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Florida's hospitals weather the storm

Florida’s hospitals weather the storm

Doctors, nurses and staff at hospitals up and down Florida's Gulf and Atlantic coasts were nearly breathless with surprise and relief Monday: Their patients — and their buildings — had survived the monster named Irma. Steve Sonenreich, chief executive of Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach said that after the hurricanes of 2005, the hospital spent tens of millions of dollars to fortify their facilities. Improvements included hurricane-proof glass in its windows, generators placed 30 feet above the flood plain and an inside structure that can withstand winds of 180 mph. [Source: Washington Post]

See also:
» Hurricane Irma forces nearly 3 dozen Florida hospitals to evacuate
» Florida hospitals evacuated for Hurricane Irma, now many reopening

Health IT providers offer free services for Hurricane Irma victims

Several health IT solution providers announced over the weekend that their services will be offered to customers free of charge in the hurricane Irma-affected areas. Telemedicine companies Teladoc, Doctor On Demand, and LiveHealth Online all released news alerts that medical care visits for those in need in the affected regions will be available at no cost. [Source: Healthcare Informatics]

Hospital shares rise as Irma damage lighter than feared

Stocks of U.S. hospital companies rose on Monday as damage from Hurricane Irma in Florida appeared to be lighter than feared. Irma hit Florida on Sunday morning as a dangerous Category 4 hurricane, the second-highest level on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. [Source: Reuters]

Air Force delivers doctors, aid to Florida

Three C-17s from Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina and Dover Air Force Base, Delaware flew more than 300 doctors, nurses and other medical professionals to Orlando, Florida, Sept. 9, 2017, in anticipation of Hurricane Irma’s landfall Sept. 10. [Source: Air Force News]

With funding slashed and no contracts in hand, ACA marketplace 'navigators' are shutting down

Several navigator organizations, including the University of South Florida, which received the country's largest federal grant for navigation services in 2016, are suspending education and outreach activities ahead of the 2018 open enrollment period that is slated to begin Nov. 1. [Source: Modern Healthcare]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville gets highest rating for its stroke program
Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification for Comprehensive Stroke Centers.

› New Florida Hospital Apopka schedules December opening
The new Florida Hospital Apopka, which broke ground in 2015, is only a few months away from accepting its first patient with a scheduled December opening.

› Ted Kennedy's son talks about addiction, funding In Florida
Patrick Kennedy has gone from lawmaker with an active addiction to mental health advocate. Kennedy is the son of the late U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy and was co-sponsor of a bill that required insurance companies to treat mental health and substance abuse the same way they treat other health care issues.

› Coloradans helping Florida hospitals respond to Irma
Downed trees, heavy winds and torrential rain are among the images capturing a glimpse of Irma passing over Broward Health North hospital in Florida. Denver native Matthew Smedberg has been calling the hospital home.

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