Privately Run Homes For Disabled Amassing Grim Record Of Abuse, Investigation Finds
As an example, a ProPublica review of news accounts found that at least 145 kids died from avoidable causes in for-profit residential programs over the past three decades. In other public health news, news outlets report on the connection between walking and standing to blood sugar counts, reciprocal medical licensing across states and a lack of patient diversity in many clinical trials.
ProPublica:
Profit, Abuse At Homes For Profoundly Disabled
Three years ago, it looked like the Florida agency that oversees care for children and adults with disabilities had finally had enough. It filed a legal complaint that outlined horrific abuse at Carlton Palms, a rambling campus of group homes and classrooms near the small town of Mount Dora. A man called “R.G.” was punched in the stomach, kicked and told “shut your f-ing mouth,” the complaint said. “R.T.” was left with a face full of bruises after a worker hit him with a belt wrapped around his fist. A child, “D.K.,” who refused to lie face down so he could be restrained, was kicked in the face and choked until, eyes bulging, he nearly passed out. (Vogell, 12/15)
Reuters:
Brief Periods Of Standing, Walking Tied To Better Blood Sugar
Older women at risk for type 2 diabetes may want to break up prolonged periods of sitting by standing or going for short walks, suggests a new study from the UK. Researchers found standing up or walking every so often improved blood sugar, or glucose, levels among postmenopausal women at risk for diabetes, compared to those who sat for 7.5 hours. (Seaman, 12/14)
Stateline:
Make Doctor's Licenses Like Driver's Licenses? Medical Groups Say No
When it comes to licensing, the nursing profession works almost exactly the way it does with driving a car — at least in half the states. A nurse with a license from one of those 25 states can practice in any other state that has signed on to a reciprocal licensing compact. Contrast that with doctors. A doctor licensed in one state who wants to practice in another still needs a license from the other state. That’s a costly and time-consuming process, especially in an era when many health plans and their employees operate across state lines and the use of telemedicine, in which patients and their providers interact from a distance, is growing. (Ollove, 12/11)
NPR:
Lack Of Diversity In Clinical Trials Presents Possible Health Consequences
A paper out in the journal PLOS Medicine says two main barriers to achieving diverse clinical trials are the expense of recruiting minority subjects, and fears of exploitation in medical research. (Bichell, 12/15)
