Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CRISPR Sickle Cell Treatment To Be Offered At 9 Hospitals
Modern Healthcare: 9 Hospitals To Offer First FDA-Backed Sickle Cell Treatment
The hospitals that will offer CRISPR Therapeutics' Casgevy genome-edited cell therapy are Boston Medical Center; Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.; City of Hope Children’s Cancer Center in Los Angeles; Medical City Children’s Hospital in Dallas; Methodist Children’s Hospital in San Antonio, Texas; Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio; The Children’s Hospital at TriStar Centennial in Nashville, Tennessee; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio; and University of Chicago/Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago. (DeSilva, 12/11)
In other hospital news —
Becker's Hospital Review: Workers Set To Strike At 4 Prime Hospitals
Members of the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West are set to launch a five-day strike Dec. 20 affecting four Prime Healthcare facilities in Southern California. The union represents about 1,800 workers at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, Garden Grove Hospital and Medical Center, and Encino Hospital Medical Center, according to a union news release shared with Becker's. Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare operates 45 hospitals and more than 300 outpatient locations in 14 states. (12/11)
CBS News: Northwestern Medicine To Offer 'X' As Sex Designation Option
"Male" and "female" will no longer be the only choices for gender when patients check into any Northwestern Medicine location. Effective Monday, Dec. 18, patients will be able to choose "X" as a sex designation at the Northwestern Medicine's 11 hospitals and more than 200 outpatient sites around Illinois. The designation will be available as part of electronic medical records in the Northwestern Medicine health system. (Harrington and Spector, 12/11)
Health News Florida: Tampa General Hospital Gets OK To Build 13-Story Transplant, Neuroscience Pavilion
Tampa City Council has granted approved to Tampa General Hospital’s plans to add a 13-story pavilion to house a new transplant and neuroscience departments. The city council voted 7-0 on Thursday to rezone the northern end of the hospital’s campus on Davis Islands for the 565,000-square-foot project, which will have room for 144 beds, 32 operating suites and increased intensive care capacity. (Mayer, 12/11)
Health News Florida: Sarasota Memorial Hospital Announces $25 Million Gift For New Research Institute
Sarasota Memorial Hospital says it has received a $25 million gift that will go toward a new research and education institute, which is expected to open in 2025. Sarasota Memorial broke ground on the Kolschowsky Research and Education Institute in June, with the opening schedule for 2025. (Mayer, 12/11)
The Boston Globe: Shattuck Hospital Update: State Calls It 'far Too Large'
It has been touted as one of the state’s most ambitious public health experiments in generations. A sprawling campus that would serve as a healing sanctuary for thousands of Greater Boston residents struggling with debilitating mental illnesses and drug addictions. But now, members of the Healey administration who had publicly blessed the $550 million expansion of the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital site at Franklin Park say it’s too big and too pricey for taxpayers. (Serres, 12/11)
The CT Mirror: Windham Hospital Is Ending Labor And Delivery. Here's What To Know
On Dec. 1, Connecticut’s Office of Health Strategy announced the approval of a plan to terminate labor and delivery services at Windham Hospital, bringing an end to a three-year saga that pitted community organizers against one of the state’s largest health systems. Windham Hospital stopped performing births in June 2020. Three months later, Hartford HealthCare, which owns the hospital, applied for state approval — known as a “certificate of need” — to officially close the unit. (Golvala and DeBenedictis, 12/11)
Also —
Erie Times-News: Mercer County Prisoner Charged With Escape After Exiting Hospital During Treatment
A Mercer County Prison inmate was temporarily released from custody on Friday to undergo medical treatment at UPMC Hamot. The order allowing 31-year-old Alex Rabold to visit the Erie, Pennsylvania, hospital required the inmate, who was unguarded by prison officials and hospital security while at Hamot, to return to the Mercer County Prison immediately after his treatment was finished. Rabold walked away instead. Authorities are now investigating whether Rabold, of Hermitage, stole a UPMC Hamot employee's vehicle and fled town. The vehicle was recovered, unoccupied, in Sharon, Mercer County, on Saturday night, according to Erie Police Chief Dan Spizarny. Rabold's whereabouts remained unknown Monday afternoon. (Hahn and Bruce, 12/11)
