Ballot proposal to expand Medicaid pushed back to 2022
Ballot proposal to expand Medicaid pushed back to 2022
A political committee seeking to pass a constitutional amendment that would expand Medicaid eligibility has decided to push back the proposal to 2022. The committee Florida Decides Healthcare had originally planned to try to take the measure to voters next year, but The News Service of Florida reported last month that the group was considering a delay to 2022 because of questions about whether it could meet deadlines. More from WJCT and the Lakeland Ledger.
State experiments with telehealth to treat mental illness in schools
As part of a statewide campaign to increase access to mental health services, First Lady Casey DeSantis announced on Thursday that K-12 students in every public school across six Northwest Florida counties can receive virtual counseling and psychiatric without ever leaving campus. About 60 telehealth portals will be ready for public school students in Gulf, Franklin, Jackson, Liberty, Gulf and Bay Counties when they return from summer break. [Source: Health News Florida]
Florida Trend Exclusive
Cleveland Clinic and FIU are latest to scoop up labs that Florida spent millions to recruit
Cleveland Clinic is poised to become the third established Florida player to scoop up the pieces of a troubled life sciences recruit the state and local governments spent millions to lure to the state. The hospital system says it’s in the exploratory stages of a deal to take over the Port St. Lucie building occupied for just two years by the failed Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, the offshoot of the Oregon Health & Science University. [Source: Florida Trend]
Gov. DeSantis taps three doctors for medicine board
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed three physicians to the Florida Board of Medicine on Thursday, including one who has served on the board in the past. DeSantis named former board Chairman Zachariah Zachariah, a South Florida cardiologist and internal medicine doctor, to the 15-member disciplinary and regulatory panel. Scott Ackerman and David Diamond, physicians from Jacksonville and Winter Park, respectively, also were named to the board. [Source: WLRN]
State seeks reversal of prison hepatitis ruling
The Florida Department of Corrections this week asked a federal appeals court to overturn a ruling that requires the state to provide costly treatment to inmates who have been diagnosed with the early stages of hepatitis C. The department, represented by Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office, filed a brief Monday at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, as it battles a ruling by Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker that required the treatment for all inmates with the contagious liver disease. [Source: WUSF]
› Suncoast Nursing Action Coalition awards $50,000 in scholarships [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
The Suncoast Nursing Action Coalition (SNAC) awarded 14 scholarships totaling $50,000 this month in a continuing effort to strengthen the region’s nursing workforce. The annual scholarships are part of SNAC’s multi-pronged action plan to develop a pipeline of baccalaureate-prepared nurses and ensure continued access to safe, high-quality care on the Suncoast.
› Doctor staffing company to open Fort Lauderdale HQ and add 250 jobs [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
Hayes Locums, a temporary staffing firm for doctors, announced Wednesday it will add 250 jobs at a new headquarters on Cypress Creek Road and Andrews Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. But these new jobs won’t go to doctors. Hayes Locums is looking for those with sales, support and back office experience to work to place doctors in positions across the country.
› Tim Tebow opens 10th playroom for children at AdventHealth Daytona Beach [WOFL]
Tim Tebow is giving children in some hospitals a chance to "just be kids again." The Tim Tebow Foundation opened its 10th "Timmy's Playroom" at AdventHealth Daytona Beach, a children's hospital in Florida, as space for kids to escape the hum-drum of their medical condition and enjoy life.
› Moffitt urges back-to-school HPV vaccination [WUSF]
As most Florida students return to school this week, doctors are urging their parents to consider vaccinations beyond those required by the state, like the one for the human papilloma virus. Florida is still in the lower third of the U.S. for HPV vaccination rates, despite it being the most common sexually transmitted infection, and one that can cause cervical cancer.