State Highlights: Shortage Of Psychiatrists Persists While Need Rises In Illinois; Tribe In Wyoming Plans Switching To Self-Insure Program
Media outlets report on news from Ohio, Wyoming, Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Kansas, Tennessee, Maryland, Georgia, Wisconsin and Puerto Rico.
Chicago Tribune:
More People Are Seeking Out Mental Health Care, But Psychiatrists Are In Short Supply: 'It's Getting Worse'
Psychiatry’s growing popularity as a career choice comes as the nation grapples with a stubborn shortage of psychiatrists that some fear will continue to deepen. The shortage is most acute in rural areas and poor urban neighborhoods that often aren’t the first choice for in-demand doctors with plentiful options, but is also being felt across big cities as the need for mental health professionals outpaces supply. (Elejalde-Ruiz, 3/22)
Wyoming Public Radio:
Northern Arapaho Tribe Pursues Self-Funded Health Insurance
The Northern Arapaho Tribe has announced it will no longer use the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program but instead will self-insure tribal employees in hopes of moving toward greater tribal sovereignty. Last year, the tribe took over the management of their health clinics, too. (Edwards, 3/22)
Miami Herald:
State: Deadly Nursing Home Made It Hotter During Irma
The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills usually required 125 tons of cooling capacity to keep its residents safe. But the nine functioning portable “chillers” administrators installed could muster only about 15 tons, not nearly enough. ...The testimony, released late Thursday, came during ongoing litigation between the state health care agency and the nursing home over the loss of its license to operate. (Nehamas, Chang, Blaskey and Marbin Miller, 3/22)
Modern Healthcare:
Ascension Amid Major Restructuring, Hinting At Smaller Hospital Footprint
Ascension is restructuring as it pursues new strategic direction, hinting at transitioning from a hospital-oriented system to one that's focused on outpatient care and telemedicine, the largest Catholic health system told its 165,000 employees early Friday morning via a video featuring Ascension President and CEO Anthony Tersigni that Modern Healthcare has exclusively obtained. Earlier this month, the Ascension board of directors unanimously endorsed its new "advanced strategic direction," Tersigni told his employees, as it faces dwindling reimbursement from government and commercial payers, regulatory complexity, skyrocketing pharmaceutical costs, a shift from inpatient to outpatient care and fee-for-service to volume-based care, and increasing competition. (Kacik, 3/22)
Minnesota Public Radio:
New Peer Hotline Seeks To Help Firefighters Facing Mental Health Crises
The Minnesota Firefighter Initiative recently launched a peer support help line for firefighters who are thinking about suicide. Any Minnesota Firefighter can call if they're thinking about or planning to take their own life. (Wurzer, 3/22)
Nashville Tennessean:
Nashville General Hospital Seeks $46.6 Million; Briley Offers Qualified Support
Nashville General Hospital officials on Thursday requested $46.6 million to operate the city's safety net hospital next year, a request new Mayor David Briley met with measured support. "Our city has a very long commitment to providing a safety net for health care in the community," Briley said during a budget hearing. "That will not change this year." But Briley stressed he will bring a high level of scrutiny to the city's funding of its public hospital. (Wadhwani, 3/22)
The Star Tribune:
FDA Issues Class I Recall For Minnesota-Made Brain Probe
Federal regulators are urging neurosurgeons to exercise extreme caution when using a Minnesota-made brain probe to kill cancer cells, following reported problems that included a patient death potentially linked to the device. The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday issued a Class I recall alert on about 50 NeuroBlate systems for MRI-guided brain surgery made by Plymouth-based Monteris Medical. (Carlson, 3/22)
Tampa Bay Times:
No Trauma Center For Northside
Florida legislators have put an end to a long squabble over trauma centers in Pinellas County, squashing a request by hospital operator HCA to open a center at Northside Hospital in St. Petersburg. A bill passed by the Legislature overhauls regulations overseeing the state’s trauma system by setting new standards for what can be designated as a trauma center while grandfathering in some that have been subject to lawsuits. (Griffin, 3/23)
Kansas City Star:
Norovirus Suspected In Illness That Struck About 50 Lawrence High School Band Members
About 50 Lawrence High School band members in Orlando, Fla., for a performing arts competition at Disney World fell ill with a gastrointestinal illness thought to have been the norovirus. A third of the 150 students on the 6-day trip to participate in Festival Disney ended up sick after they arrived March 14 at an Orlando hotel. (Williams, 3/22)
Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Florida Health System Furthers Affiliation With Cleveland Clinic
Martin Health System, in Florida, said Thursday it is exploring becoming a full member of the Cleveland Clinic. The Clinic in January established a cardiovascular affiliation with Martin Health, its first cardiovascular affiliation in Florida. At that time, the two organizations said they were considering "other opportunities to work together more closely," outside of the cardiac affiliation. (Christ, 3/22)
The Washington Post:
Allegany Medical Marijuana Dispensary Has Banned At Least 5 Patients, Some For Online Complaints
A medical marijuana dispensary in western Maryland has banned at least four customers because they posted complaints online about pricing or other issues, sparking concern from advocates and potentially violating state rules for the emerging industry. Joy A. Strand, the executive director of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission, said registered dispensaries have the right to decline marijuana to patients or caregivers if they appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. (Chappell, 3/22)
Health News Florida:
Volusia And Flagler Counties Seeing High Fetal And Infant Mortality Rates
Volusia and Flagler counties are trying to combat high fetal and infant mortality rates. Dixie Morgese, executive director of The Healthy Start Coalition of Flagler and Volusia Counties said a report from 2016 found that more than eight out of every one thousand births resulted in death. (Lyons, 3/22)
Georgia Health News:
Marcus Foundation Gives $15 Million To Help Fight Scourge Of Strokes
The Marcus Foundation has donated $15 million to create a network for stroke care to help reduce disability and death from the disease in theSoutheast. A wide swath of the South is known as the Stroke Belt, due to the 11-state region’s unusually high incidence of strokes and other forms of cardiovascular disease. (Miller, 3/22)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Health Care: Aurora And Advocate Gain Final Approvals For Merger
Aurora Health Care and Advocate Health Care have cleared the final regulatory review needed for their proposed merger and are on track to merge on April 1. (Boulton, 3/22)
Kaiser Health News:
For One Father And Son In Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria’s Cloud Has Not Lifted
To reach the Martinez home in Puerto Rico’s central mountains, social worker Eileen Calderon steers around piles of dirt, treacherous potholes and power company trucks that block the road. Finally, she pulls up to a sagging, cement home, its roof done in by Hurricane Maria. Laundry hangs under a tarp, and a cat is tied to a leash outside the door. Calderon, who is based in San Juan, and works for VarMed, a company that handles complex medical cases in Puerto Rico, has brought two colleagues — a nurse, Anamelia Velazquez, and a primary care physician, Dr. Carla Rossotti — to check in on Osvaldo Martinez and his son, Osvaldo Daniel Martinez. (Varney, 3/23)
