Latest KFF Health News Stories
Fecal Bacteria In California’s Waterways Increases With Homeless Crisis
Some of California’s most prized rivers, bays, beaches and streams are contaminated with levels of fecal bacteria that exceed state limits, threatening human health. While aging sewage infrastructure is largely to blame, homeless encampments are also a probable source of contamination.
An Atlanta Nonprofit Brings Medical Care And Connection To The Homeless
“Street medicine” programs seek out people living in back alleys and under highways. It’s a public health approach designed to build trust and eventually connect homeless patients to other services.
Rescates del 911 relacionados con la salud mental, sin policías
Denver es una de al menos ocho ciudades que está considerando implementar un programa que busca despenalizar y mejorar el tratamiento de las personas con enfermedades mentales graves.
Taking The Cops Out Of Mental Health-Related 911 Rescues
Denver is considering adopting a new 911 alternative used in Eugene, Ore., that allows mental health and medical professionals, not police officers, to respond to some emergency calls, saving money and de-escalating situations with mentally ill people.
Why Hospitals Are Getting Into The Housing Business
Hospital systems now invest in housing to help some of their most frequent patients. This allows them to safely discharge patients who otherwise would have no place to go, freeing up beds for sicker patients and saving the hospitals money.
Pacientes sin nombre: cuando el personal del hospital tiene que ser detective
El personal del hospital debe investigar cuando un paciente sin identificación llega para recibir atención. Un periplo que puede llevar a revelaciones sorprendentes.
‘John Doe’ Patients Sometimes Force Hospital Staff To Play Detective
A large public hospital in Los Angeles gets over 1,000 unidentified patients a year. Most are quickly identified, but some require considerable gumshoe work — a task that can be complicated by medical privacy laws.
Aumentan las muertes de personas sin hogar en las calles de Los Ángeles
Un análisis de Kaiser Health News de datos oficiales muestra que las muertes han aumentado un 76% en los últimos cinco años, superando el crecimiento de la población sin hogar.
The Homeless Are Dying In Record Numbers On The Streets Of L.A.
Deaths of homeless people in Los Angeles County have jumped 76% in the past five years, outpacing the growth of the homeless population, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis of the coroner’s data. Experts say drug and alcohol abuse are significant factors.
Finding Homeless Patients A Place To Heal
California hospitals must comply with a new state law that requires them to try to find a safe place for homeless patients upon discharge. But hospitals say doing so isn’t as easy as calling a shelter and securing a cot.
California Hospitals See Massive Surge In Homeless Patients
Homeless patients accounted for about 100,000 visits to California hospitals in 2017, marking a 28% increase from just two years earlier. Health officials attribute the surge to the overall rise in California’s homeless numbers and the large proportion of people living on the streets with mental illness.
Enfermedades “medievales” resurgen por el aumento de la población sin techo
El hacinamiento, la falta de higiene y la crisis de vivienda son una combinación explosiva para el resurgimiento de enfermedades como el tifus o la hepatitis A.
‘Medieval’ Diseases Flare As Unsanitary Living Conditions Proliferate
Outbreaks of infectious diseases such as typhus and hepatitis A are resurging in California and around the country, particularly among homeless populations. Public health officials warn that such diseases could spread broadly.
Measure To Cap Dialysis Profits Pummeled After Record Spending By Industry
The dialysis industry raised nearly $111 million in a successful bid to defeat the measure, which also was opposed by hospitals and doctors. The union that sponsored the measure collected about one-sixth that amount.
As Medicaid Costs Soar, States Try A New Approach
New programs, known as ACOs, reward hospitals and physician groups that hold down costs by keeping enrollees healthy. The health care providers are asked to address social issues — such as homelessness, lack of transportation and poor nutrition — that can cause and exacerbate health problems.
Hospitals Step In To Help House The Homeless. Will It Make A Difference?
They say it will help reduce unnecessary ER visits and ensure better follow-up care. It’s also good P.R., and helps them meet their obligations to provide benefits to the community in exchange for significant tax breaks.
Programa contra la tuberculosis en Texas podría reproducirse a nivel nacional
En 20 condados se están realizando pruebas a personas vulnerables, para saber si tienen tuberculosis latente, una condición que pone a la persona en un riesgo mucho mayor de desarrollar tuberculosis activa.
South Texas Fights Tuberculosis One Blood Test At A Time
A Medicaid-funded effort in San Antonio seeks to test vulnerable populations for latent TB infections.
To Save On Medi-Cal Costs, A Bid To Help Homeless Patients With Rent Money
California lawmakers consider a bill to use state money to help homeless Medi-Cal patients pay rent — shifting their focus from sheer survival to wellness. The move could save taxpayers millions, advocates say.
Mobile Team Offers Comfort Care To Homeless At Life’s End
A Seattle program pioneers palliative care that reaches dying patients on streets and in shelters.
