As Population Ages, Connecticut House Passes Bill To Overhaul Elder Care
The bill includes more oversight of home care work, speeding up Medicaid access, and a new registry to make finding caregivers easier. In other health news across the country, addiction treatment in Massachusetts, autism support efforts in Florida, toxic gas in Memphis, and more.
The CT Mirror:
CT Elder Care Reform Bill Passes House
Acknowledging Connecticut’s substantial and increasing older adult population, the House of Representatives on Monday passed sweeping legislation overhauling the state’s elder care system, including requiring more oversight of home care workers, creating a speedier process for accessing Medicaid, and launching a registry to make it easier for consumers to find caregivers. (Carlesso and Altimari, 4/29)
The Boston Globe:
15 Mass. Hospitals To Launch Or Expand Addiction Treatment
Each year, hundreds of people addicted to drugs and alcohol show up at Massachusetts hospitals suffering agonizing withdrawal symptoms such as violent shaking and vomiting. Often, they are sent on their way with a list of numbers for local treatment programs. Yet when Dan arrived last spring at Massachusetts General Hospital with a fever of 105 and the ultra-lethal opioid fentanyl in his system, he was treated to a much different response. (Serres, 4/26)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Court Filings Hint At New Operator For St. Louis Hospital
Eight months after its sudden closure, change may be coming to South City Hospital, the Dutchtown facility formerly known as St. Alexius. Daniel Wiggins, the court-appointed receiver who has managed the hospital for the past year, said in an email Monday that the company’s lease will end Wednesday, allowing for a new “business occupant” in the facility. (Merrilees, 4/29)
WGCU:
SWFL Children's Hospital Unveils Autism Support Program And Sensory-Friendly Ambulance
The Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida introduced its groundbreaking SEA STAR program dedicated to patients and families affected by autism. (Calligan, 4/29)
Chicago Tribune:
Couples From Markham, Orland Park Share Their Lives, Kidneys
Phil Allen’s 25th anniversary present to his wife, Meghan, will be hard to top — he gave her one of his kidneys. “It was a happy coincidence that it happened on our wedding anniversary,” Phil said. “It made it easy for me not to buy her an anniversary present.” (Moore, 4/29)
KFF Health News:
Toxic Gas Adds To A Long History Of Pollution In Southwest Memphis
For many years, Rose Sims had no idea what was going on inside a nondescript brick building on Florida Street a couple of miles from her modest one-story home on the southwestern side of town. Like other residents, she got an unwelcome surprise in October 2022 at a public forum held by the Environmental Protection Agency at the historic Monumental Baptist Church, known for its role in the civil rights movement. (Miller, 4/30)
