Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Behind The Scenes: Sickened Health Care Workers Discuss Worries About Jobs, Their Families
The New York Times: Pride And Panic: Children Of Health Care Workers Grapple With Pandemic
When Marcela Vasquez, a phlebotomist at Long Island Community Hospital, gasped for air in a quiet room at home, she wondered: If I die, who will take care of my children? As the fevers and body aches wracked her body, Ms. Vasquez’s 13-year-old daughter, Alyssa Barnes, feared the same. “I really need her,” Alyssa said of her mother, 38, who tested positive for the coronavirus in late March. “Just losing her, it would change my entire life.” (Ortiz, 5/27)
The Associated Press: Punching Through Turmoil: Pro Boxer Helps Medical Staff Cope
Hassan N’Dam, former middleweight boxing champion of the world, wanted to repay the French hospital that cared for his father-in-law through his bout with COVID-19. Perhaps with Champagne? Or chocolate? No, N’Dam thought: “These are things that won’t last. I wanted to leave something quite memorable.” (Pugmire, 5/29)
Kaiser Health News: Lost On The Frontline
A nurse who planned to donate blood and plasma once he recovered. A hospital security guard who could be counted on for anything. A travelling nurse who asked his mom to send tamales. These are some of the people just added to “Lost on the Frontline,” a special series from The Guardian and KHN that profiles health care workers who die of COVID-19. (5/29)
Boston Globe: Even While Celebrated As Heroes, Health Care Workers Are Exhausted And Struggling With Burnout
Although new daily coronavirus cases are declining, doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other health care workers are struggling with exhaustion from long hours and a crushing emotional toll from the drawn-out crisis. They’re seeing more severe illness with fewer treatment options, and more death. Often working with far-from-ideal protective gear, they’re fearful of getting sick or infecting their families. (Martin, 5/28)
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nurses At Las Vegas Hospital Hold Protest
Nurses at MountainView Hospital in Las Vegas held a protest Thursday morning over what they say are planned layoffs and pay cuts by the hospital’s owner, HCA Healthcare.“ HCA is trying to make cuts in both staff and some other things such as pay raises due to the pandemic,” said Nicole Koester, a nurse at MountainView and chief nurse representative for the union National Nurses United. (Puit, 5/28)
Houston Chronicle: No CARES Act Funding For Pediatricians Could Mean Fewer Health Care Options For Kids
With young patients and their parents worried about contracting COVID-19 and staying home, revenues are drying up. That has made the Pahlavan sisters increasingly anxious about how they’ll pay their 40 employees as they burn through cash reserves and an emergency small business loan from the federal Paycheck Protection Program. (Wu, 5/29)
Modern Healthcare: PeaceHealth Accused Of Firing Physician For Criticizing COVID-19 Response
An emergency medicine physician who says he was wrongfully terminated for publicly criticizing his Washington state hospital's coronavirus response is now suing his former employer. Dr. Ming Lin on Thursday sued PeaceHealth, a Vancouver, Wash.-based health system that owns the Bellingham, Wash. hospital where he had worked since 2003, and TeamHealth, the Knoxville, Tenn.-based physician staffing company that contracted him to work there. Richard DeCarlo, PeaceHealth's chief operating officer, is also listed as a defendant. (Bannow, 5/28)
