Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Following Tragedy, Nursing Home Vows It Sought Urgent Help Which Contradicts State Officials' Story
The Washington Post: ‘Waiting For Help That Never Came’: Fla. Nursing Home Where Eight Died After Irma Defends Actions, Says It Called Governor For Help
The night before Hurricane Irma began roaring over Florida, staffers at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills locked the doors, shuttered the windows and turned the temperature down to about 67 degrees — a buffer, administrators thought, to keep the building cool in case the power went out. It wouldn’t last long. About 3 p.m. on Sunday, the lights flickered, nursing-home executives say. The power stayed on, but a janitor soon noticed a problem: The massive chiller used to serve the 152-bed facility was spewing warm, muggy air. (Davis, Zezima and Berman, 9/15)
The Associated Press: 'Red Flag' Calls Signaled Post-Irma Deaths At Nursing Home
The first 911 call from the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills didn't sound ominous: A nursing home patient had an abnormal heartbeat. An hour later, came a second call: a patient had trouble breathing. Then came the third call. A patient had gone into cardiac arrest — and died. (9/16)
Health News Florida: Nursing Home Where 8 Died Had Emergency Plan, No Mention Of Air Conditioning
When the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills submitted its 43-page emergency management plan to county administrators in July, it included details on how the home would maintain clean linen, distribute canned food and ensure residents had access to hand sanitizers. It made no mention of how residents would be kept cool if the home’s power was lost. (Marin Miller, 9/17)
The Wall Street Journal: Visitors Tell Of Extreme Heat At Florida Nursing Home After Eight Deaths
In the sweltering Florida heat Tuesday afternoon, 84-year-old Betty Hibbard sat on her bed, in a second-floor hallway of the nursing home where she lived, wearing an institutional gown near an air blower. Ms. Hibbard was hot and struggling to breathe, according to her friend Jean Johnson, who visited. Ms. Johnson stayed with her for an hour and gave her friend a cold can of Coca-Cola before she left at about 5:30 p.m. (Kamp, Evans and Campo-Flores, 9/15)
Reuters: Florida Governor Orders Removal Of Nursing Home From Medicaid After Eight Died
Florida's healthcare agency ordered a Miami-area nursing home suspended from the state Medicaid program on Thursday after eight elderly patients there were exposed to sweltering heat in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma and died. More than 140 residents of the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills were evacuated on Wednesday after fire and rescue crews and medical staff from a nearby hospital found many of the facility's residents suffering from dehydration, heat stress and breathing difficulties. (Dobuzinskis, 9/15)
The Wall Street Journal: Florida Sets Emergency Generator Rules For Nursing Homes
Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced new rules Saturday requiring the state’s nursing homes and assisted-living facilities to have backup generators to control interior temperatures after emergencies, marking the latest response after eight patients from an overheating nursing home died earlier in the week. (Kamp, 9/16)
The Hill: Florida Governor Issues Emergency Rules For Nursing Homes After Hurricane Deaths
Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) on Saturday announced that he was directing all nursing homes in the state to purchase generators for use during power outages after eight people died at a nursing home following Hurricane Irma. Scott said that he was "outraged" over the deaths of the nursing home residents during a power outage caused by the hurricane, according to a press statement provided by ABC News. (Bowden, 9/16)
Health News Florida: Nursing Home Deaths Could Bring Legislative Changes
Nursing homes and assisted living facilities that lost power during Hurricane Irma are being evacuated throughout Florida. Governor Rick Scott is asking first responders to check in and make sure that residents are safe after eight patients died at a nursing home facility in Hollywood Hills earlier this week. (Aboraya, 9/15)
Orlando Sentinel: Update On Florida Nursing Home Power Outages
As of Friday afternoon, 177 assisted living facilities and 40 nursing homes in Florida had reported evacuations, according to state officials. Another 182 assisted living facilities were closed and 193 were using generators. (Miller, 9/15)
