State Highlights: D.C. Hospital That Serves Low-Income Patients To Halt Acute-Care Services; Assisted-Living Facilities Operators Faulted For Deaths In Minnesota

The Washington Post: Providence Hospital In Northeast D.C. Will End Acute-Care Services
A hospital in Northeast Washington that serves many low-income residents announced Wednesday it will end acute-care services by the end of the year. Providence Hospital, a 283-bed facility in Ward 5’s Michigan Park neighborhood, said it will shift its focus to other services, including primary and urgent care, home care, community-based behavioral health care and senior care. Hospital officials issued a statement about the changes but declined to comment further Thursday. (Moyer, 7/26)

The Star Tribune: 2nd Neglect Death Blamed On Mpls. Care Provider; Dementia Client Found In Snowbank 
State investigators are faulting the operators of a Minneapolis assisted-living residence for the death of a 76-year-old dementia client who sneaked outside on a winter afternoon and was found hours later in a snowbank. Kum Sun Melcher, 76, slipped out of the Golden Nest residence in early March and was located nearby suffering from extreme hypothermia. (Walsh and Serres, 7/26)

Tampa Bay Times: Health Care Company Sues To Get Rick Scott’s Schedule
On Thursday, Aids Healthcare Foundation filed a lawsuit against Scott, accusing the Republican governor of violating the Florida public records law. They are asking the Leon County Circuit Court to order him to produce the records or, at least, review the records behind closed doors to determine whether the governor is right to keep them exempt. (Klas, 7/26)

The CT Mirror: DOC Commissioner Sued Twice In A Week Over Prisoners' Health Care
The commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Correction was sued twice this week, an indication of persistent concerns about the quality of medical care being provided to inmates. The most recent lawsuit, filed Thursday, alleges that a 19-year-old man died after he repeatedly asked for medical attention he never received. (Rigg, 7/27)

Des Moines Register: Mercy's Clive Psychiatric Hospital Gains State Approval
Mental health advocates applauded Thursday after state regulators unanimously approved a psychiatric hospital to ease a chronic shortage of care for central Iowans in crisis. The 100-bed Mercy psychiatric hospital is to be built in Clive, where some neighbors last month raised fears that it could pose a danger to their children. Mental health experts said those fears were unfounded, and no opponents spoke at a hearing Thursday before the Iowa Health Facilities Council. (Leys, 7/26)

Bloomberg: Community Health Has Full Backing Of Top Holder Despite Share Slide 
Community Health Systems Inc. may be on life support, but its largest shareholder isn’t ready to pull the plug. That may be little comfort to other investors who bought in three years ago, when shares were trading above $50. It opened at just over $3 today. But Shanda Asset Management Holdings Chairman Tianqiao Chen said in an interview the hospital chain is on the right track and a turnaround is a matter of when, not if. (Darie, 7/26)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: 'A Done Deal?' Officials Work To Quell Skepticism Over Charity Hospital Redevelopment 
New Orleans residents attending a kickoff meeting to launch an economic development district around historic Charity Hospital on Wednesday (July 25) said they are concerned about how serious the state is about gathering public input. In less than a month, three developers will submit proposals outlining how they'd reuse the 1.2 million-square-foot former hospital to the LSU Foundation, which is leading the redevelopment effort for the state. Reinvigorating the neighborhood around the vacant building is a larger economic development effort being led by the Greater New Orleans Foundation, which is attempting to use the hospital's renovation as a catalyst. (Litten, 7/26)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: The Future Of Charity Hospital: Read 3 Developers' Initial Pitches 
The LSU Foundation on Thursday (July 26) released three developers' initial pitches to qualify for redeveloping the abandoned Charity Hospital, one day after local nonprofit officials held the first public meeting to discuss reinvigorating the area around the hospital. The foundation released interest letters submitted by the three developers who've been chosen to compete for the renovation of the 1.2 million-square-foot historic hospital. Their final proposals -- which are expected to provide full details of how each would redevelop the property -- aren't due until Aug. 20. (Litten, 7/26)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Lead Screening In Cleveland Schools Reveals High Levels In 11 Percent Of Kids
A partnership focused on increasing the number of Cleveland school children screened for potential lead poisoning resulted in a finding of high levels of the toxin in 11 percent of kids tested at four area elementary schools. The Partners in Health lead screening project, a collaborative of the city, Cleveland Municipal School District and students from the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University, has tested 156 children ages 3 to 5 years old since September. (Zeltner, 7/27)

The Washington Post: Hookworms Burrowed Into A Teenager’s Skin, Causing A Painful Condition
Kelli Mulhollen Dumas said she thought the small, red bumps on her son's skin were bites from chiggers or mosquitoes. Her son, Michael, had just returned from Florida, and she knew he had spent a lot of time outdoors. But within days, she said, the 17-year-old had several more spots — then “his whole backside” was covered. Ultimately, Dumas said, areas on her son's feet, legs and buttocks were covered in a red, itchy rash — the telltale sign of certain type of hookworm, a parasite that can infect both animals and humans. (Bever, 7/26)

Pioneer Press: Former State Employee Sues Minnesota Department Of Health For ‘Toxic’ Work Culture In Whistle-Blower Lawsuit 
A former state government employee who claims she was fired after raising concerns about what she said was a “toxic” work environment is taking her case to court. Nancy Omondi, the former division director for the Minnesota Department of Health’s Health Regulation Division, filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the state department in Ramsey County District Court this week. The suit seeks more than $50,000 in damages and alleges that the agency took retaliatory action against Omondi after she attempted to expose a “toxic” culture of bullying within her division as well as “illegal conduct” taking place within the department’s Office of Health Facility Complaints, the suit says. (Harner, 7/26)

New Hampshire Public Radio: State Gets $11.1M From EPA For Water Infrastructure Upgrades
New Hampshire will get more than $11 million from the Environmental Protection Agency this year for drinking water infrastructure upgrades. The state gets at least $8 million a year from the federal Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. (Ropeik, 7/26)

Miami Herald: FL Autism Therapists Accused Of Medicaid Fraud
Six behavioral therapists from a company with offices in Miami Lakes and Fort Lauderdale billed the state for “impossible” days of service that at times would have meant they worked for more than 24 hours in a day, state investigators concluded as part of a Medicaid fraud inquiry. The therapists, who mostly work with low-income children with autism and other developmental disabilities, were terminated from Medicaid last week. (Chang, 7/26)

Wyoming Public Media: Groups Call For Better Protections For Workers In Extreme Heat
A coalition of advocacy and labor groups have sent a petition to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). They’re calling for specific standards to protect construction, farm and other outdoor laborers from extreme heat. Right now there are no specific protections in place. Over 130 organizations and individuals, including former OSHA officials and the United Farmworkers Union, have signed onto the petition. (Budner, 7/26)