Regional Digest
Regional Digest
• Eleven home health nurses who work for Mercy Health Partners in the Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, PA, areas have lost their jobs. According to the Times Leader, the downsizing is a result of decreases in federal reimbursements. But the licensed practical nurses might not be out of work for long, the Leader reported, all possibly bidding on other unionized nursing positions in Mercy's hospital in Scranton or applying for a job with the system in Wilkes-Barre, which is covered by a different contract. Even though the positions are being eliminated, the system said, everyone will have the option to move into other positions at Mercy. Officials said the decision to eliminate the positions is because of reimbursement changes.
• The Visiting Nurse Association of Cleveland (VNA; Indianapolis) has selected TeleHealth Systems to provide its automated telephony patient follow-up system in four separate programs, including high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes. VNA will be using TeleHealth’s automated system to assist in case managing patients with various chronic diseases.
• Members of Service Employees International Union, Local 1199 Upstate, ratified a new 18-month contract last week with the Menorah Home Care Agency at the Weinberg Campus in Getzville, NY. The local represents 100 home care and personal care aides who voted in April to join the union, reported the Buffalo News. The pact provides for a 10% wager increase, first-time health and dental insurance, a pension for full-time aides, vacation and holiday pay, and seniority protection.
• Ohio Gov. Bob Taft’s top officials say they are planning a top-to-bottom examination of the state’s elder care system, which will include how to guarantee quality in home health agencies. A recent series published in the Dayton Daily News reported that Ohio fails to protect its most vulnerable, and lawmakers have said the series, the Daily News reported, will help provide a blueprint for changes over the next two years. The lawmakers said care in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and group homes will also be looked at.
• Joan Menard, who was on the ballot last week, running for a seat in the Massachusetts state Senate, wants to increase funding for home care in the state. Healthcare and prescription drug coverage are among top campaign issues in the fight for the seat, reported the Providence Journal. Menard proposes that the state negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices, draw up a patients’ bill of rights that guarantees access to medical specialists and emergency room services when needed, and increase financing for home care services.
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