000 more donations per week to ease the effects. Nationally, 10,000 more donations are needed each week, according to the American Red Cross, which is seeing post-summer donations drop to its lowest levels in six years. Donations and drives at Montana blood supplier Vitalant have been declining over the last few weeks as COVID-19 precautions force cancellation of blood drives. Donations normally dip in the summer as vacation season takes off and school is out of session. Fall blood drives on high school and college campuses usually replenish blood banks and provide about 20 to 25% of blood supplies. (Schabacker, 10/12)

In late August, one of Gov. Greg Abbott’s primary challengers, Don Huffines, accused Texas’ child welfare agency of “promoting transgender sexual policies to Texas youth” under a section of its website titled “Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation.” “These are not Texas values, these are not Republican Party values, but these are obviously Greg Abbott’s values,” Huffines said in a widely circulated video on Twitter. The webpage published by the Department of Family and Protective Services linked to a suicide prevention hotline and other resources “dedicated to helping empower and celebrate” young LGBTQ people. (Scherer, 10/12)

Eau Claire has shut down half its 16 drinking water wells after "forever chemicals" were found to be migrating into new wells. Lane Berg, Eau Claire's utilities manager, said the migration was found after the city shut down four wells in July and weekly testing confirmed the movement. Though half the city's wells are closed, water supply has not been affected at this point. "We're able to provide the necessary water for the city," Berg said. "There's no bottled water." The city closed down the first of its wells due to PFAS contamination after testing found levels of the chemicals higher than the recommended level of 20 parts per trillion by the state Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Health Services. The wells with elevated levels showed results ranging from 21 to 70 parts per trillion.(Schulte, 10/12)

The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill announced that Tuesday classes would be canceled for its 30,000 graduate and undergraduate students after campus police investigated a possible suicide and what they believe was an attempted suicide over the weekend. In a letter to the university, UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said that the school was in the middle of a mental health crisis, noting that college-aged students "carry an increased risk of suicide." "This crisis has directly impacted members of our community – especially with the passing of two students on campus in the past month. As chancellor, a professor and a parent, my heart breaks for all those whose suffering goes unnoticed," he wrote. (Musto, 10/12)