Appeals court denies Florida's request to halt Biden's health workers vax mandate

| 12/7/2021

Appeals court denies Florida's request to halt Biden's health workers vax mandate

A divided federal appeals court Sunday rejected Florida’s request to at least temporarily block a Biden administration rule that would require health care workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. A panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, turned down a motion by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody for an injunction against the Biden administration rule while the Atlanta-based court considers the vaccination requirement. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Ladapo says he's 'committed' to reducing Florida's HIV spread at a World AIDS Day event

Efforts to reduce Florida’s relatively high number of new HIV infections could amp up under the state's new surgeon general. Speaking this week at Leon County’s World AIDS Day event, Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo promised he and Lt. Gov. Jeannette Nunez would work to increase access to testing, treatment and prevention methods. “We’re committed,” he said. “I'm certain that what we can do it, and I'm certain that we will do it.” [Source: Health News Florida]

Physician assistants want to be called physician associates, but doctors cry foul

Physician assistants say their title is belittling and doesn’t convey what they do. “We don’t assist,” they insist. Doctors’ groups fear there’s more than just a name in play. But rechristening the PA name has spiked the blood pressure of physicians, who complain that some patients will wrongly assume a "physician associate" is a junior doctor — much as an attorney who has not yet made partner is an associate. [Source: Kaiser Health News]

Florida Trend Exclusive

AdventHealth Tampa's Taneja Center for Surgery to lead efforts in robotic surgery

The center’s 18 operating rooms are some of the largest in Tampa Bay — most are more than 750 square feet and 300 square feet larger than some of AdventHealth Tampa’s older operating rooms, allowing space for new robotic-surgery equipment, such as the Intuitive daVinci robotic-assisted surgical system and the Synaptive Medical BrightMatter Guide with the SurfaceTrace Registration 3-D brain-mapping system. [Source: Florida Trend]

Florida's recent low flu vaccination rates raise concerns

Flu season is in full swing and cases are on the rise in Florida. With the holiday season upon us, concerns grow about the state’s flu vaccination rate and the unwillingness of some to get a shot. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 41.7% of Florida’s population ages 6 months and older received a vaccine during the 2020-21 flu season — the most recent data available on a statewide basis. That’s the lowest rate nationwide, followed by Mississippi at 42.1% and Wyoming at 42.6%. [Source: WUSF]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Fatal opioid overdoses spike in Central Florida even after COVID restrictions were lifted [WMFE]
Every day, one person dies in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties from a fatal opioid overdose. A report out Wednesday from looked at state, federal and local data. Project Opioid’s report found overdose deaths from opioids continue to increase in Central Florida – even after pandemic restrictions began to loosen. In Florida, opioid deaths from April 2020 to April 2021 increased 26 percent compared to the prior year.

› Florida health officials offer guidance on COVID booster shots [Florida Phoenix]
With the new omicron variant continuing to spread throughout the nation, Florida health officials are offering guidance for COVID-19 booster shots for Floridians 18 and older. President Joe Biden and federal health officials have been advocating boosters, with omicron circulating in the United States.

› HCA Healthcare invests $1.5 million in FAMU’s School of Allied Health Sciences [Tallahassee Democrat]
Florida A&M University students interested in careers in the field of healthcare got a major boost Thursday as HCA Healthcare, Inc., one of the nation’s leading healthcare providers, celebrated a new partnership with the university’s School of Allied Health Sciences. The healthcare giant is donating $1.5 million to the school in what is described as "a gateway for new opportunities for the School of Allied Health Sciences."

› New UF Health Jax centers combine emergency room and urgent care [Jacksonville Daily Record]
UF Health Jacksonville is bringing a new emergency health care concept to Duval County in a partnership with Dallas-based Intuitive Health, The centers combine the facilities of an emergency room with those of an urgent care center. Health professionals triage patients to determine if their circumstances warrant emergency or urgent care treatment.

Tags: Health Care eNews

Previous Health Care Updates:

Florida hospitals: Building boom

College crime surging back to pre-COVID levels. Here's the crime at Florida colleges, universities

Florida insurance market full of ‘low quality' companies, study finds

Commercial rent tax cut coming sooner than expected