Health
Health care worker shortage, behavioral health resources top concerns for hospital execs in PA
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“Demand on frontline workers has been extraordinary.”
WSKG (https://wskg.org/author/brett-sholtis/)
“Demand on frontline workers has been extraordinary.”
Experts raise staffing, funding and infrastructure concerns as the official launch approaches.
Area quarantined — 1.4 million chickens killed to prevent spread
Republicans have no idea how many trans girls are playing sports in Pa. They’re not alone.
Outgoing director John Collins says prices are a ‘red flag’
Wait times for nurses were among the longest in much of the U.S.
For many of the families who attend St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, the liturgical services connect them with the same faith traditions as their ancestors, who came to Schuylkill County around the turn of the 20th Century.
The need for doctors, nurses and other workers poses challenges for hospitals.
A federal grant funds the ‘AgriSafe Helpline’ effort.
Advocates are hopeful to see needed funds during Gov. Tom Wolf’s final year in office.
Counties will have broad authority to decide where the money goes.
Newly-public data shows outbreaks among staff and residents throughout the pandemic.
Such programs already operate in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Scranton.
Educators say there’s a clear choice: Limit the spread of the virus, or risk going back to online and hybrid learning.
COVID-19 is adding stress to Pennsylvania’s underfunded behavioral health care system.
“Sometimes people are more ready to hear about different services, or they hear about it, it doesn’t work out the first time, but at least they know it’s out there.”
Municipalities face a choice: take the funds, and agree to drop their lawsuits, or fight the drug companies in court.
Lead poisoning prevention experts are calling on the state to fund remediation and testing.
“This legislation provides important updates to our state’s medical marijuana program to ensure that patients have improved access to medication.”
An amendment to the Senate bill designed to prevent “vaccine passports” would prohibit the secretary from ordering mask wearing and other public health measures.
Young people and those with no COVID-19 symptoms are among those at risk.
For some people, grief is complicated by attitudes about the virus among family and friends.
“Our goal should be focused on getting the vaccine to those who want it, but not punish those who have made a personal choice.”
Providers’ groups say many long term care homes are on the brink of closure.
The law would require doctors to let parents set their children’s immunization schedules.
Lack of funds kept counties from using “assisted outpatient treatment” services in the past.
Union members called on House Health Committee Chair Kathy Rapp to consider their proposal.
The state says it will not renew its contract with the agency after the incident.
“We need to identify, what’s the right message to reach those folks?”
Risk of dying from the virus is 2,000 times greater than the risk of vaccine complications
Looser restrictions are complicated by a rise in cases fueled in part by more infectious variants.
State officials say there’s a need to ensure equitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
Health systems believed they were following state orders when they used vaccines that were supposed to be set aside for people awaiting their second doses.
Social media networks and online research skills give some younger people an edge, even as older people overall face higher risk of hospitalization and death.
A change at the state level is blocking funding for a type of one-on-one therapy when conducted at clinics rather than in the home.
There is “universal support” overall, but some disagreement on specifics.
The new public health measures come as COVID-19 cases near all-time highs and hospital intensive care units are nearing capacity.
With almost 5,000 Pennsylvanians hospitalized due to COVID-19, some hospitals are out of beds.
President Trump told the Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate group The Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.”
The finding adds to concerns that the president and some Republicans are laying the groundwork to challenge the legitimacy of the election.
Use of force reports from Bucks County jail offer a glimpse into a criminal justice system unequipped to deal with people who may be having a crisis.
The union says health systems are sitting on stockpiles of N95 respirators, leaving nurses without needed protection, as some hospitals restart elective procedures.
They are particularly at risk of serious complications or death if they get the coronavirus, but if they refuse to work, they could lose their job and unemployment.
Defying the governor’s shutdown order, and spurred on by far-right activists and Republican state lawmakers, hundreds of people gathered to demand that businesses reopen.
As of Thursday, 130 COVID-19 patients in Pennsylvania had required treatment with a ventilator, though that number is expected to rise as cases increase.
While state officials have consistently said the situation will deteriorate, they’ve been unable to say just how bad the outbreak might become.
The rationing comes as the state Department of Health maintains that it has personal protective equipment available and is working with health systems to make sure they have what they need
School districts want to know when to cancel classes and how to access federal resources. So far, they’re not getting answers.
The respiratory virus — marked by fever, cough and shortness of breath — has already sickened more than 81,000 people and killed 2,700 people worldwide.
The state centers are set to close within three years and move about 300 people with intellectual disabilities into community based care.
Wolf highlights programs for older Pennsylvanians and people with intellectual disabilities.
State records show that none of the state’s 48 county mental health agencies made use of the program in 2019, and none are implementing the program this year, either.
Thousands of unreported “critical incidents,” including two deaths and cases of abuse and neglect, were found in an audit of medical claims.
The partnership between Sandy Hook Promise and the state Attorney General’s office aims to prevent mass shootings and help children dealing with problems.
The need for improving mental health services became apparent after discussions with some of the people tasked with Wolf’s Opioid Command Center, Wolf said.
Amid federal inaction, there’s no consensus on how much of the PFAS class of chemicals is too much.
The proposed changes would slash federal food assistance to low-income families by $4.5 billion over five years.
Pennsylvania is one of three states where high school football enrollment is not in decline.
“They (researchers) did some biopsies on their lungs, and what they found out was, the issues have to do with toxins in their lungs from those burn pits while they were deployed,”
The health insurer must pay restitution to policy holders in cases where claims were miscalculated.
A similar bill was derailed last October after one lawmaker required a rule banning telemedicine for prescribing abortion drugs.
At issue is whether the state should have reduced funds to employers who hire people with intellectual disabilities.
Applied behavior analysts are licensed in 30 states. Pennsylvania isn’t one of them.
The research challenges electronic cigarette industry claims about health risks the devices pose.
“I strongly urge everyone who is vaping illegally-bought products, in particular those with THC, to stop,” Levine said.
Last Friday around noon, Three Mile Island nuclear power plant stopped producing electricity, part of Exelon Corp.’s plan to close and decommission the plant over the next 60 years.
Those funds have had a drastic effect on reducing overdose deaths and helping people with opioid use disorder to lead normal lives, said Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Jen Smith.
Internal report following a string of killings allegedly by people out on parole
Health systems are known more for competition than working together, but when it comes to treating opioid addiction, that may be changing.
“There is little evidence to support that mental illness drives gun violence. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, less than 5% of 120,000 gun-related killings in the U.S. were carried out by a person diagnosed with a mental illness.”
People who get insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace are likely to see a “modest” increase in rates for 2020.
“The standard in Pennsylvania is that someone needs to be an imminent threat to themselves or others before they can be considered for involuntary commitment,” Martha said. “She hovers right below that.”
“For both conditions, medical marijuana is not first line treatment and should not replace traditional therapies but should be used in conjunction with them, when recommended by a physician.”