Wing Of Abandoned South Carolina Hospital Fortified For Inmates
AP covers the $3.3 million transformation of a wing of the former Chester County Hospital into a secure unit for inmates. Meanwhile in California, the Los Angeles County General Hospital, which saw its last patient 14 years ago, may become a homeless housing hub.
AP:
South Carolina Hospital Wing Becomes New Inmate Hospital
A wing of an abandoned rural hospital in South Carolina’s Chester County has been transformed into a health facility for inmates that could start accepting patients before the end of the year. The $3.3 million project by the state’s Department of Corrections over the past few years has fortified the new wing with prison bars, specially secured doors and cameras throughout the building. The move gives the state Department of Corrections a medical resource while at the same time saves a community hospital from disappearing. (11/25)
In other hospital news —
Los Angeles Times:
New Life Planned For Mothballed LA Landmark General Hospital
Unchanged since the last patient left Los Angeles County General Hospital 14 years ago, the operating room encapsulates the rich opportunities and huge challenges for an institution that became too old and decrepit to go on as it was but is too much of a civic treasure to discard. (Smith and Campa, 11/27)
Becker’s Hospital Review:
Oregon Children’s Hospital Adds Video Game Therapy
Portland, Ore.-based Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, part of Oregon Health & Science University, is adding a new program to its Child Life Therapy Program: video game therapy. (Taylor, 11/23)
Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Some Of Nevada’s ‘Superbug’ Cases Found At 2 Las Vegas Hospitals
Cases of once-rare “superbug” Candida auris have climbed to 600 in Southern Nevada, with more than one-third identified at just two hospitals. Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, the largest general acute-care hospital in the state, has reported 122 cases of the drug-resistant fungus, the most of any hospital or skilled nursing facility. The first pediatric cluster of C. auris cases in the U.S. was identified at the Las Vegas hospital in May. (Hynes, 11/25)
Becker’s Hospital Review:
Florida Hospital CEO Resigns In Wake Of Arrest
Kidada Hawkins, who took over as president of Winter Haven (Fla.) Hospital earlier this year, has resigned amid allegations that he solicited for prostitution, The Ledger reported Nov. 23. Clearwater, Fla.-based BayCare Health System named Mr. Hawkins president of its Winter Haven and Winter Haven Women’s hospitals in early 2022. (Gooch, 11/23)
In updates about health personnel —
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Wisconsin Employment Commission Says No To UW Health Nurses Union
The state commission that oversees employment relations ruled Friday that UW Health hospital is not required by law to negotiate a collective bargaining contract or recognize its recently created nurses union. (Van Egeren, 11/26)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Caregivers For Elderly, Disabled Push For Higher Pay
In the mornings, Rosa Andresen showers hurriedly before her daughter wakes up, worried the 24-year-old might suffer a seizure or tumble out of the bed while she is still shampooing her hair. Her daughter Amanda Andresen, who does not speak, was born with a condition affecting the part of the brain that bridges its left and right sides. Her walking is unsteady, and she needs to be assisted from the moment she gets up. (Alpert Reyes, 11/27)
Stat:
A Physical Therapist Reflects On Her Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis
A little under 10 years ago, Leigh Krauss was almost done with her schooling to become a physical therapist. A former guard on the women’s basketball team at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., she had always been active and healthy. That is, until one day, walking to class, she lost vision in one eye. (Cueto, 11/28)
In other health care industry news —
San Francisco Chronicle:
State AG Rob Bonta Investigates Hospital Algorithms For Racial Bias
California Attorney General Rob Bonta sailed to victory in the Nov. 8 election, riding his progressive record on reproductive rights, gun control, and social justice reform. As he charts a course for his next four years, the 50-year-old Democrat wants to target racial discrimination in health care, including through an investigation of software programs and decision-making tools used by hospitals to treat patients. (Kreidler, 11/27)
KHN:
When Malpractice Occurs At Community Health Centers, Taxpayers Pay
Silvia Garcia’s 14-year-old son was left permanently disabled and in a wheelchair after a community health center doctor in New Mexico failed to diagnose his appendicitis despite his complaint of severe stomach pain. The teenager’s appendix ruptured before he could get to a hospital, and complications led to septic shock. Akimbee Burns had a Pap smear at a community health center in Georgia that showed abnormal cells. But she was not told of the results. About eight months later, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes. She died within two years, at age 38. (Galewitz and Sable-Smith, 11/28)
KHN:
Should Older Seniors Risk Major Surgery? New Research Offers Guidance
Nearly 1 in 7 older adults die within a year of undergoing major surgery, according to an important new study that sheds much-needed light on the risks seniors face when having invasive procedures. Especially vulnerable are older patients with probable dementia (33% die within a year) and frailty (28%), as well as those having emergency surgeries (22%). Advanced age also amplifies risk: Patients who were 90 or older were six times as likely to die than those ages 65 to 69. (Graham, 11/28)
KHN:
Readers And Tweeters Decry Medical Billing Errors, Price-Gouging, And Barriers To Benefits
KHN gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories. (11/28)
