A Florida health provider says better building design can help patients heal

| 4/23/2024

A Florida health provider says better building design can help patients heal

Jackie Gonzalez receives care at the University of Miami's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center after her pancreatic cancer went into remission. When she was taken on a recent site visit for a new facility, she noticed a long hallway and suggested designers put in some benches so that a patient who needs to take a rest can stop along the way. More and more, health systems are paying attention to how the design of a facility impacts a patient's recovery, seeking input from health care architects as well as the people experiencing and providing the care, like doctors and nurses. [Source: Health News Florida]

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Health care: The most trusted

Recently, Wendi Goodson-Celerin was going through her late mother’s things when she came across something that Wendi had scribbled in little-girl handwriting way back in elementary school: I want to be a nurse. I want to help people. She chose nursing, she says, because her mother was a nurse. “I remember the respect the community gave her. She was the one everyone tended to come to.” [Source: Florida Trend]

Don’t expect a ruling on children’s health insurance dust-up until May

A federal Judge won’t rule until at least May on Florida’s lawsuit against the federal government that challenges rules associated with the state’s subsidized children’s health insurance program. Florida is challenging a new requirement that children must remain continuously enrolled for up to 12 months even if they cannot pay the monthly premiums. [Source: Florida Politics]

‘Housing is health care’: A partnership with medical industry advances solutions

The Christian Services Center on Thursday hosted a conference in which homeless services professionals, health care workers and community leaders made plans for shelter and housing ahead of the summer months. “Housing is health care,” said Warren Foster, program manager at Orange Blossom Family Health Center, a medical service center for people without homes. Proposing a housing-first model, Foster presented a new housing assistance pilot program implemented by the state's Agency for Health Care Administration in collaboration with certain health care plans and in partnership with Florida Medicaid. [Source: WUSF]

Virtual reality, facial recognition. How AI is reshaping healthcare in South Florida

AI is fueling healthcare innovation in South Florida. Signing in at the doctor’s office with a scan of your face. Using virtual reality to make patients feel like they’re at the beach instead of in a hospital room during procedures to help reduce anxiety. Matchmaking apps to connect patients with doctors and health insurance plans. A small, wearable device that can monitor patient vitals around-the-clock. [Source: Miami Herald]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Central Florida gets new ammunition to treat opioid addiction [Orlando Sentinel]
Medication-assisted treatment, which combines behavioral therapy with drugs, is considered the gold standard for treating drug addiction. It helps people stay sober and reduces the risk of fatal overdose by about 50%. But it’s difficult to access such treatment in Central Florida because of its low availability, insufficient funding, and the stigma associated with needing it, advocates and providers say.

› Miami’s public hospital has money problems. What that means for patients and workers [Miami Herald]
Miami-Dade County’s public hospital system is going through its toughest financial hurdles in over a decade, following a decrease in transplant and other surgeries and a slowdown in payments, according to Jackson Health CEO Carlos Migoya. To cut expenses and regain its financial health, Jackson has frozen hiring for more than a dozen positions not related to direct patient care.

› Tampa Bay veterans grapple with uncertainty over access to delta-8 hemp products [Tampa Bay Times]
Even though the products are not federally approved to treat health conditions, some patients consider them over-the-counter medicine, using powder, gummies and even honey infused with cannabis ingredients to soothe problems like tremors or insomnia. They also say hemp extract is easier to purchase than medical marijuana, which requires a doctor’s approval.

› Audit: Broward heart screening program spends more on administrative costs than testing [WLRN]
A heart disease prevention program that provides tests free of charge to thousands of Broward County residents spent a large part of its budget so far on administrative expenses — and little on tests, according to a county audit published Monday. The Broward Heart Project, spearheaded by Commissioner Mark Bogen, began a two-year pilot program in May 2023. The goal: offer county residents free preventative heart screenings. Commissioners approved $10 million. The audit shows only about $2.5 million spent to date but that only $624,400 has funded actual tests.

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