Feds Blast State Of Missouri For Putting Mentally Ill Patients in Nursing Homes
It's a violation of federal disability law, the Department of Justice has now said. Also in the news: a nursing home Medicaid fraud suit in New York, California aims to protect workers from indoor heat, and more.
Missouri Independent:
Missouri Violates Law By Placing Mentally Ill In Nursing Homes
Missouri is violating federal disability law by unnecessarily institutionalizing thousands of adults with mental illness in nursing homes, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a scathing report published Tuesday. The report, which is based on a year-and-a-half of investigation, determined that those suffering with mental illness are “subjected to unnecessary stays in nursing facilities, generally because of a series of systemic failures by the state.” (Bates, 6/20)
Modern Healthcare:
Medicaid Fraud Suit: NY Nursing Home Owners Lose 2 NJ Operations
Troubles are mounting for a trio of nursing home owners facing an ongoing $83 million fraud lawsuit brought last year by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D). A New Jersey superior court judge Monday appointed an independent receiver to run two nursing homes in the state owned by Kenneth Rozenberg, Beth Rozenberg and Daryl Hagler. The three are collectively associated with approximately 40 nursing homes, mostly in New York and New Jersey. (Eastabrook, 6/20)
The Washington Post:
Weeks After Nursing Home Lawsuit, Maryland Health Official Resigns
The head of the Maryland agency tasked with regulating nursing home and hospital safety will resign effective June 27, several weeks after a lawsuit revealed a substantial backlog in inspections and complaint investigations. ... The Health Department did not provide a reason for her resignation in a news release Thursday afternoon. (Shepherd, 6/20)
More health news from across the U.S. —
NPR:
California Will Protect Indoor Workers From Dangerous Heat
California’s Occupational Health and Safety (Cal/OSHA) Standards Board voted Thursday afternoon to implement rules protecting indoor workers from extreme heat. California now joins just a few other states, including Oregon and Minnesota, to protect people who work indoors in facilities like warehouses, restaurants and refineries. The state estimates the new rule will apply to about 1.4 million people who work indoors in conditions that can easily become dangerously hot. (Borunda, 6/21)
KFF Health News:
California Leaders Tussle With Health Industry Over Billions Of New Dollars For Medi-Cal
Gov. Gavin Newsom, state lawmakers, and health industry leaders have a small window to reach an agreement on billions of new dollars for Medi-Cal before it’s put to voters in November. An initiative, supported by virtually every sector of the state’s health care industry as well as the local Republican and Democratic parties, would lock in the money for Medi-Cal, California’s version of the Medicaid health insurance program for low-income residents. The funds would be used primarily to increase payment rates for health care professionals who serve Medi-Cal patients. (Wolfson, 6/20)
AP:
Bill Allowing Doctor-Assisted Suicide In Delaware Fails In Senate
A bill allowing doctor-assisted suicide in Delaware failed to win approval in the state Senate on Thursday after narrowly clearing the House earlier this year, but it could come back next week. The legislation failed in the Democrat-led Senate in a 9-9 tie after three members of the Democratic caucus spoke against the measure. No Republican lawmakers voted for it. (Chase, 6/20)
The Washington Post:
Amid Backlog Of Untested Rape Kits, Maryland Launches New Tracking System
In Angela D. Wharton’s long journey as a sexual assault survivor, Thursday was a day that signaled there should be no more cases like hers in Maryland. In 1996, Wharton was raped at gunpoint outside her apartment building in Baltimore. Two years later, her untested sexual assault kit and other evidence were destroyed by police — an act she didn’t discover until 20 years later. (Jackman, 6/20)
The Texas Tribune:
Texas To Build Or Renovate Seven State Psychiatric Hospitals
Texas will begin building seven new state psychiatric hospital projects this year as it continues to attempt to address the mental health crisis. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission projects are funded by $1.5 billion, which lawmakers approved in 2023 to expand, renovate and build new facilities across the state. The agency owns and operates nine state hospitals and one residential treatment center for youth. (Simpson, 6/20)
AP:
North Carolina Senate Gives Initial Approval To Legalizing Medical Marijuana
North Carolina got a step closer to legalizing medical marijuana on Thursday when the state Senate gave it its initial approval. The Senate approved a measure legalizing medical marijuana in its first of two votes, 33-9, with nine Republicans breaking from the rest of the party to oppose it. If approved a second time, the bill will go to the state House, which has historically blocked Senate attempts to legalize the drug’s medical use. (Seminera, 6/20)
KFF Health News:
Super Bowl Parade Shooting Survivors Await Promised Donations While Bills Pile Up
Abigail Arellano keeps her son Samuel’s medical bills in a blue folder in a cabinet above the microwave. Even now, four months after the 11-year-old was shot at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade, the bills keep coming. There’s one for $1,040 for the ambulance ride to the hospital that February afternoon. Another for $2,841.17 from an emergency room visit they made three days after the shooting because his bullet wound looked infected. More follow-ups and counseling in March added another $1,500. (Lowe and Sable-Smith, 6/21)
