Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: 170 Medical Errors A Day Occur In Massachusetts, Costing $617 Million; N.H. Governor Looks To New Budget For Boost In Medicaid Funds
Boston Globe: Medical Errors Prevalent And Costly, New Survey Of Massachusetts Residents Shows
In Massachusetts, a state that prides itself on its top-quality health care, 20 percent of residents have experienced a recent medical error, and most of them said they “still feel abandoned or betrayed by their doctor,’’ a new survey shows. Researchers also calculated that errors in the state totaled 61,982 in one single year and that it cost $617 million to provide the follow-up care required by those patients as a result of the mistakes — an amount researchers called a conservative estimate. (Kowalczyk, 6/10)
WBUR: Report: No Drop In Medical Errors, Their Human Toll Endures
Think about that as you consider a new report from state officials on the frequency and costs — financial and human — of medical errors in Massachusetts. The report estimates that at least 62,000 medical errors occur every year – 170 a day on average. Almost a third cause serious harm. And an additional 12%, many thousands every year, involve death. (Knox, 6/10)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Sununu Vetoes Bill To Support Medicaid Providers, Says N.H. Budget Will Address It
Governor Chris Sununu has vetoed a bill that would have increased funding for Medicaid providers, saying that with a new budget in place soon, the measure is now redundant. The bill would have made an appropriation for Medicaid provider rates for mental health, substance use disorder, emergency shelter and stabilization services. The legislation would appropriate $3 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, funds to be nonlapsing. It also proposed $450,000, also non-lapsing funds, to support emergency shelter and stabilization services for people experiencing substance use disorder. (6/8)
The Washington Post: 9/11 Memorial Glade: A Monument To Responders, Survivors Who Paid For The Attacks With Their Health
When the twin towers crumbled on Sept. 11, 2001, emergency personnel swarmed Ground Zero. They were followed by workers who spent nearly a year removing debris and recovering victims’ remains. Many have since become belated victims of the attacks, facing conditions such as respiratory complaints, rare cancers and mental-health disorders. Thousands of responders died of illnesses related to their work on and after 9/11, and tens of thousands more are being treated for illnesses. (Blakemore, 6/8)
The Oregonian: Top Oregon Health Official Alerts Governor To ‘Crisis’ At Psychiatric Hospital
Oregon’s top health official wrote to Gov. Kate Brown on Friday, alerting her to a “capacity crisis” at the Oregon State Hospital as demand for trial fitness treatment escalates unabated. The official, Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen, also issued directives intended to slow the flood of defendants to the psychiatric hospital in Salem. ...The Oregon State Hospital has reached capacity as the number of mentally ill defendants needing trial fitness treatment has doubled since 2012. About 60 percent are homeless, according to state figures. (Friedman, 6/7)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee "You're Not Alone" Documentary Featured On PBS NewsHour
A Wisconsin film featuring four young people navigating mental health challenges is gaining national attention, with more than 150 schools and organizations planning to screen it in 23 states. The 27-minute film, "You're Not Alone," was produced by Milwaukee PBS and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as a tool for schools, families and communities to start conversations about mental health. (Linnane, 6/7)
Arizona Republic: Medical Marijuana Card Cost In Arizona Could Be Cut By Half Under Bill
Gov. Doug Ducey is facing what could be a difficult decision in how to address a medical-marijuana bill sent to his desk by the state Legislature, even though no lawmakers voted against it. The main provisions of the bill require laboratory testing of medical marijuana sold in the state, and have bipartisan support. (Randazzo, 6/7)
WSBT: Louisiana Coroner Claims First Case Of THC Overdose Death, Others Doubt Finding
A coroner in Louisiana claims based on autopsy results, a woman in the state could be the first person to die from a THC overdose. The main ingredient of cannabis (marijuana), the St. John the Baptist Coroner told The New Orleans Advocate the 39-year-old woman showed she was killed by an excess of THC. The coroner claims there were no other signs of disease or intoxication which could have led to the death other than THC and it could be the first death as a result of overdosing on the compound. (Mojica, 6/7)
Sacramento Bee: Kaiser Mental Health Providers Call Off Indefinite Strike
The union representing 4,000 mental health clinicians at Kaiser Permanente announced Sunday that its membership voted to call off the open-ended strike they planned to start Tuesday, saying they had made progress at the bargaining table. Citing the hardship such a strike would have imposed on patients in dire need of care, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon had called upon both sides to resume negotiations and reach a settlement. (Anderson, 6/9)
The Advocate: Barbershops' Hair & Health Provides Easy Health Monitoring For African-American Men
The prevalence of high blood pressure — more than 40 % — in African Americans in the United States is among the highest in the world, according to the American Heart Association. African Americans also tend to develop high blood pressure earlier in life, and it is usually more severe, the AHA reports. ...So now when guys head to the barbershop — so far 10 are participating — they also can have their blood pressure checked and get information on what to do if their numbers are too high. (Bordelon, 6/9)
Sacramento Bee: Proposed Sacramento CPS Cuts May Overburden Social Workers
As Sacramento County prepares next year’s budget, some question major cuts being proposed to the county agency charged with assisting at-risk adults and abused, neglected and exploited children and families. As part of the county staff-recommended budget for 2019-20, 55 unfilled jobs in the Department of Child, Family and Adult Services would be removed, including 27 full-time social workers. The proposal comes as the agency continues its years-long struggle to address regular turnover, a notable vacancy rate and large caseloads. (Yoon-Hendricks, 6/10)
North Carolina Health News: Senator Calls For Warning Signs At Sutton Lake
On a bus tour in February, members of the state’s Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board wondered aloud why no signs are posted at Sutton Lake near Wilmington to warn people that the fish they catch may be unsafe to eat. Two years earlier, a Duke University study had found high levels of selenium in fish in Sutton and two other North Carolina lakes that had been used as cooling reservoirs for coal-powered energy plants. The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry classifies selenium as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.” (Barnes, 6/10)
Columbus Dispatch: Kids Still Being Poisoned By Laundry Detergent Pods
While the number of children poisoned by laundry detergent pods has decreased slightly in recent years, they still pose a serious risk to young children, according to a new study. From January 2012 to December 2017, there were nearly 73,000 calls to U.S. poison-control centers about exposure to single-use liquid laundry detergent packets, or pods, according to the study published online last week in the journal Pediatrics. (Wagner, 6/9)
Modern Healthcare: Quorum To Sell Calif. Hospital For Up To $40M
Quorum Health Corp. will sell Watsonville (Calif.) Community Hospital to Halsen Healthcare for up to $40 million, the organizations announced Friday after signing a definitive agreement. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter, subject to customary approvals and conditions. Quorum continues to shed hospitals as it looks to reduce its $1.2 billion in long-term debt. That will be an ongoing strategy through 2019, CEO Robert Fish said in the fourth-quarter earnings call. (Kacik, 6/7)
Houston Chronicle: Local Health Care/RN Education Meeting Current Market Needs
RNs are at the core of hospital care. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the need for an additional 203,700 new RNs each year through 2026 to fill newly created positions and to replace retiring nurses. To meet this need, area community colleges and universities are stepping up their programs. ...To help meet demand, Lone Star College is constructing a 50,000-square-foot health care instructional building at LSC-Kingwood. It will support the LSC health care instructional program. In addition, Lone Star College is working with the Texas Board of Nursing and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to allow students to earn a baccalaureate degree in nursing there. (Burns, 6/9)
