Nevada Reveals Which 19 Health Facilities Had Superbug Candida Outbreaks
In revealing which hospitals and skilled-nursing facilities reported Candida auris fungus this year, the state's health department did not say which was still suffering an outbreak. Also: a violent murder in an Indianapolis nursing home, a health worker mental health program in Ohio, and more.
Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Nevada Hospitals With ‘Superbug’ Outbreaks Identified
The state health department late Thursday identified the 19 hospitals and skilled-nursing facilities in Southern Nevada that have reported cases this year of a drug-resistant “superbug” that can result in serious illness and even death. The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services did not specify which facilities had ongoing outbreaks of the Candida auris fungus, saying the state and federal investigators were still making this determination, nor did it specify how many cases had been identified at each facility. (Hynes, 5/19)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
Indianapolis Star:
Threats Of Sexual Assault, Violence Preceded Indy Nursing Home Murder
The man accused of raping and smothering an Indianapolis nursing home resident threatened at least two other women with sexual assault or violence in the days before the murder, according to a state health inspection report. The report reveals new details about how staff and administrators at Homestead Healthcare Center failed to protect its vulnerable residents, including 80-year-old Patricia Newnum who was killed at the facility in February. Homestead resident, Dwayne Freeman, 60, is charged with her murder and rape. Police say a nursing assistant found Freeman on top of Newnum in her bed with a pillow over her face and a bottle of liquor nearby. (Cook, 5/20)
Columbus Dispatch:
New Service Connects Medical Professionals To Mental Health Resources
The Ohio State Medical Association has announced it is launching a free, anonymous service to help health care workers statewide screen for mental and emotional health issues. Brian Santin, a vascular surgeon and the association's president, said Wednesday that the emotional toll laid on health care professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic has placed a heavy strain on the profession. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Santin said the medical association's new Well-Being CARE Service aims to help health care professionals normalize the conversation about mental and emotional health issues, empowering them to take action to get the support they need. (Behrens, 5/19)
WLRN 91.3 FM:
DeSantis Signs Bill On Student Mental Health And Approves $100 Million For Cancer Research
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed several bills into law this week, including a measure that will require school districts to inform parents of additional mental-health resources if students are receiving services. DeSantis also announced that he will approve $100 million in the upcoming year’s state budget for cancer research, $37 million more than in the current year. DeSantis has not formally received the proposed $112.1 billion budget from the Legislature for the fiscal year that will start July 1. But in election year appearances across the state, he has dribbled out news on about $2 billion worth of projects and programs that he will approve. (5/19)
CNBC:
Atlantic City Smoking Ban Fight: Worker Health Vs Profits
Legislation pending in New Jersey’s statehouse would end the exemption Atlantic City casinos have long enjoyed from a statewide ban on indoor smoking in public places. About 2,500 casino workers have united to push for the ban. And the state’s governor supports it, as well. “If a bill came to my desk, I would sign it,” Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said in December. The casino industry is fighting the effort, saying it’s worried about a ban’s potential impact on jobs and profits. (Brewer and Golden, 5/19)
Bangor Daily News:
Rising Costs Have Old Town-Area Communities Considering A Regional Ambulance Service
A spike in the cost of ambulance services for about a half dozen communities around Old Town has them starting to discuss whether to create a regional ambulance service to minimize future cost hikes. The town of Bradley, for example, is bracing for a more than 100 percent increase in what it pays to Old Town for ambulance services for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The town of nearly 1,500 residents will have to pay $88,125 in the coming year, up from $40,207 this year. The cost increase is the result of Old Town having to add staff for another shift and its inability to recoup enough costs from patients’ insurers and past debts from those they’ve taken to the hospital. (Loftus, 5/19)
New Hampshire Bulletin:
Program Could Help Low-Income N.H. Residents Shop At Farmers Markets
A food assistance program to help low-income mothers and children access fresh food at farmers markets is one step closer to becoming law after a panel of lawmakers from the House and Senate agreed to fund it Tuesday. The provision was added into House Bill 1099 by Sen. Becky Whitley, a Hopkinton Democrat, who had originally introduced the legislation. Whitley’s original version, Senate Bill 403, would have provided $300,000 to the program, but lawmakers Tuesday agreed to spend only $30,000. SB 403 passed the Senate but languished in the House. (Gokee, 5/19)
KHN:
Bison Pastrami, Anyone? Preschool Assistant Makes Sure Kids Get To Know Indigenous Foods
Bison pastrami is not typical school lunch fare, but it’s a crowd favorite at a preschool in Minneapolis. Fawn Youngbear-Tibbetts — the seemingly always on-the-go coordinator of Indigenous foods at the Wicoie Nandagikendan Early Childhood Urban Immersion Project — is frequently found tweaking recipes in the kitchen or offering homemade goodies like flourless black-bean brownies. (Gans and Huggins, 5/20)
In news about LGBTQ+ health —
Houston Chronicle:
Texas CPS To Resume Child Abuse Investigations Of Medical Care For Trans Kids
After the Texas Supreme Court last week gave the state's child welfare services agency clearance to continue investigations into parents of transgender children who seek gender-affirming care, it appears the agency is moving forward with the probes. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, which oversees Child Protective Services, said in a statement Thursday that it “treats all reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation seriously and will continue to investigate each to the full extent of the law.” (Goldenstein, 5/19)
Dallas Morning News:
Doctor At Heart Of Fight Over Trans Youth Care Says She Is Racing Against Time
In the first 24 hours after a court order allowed Dr. Ximena Lopez to temporarily resume gender-affirming medical care at Children’s Medical Center Dallas, her office received 50 phone calls from new patients scrambling to get an appointment. Lopez said the resumption, although it may be brief, has helped her feel optimistic for the first time in months. In her first interview since the dismantling of Genecis, the program for transgender youth jointly operated by Children’s and UT Southwestern until November, Lopez said she’s noticed a positive shift in her team and the families she sees. “We have hope. Maybe the tide is turning. Maybe we can preserve this care,” Lopez, who once headed up Genecis as its lead endocrinologist, told The Dallas Morning News on Thursday. (Wolf and McGaughy, 5/19)
