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Health system merger demands close scrutiny
Linda Katz, policy director of the Economic Progress Institute and chairperson of the Protect Our Healthcare Coalition, and Brenda Clement, director of HousingWorksRI, serve as their organizations’ representatives on the Protect Our Healthcare Coalition. Marjorie L. Waters, community organizer with the Rhode Island Organizing Project, contributed to this commentary. The proposed Lifespan and Care New England merger provides a tremendous opportunity for Rhode Islanders to examine and reshape health and health care in our state. However, to achieve positive change with improvements in health, equity, access, and quality we must include diverse voices and put the public’s health — and … Read more
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Jamaica announces coronavirus lockdown with health system on brink
Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 27, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid KINGSTON, Aug 20 (Reuters) – Jamaica will prohibit residents from leaving their homes for seven days spread over three weekends to contain an upsurge in coronavirus infections and shield its healthcare system, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. The Caribbean nation has been battling a third wave of infections, with the presence of the highly contagious Delta variant confirmed on the island. “Our case numbers are unacceptably high and rising, and the rate … Read more
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Resurgence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Highly Vaccinated Health System Workforce
To the Editor: Figure 1. Figure 1. SARS-CoV-2 Variants among Symptomatic Health Workers. Shown is the distribution of the B.1.1.7 (alpha), delta, and other SARS-CoV-2 variants according to vaccination status and month of diagnosis among health workers at University of California San Diego Health, March through July 2021. The number of workers indicates those who were symptomatic and had available variant data, and the number of positive tests indicates those that included data on variants. In December 2020, the University of California San Diego Health (UCSDH) workforce experienced a dramatic increase in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. … Read more
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Vaccine mandate protest takes place outside of Gundersen Health System
September 4, 2021 5:42 PM Posted: September 4, 2021 5:42 PM Updated: September 4, 2021 6:54 PM LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT)- Employees of Gundersen Health System and members of the community are protesting the healthcare system’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. They say the mandate may cause many healthcare workers to lose their jobs after November 1. Their goal is to ask Gundersen Health System to withdraw the mandate completely or at least add other exemption options for employees. We were not able to get an interview on-camera with one of the employees, but they did provide us with this statement: “We … Read more
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Gundersen Health System expanding COVID treatment to support influx of patients
LA CROSSE, Wis. (WEAU) – A rapid rise in hospitalizations is causing Gundersen Health System to expand the scope of its COVID treatment. The hospital announced Friday that an overflow of patients from its COVID unit are now being cared for within individual rooms in a second area. A third area is also being used as a negative pressure unit. Operations Vice President Mike McKee says Gundersen has seen a steady increase in COVID patients since the beginning of August, but the last two weeks the hospital has been treating between 25-35 people. In addition, McKee adds that anywhere from … Read more
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PeaceHealth, unions clashing after health system places hundreds of workers on unpaid leave
Amid a surge in new COVID cases, a Pacific Northwest hospital system is at odds with its employee unions over a decision to dismiss hundreds of unvaccinated workers. PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Washington, placed roughly 800 unvaccinated workers on leave as part of a companywide vaccine mandate that went into effect Sept. 1. Statewide mandates for health care workers in Oregon and Washington won’t take effect until next month. Since PeaceHealth announced the mandate on Aug. 3, unions representing a swath of workers — from nurses to respiratory therapists to custodians — have leveled at least seven labor complaints. The … Read more
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