Experts urge Floridians to make long-term care plans before a health crisis

| 10/24/2023

Experts urge Floridians to make long-term care plans before a health crisis

With the climbing cost of long-term care and a shortage of health workers, experts say it's more important than ever for Floridians to make plans for aging. Orlando-based elder law attorney Heather Kirson said many people wait until a significant health event lands them in a hospital and then a nursing home before considering the need for long-term support and services. “Ninety percent of our planning is crisis planning,” she said. [Source: Health News Florida]

What to know ahead of a hearing to examine Florida's Medicaid redetermination process

Hundreds of thousands of people across the nation are being unenrolled from their Medicaid coverage following the suspension of the COVID-19 public health emergency earlier this year. Florida has been one of the most aggressive in this removal process. WUSF's Sky Lebron spoke with Health News Florida reporter Stephanie Colombini on the unenrollment process, and pushback the state is getting legally, and from advocates. [Source: WUSF]

Class action granted in Florida trans treatment case

A federal judge Wednesday said a lawsuit challenging new Florida restrictions on treatments for transgender people will move forward as a class action. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle issued a 15-page order that "certified" a class action in the lawsuit filed on behalf of transgender children and adults. The plaintiffs are challenging a new law, championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, that banned doctors from providing treatments such as hormone therapy and puberty blockers to transgender children. [Source: CBS Miami]

See also:
» Florida denies defying a federal judge in a gender-affirming care case

Orlando toddler first in Florida to get Duchenne gene therapy

After decades of research, gene therapy has been approved for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a degenerative muscle disease diagnosed each year in about 1 in 3,500 newborns, almost all boys. Jaxson DeLeon, 4, is the first child in Florida outside of a clinical trial to receive the treatment. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

100 years ago, a clown touted health in Florida. Today he’d sell terror.

The century-old black and white advertisement looks like a poster for a modern-day horror movie. Set against the backdrop of the shadows of two girls at play, a white-faced clown with a painted on giant smile looks to be laughing maniacally. Above him, like a threat, it reads, “Cho-Cho is coming, children.” “It’s absolutely terrifying,” said Rex Gordon, Cho-Cho the Health Clown’s unofficial Tampa historian, while trying to catch his breath between laughs. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› AdventHealth opens Southeast’s first lifespan Down syndrome clinic in Orlando [WMFE]
Adults with Down syndrome in the Southeast now have a one-stop shop for specialty treatments in Orlando. AdventHealth is expanding its services for children and adults by opening the Stella Tremonti Down Syndrome Clinic (SMILE, for short). The clinic is named after the 2-year-old daughter of one of the founding donors — the lead guitarist of the band Creed, Mark Tremonti.

› Deadly drug overdoses are dropping in some places. Not in Tampa Bay. [Tampa Bay Times]
Last year, 1,583 people died of drug-related deaths in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties, more than double the fatalities compared to five years ago. Officials, addiction counselors and advocates say Tampa Bay’s numbers are alarming and worse than national and statewide figures. Florida ranks second in the nation in drug overdose deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state reported more than 7,800 deaths in 2021.

› Miami's Jackson Memorial must return $122M to the state after billing mishap [Health News Florida]
Jackson Memorial Hospital is returning $122 million to the state of Florida. The Miami hospital received a surplus of money from a pool of dollars meant to reimburse hospitals for treating impoverished residents. That's after Jackson incorrectly billed the program.

› Johnson & Johnson Vision launches a $57 million expansion in Jacksonville [Jacksonville Daily Record]
Johnson & Johnson Vision is working on at least $57 million in investments at its Jacksonville disposable contact lens manufacturing plant in Deerwood Park on the Southside. The city issued a permit Oct. 17 for an almost $30.71 million project to renovate space to install new equipment at the 7500 Centurion Parkway plant.

Tags: Health Care eNews

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