Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Florida health workers face coronavirus up close. Will they get it?

Florida health workers face coronavirus up close. Will they get it?

While health care workers in hospitals across the state are preparing to identify, diagnose and treat potential patients with coronavirus, they’re also hoping to protect themselves from exposure. National Nurses United, a large and fast-growing union with 150,000 members, said 80 nurses across the country have been quarantined due to COVID-19 exposure. More from the Tampa Bay Times and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

See also:
» Florida Gets $27 Million In Federal Coronavirus Funding
» What The Florida Department Of Health's Coronavirus Hotline Is Telling Callers
» The Nursing Home Industry And The Coronavirus In The Sunshine Economy

Florida safety net clinics partner with DOH in coronavirus fight

Florida’s federally qualified health centers have teamed up with the Florida Department of Health to share resources and speed up access to care for low-income residents as new coronavirus cases pop up across the state. Florida’s network of Community Health Centers and related facilities – including mobile care units – have a presence in each of Florida’s 67 counties. [Source: WUSF]

UF Health study finds 45,000 “superagers” in Florida

University of Florida Health scientists knew the retirement-friendly Sunshine State has its share of residents age 90 and older. But their hunch was that relatively few are largely unscathed by the infirmities of long life. What they discovered surprised them. An ongoing pilot study of the factors associated with successful aging in a population of those 90 and older found about 45,000 “superagers” in Florida. [Source: Florida Weekly]

Canadian drug importation money approved

Health care budget writers have agreed to spend $10.3 million to help carry out a Canadian drug-importation program, about half of what Gov. Ron DeSantis sought in a proposed budget he unveiled late last year. The agreement came this weekend as House and Senate negotiators work out details of a budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The Legislature in 2019 passed a measure that allows Florida to establish Canadian and international drug-importation programs. [Source: WLRN]

Florida nursing homes could get payment bump

Florida nursing homes will see a $74.8 million increase in their Medicaid rates beginning July 1 under an agreement reached by legislative health-care budget writers. Lawmakers have agreed to earmark $28.5 million in recurring general revenue which draws down federal dollars. House and Senate budget writers are meeting over the weekend in an attempt to reach an agreement on the state budget for fiscal year 2020-2021. [Source: ]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Pasco will get more than health care with the new VA clinic
The heavy construction equipment is doing more than moving dirt on the east side of Little Road. It’s also pushing economic development. A Maitland-based developer is proposing an eight-store retail center on the northeast corner of Ross Lane and Little Road. Its closest neighbor will be the new U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical clinic that is under construction immediately to the south, in the 7900 block of Little Road.

› THC cap for medical pot passes Florida House
An amendment that establishes a potency cap of 10% THC for medical marijuana patients under 21 has made its way back to the Florida House floor, where it was tacked onto a larger healthcare bill during a floor session Thursday. The amendment, which passed with a voice vote on the floor, would not apply to patients 21 and younger with terminal illnesses.

› Florida Center CEO to retire
After nearly 20 years helping provide developmental therapy and mental health services to some of Sarasota’s youngest and most vulnerable residents, Florida Center Chief Executive Officer Kathryn Shea announced her retirement on Tuesday. The Sarasota-based center, which provides a range of services for children from birth to age 8, was founded in 1979, and Shea has worked there since 2000.

› Florida Blue increasing access to health care services to aid in coronavirus treatment
Florida Blue, the state's leading health insurer, is announcing coverage updates in an effort to combat the spread and impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the state of Florida. Florida Blue will seek to minimize barriers for testing and treatment and will waive all copays and deductibles for the medical testing for COVID-19 for members.