Florida health providers caught between state, feds on vaccines

Florida’s lawmakers are poised to pass legislation that would restrict vaccine mandates for employers, making it impossible for providers to be in compliance with both state and federal guidance. The clash could soon impact hospitals and nursing homes. Nursing homes will have no choice but to comply with federal regulators, according to Kristen Knapp. Knapp is the director of communication for the Florida Health Care Association which represents hundreds of nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the state. More from the  News Service of Florida and Click Orlando.

'InHospitable' documentary follows the rising cost of healthcare at hospitals after mergers

A Delray Beach-based filmmaker talks about the impact of hospital mergers on the cost of the care the new system provides, as spotlighted in her documentary, InHospitable. When one hospital takes over another, less competition often leads to higher prices. Mergers usually happen when providers are financially strained. Hospitals and doctors have lost a lot of revenue because of COVID-19, as people stopped coming in for care or because of the cost of caring for more patients. That could lead to more hospital mergers. More from WLRN and Health News Florida.]

Florida Trend Exclusive

Adventist Health will open a Blue Zones center at Legacy Hotel & Residences

The mixed-use tower is under construction in downtown Miami. The 120,000-sq.-ft. center will occupy 10 floors of the 50-story tower and offer diagnostic, surgical, medical and spa services, as well as fitness and wellness programming. [Source: Florida Trend]

How The University of Tampa is meeting the increasing demand for doctorate-prepared nurses

Over the past two years, the nursing profession has been challenged in unprecedented ways. Nurses are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they’re experiencing the ramifications of a nursing shortage and rapid changes in technology that affect how they treat patients. At the same time, they have a front-row view into how health care inequity is impacting society. But, as they say, every challenge presents an opportunity. [Source: Tampa Bay Business Journal]

3% of Florida kids ages 5-11 received a COVID vaccine, weekly report shows

More than 50,000 children aged 5-11 in Florida have received a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the first state data released on this age group since the Pfizer vaccine was approved for them earlier this month. A total of 3% of the 1,688,211 newly eligible children in Florida were vaccinated against coronavirus in the past week, according Friday’s report from the Florida Department of Health. [Source: WUSF]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› $193 million Jellison Cancer Institute tower opens Monday at Sarasota Memorial Hospital [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
The new $193 million Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute built on the Sarasota campus of Sarasota Memorial Hospital has 56 private suites for hospitalized cancer patents, nine dedicated operating rooms and three of the latest da Vinci Surgical System robots. But the heart of the institute, may be the multidisciplinary cancer conference room, on the third floor of the 170,000-square foot facility, said medical director Dr. Richard Brown.

› Orlando Health announces new hospital on Lakeland Highlands Road and will open in 2024 [Lakeland Ledger]
Orlando Health is officially moving forward on the construction of its Lakeland Highlands Hospital located on 80 acres south of the Polk Parkway at Lakeland Highlands Road and the Winter Lake Extension Road. According to a Friday press release, construction on the South Lakeland facility is slated to begin in late spring 2022 for an expected hospital opening date in fall 2024.

› Citrus County Hospital Board to offer College of Central Florida $1 million endowment [Citrus County Chronicle]
The College of Central Florida could soon have an additional $1 million to add to its endowment fund after the Citrus County Hospital Board voted to grant the college the money to help its Citrus County students enrolled in health care fields. The college, with more than 10,000 students and based in Ocala, has a campus at a 100-acre site in Lecanto. More than 4,000 students attend the Lecanto campus.

› Walgreens and VillageMD to expand in Tampa [Yahoo! News]
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. WBA and VillageMD recently announced plans to open 20 new Village Medical at Walgreens primary care practices in the Tampa area over the next year. VillageMD provides leading value-based primary care services nationwide via its subsidiary Village Medical.