Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
When Police Arrived At Oregon Mental Health Hospital, They Found A Handcuffed Man Outside Shivering In The Cold
The Oregonian: Portland Police Find Discharged Patient, Handcuffed And Shivering, Outside Unity Psychiatric Hospital
On a brisk, 40-degree afternoon two days before Thanksgiving, Portland police responded to a call from the city’s psychiatric hospital and found a man sitting on the ground of the ambulance bay, handcuffed and shivering in just a T-shirt and shorts. A security guard told two officers that the man had been released from the Unity Center for Behavioral Health but wouldn’t leave. The guard told police the man apparently had taken crystal methamphetamine and should go to detox. (Bernstein, 12/8)
MPR: Reports Of Hospital’s Possible Closure Spark Worry In St. Paul
Recent indications that the owners of St. Joseph’s Hospital in downtown St. Paul may be considering major changes, including its possible closure, have prompted concerns among community members and caregivers. Fairview Health Services, the health system that owns the hospital, is losing tens of millions of dollars and looking to cut costs systemwide. Late last week, it announced cuts at its Bethesda Hospital location in St. Paul. (Zdechlik, 12/9)
Boston Globe: Partners HealthCare Generates $14 Billion In Revenue
Partners HealthCare ended the 2019 fiscal year with $485 million in income from operations, as it prepares to invest in several new initiatives. Officials at the state’s largest nonprofit health system said Friday that their hospitals treated a growing number of seriously ill patients and benefited from payment rate increases, boosting revenue to about $14 billion in the year that ended Sept. 30. (Dayal McCluskey, 12/6)
New Hampshire Union Leader: Advocates For Seacoast Hospital Merger Turn Up Heat
Executives with two Seacoast hospitals seeking an affiliation with Massachusetts General Hospital are taking their campaign to another level with paid media, polling and a public call to action. The goal is to leverage enough community concern to convince Attorney General Gordon MacDonald to negotiate an end to his opposition to the deal over antitrust concerns. MacDonald has said that his office has been willing to talk, but lawyers for the hospitals need to make the next move. (Landrigan, 12/8)
