State proposes new health care workforce reporting data

| 11/21/2023

State proposes new health care workforce reporting data

The DeSantis administration is moving to amend its licensure regulations to require certain long term care providers to submit health care workforce data to the state. The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) on Monday published a proposed amendment to its licensure rule that would require licensure application forms for nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health agencies, and homemaker/companion service providers to include data on pay, benefit, vacancy and turnover rates for registered nurses and direct care workers, a term that includes certified nursing assistants (CNAs), home health aides, and personal care assistants. The law also requires the facilities to report to the state the contributing factors behind staff turnovers. [Source: Florida Politics]

Florida Trend Exclusive
Diabetes: How sweet it isn't

Since 2015, the Florida Diabetes Advisory Council has issued an annual report on diabetes and its impact on the state. A key finding from the panel’s 2023 report: More than 2.7 million Floridians — about 11.8% of the population — have diabetes. That’s more than double the percentage of Floridians affected by diabetes in 1995. Diabetes-related health complications can include kidney failure, lower-limb amputations and blindness. People with diabetes also are more likely to develop heart disease or suffer a stroke and are two to four times more likely to die from a cardiovascular cause, according to studies. In 2020, there were 7,516 deaths in Florida with diabetes listed as the underlying cause. [Source: Florida Trend]

Miami's syringe exchange program seeks to expand around Florida

Florida’s first syringe exchange program will mark its seventh anniversary on Dec. 1, and Emilie Ashbes is a testament to its success in helping people avoid contracting infectious diseases, like HIV and hepatitis C, and conquer drug addiction. Ashbes, 34, overcame her drug addiction and is now helping others in Miami do the same through the program founded at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. The program is named after the Infectious Diseases Elimination Act (IDEA), which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law in 2019. [Source: WFSU]

Florida leaves $800 million on the table for disability services, advocates say

Florida officials responsible for providing services to people with lifelong disabilities have allowed nearly $800 million in state and federal matching funds to fall through the cracks in the past two years, according to a budget analysis by a statewide advocacy group. That’s enough to give the 23,000 people on a waiting list maintained by the Agency for Persons with Disabilities the critical services they need to live with their disorders, which include autism and cerebral palsy, the advocates say. The money could be used for medical treatment, therapy, housing and help people maintain a level of independence and stay out of institutions. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

FIU's college of nursing establishes Jorge M. Pérez and Darlene Boytell-Pérez 50th anniversary scholarship endowment

Florida International University (FIU) today announced a generous gift from Jorge M. Pérez and Darlene Marie Boytell-Pérez ’89, MS ’96 to establish a new endowment at FIU’s Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences (NWCNHS). The Jorge M. Pérez and Darlene Boytell-Pérez 50th Anniversary of Nursing Scholarship Endowment will address the shortage of nursing professionals throughout Florida by establishing a permanent source of funding to help nursing students pay for tuition and related educational expenses. [Source: Florida Trend]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Music therapy eases path for young patients at Jacksonville's Wolfson hospital [WUSF]
After completing an approved program, music therapists are part of the hospital’s health care team working in the pediatric, cancer and blood disorder departments.

› Flu season hitting Florida children the hardest — so far [South Florida Sun Sentinel]
Flu cases are beginning to climb this fall, and in Florida the virus has hit children the hardest. Aches. Cough. Runny nose. They are all symptoms of this year’s circulating bugs.

› Orlando HIV rates continue to outpace national average [Orlando Sentinel]
Orlando continues to have a markedly high number of HIV diagnoses, much like Florida as a whole, and the area is struggling to get care for those who need it, according to newly released analyses of 2021 data.

› Seven Sarasota-Manatee nursing homes rank among Top 50 in Florida in 2024 rankings [Herald Tribune]
Seven nursing homes in Sarasota and Manatee counties received the best score possible, an overall 5 out of a possible 5 rating, in U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 Best Nursing Home rankings.

Tags: Health Care eNews

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