Weekly Edition: May 15, 2020
Hospital Workers Complain of Minimal Disclosure After COVID Exposures
Jenny Gold and Markian Hawryluk
From cafeteria staff to doctors and nurses, hospital workers around the country report frustrating failures by management to notify them when they have been exposed to co-workers or patients known to be infected with COVID-19.
Despite Pandemic, Trauma Centers See No End To ‘The Visible Virus Of Violence’
Giles Bruce
A steady stream of gunshot victims continues to flow into a trauma center on Chicago’s South Side and many other metropolitan trauma centers. This puts a strain on hospitals already busy fighting COVID-19.
As Congress Weighs COVID Liability Protections, States Shield Health Providers
Susan Jaffe
Under pressure from organizations representing doctors, nurses, hospitals and other care providers, a handful of states are offering them protections from civil lawsuits over medical treatment.
COVID Bailout Cash Goes To Big Players That Have Paid Millions To Settle Allegations Of Wrongdoing
Rachana Pradhan and Fred Schulte
At least half of the top 10 recipients, part of a group that received $20 billion in emergency HHS funding, have paid criminal penalties or settled charges related to improper billing and other practices.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Health Care Takes A Financial Hit In The Midst Of Pandemic
Dan Weissmann
In the first quarter of 2020, half the country’s economic devastation happened in the health care sector. Much of the slowdown came after hospitals postponed elective surgeries and as Americans skipped routine doctor’s office visits.
Analysis: We Knew The Coronavirus Was Coming, Yet We Failed 5 Critical Tests
Elisabeth Rosenthal
The vulnerabilities that COVID-19 has revealed were a predictable outgrowth of our market-based health care system.
Chasing The Elusive Dream Of A COVID Cure
Liz Szabo
Thousands of researchers worldwide are looking for a treatment that will go beyond what remdesivir can do for COVID patients.
COVID Survivors’ Blood Plasma Is A Sought-After New Commodity
JoNel Aleccia
A possibility that the blood of people who had COVID could save others has set off a mad scramble for donors — with top-dollar offers and a plan that relies on the blood of 10,000 Orthodox Jewish women.
‘No Intubation’: Seniors Fearful Of COVID-19 Are Changing Their Living Wills
Judith Graham
Still, medical experts say, it’s not a black-and-white decision of either go on a ventilator or die.
As Deaths Mount, Coronavirus Testing Remains Wildly Inconsistent In Long-Term Care
Laura Ungar
Testing for COVID-19 varies widely across nursing homes and assisted living facilities, even within the same states and communities — increasing the risks for some of America’s most vulnerable seniors.
Keeping The COVID Plague At Bay: How California Is Protecting Older Veterans
Dan Morain
Even as COVID-19 has ravaged nursing homes around the country, California has managed to keep the virus at bay at its eight state-run homes for frail and older veterans. What exactly went right?
Racial Status And The Pandemic: A Combustible Mixture
Anna Almendrala
The novel coronavirus is affecting black Americans disproportionately, which some community leaders and public health experts say is not surprising. So why didn’t anyone sound an alarm?
Millions Stuck At Home With No Plumbing, Kitchen Or Space To Stay Safe
Laura Ungar and Elizabeth Lucas
In 470,000 American homes spread across every state, washing hands to prevent COVID-19 may not be as easy as turning on a faucet. They don’t have showers or toilets or, in some cases, even water piped into their homes. Nearly a million U.S. homes don’t have complete kitchens and millions more are overcrowded, making it much tougher for people to shelter in place and avoid infection.
Beyond The Glam: Feeding The Coachella Valley’s Most Vulnerable Residents
Heidi de Marco
Poverty is real in the Coachella Valley, a region known for its glitzy resorts and music festival. During the COVID crisis, the California National Guard and California Conservation Corps are helping an area food bank distribute food to older residents and those with disabilities.
How COVID Colors The Salon Experience
Markian Hawryluk
As Colorado gradually reopens, a beauty salon in Loveland is swamped as its clients clamor for haircuts, trims and color. But business isn’t exactly back to normal as new precautions slow every step.
Under COVID Cloud, Prisons In Rural America Threaten To Choke Rural Hospitals
LJ Dawson
A rural Montana county of 5,000 people lays claim to the state's highest COVID-19 infection rate. The community risks additional spread, though, because of a private prison situated there. If the virus infiltrates the prison and just a fraction of inmates get sick, the area’s limited health resources may not endure.
Evidence Shows Obama Team Left A Pandemic ‘Game Plan’ For Trump Administration
Victoria Knight
There’s an actual paper trail.
Trump’s Comparison Of COVID-19 Death Rates In Germany, US Is Wrong
Shefali Luthra
Experts agreed that Trump's statement is not supported by the data.
Southwest CEO’s Boast About Airplanes’ Low COVID Risk Flies By Key Concerns
Victoria Knight
Airplanes are small enclosed spaces where social distancing poses special challenges, making this statement an overstatement.
Another Coronavirus Casualty: California’s Budget
Angela Hart and Samantha Young and Rachel Bluth
Before the coronavirus hit, California was looking at a budget surplus of more than $5 billion and lawmakers were debating how to increase the size of government health programs. Now, the state faces a deficit, program cuts, high unemployment — and no significant investment in public health funding at a time when the state needs it the most.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: What’s In The Next Round Of COVID-19 Relief?
House Democrats unveiled legislation that would effectively double what the federal government has spent on relief for the COVID-19 pandemic, but Republicans say they want to wait before even talking about another bill. Meanwhile, a key Republican senator called the GOP court case challenging the Affordable Care Act “flimsy.” Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call and Joanne Kenen of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more.
In Reversal, Kansas Will Count All Positive COVID Cases, Even Asymptomatic Ones
Alex Smith, KCUR
Following a KCUR report, Kansas officials said the state’s public reporting of pandemic trends will count all tests that come back positive for the new coronavirus, even when the patient has no symptoms.
Returning To Roots, Indian Health Service Seeks Traditional Healers
Sydney Akridge
The Indian Health Service hospital at Montana's Fort Belknap reservation has put out a call for applicants for two traditional practitioner positions, part of a new recognition of Native American ethnobotany expertise that was pushed underground for decades. The openings are already making waves in the state.
Readers And Tweeters: Doctors Weigh In On Telemedicine Costs
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.