Congenital Hearing Loss

[unable to retrieve full-text content] County Planning New Jail Facility For William Street    Goldsboro Daily News

The bill must pass the State Assembly on Monday to survive. A volunteer optometrist gave an eye exam during a free clinic in 2012 in Oakland. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images For years, the single-payer health care movement has found traction in California. In 1994, a proposal that would have replaced private health insurance with a government-run system made the ballot, though it failed to garner enough votes. In 2017, a similar overhaul passed in the State Senate. The following year, Gov. Gavin Newsom made a campaign pledge to create the nation's first single-payer system at the state level. Now, yet another such proposal is being put to the test in the Golden State. Assembly Bill 1400 would create CalCare, a publicly financed health care system that would provide coverage to all Californians, similar to the way medical treatments are delivered in Britain or Canada. The bill must garner a majority in a State Assembly vote today to have a chance of survival. The proposal from...

BILLINGS - RiverStone Health reported Monday four additional deaths in Yellowstone County from COVID-19 illness. The total number of county residents to die from the virus is now 496. The latest deaths include a man in his 50s who passed away at a Billings hospital on Jan. 28. He was not vaccinated. A man in his 60s passed away at a Billings hospital on Jan. 28. He was not vaccinated. A woman in her 80s passed away at a Billings hospital on Jan. 29. She was not vaccinated. And a woman in her 90s passed away at a local long-term care facility on Jan. 23. She was vaccinated but had not received a booster dose. Her death was identified through a review of death certificates at the Yellowstone County Clerk and Recorder's Office. All four of these individuals had underlying medical conditions that put them at higher risk for severe COVID-19 illness, the health agency said in a press release. On Monday, Billings hospitals had 87 COVID-19 inpatients, including 53 who weren...

After three years, Walmart is leaving Tricare's pharmacy network -- a departure that pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts says is a result of the retail giant's reluctance to offer "more highly competitive discounts" to military health beneficiaries. At the same time CVS Pharmacy will return to the Tricare network after a five-year hiatus, a change Express Scripts spokeswoman Jennifer Luddy said Wednesday would expand choice within the network. Effective Dec. 15, 2021, Walmart and Sam's Club will no longer be a part of the Tricare pharmacy network, and CVS will be included among the list of network retail pharmacies where Tricare users can fill their prescriptions. "This change provides more competitive rates for the Tricare pharmacy benefit and expands quality, convenient pharmacy choices nationwide," Luddy said in a statement to Military.com. Walmart and Sam's Club have more than 5...

Receive daily Nevada Business News & PR directly to your inbox. December 31, 2021 By Press Release Wire Leave a Comment Optum Care Community Centers invite area seniors ages 55 and older to attend fun, informative classes all month long. Popular offerings like chair yoga benefit physical health, while "matinee and mingle" events can help build new friendships. Classes are free and open to all area seniors. Space for each class is limited to the first 19 participants. Optum Care Community Centers offer both medical and social care for overall well-being. The classes and workshops offered at the Optum Care Community Centers are free and open to all seniors – not just Optum Care patients – and provide an incredible opportunity for friends both new and old to gather, learn, improve their health and learn new skills in a welcoming, social environment. Physical and social wellness classes take place at both locations every weekday (except...

Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act disallows insurers offering lower-quality benefits for behavioral health treatments. Mental health treatment is often not viewed as necessary as treatment for physical ailments. However, there are both mental and physical components in terms of overall health. In fact, the World Health Organization describes health as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being."1 So why is getting treatment for mental health problems so stigmatized? Mental illness and substance use disorder (SUD) are becoming more prevalent every year. 2 In the United States, about 1 in 5 adults has a mental illness and roughly 1 in 12 has an SUD. 3 Despite the pervasiveness of these illnesses, the insurance benefits for behavioral health have been substandard, leaving many patients unable to receive adequate treatment. To deal with this issue, Congress passed the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) in 2008. Officially implem...

Assisting Hands Home Care Earns 2022 Best of Home Care® – Provider and Employer of Choice Awards Award-Winning Home Care Agency Serves Families in Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties Sea Girt, NJ–January 27, 2022– Assisting Hands® Home Care, a Sea Girt-based company that provides professional in-home care services to clients in Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties, so they can remain safe and happy at home, announced today that it has received both the 2022 Best of Home Care® – Provider of Choice and Employer of Choice Awards from Home Care Pulse. This is the third year in a row that Assisting Hands has been named a Provider of Choice for consistently exceeding industry standards for quality of care. The agency was recognized as an employer of choice for the second year in a row for exceeding industry standards for employee satisfaction. "Our top-notch professional caregivers help us achieve our mission to provide the best care to our clients and their families that a...

Healthcare experts have argued for years that we should move away from the dysfunctional, unsustainable fee-for-service Medicare reimbursement system and toward value-based models that incentivize better health outcomes such as reduced hospitalizations and post-acute care costs. Unfortunately, one of the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation's most promising value-based programs is facing a coordinated attack from "Medicare for All" advocates who want to end it before concrete evidence can prove that it benefits patients, providers and the Medicare system. A campaign to stop the Direct Contracting program is led by Physicians for a National Health Program, an organization advocating for a universal, single-payer national health program. Their main argument against the Direct Contracting program is tried-and-true and deeply partisan—that it's a back-door effort to "privatize Medicare" because some Direct Contracting Entities (DCEs) are owned by ...

For more than a decade, Bill Malvern served the city of Denison as both a voice for underrepresented communities and an advocate for the youth. As the member of the City Council on two occasions, Bill Malvern helped  set the stage for the current growth that the city is currently experiencing and ensured that future generations would have quality amenities within the city. Bill Malvern died Saturday at the age of 84. Bill Malvern was first elected to the City Council in 2000 and served until 2006. He started his second tenure in 2012 and served for an additional six years until 2018. "Billy Malvern was a giant in our community," Mayor Janet Gott said this week. "He was a man with a servant heart and he served the community not only when he was on the council, but he was always engaged in our community." Bill Malvern was born in Denison in January 1937 and joined the US Navy as a teenager. In the military, Bill Malvern ser...

A 31-year-old father has been removed from the heart transplant list at a Boston hospital because he is refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, his family said. DJ Ferguson's family say he was first on the list to receive the transplant at Brigham and Women's Hospital — but he is no longer eligible because of his vaccination status, CBS Boston reported. DJ Ferguson was removed from the heart transplant list at a Boston hospital. Family handout His father, David Ferguson, said his son — who is fighting for his life in the hospital and is in desperate need of the transplant — doesn't believe in the COVID-19 vaccine. "It's kind of against his basic principles, he doesn't believe in it. It's a policy they are enforcing and so because he won't get the shot, they took him off the list of a heart transplant," David told the outlet. "My son has gone to the edge of death to...

Font Size: Amid rising insured rates, physician shortages, and COVID-19, nurse-led care seeks to address health inequities. Font Size: In Richmond, Virginia, a public health nurse leads a community clinic where refugees and immigrants can receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Meanwhile, in Perry County, Alabama, a nurse connects elderly, Black, and low-income communities to vaccine appointments. Across the United States, nurses are among the frontline workers battling against the coronavirus pandemic. As the pandemic and vaccine distribution expose inequities in the U.S. health care system, nurse-led care may help break down existing barriers to health services for vulnerable populations. Advanced practice registered nurses lead nurse-managed clinics, which offer primary care and wellness services through partnerships with federally qualified health centers, academic institutions, nonprofits, and social services agencies. These clinics address the social determinants of health by increasing a...

Toronto-based virtual care provider Maple has acquired Wello, a Calgary-based company that also provides virtual care for employees. Incorporated in 2017, Wello provides virtual doctor appointments through employer programs. It offers on-demand phone or video calls across Canada, as well as on-call support for urgent care after working hours. Co-founded in 2015 by CEO Brett Belchetz, a former emergency-room doctor, Maple has developed a digital healthcare platform that aims to deliver timely and convenient access to healthcare providers. Its product enables patients to connect directly with medical care specialists through their smartphone or computer. Maple also provides custom solutions for employers, insurers, hospitals, and clinics. The acquisition of Wello expands the employee side of Maple's business. Wello claims a customer base of over 350 companies, ranging from Fortune 100 companies to small businesses. In partnership with the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) in 2020, W...

Photo: Marko Geber/Getty Images Two Florida healthcare providers have joined forces in an effort to improve access to post-acute home care for those living in Polk County. Effective December 1, 2021, Lakeland Regional Health purchased a minority interest in BayCare HomeCare. In Polk County, BayCare HomeCare services will be known as BayCare HomeCare/Lakeland Regional Health.  The two nonprofit organizations touted the potential benefits of this type of care coordination, including improved patient communications, reduced readmission rates and more effective discharge planning. Lakeland Regional Health President and CEO Danielle Drummond said the two organizations can improve care delivery at a much faster pace by working together, and that the collaboration will streamline the transition from hospital to home healthcare. WHAT'S THE IMPACT BayCare HomeCare has provided in-home care and support services for decades, including serving many patients in the Lakeland c...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] How Home Health Will Evolve in the Year Ahead    HealthPayerIntelligence.com

Grace Kinnicutt  |  Capitol News Illinois Hoping to make abortion care more accessible, a facility near St. Louis is set to be the "first of its kind" in providing financial assistance for travel-related costs. A Regional Logistics Center was opened Friday in a Planned Parenthood clinic in Fairview Heights. Using private funds, the center will pay for travel and lodging arrangements and connect patients to resources and support organizations in all 50 states. "Together, we are breaking down the silos anti-abortion politicians have created, and proving that … with innovation and determination … we can secure a future with abortion access," Yamelsie Rodriguez, president of St. Louis Planned Parenthood, said during an opening event Friday. More: Area Catholic students march in downtown Springfield in support of ending abortion Rodriguez said the RLC will be operated by Planned Parenthood and the Granite City-based Hope Clinic for Women in response t...

Telehealth, efforts to address social determinants of health and a focus on health disparities are likely to be among the top priorities in population health this year. COVID-19 will continue to cast its long shadow on U.S. healthcare in 2022. But for population health, there is that silver lining people so often look for: innovations and adoption of telehealth that started in 2020 will continue in 2022, even if the peak use of telehealth has tapered off. Providers and payers are also continuing to move "upstream" to the social determinants of health (SDOH), investing in housing, transportation and other factors that affect people's health but are outside of traditional healthcare. Another major agenda item for population health leaders next year is efforts to address healthcare disparities. Disparities in outcomes and access are deeply rooted problems that lend themselves to a population health approach — but not to quick fixes. 1. Go telehealth! Almost two years after C...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Delaware to Issue Emergency Benefits for August to All SNAP and Other Eligible Households    WBOC TV 16

The company says it can increase the number of physician-investigators by 10x The pandemic upended many aspects of the healthcare system thanks to the rapid adoption of digital health tools and patient-facing services. Chief among those were clinical trials, a space that was traditionally held back by a number issues, including access: researchers could only use people who were immediately accessible to them, limiting the number of potential participants. Topography Health  has a solution to that: it's a clinical trials platform that leverages the power of community physicians, using their position on the front lines of healthcare to get them tp conduct clinical trials in their local populations. On Tuesday, the company formally launched with $21.5 million in Series A funding. The  round was led by Bain Capital Ventures, with participation from existing investor Andreessen Horowitz; other investors included...