Florida's heat takes a toll on health. Shade provides relief — but not for all

| 8/22/2023

Florida’s heat takes a toll on health. Shade provides relief — but not for all

As the climate warms, a person’s health and quality of life hinges, in part, on the block where they live or work. Green space and shade can be the difference between a child playing outside and being stuck inside on hot summer days, the difference between an elderly person fainting while waiting for a bus and boarding safely, the difference between a construction worker suffering heat stroke on the job and going home to their family. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

What to know about dengue as cases are reported in Florida

Eleven cases of dengue virus have been confirmed in Florida, prompting questions about the mosquito-borne illness. According to the Florida Department of Health, Broward County reported two cases and Miami-Dade reported nine cases. While the dengue virus typically comes from places outside of Florida, one of the cases in Miami-Dade reported last week was locally acquired.More from CBS News and CNN.

Florida continues to add COVID cases in latest health department report

A new report from the Florida Department of Health showed an increase in reported COVID-19 cases in recent weeks. The state had 18,518 reported new cases during the week that started Aug. 11 and 18,556 new cases during the week that started Aug. 4 — the highest totals in at least 10 weeks. The increase is nowhere near the numbers of the past two years during the pandemic. Scientists say COVID is in an endemic phase, meaning it is always present in a population but remains fairly stable and predictable, with spikes. [Source: Health Neews Florida]

Heirs, partners of Black farmer challenge decision on medical marijuana licenses

Heirs and business partners of a Black farmer who vied for a potentially lucrative medical marijuana license are trying to persuade an appeals court that state health officials were wrong to scrap his application because he died before the licensing process was complete. The application of the late Moton Hopkins, a Marion County farmer and rancher, received the highest score of a dozen applicants who sought the license. An administrative law judge in February upheld the Department of Health’s decision to reject the application because the farmer died before officials finished evaluating the submissions. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Longer wait times for Latinos in Florida are 'locking families out' of Medicaid

Spanish-speaking Floridians are experiencing wait times more than four times longer than English speakers when reapplying over the phone for Medicaid coverage, according to a new report. And with hundreds of thousands of people removed from the state's Medicaid rolls since April — and a significant number of those still eligible for the program — advocates fear a 'fiasco' for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. In Florida, most recipients of this health care program for low-income groups are children. [Source: Health News Florida]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Physician restrictions targeted in House [News Service of Florida]
A House Republican on Monday filed a proposal that would eliminate certain restrictions on where physicians can practice. Rep. Joel Rudman, a Navarre Republican who is a physician, filed the bill (HB 11) for consideration during the 2024 legislative session, which will start in January. The bill addresses what are known as “restrictive covenants,” which can restrict doctors from practicing in areas after, for example, contracts or partnerships end.

› Florida health officials issue warning about flesh-eating bacteria after 2 dozen cases confirmed [WESH]
Five people are confirmed dead in the Tampa Bay area due to a rare, flesh-eating bacteria in the waters. According to Florida Health, Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that naturally occurs in warm, brackish seawater and requires salt. This year, there have been 25 reported cases and five deaths since January 2023.

› Some Tampa Bay stores out of COVID-19 test kits after uptick in cases in Florida [Tampa Bay Times]
Home COVID-19 test kits have sold out at some Tampa Bay area stores and pharmacies as Florida recorded an uptick in the number of weekly cases of the virus. Pharmacy giants say there is plenty of supply, but there were empty shelves at several area CVS and Walgreens stores and some grocery stores on Monday, where store workers reported demand for tests has increased in recent weeks.

› The James M. Cox Foundation awards $500,000 to the Baptist Health Care Foundation [Pensacola News Journal]
The James M. Cox Foundation recently awarded a $500,000 grant to fund CareView, a predictive patient monitoring system at the new Baptist Hospital campus and Behavioral Health Unit, scheduled to open in September. The foundation is the charitable arm of Cox Enterprises, parent company of Cox Communications, and named after the company’s founder.

Tags: Health Care eNews

Previous Health Care Updates:

Florida health care providers adjust to largest U.S. drug shortage list in recorded history

Florida teacher pay drops to 50th in country

Now might be the time to move to Florida as inventory levels surge and sellers slash prices

Florida invests $850 million to advance Everglades restoration