Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Several Maine Hospitals Cited For COVID Violations
Bangor Daily News: 7 Maine Hospitals Were Cited This Summer For Not Following COVID-19 Rules
A handful of Maine hospitals didn’t follow all federal rules meant to limit the coronavirus’ spread over the summer, with employees at some not wearing face coverings and eye protection, according to regulators who visited the hospitals between June and September. In other cases, inspectors found, hospitals weren’t fully screening workers and visitors for COVID-19 symptoms. (Eichacker, 11/7)
Bangor Daily News: 4 Belfast Hospital Staffers Test Positive For COVID-19, Marking 2nd Hospital Outbreak In A Week
Four employees at Waldo County General Hospital in Belfast have tested positive for the coronavirus, making it the second Maine hospital in a week to record a COVID-19 outbreak among staff members. The outbreak there was one of a number of new outbreaks the Maine Center for Disease Control announced Friday, as cases have continued to surge in Maine with the state continuing to set records for new daily cases. The percentage of coronavirus tests in Maine coming back positive — a key indicator of how actively the virus is spreading — has also more than tripled in the past two weeks. News of the Belfast hospital’s outbreak comes a few weeks after Waldo County began grappling with an outbreak connected to the Brooks Pentecostal Church that’s grown to 60 cases. (Stone, 11/6)
AP: North Dakota Trying To Ease Stress On Hospitals, Workers
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said Monday that health care workers who have tested positive for COVID-19 but do not have symptoms should be allowed to stay on the job, part of an effort to ease the stress both on hospitals and medical personnel trying to keep up with skyrocketing cases. The governor said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been allowing infected workers without symptoms to keep working as long as they take precautionary measures. The state is also looking to increase rapid testing of healthcare workers to “keep them in the game,” the governor said. (Kolpack, 11/10)
The Baltimore Sun: The Story Behind An Emotional Warning From One Of Maryland’s Top Coronavirus Advisers
Dr. David Marcozzi, a top medical adviser to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on COVID-19, had rehearsed his remarks multiple times before standing in front of the cameras Thursday for a semiregular pandemic news conference at the State House in Annapolis. The 51-year-old emergency doctor has become something of a fixture in the media this year, and he knew his words mattered more during unsettling and isolating times. (Cohn, 11/9)
Also —
Modern Healthcare: OhioHealth Launches Medical Respite Care Program
OhioHealth has launched an effort to improve healthcare access for their homeless population with a care model that is getting more attention from hospitals as they seek to mitigate some of the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Columbus-based health system announced Monday the opening of the Medical Respite at Faith Mission, a 3,000 square foot, 16-bed facility that will be open 24 hours a day to provide homeless patients a place to continue their recovery for up to 45 days after they are discharged from an OhioHealth hospital. (Ross Johnson, 11/9)
KHN: ‘No Mercy’ Chapter 7: After A Rural Town Loses Hospital, Is A Health Clinic Enough?
Family physician Maxwell Self is doing his same old job for a new employer. For two decades he was a doctor with Mercy Hospital. But when Mercy packed up and left, a federally qualified health center moved to town — into the hospital building itself — and hired Dr. Self. The Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas does things differently. (Tribble, 11/10)
