Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
State Highlights: Hospice Nurses Endure Long Drives, Hours In Rural Texas; N.C. Children Unlawfully Taken From Homes
Stat: In Rural Texas, Dying At Home Comes With Long Waits, Nursing Shortages
Hospice providers in the more remote western and southern parts of the state shared stories with STAT of nursing shortages, scheduling gymnastics, run-ins with wildlife, and the wear and tear of long days in cars for the men and women who treat people at home. Distance sometimes forces hard conversations: At the moment they and their caregivers need help most, a nurse may not quickly be at their side. (Satyanarayana, 3/15)
The Associated Press: NC County Illegally Removed Kids From Homes
When Brian Hogan got a call that his wife had suffered a massive heart attack, he knew he had to get to the hospital fast. So Hogan asked his neighbor to take care of his 10-year-old daughter, then headed 60 miles east to the intensive care unit in Asheville, North Carolina. What happened next would eventually expose a practice by a child welfare agency that illegally removed potentially hundreds of children from their homes in this poverty-stricken mountain community (Weiss and Holbrook, 3/14)
Georgia Health News: Legislation To Help Cancer Hospital Draws Vocal Opposition
Senate Bill 31 started out as a relatively simple proposal related to a Georgia health agency board. ... But late Wednesday afternoon, a substitute version of that Senate legislation called for something entirely different: an easing of state restrictions on Cancer Treatment Centers of America. (Miller, 3/14)
The Star Tribune: MNsure CEO Allison O'Toole Departing For New Job
Allison O’Toole is stepping down as chief executive at the state’s MNsure health insurance exchange to work at a nonprofit created by Andy Slavitt, the former UnitedHealth Group executive who held a key health care job in the Obama administration. O’Toole announced her decision at the start of a Wednesday meeting in St. Paul where the MNsure board named Nate Clark, the current chief operating officer, as acting CEO. (Snowbeck, 3/14)
Arizona Republic: Foster-Home Agencies In Arizona Resist Lifetime Licenses
A bill that would have created a perpetual license for foster homes has failed after winning unanimous approval from the state Senate. Sen. Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, dropped his efforts to create forever license in the face of opposition from the private agencies that license Arizona foster homes. (Pitzi, 3/14)
The CT Mirror: Lawmakers Push For Hearing, 'Transparency' On Prison Health Care
Three Republican lawmakers Wednesday called for a public hearing and “full transparency” to assess allegations of poor health care in state prisons. ... [Len] Fasano, of North Haven, called for the release of a report that could offer insight into specific problems in the prison system. (Kara, 3/14)
New Hampshire Union Leader: NH Senate OKs $5.5m For Child Protection, Mental Health
With the specter of recent child fatalities hanging over them, state senators on Wednesday unanimously approved three bills allocating more than $5.5 million toward strengthening New Hampshire’s struggling child protective system. In a show of unanimity rarely seen at the State House, the Senate endorsed all three measures in a series of 24-0 votes, to better enable the Division of Children, Youth and Families to prevent child abuse. (Solomon, 3/14)
Modern Healthcare: Community Health Systems' Stock Price Falls 11% In Two Days After Rumors Of Hiring Debt Adviser
Community Health Systems' stock price dropped about 11% over two days, ending at $4.43 at the close Wednesday, a fall that may have been prompted by a report that the hospital chain hired a prominent firm to help it restructure its debt. The website Reorg Research reported midday Tuesday that CHS hired the financial advisory firm Lazard to help it format a plan to address its nearly $4.8 billion in long-term debt maturing in 2019 and 2020. The report also said a law firm was in talks with some CHS lenders on the same subject. The Franklin, Tenn.-based system's total long-term debt stands at nearly $14 billion, and if restructured under bankruptcy law, could hurt owners of the company's equity. (Bannow, 3/14)
KCUR: CEO Of Safety Net Clinic In Lawrence Is Suspended Pending Financial Review
The CEO of a safety net clinic in Lawrence, Kansas, has been suspended pending completion of a review of the organization's finances. In a release Wednesday evening, the board of Heartland Community Health Center said it had suspended Jon Stewart and appointed the clinic’s chief operating officer as interim CEO. Melanie Coen, a spokeswoman for Heartland, said the board discovered what she described as commingling of personal and corporate funds and discrepancies in the way that money had been allocated. (Margolies, 3/14)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Philips Healthcare Laying Off At Least 65 Ohio Employees, It Says In Letter To State
Philips Healthcare, which moved its nuclear medicine headquarters to Northeast Ohio from Silicon Valley and qualified for millions in state money seven years ago, has told the state it is permanently laying off at least 65 employees. The company told the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services the layoffs are due to a business reorganization. (Hancock, 3/14)
Sacramento Bee: Jerry Brown Wants Fees To Pay For Clean Drinking Water
As part of his final budget proposal, Gov. Jerry Brown wants new fees on water to provide clean and affordable drinking water to the approximately 1 million Californians who are exposed to contaminated water in their homes and communities each year. The fund would pay for short- and long-term improvements to water infrastructure and help clean up contaminated drinking water systems that affect primarily rural, low-income regions. (Kobin, 3/14)
San Jose Mercury News: San Jose Officer Cleared In Fatal Shooting Of Mentally Ill Man With Knife
A San Jose police officer was deemed legally justified when he shot and killed a violently mentally ill man who charged at him with a knife during a frantic encounter in front of the man’s home last year, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. (Salonga, 3/14)
Marin Independent Journal: Bay Area Mussel Eater Gets Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning
A person who was collecting mussels over the weekend at Dillon Beach has been hospitalized for shellfish poisoning, according to the Marin County Public Health Department. The health department confirmed Tuesday a case of paralytic shellfish poison, a naturally occurring toxin found in bivalves such as mussels, clams and oysters. (Prado, 3/14)
