Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Walmart Extends Employee Doula Coverage To Tackle Racial Imbalances
AP: Walmart Expands Health Services To Address Racial Inequality
Walmart is expanding health care coverage for employees who want to enlist the services of a doula, a person trained to assist women during pregnancies, to address racial inequities in maternal care. After first offering doulas to employees in Georgia last year, the nation’s largest retailer said Wednesday that it will expand the same benefit to its employees in Louisiana, Indiana and Illinois. (D'innocenzio, 6/22)
In news from the Department of Veterans Affairs —
Health News Florida: Fighting Stigmas And Regulations, The VA Is Giving Clean Needles To Veterans Who Use Illegal Drugs
For nearly half his life, 64-year-old Navy veteran Duane has used meth. He first tried it when partying with friends but said it quickly became a way to numb pain from troubled relationships and challenges transitioning out of the military in the 1970’s. “Trying to block out what I was feeling and trying not to think about it,” said Duane, who asked that we not use his last name due to his illegal drug use. Duane is a patient at the Orlando VA Medical Center and in 2020 became the first veteran to enter the hospital's syringe services program. (Colombini, 6/23)
Wyoming Public Radio: The Sheridan VA Is Changing Some Of Its Treatment Practices Due To A Lack Of Healthcare Staff
The Sheridan VA has changed how it treats some veterans due to a lack of healthcare staff at their Sheridan campus and throughout their system, which covers the majority of Wyoming. These positions are primarily in the nursing field, which have been difficult to fill for years, according to VA officials. “It’s here [the nursing shortage] and it really is having an impact on the nursing staff in Wyoming,” said Pam Crowell, Director of the Sheridan VA Healthcare System. “It’s having a real impact on us here in Sheridan as we try to maintain programs.” (Cook, 6/22)
In other health care industry news —
Modern Healthcare: 1,000 Kaiser Permanente Nurses Set To Strike
One thousand nurses at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center plan to go on strike Thursday over patient care and staffing levels, their union said Wednesday. California Nurses Association/National Nurses United has been in negotiations with Kaiser Permanente since September for a new contract, the union said. The previous contract expired Sept. 30. Nurses have asked the organization for more supplies, such as syringes and the kits used to start IVs, and to invest more in nurses and ancillary staff, the union said. Kaiser Permanente is "disappointed" the union is calling on nurses to "walk away from their patients' bedsides," the not-for-profit health system said in a statement. (Christ, 6/22)
Modern Healthcare: Molina Healthcare Settles False Claims Act Allegations
Molina Healthcare and its former subsidiary, Pathways of Massachusetts, agreed to pay more than $4.6 million to resolve false claims and whistleblower allegations, the Justice Department said Tuesday. The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office alleged Pathways submitted fraudulent claims to the state's Medicaid program, MassHealth, for behavioral health services provided by unlicensed and loosely supervised staff. As part of the settlement, Molina and Pathways did not admit to the truth of the allegations. They also agreed not to make any public statements denying the allegations. (Berryman, 6/21)
Billings Gazette: St. V's Launches New Partnership, Brings Advanced Gynecologic Cancer Treatments To Facility
Leadership at St. Vincent Healthcare is aiming to close the gap when it comes to accessing advanced gynecologic oncology care and treatment through a new partnership with University of Colorado School of Medicine. As part of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the medical school is one of the top 30 cancer centers in the United States. Through the partnership, specialists will travel to Montana twice a month to provide advanced treatment consultation and surgical treatments to patients. Dr. Saketh Guntupalli, program director of the university’s gynecologic oncology program, kicked off the program on Wednesday June 22 at the St. V’s Frontier Cancer Center and Blood Institute. (Schabacker, 6/22)
WMFE: The Little Mobile Medical Unit That Could: A Mosque, A Donated Ambulance And A Dream
The need for free health care is on the rise as the COVID pandemic continues and the cost of everything from food to housing has become unaffordable for some. Back in 2017, the American Muslim Community Center in Longwood opened a mobile clinic with the goal of providing free medical and dental care to people in need in the greater Orlando region. These days, demand has increased by around 450 percent. (Prieur, 6/22)
Also —
AP: Children's Hospital Patients To Pick 'Hawkeye Wave' Songs
A heartwarming tradition launched at Iowa home football games five years ago is getting another feel-good layer. The University of Iowa announced Wednesday that patients at UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital will get to pick the songs that accompany the Hawkeye Wave, at which fans attending games at Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium wave to patients at the adjacent hospital and the patients are often seen waving back. (6/22)
