Latest Morning Briefing Stories

Biden Says OSHA Isn’t Doing Enough To Protect Workers’ From COVID-19

KFF Health News Original

Labor unions have called for the agency to issue an emergency standard that would define what steps employers must take to protect their workers from the coronavirus. It has not done that, although it offered guidance that it said does not create a “new legal obligation” for employers.

OSHA Probing Health Worker Deaths But Urges Inspectors To Spare The Penalties

KFF Health News Original

Former officials from the federal agency criticize OSHA for a slow and timid response to a “worker safety crisis of monstrous proportions” unfolding in hospitals, nursing homes.

In The Middle Of The Country, A Hospital And Its Community Prepare For The Surge

KFF Health News Original

Because the surge of COVID-19 cases hasn’t yet hit all parts of America, some hospitals are able to learn lessons from the hot spots and prepare for the onslaught. In Wichita, Kansas, Ascension Via Christi hospitals converted a portion of a hospital cafeteria into a grocery store and offered alternative housing and child care for staff members working long hours in a stressful setting. The hospital group is also working with local aircraft manufacturers and 3D-printing hobbyists to produce face shields and other safety materials.

The Inside Story Of How The Bay Area Got Ahead Of The COVID-19 Crisis

KFF Health News Original

An early morning text. A lawyer-filled meeting on a Sunday afternoon. Emotional journal entries. And, ultimately, action. In the 24 hours before San Francisco Bay Area public health officials issued the country’s first stay-at-home order, they debated how to tackle the alarming rise in COVID-19 infections. Their decision set the course for the nation.

San Francisco Quick To Fight COVID-19, Slow To Help Homeless

KFF Health News Original

San Francisco Mayor London Breed won nationwide praise for taking drastic early measures against COVID-19. But her hesitation over how to care for the homeless came back to bite her.

“Duele en el alma”: la lucha de los trabajadores en residencias de adultos mayores

KFF Health News Original

La epidemia de COVID-19 ha resaltado las profundas debilidades de la industria que atiende a las personas mayores y más frágiles de la nación en centros de cuidado y residencias.

Pandemic Stresses Already Fragile Rural Health Care Systems

KFF Health News Original

KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber joined Newsy’s “Morning Rush” and WAMU’s “1A” show to talk about the challenges facing rural America during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before ‘Tidal Wave’ Of Illness, Nursing Home Thought It Had COVID-19 Contained

KFF Health News Original

Though it already had one staff member testing positive for the coronavirus, the Gallatin Center for Rehabilitation and Healing did not tell 911 operators this fact as it called ambulances to take residents in respiratory distress to the hospital, a WPLN investigation reveals.

In Fine Print, HHS Appears To Ban All Surprise Billing During The Pandemic

KFF Health News Original

Language in the CARES Act says providers who take emergency funding cannot balance-bill coronavirus patients ― and “every patient” is considered a possible COVID-19 patient.

NYC Nurse Says He’s Not Scared: ‘I Am Only Doing My Job’ For COVID-19 Patients

KFF Health News Original

Francisco Díaz ordinarily works educating seniors about their diabetes, but he has moved to the emergency room, on the front line in the battle against coronavirus. He said his Latino background helps him communicate with the many Spanish-speaking patients and understand their culture.

‘It’s Not Over Until It’s Over’: 5 Things To Know About Hitting The COVID-19 Peak

KFF Health News Original

President Donald Trump says the country has seen a peak in new cases, but that doesn’t mean the end of the pandemic, experts say. Buckle in — we could be social distancing into 2022.