Florida’s top nursing schools turn away students amid ongoing nurse shortage
With a recent influx of state money, Central Florida colleges with high-performing nursing programs hired more faculty, built new facilities and expanded their programs to accept additional qualified applicants. Yet it’s still not enough to end a nursing shortage that is predicted to leave Florida with 21,000 unfilled jobs this year and more in the future. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Florida records drop in doctor residency applicants post-Roe v. Wade
In the two residency application cycles following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, states with near-total abortion bans saw larger year-over-year declines in residency applicants compared to states where the procedure is legal — and states with gestational limits, such as Florida, saw a greater decrease in applicants compared to legal states during the second cycle but not the first, according to an analysis by researchers at the nonprofit Association of American Medical Colleges. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]
See also:
» Florida abortions dropped after six-week ban took effect in May, report says
Report says accessibility of health care services can be a struggle in Florida
A new report says many people in Florida don't receive needed health care because they lack easy access to adequate services. Florida TaxWatch recently released its report, Social Determinants of Health: Health Care Access and Quality. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, social determinants of health are environmental factors that can impact individuals' health outcomes. [Source: The Center Square]
Florida sees COVID-19 surge in emergency rooms, near last winter's peaks
Rates of COVID-19 have surged in Florida emergency rooms over recent weeks, according to new figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and are now near peaks not seen since the worst days of this past winter's wave of the virus. The weekly average of emergency room patients with COVID-19 has reached 2.64% in Florida, according to CDC data updated Friday, and now rank among the highest of any state during this summer's COVID-19 wave. [Source: CBS News]
The build-up begins to get Medicaid expansion on the ballot in Florida
More than 653,000 Floridians lost their Medicaid coverage over the past year because the state determined they were ineligible, according to KFF. Enrollment had increased during the public health emergency ignited by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, when the federal government paid states to keep residents enrolled, regardless of their situation. That changed at the start of April 2023. [Source: Florida Phoenix]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› A Miami health company is changing after bankruptcy. What that means for your care
Can a healthcare company emerging from a financial free fall offer more healthcare for its patients? Miami-based Cano Health, which runs 80 medical centers in Florida, says it’s now in a good place after cutbacks and bankruptcy — and is rolling out a series of improvements.
› With Steward in bankruptcy, union says Palmetto General staff struggles with patient needs
Steward Health Care, which runs 31 hospitals nationwide, including eight in Florida, filed for bankruptcy in May and announced that it was selling all of its hospitals. At the time, the Dallas-based company said it did not expect any interruptions in its hospitals’ day-to-day operations during the Chapter 11 process. But workers at Palmetto General Hospital — which is managed by Steward — say they are struggling with broken elevators, late overtime checks and staffing shortages.
› A new Alzheimer's treatment clinic is coming to Sarasota
A Sarasota nonprofit is opening a clinic to provide treatments that can slow Alzheimer's disease in early stage patients, including a drug that just received FDA approval this month. The Roskamp Institute, which researches brain diseases including Alzheimer’s, plans to open the clinic in September.
› FloSpine closes $1.7M seed round as it focuses on sales of flagship medical device
FloSpine, a spinal medical device maker, recently closed its $1.7 million seed round after securing the final $530,000 in funding. Peter Harris, president and CEO of the Boca Raton-based company, said the funds come from a group of high-net worth individuals, including business people, physicians and a Silicon Valley firm.