‘Kind of a crisis': Florida STD rates surpass pre-pandemic levels

‘Kind of a crisis’: Florida STD rates surpass pre-pandemic levels

The pandemic did what public health officials have struggled to do for the past 15 years — put a dent in the number of reported cases of bacterial sexually transmitted diseases in Florida. But in just two years, the combined rate of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis has rebounded and surpassed pre-pandemic levels, Florida Department of Health data shows. More from the Tampa Bay Times and Health News Florida.

Breaking the cycle: Florida investing in mental and behavioral healthcare

Significant progress is being made to expand access to Behavioral Health Services across Florida and train the next generation of professionals. Behind barbed wire in maximum-security prison sit dozens of inmates suffering from severe behavioral problems. They are doing time for crimes that might have been prevented with access to the right treatment and medication. [Source: WPEC]

Some doctors say Florida's abortion ban exceptions aren't enough

Opponents of Florida’s six-week abortion ban say the emergency rules issued by state health officials this week to clarify some medical exceptions don’t go far enough. The rules outline some life-threatening conditions a woman could experience that would allow doctors to perform an abortion after six weeks, including ectopic pregnancy or her water breaking early. But some doctors who provide abortion care say there are other circumstances where pregnancy could endanger people's health. [Source: WUSF]

Florida invests millions to keep babies alive. It’s not working

Each day in Florida, four babies die before they ever celebrate their first birthday. Florida spent more than $170 million in 2023 to address maternal and infant health, about twice what it invested to bring more visitors to Florida, but less than it doled out for wastewater grants. Still, the high rates of infant and fetal mortality, preterm and low-weight births haven’t budged much since spiking and then plateauing a decade ago. More from Governing and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Florida hospital operator files for bankruptcy

A company that operates eight Florida hospitals filed for bankruptcy protection Monday, calling it a “necessary measure to allow the company to continue to provide necessary care to its patients in their communities without disruption.” Dallas-based Steward Health Care said it does not expect day-to-day operations to be interrupted, with hospitals, doctor’s offices and other facilities open. [Source: News Service of Florida]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Hospital patient safety: Jacksonville ranks 13th of top 25 metro areas [Florida Times-Union]
Half of the 14 full-service Jacksonville-area hospitals received "A" grades in the latest patient safety rankings issued by the Leapfrog Group, a national health care watchdog organization. Twice a year Leapfrog ranks nearly 3,000 hospitals based on up to 30 performance measures. They range from infection rates, falls and other "adverse events" to staffing levels, communication from doctors and nurse and frequency of health care worker handwashing.

› HCA Healthcare's Galen College of Nursing plans Orlando campus [Orlando Business Journal]
HCA Healthcare's Galen College of Nursing — one of the nation's largest private nursing schools — will debut an Orlando campus soon. The Louisville, Kentucky-based for-profit college signed a lease for 42,145 square feet in Ingenuity Point at 12650 Ingenuity Drive in Orlando, according to Cushman & Wakefield's first-quarter 2024 office report. The building is in Central Florida Research Park near the University of Central Florida.

› Walmart to close 51 health centers in U.S. including all 23 in Florida [Florida Times-Union]
Healthcare costs aren't just high for consumers. Walmart announced the company is closing all its health centers across the U.S., including 23 in Florida. The network of 51 health clinics in five states has provided low-cost medical care for the last five years but the retailer announced Tuesday that they would be shut down, along with its telehealth business.

› Florida Mental Health Institute celebrates 50 years [USF News]
When the Florida Mental Health Institute (FMHI) was founded in 1974, its mission was to "improve lives of people with mental, addictive, and development disorders through research, training, and education," and in the years since, the institute has made a remarkable impact on mental health initiatives across the state and nationwide.

Tags: Health Care eNews

Previous Health Care Updates:

• Where in Florida are the most involuntary holds for mental health?
• Florida health care providers adjust to largest U.S. drug shortage list in recorded history
• A Florida health provider says better building design can help patients heal
• Florida hospitals: Building boom
• Abortion proposal on Florida's November ballot might not end legal fights about the issue
• More leprosy cases are popping up in Florida. Why an ancient disease might be endemic
• Thousands of Florida kids lost Medicaid, now some have no coverage