State Highlights: Two Major Health Care Players Fight It Out In South Fla.; Justice Dept. Says Va. Not Trying Hard Enough For People With Disabilities

The Miami Herald: Hospital Giants Baptist, Mount Sinai In Miami Beach Slugfest
The site of a protracted slugfest between two South Florida healthcare heavyweights is one of the more nondescript patches of land in Miami Beach’s most famous neighborhood. A small, 45,000-square-foot parking lot east of Alton Road between Seventh and Eighth Streets may become a five-story building housing an urgent care center, medical offices, and outpatient surgery and physical therapy facility operated by the largest healthcare system in the region, Baptist Health. (Flechas, 7/25)

The Washington Post: Justice Department: Virginia Not Trying Hard Enough To Reform Programming For The Disabled
The Justice Department says Virginia is not being serious enough about efforts to comply with court-ordered reforms to its program for people with disabilities. A letter to the federal judge overseeing a 2012 federal settlement, sent by the Justice Department last month, points as evidence to the way the state has used proceeds from the sale of state-run institutions that treated people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. (Olivo, 7/25)

The Kansas Health Institute News Service: Rethinking Mental Health's Role In Rural Health Care System
A new partnership in southwest Kansas aims to build mental health services and help strengthen a couple of rural hospitals at the same time. The nonprofit United Methodist Health Ministry Fund is leading an effort to make the health system work better for people in rural Kansas. The fund’s president, Kim Moore, said the current structure based on small, low-volume hospitals isn’t likely to survive long-term. (Thompson, 7/24)

The Chicago Sun-Times: Community Wants Roseland Hospital To Stay Open
In the wake of a judge's order that state payments to Cook County hospitals relying heavily on Medicaid funds must continue during the state budget standoff, community leaders rallied at South Side Roseland Community Hospital to demand a resolution that goes beyond that temporary reprieve. (Ihejirika, 7/24)

Los Angeles Times: UC San Diego Wins Legal Battle In Dispute With USC Over Alzheimer's Project
UC San Diego won a major legal battle Friday against USC when a judge ruled that control of a landmark project on Alzheimer's disease belongs to the La Jolla school. The decision addressed the heart of a lawsuit that has gained international attention since UC San Diego filed it early this month, largely because it's rare for such disagreements in the academic world to reach the courtroom. (Robbins, 7/24)

The Statesman Journal: Doctors Are Bringing House Calls Back
Mary Venturacci is 98 years old and lives by herself in her northeast Salem home. It's an ideal situation for most older adults, who prefer to continue living in the comfort of their home and maintain independence. But it takes some work. Much of it falls on her daughter, Wanda Urban, who helps Venturacci with her health care, medications, grocery shopping and more. Another good portion falls on Venturacci's Kaiser Permanente nurse practitioner, Marty Surface, who provides her with primary care services at her home. (Yoo, 7/25)

MinnPost: What It's Like To Be A Paramedic In Hennepin County
From defibrillating heart attack victims to administering morphine to those with extreme burns, the day-to-day encounters of a paramedic run the gamut. Hours of training and several certifications come standard in the emergency medical services field, but one aspect of the job is crystal-clear: “Caffeine is something of a ritual.” Or so it is according to Jordan Wardell, a paramedic for Hennepin County Medical Center for seven years. Average days run eight to 12 hours, although Wardell has spent 24 hours straight on the job at other institutions. (Schaust, 7/24)

Tribune Wire Reports: Brain Disorder Center's Closing Sends Ripples Nationwide
Lakeview is preparing to close after months of scrutiny over allegations of abuse and neglect, including a client death and reports of chronic understaffing. The paucity of such centers for people with extreme brain disorders and related behavioral problems means the closing is sending national ripples through the industry and stressing out families who need to move their love ones from Lakeview, as well as others who have lost yet another option. (7/26)

The New York Times: New Jersey Legislators Propose Law To Protect Nail Salon Workers
State lawmakers in New Jersey proposed legislation on Friday intended to protect nail salon workers from unhealthy working conditions and abusive labor practices. The move followed calls for reform in the industry, and the imposition of stricter rules in New York. The legislation, which was introduced by two Republican state senators, would include stronger enforcement of safety and health standards for workers in licensed nail salons, with random inspections of 5 percent of the state’s salons each year and requirements for ventilation and safety equipment. (Rojas, 7/24)

The Miami Herald: HIV Testing: On The Spot And In The Clubs On South Beach
On Tuesday evening, just outside of Twist nightclub in Miami Beach, Jose Javier and Mikael Kiezer waited for Victor Gonzalez under the gleam of the club’s red neon sign. A few minutes before 10:30 p.m., when Gonzalez appeared, Kiezer pulled a yellow folding sign out of the van parked in front of the club and propped it open to signal the start of the night’s work. “Free and Fast HIV Testing,” it read. The trio wasn’t headed into Twist to party — they work for the non-profit Latinos Salud. They would spend the night raising awareness about how to prevent the spread of HIV while offering rapid testing and handing out condoms outside one of Miami Beach’s well-known clubs. Their busiest time for testing, they said, is midnight or later. (Adams, 7/25)

Medill News Service: More Texans Seeking Treatment For Meth Abuse
A growing number of Texans are seeking treatment for methamphetamine addiction, reversing a downward trend in abuse in the state since a 2006 federal law banned over-the-counter sales of medicine containing the synthetic drug pseudoephedrine. Last year 6,219 Texans sought substance abuse treatment for methamphetamine and amphetamine addiction, up 590 from the previous year, according to the Treatment Episode Survey data from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (Hoerner, 7/26)

The Associated Press: Medical Marijuana Program Changes Take Effect Friday
Changes to Washington’s medical marijuana program take effect on Friday. The Columbian reports that the changes are part of an overhaul recently approved by lawmakers. Post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries will now be considered qualifying conditions for patients hoping to receive a medical marijuana card. (7/24)

The Texas Tribune: In Texas Jails, Hanging Most Common Suicide Method
Texas county jails see 1 million bookings a year, and inmate deaths there are a rarity. But of the 501 inmate deaths that have occurred in county jails since 2009, nearly a third of them — 140 — were by suicide. And most of those suicides were by hanging, with inmates using objects available to them as ligatures: bed linens, clothing, telephone cords and trash bags. (Langford, Busch and Daniel, 7/24)