State Highlights: Ind. House Panel To Revisit Controversial ‘Abortion Reversal’ Bill; Mich. Whooping Cough Cases On The Rise
Outlets report on news from Indiana, Michigan, Connecticut, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Florida, Texas and California.
The Associated Press:
Indiana GOP Sends 'Abortion Reversal' Bill Back To Committee
An Indiana House panel will take another look at a measure it narrowly approved last week concerning a scientifically disputed process known as abortion reversal, a rare legislative step that Democrats say reflects widespread problems with the proposal. (2/20)
Detroit Free Press:
Whooping Cough Cases Keep Climbing In Michigan
Pertussis, or whooping cough, is on the rise in Michigan. The number of cases this year has surpassed 100 and continues to climb, according to preliminary data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Oakland County Health Department. In 2016, there were about 448 cases of whooping cough in the state. In Oakland County last month, there were 31 confirmed and probable cases of the vaccine-preventable disease, compared with four cases in January 2016. (2/17)
The CT Mirror:
Insurance Coverage Mandates Would Face More Analysis Under Malloy Proposal
Patients who testify in support of proposed benefit mandates often share stories about struggles they faced getting needed care or medications. And critics warn legislators that adding mandates increases the cost of insurance premiums. In some cases, they also take issue with the merits of the particular service being considered for mandatory coverage. (Levin Becker, 2/20)
Chicago Tribune:
School Workers In State Must Know How To Handle Asthma Crises, New Law Says
Under the new legislation signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner in August, all school personnel who work with students must be trained to handle asthma emergencies. School districts must adopt an emergency response protocol for asthma — similar to those used in the case of anaphylaxis or fire. And every child with asthma must have a written "asthma action plan" on file at the school to allow the most efficient and helpful treatment when needed. "Asthma has been a chronic problem for a long time; it did not just rear its ugly head," said Maureen Damitz, spokeswoman for the Illinois Asthma Consortium which lobbied to get the law passed. "But I think people are more aware that we need to change something." (Healy, 2/20)
Columbus Dispatch:
New OhioHealth Primary-Care Coach Adds To Fleet Of Portable Clinics In Central Ohio
Offering mobile primary-care services is new for OhioHealth, which has long used the mobile coach for prenatal care and sports physicals. The goal is to prevent people from going to emergency departments for primary care and to keep them healthy, said Dr. Krisanna Deppen, medical director of community outreach. (Viviano, 2/20)
The Associated Press:
Doctor-Lawmaker Tries To Restrict Smoking In Tobacco Country
When Dr. Ralph Alvarado was elected to the Kentucky state Senate in 2014, he found his new colleagues had something in common with most of his patients: They knew smoking was bad, they just couldn't quit. For more than two years, Alvarado has led the effort to restrict smoking in a state with the highest smoking rate in the country. (2/19)
Orlando Sentinel:
New Emergency Medical Campaign Aims To Save Lives
Community leaders on Monday announced the launch of a new campaign that they hope will teach bystanders how to intervene during the first crucial minutes to prevent injured people from bleeding to death. Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer joined other medical leaders at Orlando Regional Medical Center to promote the national initiative. A person can bleed to death from a serious injury within five to 10 minutes, said Joseph Ibrahim, the trauma medical director. (Russon, 2/20)
WFAA:
Doctor Convicted Of Botched Surgery Gets Life Sentence
Life in prison. Those were the words that Christopher Duntsch never wanted to hear. And the words that his patients and their families desperately wanted to hear. The one-time neurosurgeon was sentenced by the 12-member jury to spend the remainder of his life behind bars Monday afternoon. (Eiserer, 2/21)
Sacramento Bee:
Triumph Cancer Foundation Brings Cancer Survivor Classes To California Family Fitness
Dina Moerschbacher sported bright pink knee socks at California Family Fitness, their “keep calm and fight on” slogan visible as she climbed on and off a stack of plastic aerobic steps. Friends gave her the socks while she was undergoing breast cancer treatment last year, she said, and her recovery exercise class seemed the perfect place to show them off. (Caiola, 2/20)
St. Louis Post Dispatch:
Mercy And St. Anthony's Enter Affiliation Agreement
Mercy and St. Anthony’s Medical Center have entered into an affiliation agreement, hospital officials said Monday. While details of the agreement are still being hashed out, Mercy has agreed to a “substantial capital commitment” at St. Anthony’s, Winthrop Reed, vice chair of St. Anthony’s board, told the Post-Dispatch. For St. Anthony’s, the agreement means one of the last remaining independent hospitals in the St. Louis area will become part of a much-larger health care system. For Chesterfield-based Mercy, with 43 hospitals in four states, the move grows its market share in St. Louis, where it already has four hospitals. (Liss, 2/21)
Arizona Republic:
Bleeding, Talking Mannequins Prep Health-Care Workers For Patient Crisis
Volunteers and anatomically correct mannequins that bleed, breathe and talk helped health-care professionals strengthen their lifesaving skills recently in Phoenix. Seventy-five health professionals participated in the intensive two-day training that simulated patients in crisis at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix Center for Simulation and Innovation. (Borgelt, 2/20)
Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Report: Northeast Ohio Ranks Fourth In Midwest Biomedical Investments
Last year was a big one for the biomedical industry in the Midwest. In the first half of 2016, healthcare startups in the Midwest brought in a record-breaking $1.04 billion. By the end of the year, Midwest healthcare startups brought in $1.7 billion. And Cleveland is near the top of the Midwest, according to a report from BioEnterprise, a Northeast Ohio biomedical business accelerator. Cleveland brought in $198 million dollars in biomedical investments last year, just behind Minneapolis, Chicago and St. Louis. (Bamforth, 2/20)
Cincinnati Enquirer:
Disabled Ludlow Teen's Death From Bedsores, Neglect 'Makes No Sense'
There was just no holding him back, Terrie Collins-Laytart said last week just days after Joey [Bishop]'s mother and grandparents were charged with manslaughter in his death. The neglect, charges allege, was so severe it led to bed sores that pumped toxins through Joey's body eventually killing him. The case has seasoned investigators shaking their heads and wondering – like Collins-Laytart – how the 18-year-old became a prisoner in the Ludlow home he shared with his mother and grandparents, why no one seemed to know he lived there and what could have been done to protect him. (Graves and Vogel, 2/20)
Miami Herald:
UM's New LGBTQ Clinic Focuses On Transgender Patients
UM opened its LGBTQ center in January to serve the needs of the growing population. The new clinic brings together specialists in urology, endocrinology and psychiatry, as well as a team of surgeons to accompany the patient into the operating room. [Christopher] Salgado and other doctors can even perform multiple surgeries on a patient simultaneously, so after a marathon session the patient can emerge with everything done at once. (Harris, 2/20)