Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Kaiser Permanente Staff Strike Spreads To Hawaii
Modern Healthcare: Kaiser Mental Health Worker Strike To Expand To Hawaii
Fifty mental healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente sites in Hawaii plan to join colleagues in Northern California in an open-ended strike over access to care. Hawaii workers will strike Aug. 29, according to a news release from the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents the psychologists, social workers, psychiatric nurses and chemical dependency counselors. Two thousand mental health workers in California began a strike Monday. (Christ, 8/18)
In nursing news —
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Licensing Agency Problems Leaves Nurses, Therapists Waiting
At Door County Medical Center, three nurses have been waiting to get their license from the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services since May. One is an ICU nurse, one will work in the emergency room and the third, officials there say, is a nurse practitioner currently being paid to do tasks well below her level of education and ability while waiting for her application to be processed. (Hess, 8/18)
Crain's Detroit Business: BHSH System Will Invest Millions To Educate Student Nurses
BHSH System, the parent company of Beaumont Health and Spectrum Health, announced Thursday it will provide $20 million to Oakland University to educate nurses in the hopes of alleviating a shortage. (Walsh, 8/18)
In other news about health care workers —
The Boston Globe: Rachael Rollins Pledges To Protect Trans Rights In Wake Of Threats At Children’s Hospital
US Attorney Rachael S. Rollins has vowed to “ensure equal protection of transgender people under the law” in response to threats and harassment against doctors and other staff at Boston Children’s Hospital who provide care for transgender children. (Fox, 8/18)
Houston Chronicle: Texas Child Welfare Agency Scrambles As Turnover Hits New High
In interviews and at public town halls, more than two dozen current and former employees described a department that has been stretched thin for more than a year, needlessly losing passionate workers who carry decades of experience and knowledge. From dangerous overtime shifts watching children in hotels to political drama to problems with their supervisors, workers say the agency has lost its mission — and in the end, it’s Texas kids who suffer for it. (Harris, 8/18)
KHN: For Kids With Kidney Disease, Pediatric Expertise Is Key — But Not Always Close By
Jaxon Green, 6, was diagnosed with kidney disease the day he was born. His illness meant that for years his life would depend on daily dialysis. And because his family lives in Tamaqua, a rural Pennsylvania town, his diagnosis also meant taking frequent two-hour trips to Philadelphia to see the closest pediatric nephrologist — even though an adult dialysis center was just five minutes from their home. Pediatric kidney care is not as simple as prescribing small doses of adult medication, said Dr. Sandra Amaral, the lead researcher for a study published by JAMA this month. It’s important for children with kidney disease — especially end-stage kidney disease, or ESKD — to receive specialized care, but pediatric nephrology is a niche field. On top of that, specialists are not spread out evenly across the country. (DeGuzman, 8/19)
