State Highlights: Violent Attacks Against Staff At Washington’s Largest Psychiatric Hospital On The Rise; St. Louis School Still Grappling With Fallout From Decade-Old HIV Outbreak
Media outlets report on news from Washington, Missouri, Virginia, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Illinois, California, Maryland, Florida, Colorado, Texas, Ohio, Oregon, Kansas, Arizona, Connecticut and Iowa.
The Associated Press:
Assaults Surge At Washington Mental Hospital
The tall, lanky patient walked out of his room at Washington state's largest psychiatric hospital and spit on two patients before ducking back inside. A few minutes later, he came back out and punched two patients, so Larry Herbert, a licensed practical nurse, went after the man. As Herbert approached, the patient punched him in the face. Herbert wrapped his arms around the patient, and they wrestled until another worker joined in and they all hit the floor. Herbert's knee went "snap, snap" as his body twisted in one direction then the other. He ended up in surgery with three torn ligaments and has spent the past six months on the couch, unsure when or if he can return to work. (12/3)
The Washington Post:
This High School Was Rocked By An HIV Scare 10 Years Ago
Ten years ago, Jennifer Wyms was a 17-year-old junior at Normandy High School in Wellston, Mo. She was the captain of her school’s hip-hop dance team and enjoyed going to the mall with friends. But when a health scare engulfed her St. Louis community, it cast a shadow on her high school experience. A letter from school officials sent to parents and guardians in October 2008 relayed the news that epidemiologists with the St. Louis County Department of Health had grounds to believe that HIV may have been transmitted among some students — as many as 50 students at Normandy High School could have been exposed, it said. “Everybody wanted to know, who had it? Where it came from? Why our school?” Wyms told The Washington Post. (Ferguson, 11/30)
CNN:
This Town Is Like Thousands That Are Vulnerable To Contaminated Water, With No Fix In Sight
Virginia Tech engineering Professor Marc Edwards watched as water flowed from a garden hose in Enterprise, Louisiana. As he moved a jar to catch a sample, the color changed from clear to brown. "When mine comes out, it comes out black," Enterprise resident John Tiser said as he watched Edwards work. Tiser, Enterprise's newly appointed water board president, was giving Edwards a tour around this rural community in central Louisiana, where residents have struggled with water problems. He says his wife drives 20 miles each direction to do laundry in a town with clear water. (Ganim, 11/28)
Boston Globe:
With Beth Israel-Lahey Merger, State Charts New Course On Health Care
The decision by Attorney General Maura Healey to allow the merger of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Lahey Health marks the start of a great experiment in Massachusetts health care. The hypothesis behind the approval: Allowing the formation of a new large health system — with price caps and other constraints — will keep medical costs in check, ensure access for vulnerable populations, and provide a healthy dose of new competition to market leader Partners HealthCare. (Dayal McCluskey, 12/3)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
A Doctor With A Good Record Might Have A Troubled History Elsewhere
States can take action against doctors based on license surrenders in other places. But, as with other matters in the broken world of doctor discipline, such a step is spotty. Some states don’t even search a national database of troubled physicians. What’s more, voluntary license surrenders can mean the public gets no access to information about what happened, putting future patients at risk. (Fauber and Wynn, 11/30)
ProPublica:
Aurora Chicago Lakeshore Hospital Will Lose Federal Funding Over Safety and Abuse Issues Involving Children in State Care
Federal authorities announced Friday they were pulling funding from a Chicago psychiatric hospital under investigation following numerous allegations of sexual abuse, assault and patient safety violations, a move that raises questions about the future of the hospital and of the hundreds of children in state care who are treated there. The Department of Children and Family Services relies on Aurora Chicago Lakeshore Hospital to treat children with severe mental illness, some of whom have been turned away from other facilities. (Eldeib, 11/30)
USA Today:
Camp Fire: The List Of Missing People Drops To 25
More than three weeks after the Camp Fire began ravaging Northern California, the Butte County Sheriff announced Saturday the number of unaccounted for has dropped to 25 people. The lift of missing has fluctuated since the fire began on Nov. 8, reaching a high of 1,276 people on Nov. 17. The missing list began at 35, returning to double digits for the first time Friday when it shrunk from 196 to 49. (Lam, 12/2)
Miami Herald:
NSU Clinic Used Dirty Equipment For Two Years
The potential exposure of more than 1,000 patients at a Nova Southeastern University orthodontic clinic in Davie to viruses including HIV and hepatitis through dirty equipment continued for more than two years, from July 2015 to February 2018, administrators said Friday. And it took the university seven months, once they corrected the problem at the end of February, to inform patients via Fedex letters sent Nov. 23. (Chang, 11/30)
The Baltimore Sun:
Johns Hopkins Nurses Say Hospital Fails To Address Patient Care Concerns
A group of Johns Hopkins Hospital nurses on Saturday slammed the renowned Baltimore institution, saying it fosters poor working conditions for those in their ranks and by doing so, compromises patient care. The nurses — who are in the midst of a contentious campaign to unionize — presented a trio of scathing reports during a town hall meeting at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. Each described a version of Johns Hopkins that falls short of its mission. (Richman, 12/2)
Denver Post:
Colorado West Nile 2018 Season: 2 Deaths, 100 People Infected
With last month’s hard freeze, the West Nile virus season in Colorado has reached its end. But after two deaths and nearly 100 infections to date in 2018, experts said the virus is here to stay — and it’s a cause for concern. Since West Nile first came to Colorado in 2002, only four states have a higher average incidence rate than the Centennial State’s rate of 1.35 incidents per 100,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2018, there have been 94 reported human cases in Colorado, according to data compiled by the state’s Department of Public Health and Environment. Last year, there were 68 human cases in the state, including four deaths. (Tabachnik, 12/2)
Dallas Morning News:
Grand Prairie ADHD Drug-Maker Cutting Jobs
A Grand Prairie pharmaceutical company known for its fruit-flavored, extended-release Adderall-like medications is cutting jobs in an effort to "accelerate our path to profitability. "In a statement on Friday, Neos Therapeutics described a "realignment" that included the departure of its chief commercial officer, Thomas McDonnell. The announcement also said a reorganization of the company's sales staff and territories was planned. (Mosier, 12/1)
Tampa Bay Times:
Teachers With Guns? The Idea Is Back, But Many Florida Educators Still Say No Thanks.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri made big news over Thanksgiving break when, as chairman of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, he announced that he now sees value in having armed teachers in schools. His change of heart on the issue, along with his plan to recommend lawmakers allow willing teachers to carry guns, has prompted Florida educators to revisit a debate that raged in the spring as the idea first surfaced. (Solochek, 11/30)
Cincinnati Enquirer:
NKY Health Department: Hepatitis A Outbreak Means You Should Be Vaccinated
Health officials in Northern Kentucky are encouraging adults to get vaccinated against hepatitis A as four counties continue to see increases as part of a larger statewide outbreak of the infection. The Northern Kentucky Health Department, which includes Boone, Campbell, Grant and Kenton counties is recommending the hepatitis A vaccine for all adults. (Key, 12/2)
Dallas Morning News:
McKesson, Nation's Sixth Largest Company, Is Moving Corporate HQ From California To Irving | Health Care
McKesson Corp., the nation’s largest pharmaceutical distributor, announced today that it will relocate its headquarters from San Francisco to Irving in April. The company, which delivers prescription drugs and medical supplies, has more than 75,000 employees globally and had revenue of $208 billion last year. It ranks sixth on the Fortune 500 list, behind only Walmart, Exxon Mobil, Berkshire Hathaway, Apple and UnitedHealth Group. (Repko, 12/1)
The Oregonian:
Oregonians More Likely To Specify End-Of-Life Wishes, Study Finds
About 31 percent of people who died from 2010 to 2011 had a POLST on file with the state’s registry. A group of Oregon Health & Science University researchers, along with one from Harvard’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, found that number had jumped to 45 percent between 2015 and 2016. In that same time frame, the number of deaths in Oregon by natural causes increased nearly 13 percent while the number of forms filled out by nearly 66 percent. Researchers say that indicates the popularity of the form has grown independent of the size of the population who would need it. (Harbarger, 12/1)
Health News Florida:
Court Backs State In Death Records Dispute
A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal overturned a decision by a Leon County circuit judge who in June directed the department to quickly turn over to The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills death certificates from across the state. The requested death certificates were from around the time of Hurricane Irma, which hit the state Sept. 10, 2017. (Saunders, 12/3)
Kansas City Star:
Meet The KU Greek Alums Behind Fraternity Landlords League
Last March, the chancellor’s freeze was prompted by investigations of multiple fraternities for alleged health and safety violations. By the end of the semester five of the university’s 24 IFC fraternities, including two KFLL fraternities, received sanctions from the university. ...And while KU and other universities have defined hazing as any power differential between a veteran and new fraternity member, many alumni believe strongly in their right to retain certain traditions, such as making freshmen wear suits or engage in study hours. (Bergen, 12/3)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Advocate Aurora Health To Raise Minimum Wage To $15 Per Hour
Advocate Aurora Health plans to raise the wages of its lowest-paid workers to at least $15 an hour, or $31,200 a year, over the next three years. The planned increases would put the health system among Amazon, Aetna, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Target and other companies that have or plan to pay a minimum wage of at least $15 an hour. (Boulton, 11/30)
Arizona Republic:
Frontline Physicians In Banner Health Are On The Look For Valley Fever
Phoenix-based Banner Health has a new protocol for physicians that the company suspects will increase screenings for valley fever, a potentially deadly and often misdiagnosed upper-respiratory infection. ...f the Banner program works as intended in its primary care offices, urgent care centers and emergency departments, Valley fever screening in Arizona will increase. (Innes, 11/30)
Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Local Hospitals Increase Community Benefit Contributions 9 Percent To $1.5 Billion
The three largest healthcare systems in Northeast Ohio increased their spending on education, research and other community benefits in 2017, upping contributions 9 percent from $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion. ...Nonprofit private hospital systems such as the Clinic and UH are required by federal law to provide what is known as community benefit to the areas in which they operate in order to maintain tax-exempt status. (Christ, 12/2)
The CT Mirror:
Outreach Targets Asthma Hot Spots, But More Help Is Needed
Connecticut’s asthma rate is worse than the nation’s. It’s 11 percent for children and 10.5 percent for adults—and rising. Neighborhoods in Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven are among the hardest hit. Automobile exhaust, cigarette smoke and mold and vermin in sub-standard housing are among the triggers. (Hamm, 12/2)
Iowa Public Radio:
Medical Marijuana Now Sold To Patients In Iowa
Iowa’s long awaited medical cannabis program began Saturday, as people with certain medical conditions were able to buy medical marijuana at five dispensaries in the state. MedPharm Dispensary Manager Stephen Wilson talked with William Rose and his son Christian as they made one of the first purchases of medical cannabidiol in Sioux City. (Peikes, 12/1)
Kansas City Star:
Medical Marijuana A Treatment Tool For Some Missouri Doctors
[Marc] Taormina, a Kansas City native, is one of a small number of Missouri doctors bucking the state’s medical establishment by openly supporting the medical marijuana amendment voters approved in November. All of the state’s major physician groups opposed it, saying there hasn’t been enough research to prove cannabis’s effectiveness for many of the eligible conditions, and it’s not sold in standard doses or purities. (Marso, 12/2)