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Tag: hospitals

  • Biden’s nursing home rules face pushback

    Biden’s nursing home rules face pushback

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    BOSTON — Nursing homes would be required to meet stringent staffing requirements under new Biden administration rules that the long-term care industry says are “unattainable” and could force some facilities to close their doors.

    The new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rules, which were finalized last month, will require nursing facilities that receive federal funding through the programs to employ enough staff to provide at least 3.48 hours of daily care for each resident.

    That includes 2.45 hours of nurse aide time and 0.55 hours of registered nurse assistance. Facilities also must have a registered nurse on site 24 hours-a-day, seven days a week.

    The White House says the new rule will require nursing facilities with 100 residents to have at least two registered nurses and at least 10 nurse aides as well as additional care staff per shift. Facilities caring for residents with higher needs will be required to increase staffing above the minimum levels, according to the new rules.

    Additionally, the Biden administration is requiring home care agencies allocate at least 80% of their Medicaid payments to staff compensation. States would have flexibility to adjust the rules for small and rural home care providers, according to the directive.

    Nursing home operators that fail to meet the new federal standards could lose Medicare and Medicaid funding, effectively putting them out of business.

    “Medicare and Medicaid pay billions of dollars per year to ensure that 1.2 million Americans that receive care in nursing homes are cared for, yet too many nursing homes chronically understaff their facilities, leading to substandard or unsafe care,” the White House said in a statement.

    “When facilities are understaffed, residents may go without basic necessities like baths, trips to the bathroom, and meals – and it is less safe when residents have a medical emergency,” the statement said.

    But the Massachusetts Senior Care Association, which represents nursing homes, said the new rules are “simply unattainable” for nearly every facility and, if implemented, “would lead to widespread disruption in accessing skilled nursing facility care.

    The association said the workforce crisis — with more than 7,000 vacant positions in nursing facilities — is “directly contributing to the current instability throughout the Massachusetts health care system.”

    “CMS’ failure to provide funding to hire, train and upskill the thousands of individuals necessary to meet the requirements of the final rule is projected to cost over $175 million annually in the commonwealth alone,” Tara Gregorio, the group’s president, said in a statement.

    Gregorio said the association is “fully committed to working with our government partners to secure the funding necessary to hire additional direct care workers, increase wages for our deserving staff, and to promote career pathways.”

    A MassHealth spokesperson said the agency, which oversees nursing homes, is “deeply committed to ensuring that members receiving services at nursing facilities across the state are getting excellent care.

    “We are currently reviewing the rule and its impact and look forward to working with our federal, state, and local partners,” the statement said.

    The state Department of Health’s long-term care facility regulations require a minimum of 3.580 hours of care per resident a day, 0.508 hours of which must be by a registered nurse. That’s higher than the standard for the new CMS regulation.

    DPH regulations also require 24 hour nursing service with an adequate number of trained nursing personnel on duty around the clock, according to the state agency.

    The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates that roughly one-quarter of facilities would meet the minimum nursing requirement, including the onsite 24/7 rule.

    But the American Health Care Association, a trade group representing for-profit nursing homes, says about nine in 10 facilities would fail to meet at least one of the new staffing requirements. One-third of facilities would fail to meet all three standards, the group said.

    “While it may be well intentioned, the federal staffing mandate is an unreasonable standard that only threatens to shut down more nursing homes, displace hundreds of thousands of residents, and restrict seniors’ access to care,” AHCA President and CEO Mark Parkinson said in a statement. “It is unconscionable that the Administration is finalizing this rule given our nation’s changing demographics and growing caregiver shortage.”

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com

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    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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  • Bankrupt Steward to sell hospitals

    Bankrupt Steward to sell hospitals

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    BOSTON — Bankrupt Steward Health Care System said it plans to sell all its hospitals — including eight in Massachusetts — to help pay off $9 billion in outstanding liabilities.

    The privately owned health care group is preparing to put its 31 U.S. hospitals up for sale as early as next month and hopes to finalize transactions by the end of the summer, the company’s attorneys said at a Tuesday hearing in a U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Texas.

    Steward, which filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday, plans to keep all of its hospitals open over the long term, attorney Ray Schrock told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Chris Lopez, who is overseeing the company’s Chapter 11 proceedings.

    “Our goal remains that there are zero hospitals closed on our watch,” Schrock said. “There’s going to be a change in ownership in many hospitals, we recognize that. But we don’t want to see any of these communities fail to be served.”

    In court filings, Steward disclosed that it has $9 billion in liabilities, including $1.2 billion in loans, $6.6 billion in rent obligations, $1 billion owed to medical vendors and suppliers, and $290 million in unpaid employee wages and benefits.

    The company plans to hold auctions on June 28 for its hospitals outside of Florida, according to court filings. The deadline was negotiated as part of a $75 million bankruptcy loan, but Schrock said Steward may seek more time to sell its hospitals if necessary.

    “What we don’t want to do is have a fire sale of the assets,” Schrock told the judge, according to published reports. “There is a lot of value here.”

    Steward, the largest private for-profit hospital chain in the country, operates 31 hospitals across eight states — including Holy Family Hospital in Methuen and Haverhill — and employs more than 30,000 people, according to its website.

    The company also operated New England Sinai Hospital in Stoughton, which closed in April, leaving behind millions of dollars in unpaid rent and fees.

    Steward’s management has cited an increase in operating costs and insufficient federal government-program reimbursement among the factors leading to the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

    Gov. Maura Healey has blamed “greed and mismanagement by Steward’s management, and says the bankruptcy process will increase transparency in the company’s hospital system.

    Healey has stressed that medical care will continue at the Steward hospitals throughout the bankruptcy proceedings and that patients won’t go without medical care.

    “Ultimately, this is a step toward our goal to getting Steward out of Massachusetts, and it allows us to do that to protect access to care, preserve jobs, and stabilize our health care system,” she told reporters at a Tuesday briefing on the company’s bankruptcy filing.

    The Healey administration has activated an “emergency operations plan” in response to Steward’s financial woes, including a command center to monitor the company’s hospitals in the state and manage the fallout of a bankruptcy filing.

    In a court fling ahead of Tuesday’s bankruptcy hearing in Texas, Attorney General Andrea Campbell argued that Steward “extracted value” from its Massachusetts hospitals to “pay substantial dividends to investors and expand their network in other states.”

    “These diversions have threatened to impact the debtors’ hospitals’ ability to provide health care within the commonwealth,” she wrote. “The debtors’ hospitals have been left without adequate resources to timely acquire and maintain needed equipment and infrastructure or even ensure an uninterrupted supply of emergency room drugs. Many are in disrepair.”

    Healey and members of the state’s congressional delegation, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, have criticized the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management’s role in Steward’s finances. Cerberus created Steward after buying St. Elizabeth’s and five other Catholic hospitals in Massachusetts in 2010, according to the company’s website.

    In a statement, the company’s CEO, Ralph de la Torre, said the bankruptcy proceeding will ensure that the company is “better positioned to responsibly transition ownership of its Massachusetts-based hospitals, keep all of its hospitals open to treat patients, and ensure the continued care and service of our patients and our communities.”

    Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

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    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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  • Police/Fire

    Police/Fire

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    In news taken from the logs of Cape Ann’s police and fire departments:

    GLOUCESTER

    Tuesday, April 23

    9:08 p.m.: Suspicious activity was reported on Gloucester Crossing Road.

    8:15 p.m.: Debris in the roadway was reported on the extension of Route 128.

    7:29 p.m.: The Fire Department was assisted with a report from Flatrocks/Seaside Cemetery on Langsford Street.

    2:09 p.m.: Police at the station took a report of fraud.

    11:27 a.m.: No action was required for a report of a disturbance at Harbor Village on Main Street.

    11:21 a.m.: Police were unable to serve a warrant on Blackburn Drive.

    ROCKPORT

    Tuesday, April 30

    7:03 p.m.: After a motor vehicle stop on Wildon Heights, a verbal warning was issued.

    Medical emergencies: Ambulance transport to a hospital was conducted from Curtis Street at 10:39 p.m., South Street at 11:20 a.m. and Kitefield Road at 4:29 p.m.

    10:01 a.m.:  A police wellness check was conducted at a Main Street address.

    Monday April 29

    11:22 p.m.: A person was assisted at a South Street address.

    Medical emergencies: Individuals were taken to a hospital by ambulance from Granite Street at 1:06 p.m., and Sandy Bay Terrace at 10:23 p.m.

    Traffic stops were made on Bearskin Neck at 6:46 a.m., Broadway at 5:42 p.m., and Mt. Pleasant Street at 5:48 p.m. The first drivers received a verbal warning, while the latter was issued a written warning.

    MANCHESTER

    Tuesday, April 30

    10:27 p.m.: Suspicious activity was reported at a Central Street address.

    6:07 p.m.: The erratic operation of a motor vehicle on Pine Street was reported.

    5:35 p.m.: An individual was assisted on Central Street.

    5:15 p.m.: After a motor vehicle stop on the southbound side of Route 128, a written warning was issued.

    12:09 p.m.: A report was made about lost and found property at a School Street address

    9:05 a.m.: A motor vehicle crash was reported on Summer Street.

    7:05 a.m.: Community policing was conducted in the school zone.

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  • Essex crash victim medflighted to Boston

    Essex crash victim medflighted to Boston

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    ESSEX — A crash on Apple Street in Essex over the weekend resulted in the driver being transported via medical helicopter to a Boston area trauma hospital.

    The crash, which took place near 129 Apple St. around 1:17 p.m. Saturday, involved a single SUV in which the driver was the sole occupant, according to the Essex Fire and Police Department. The driver crashed his black SUV into a stone wall off Apple Street, said police chief Paul Francis, who did not release the man’s name.

    Firefighters used struts to stabilize the SUV before removing the driver. The driver was then transported by Beauport Ambulance paramedics to a Boston Medflight helicopter waiting at Shepard Memorial Park off Martin Street.

    On Monday, fire Chief Ramie Reader said rescue personnel took only moments to transport the victim to Shepard Memorial Park for the emergency helicopter transport. Medflight helicopters typically use Shepard Memorial Park as a staging area, police said. The park is adjacent to Town Hall on Martin Street.

    Reader said he did not know the condition of the driver, and that the crash is still under investigation.

    “At this time, we don’t know how it happened,” he said.

    “Essex Police and Massachusetts State Police investigated the crash,” Francis said.

    Stephen Hagan can be reached at 978-675-2708 or at shagan@northofboston.com.

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    By Stephen Hagan | Staff Writer

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  • Manchester-by-the Sea Town Meeting backs senior center plan. lauinch service

    Manchester-by-the Sea Town Meeting backs senior center plan. lauinch service

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    MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — Considering 21 articles on the warrant was no easy task but annual Town Meeting wrapped it up in about three hours.

    Town Moderator Alan Wilson banged the gavel to convene the meeting Wednesday at Manchester Memorial Elementary School precisely at 6:30 p.m. and adjourned it at 9:12 p.m. Midway through, Wilson reported a quorum of 317 voters present.

    The meeting approved financing for a new senior center, the operation of a launch service in Manchester Harbor, and a number of capital projects, including $7,550,000 to make capital improvements to the town’s water and wastewater systems.

    It also approved a fiscal year 2025 budget amounting to $42,336,058, with $16,818,112 for the town operating and enterprise budgets for water and sewer, and debts; $19,060,435 for town’s share of Manchester Essex Regional School District’s operating budget and debt service; $243,385 for the North Shore Agricultural & Technical School; and $2,642,740 for capital items.

    Each of the above articles passed by substantial margins with voters using electronic vote tallying devices.

    Finance Committee Chairperson Sarah Mellish said the budgets received much careful consideration.

    “The Finance Committee feels this budget is prudent and addresses the needs of the town,” she said. “This is a lean budget that meets the town’s needs.”

    Article 6 authorizing the Select Board to raise or borrow $1 million to buy the Masons’ 26,045 square foot parcel at 10 Church St. needed a two-thirds majority and was approved by a sizable margin, prompting a rousing cheer. Many applauding were senior citizens.

    Select Board member Brian Sollosy moved the measure, which was seconded by Select Board member John Round.

    Responding to a question about whether the building is the right place for a town-operated facility, being at the edge of Manchester Harbor, Town Administrator Gregory Federspiel said the elevation of the Masons’ building protects it from storm surge.

    “This building is in pretty good shape,” Federspiel said. An appraisal a few years ago estimated the building’s value to be about $800,000.

    “We do feel the price is appropriate,” he said.

    The town will start running a launch service in Manchester Harbor after Town Meeting voted 309-34 to purchase to two launch boats and fund operating expenses for this fiscal year and next.

    Select Board member Catherine Bilotta said town officials, including Harbormaster Bion Pike, put together a prudent business plan for the launch service.

    “All of these costs are going to be reimbursed by user fees,” she said. “The entire endeavor is to be funded entirely by user fees.”

    Mellish said the effort should eventually be self-sustaining.

    “If you want to use a launch, contact the harbormaster and he’ll gladly take your money,” she said.

    The meeting also approved paying the town’s share of the Manchester Essex Regional School District’s $16,339,528 gross operating and maintenance budget for fiscal 2025, $2,720,907 to cover its long-term debt, and $660,000 for a feasibility study for Essex Elementary School.

    Superintendent Pamela Beaudoin said the Manchester Essex Regional School Committee will eventually narrow its focus to considering possible renovation or new construction for the school, 12 Story St. in Essex.

    “We really lean heavily on community experts,” she said.

    Spending $481,670 of Community Preservation Fund money on restoration of the First Parish Church steeple and resurfacing of the Sweeney Park basketball court, among other things, was approved, but not before a motion was made to eliminate $200,000 to fund the Manchester Affordable Housing Trust. The motion was defeated 178-45.

    Here is a condensed version of the articles on the meeting’s warrant and votes:

    1 – Receive reports of the town’s boards and committees. APPROVED.

    2 – Fix the salaries of the town moderator and members of the Select Board at $0 per year. APPROVED.

    3 – Raise $243,385 as the town’s share of the budget for the Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School District. APPROVED.

    4 – Raise sums by taxation to pay town debts and charges — $42,336,058 — for the coming fiscal year, effective July 1. APPROVED.

    5 – Spend the following, all of which were APPROVED:

    — Road resurfacing — $550,000.

    — DPW facility siting, geotechnical analysis — $250,000.

    — Drainage and sidewalk improvements — $250,000.

    — Storm damage repair — $50,000. Not recommended.

    — General building upgrades — $50,000.

    — Backhoe replacement — $150,000.

    — IT and telephone upgrades at Town Hall — $30,000.

    — Planning and zoning studies — $20,000. Not recommended, in operating budget.

    — Library walkway repairs — $6,500.

    — Library building assessment — $43,500.

    — Fire engine replacement fund — $250,000. Not recommended.

    — Ambulance 2 replacement — $470,000.

    — Police tasers — $12,600.

    — Police administration vehicle replacement — $73,000.

    — Cardiac monitors and defibrillators — $54,000.

    — Fire Station repairs and upgrades — $30,000. Not recommended, in operating budget.

    — Dredging/engineering/permitting — $100,000.

    — No wake buoys — $9,500.

    — Plant upgrades/PFAS design — $2 million. $150,000 recommended.

    — Pipe replacement/improvements — $2 million. Not recommended.

    — Meter replacements (for “smart” meters) — $1.5 million. Not recommended.

    — Water truck replacement — $50,000.

    — Plant upgrades/Equipment replacement – $4.1 million. $550,000 recommended.

    6 – Raise or borrow $1 million and authorize the Select Board to use it to acquire, for a senior center and, or community center, all or a portion of the Masons’ 26,045 square foot parcel at 10 Church St. APPROVED.

    7 – Raise or transfer money to operate a town-sponsored launch service in Manchester Harbor including $9,500 for fiscal 2024 operating expenses, $125,000 for the purchase of two launch boats, and $41,000 for fiscal 2025 launch operating expenses. APPROVED.

    8 – Spend $7,550,000 — $4,100,000 on the town’s water system and $3,450,000 on the town’s wastewater system — for capital improvements. APPROVED, 290-33.

    9 – Spend Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program grant funds and re-appropriate $150,000 of the $200,000 previously appropriated for restroom renovations at Manchester-by-the-Sea Public Library. APPROVED, 200-19.

    10 – Create a Special Opioid Settlement Stabilization Fund and dedicate 100% of the opioid litigation settlement funds to the fund. APPROVED.

    11 – Raise or transfer money for the town’s assessment for the gross operating and maintenance budget of the Manchester Essex Regional School District. APPROVED.

    12 – Raise or transfer $660,000 for the town’s apportioned share of the Essex Elementary School feasibility study. APPROVED, 244-44 .

    13 – Raise or transfer $248,348 to fund the town’s share of the cost to refurbish the turf fields in town. APPROVED.

    14 – Hear and act on the report of the Community Preservation Committee on the fiscal 2025 Community Preservation budget and to appropriate $481,670 from the Community Preservation Fund money to meet the administrative and other expenses of the committee for fiscal 2025. APPROVED.

    Included in the $481,670 total amount is:

    – $200,000 for the Manchester Affordable Housing Trust Project funding.

    – $60,000 for restoration of the First Parish Church steeple.

    – $28,500 to resurface the Sweeney Park basketball court.

    – $25,000 for restoration of town cemeteries.

    – $24,400 for portico restoration at Hooper Trask House.

    – $20,000 for Power House Hill parking and access easement.

    15 – Authorize the Select Board to acquire an access and parking easement on property owned by the Manchester Housing Authority at Newport Park for access to Powder House Hill conservation lands.  APPROVED.

    16 – Raise or transfer $100,000 to supplement the fiscal 2024 Legal Expenses Account. APPROVED.

    17 – Raise or transfer $300,000 to be deposited into the town’s “Other Post Employment Benefits Trust Fund.” APPROVED.

    18 – Set fiscal 2025 imitations on expenditures by the town’s recreation programs at $400,000; and the town’s Board of Health Emergency Dispensing Sites and Clinics Programs at $50,000.  APPROVED.

    19 – Amend the Tobacco Products Regulations and Tobacco Use Regulations of the town’s General Bylaws as fines and enforcement are covered by other bylaws and state statutes/regulations.  APPROVED.

    20 – Amend Article X, Section 23 of the General Bylaw on non-accessory signs by adding the language: “The provisions of this section shall not apply to non-accessory signs located on town-owned property, subject to the approval by the Select Board, nor to non-accessory signs on town-owned property used for educational purposes, subject to approval by the Manchester Essex Regional School Committee.”  APPROVED.

    21 – Raise or transfer money to reduce the tax rate. NO ACTION TAKEN.

    Stephen Hagan can be reached at 978-675-2708 or at shagan@northofboston.com.

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    By Stephen Hagan | Staff Writer

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  • State to pay off $10M more in student loans

    State to pay off $10M more in student loans

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    BOSTON — Financial relief from college debt is coming for hundreds of mental health workers under a state loan repayment program aimed at easing workforce shortages.

    A taxpayer-funded program, which launched in 2022, pays off up to $300,000 in college loans for eligible health care professionals in a variety of disciplines, including dental, medical, mental health and substance abuse.

    The state Executive Office of Health and Human Services, which oversees the MA Repay program, announced a new round of disbursements earlier this week totaling $10 million. The latest round of loan repayments will specifically target more than 200 eligible mental health workers, the agency said.

    Gov. Maura Healey said the move will “offer life changing loan repayment to our dedicated state employees who continue to provide care daily to community members with serious mental illness.”

    “Massachusetts relies on our incredible behavioral health workforce to provide essential care to our residents, but far too many workers are being held back by crushing levels of student debt,” Healey said in a statement.

    The MA Repay program was approved as part of a $4 billion pandemic relief bill signed by then-Gov. Charlie Baker in December 2021. It is aimed at recruiting and retaining new workers in a sector of the state’s health care system that is traditionally among the lowest paid.

    Under the program, psychiatrists are eligible for up to $300,000 if they are employed full time, and $150,000 if they work part time. Psychologists can receive up to $150,000 in loans repaid if they are full-time workers, $75,000 if they work part time.

    Nurses, nurse practitioners, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants and social workers with master’s degrees who are employed in mental health settings can receive $25,000 to $50,000. Workers in those professions with bachelor’s degrees can get between $15,000 and $30,000.

    Those who qualify must commit to working for at least four years in the state under a “service commitment” to receive the financial relief. That employment can be with up to two employers, according to the state agency.

    In August, the state announced the first round of disbursements for nearly 3,000 health care workers totaling $140.9 million. In October, the state opened a second round of disbursements for $25 million. In January, an additional $16.5 million was made available to early education, child care, home health and other home workers.

    The move comes as President Joe Biden unveiled a new proposal this week that seeks to reduce or cancel federal student loans for 30 million Americans.

    Biden’s latest forgiveness plan calls for offering loan relief to borrowers who have large amounts of interest on their loans, have been paying for decades or who face financial hardship.

    A group of Republican states filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday challenging Biden’s SAVE Plan, arguing the move bypasses Congress and a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that rejected the president’s previous loan forgiveness program, which called for eliminating $400 billion in outstanding college debt.

    To date, $136.6 billion in federal college loans have been forgiven for more than 3.7 million Americans, according to the Biden administration.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

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    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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  • It’s OK to ask for help: A look at local Community Behavioral Health Centers

    It’s OK to ask for help: A look at local Community Behavioral Health Centers

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    Whether you’re a student juggling too many deadlines and competing commitments on campus or a police officer struggling with a seemingly no-win situation on the job — or some other level of crisis — there are dedicated places and people you can lean on in your own backyard.

    Throughout the region, behavioral health services operate around the clock as a vital area of support for those in need of help. Many are partnered with community crisis stabilization programs that accept insurance and provide a bed, individual and group therapy, and a life-changing serving of hope to anyone placing an order.

    These services have expanded greatly with the state’s launch of a “Community Behavioral Health Center” system in early 2023. The system, which can be found at tinyurl.com/3s59jpsp, is rapidly expanding with increased awareness and demand.

    “The main reason the state did this redesign from the former service programs to CBHC’s was because, well… the two main reasons were that there was an increase in boarding times, and hospital systems and hospital ERs were flooded with folks walking in for services who may not necessarily need to access the intensity of the emergency room,” said Josh Eigen, CBHC director at Eliot Community Behavioral Health, at 75 Sylvan St. in Danvers and 95 Pleasant St. in Lynn. “And folks were just waiting for placement, so CBHCs were created as an option for folks to get all of their care in the community.”

    People from all walks of life are now walking into such facilities and getting rapid access to care, and coming out well on their way toward a new lease on life.

    “One of the things the pandemic did which was good was that it did bring up conversations,” said Kristen Godin, market president for Northeast Health Services, at 199 Rosewood Drive in Danvers. “We weren’t able to use telehealth before. There was a very select number of players that would allow for telehealth, and that opened the door.

    “That, in and of itself, is a huge access point. Folks who are extremely busy — they work, bring their kids to soccer, are on the PTA, all the things they had to do in their offices — are things they weren’t able to do.”

    Reaching everyone, especially the young

    Walk into a CBHC and you enter a community of hope. Some have message boards for clients to leave notes for those entering. Others have comfy recliners for clients to relax in their lobbies as a hum of human activity comes and goes.

    “As a mental health agency, we’re providers of hope,” Godin said. “We have a hope board, so anybody can write on that board about what they’re experience has been to another person walking by who might have just started their first appointment, or is trying to decide… do I want medication? Do I want TMS services?

    “There was a young woman recently who wrote on our board, ‘I’ve been struggling with mental health for years, tried medication, been in therapy, nothing worked. I tried Spravato, and I have my life back,’” Godin continued. “For me, beyond anything else, that’s what we do this for. That’s why we’re opening 10 clinics, 10 more after that, and expanding further.”

    With CBHCs launching last January, data is now starting to show trends of their impact, Eigen explained.

    “Some of the data is showing that folks are able to access care more immediately,” he said. “It’s opening up other options for folks other than needing to go on waitlists or in the emergency room. … The data we’ve seen so far is showing people are progressing in the treatment we’re offering. We’ve been able to continue for over a year now with not having waitlists, so it’s definitely heading in the right direction.”

    But there’s still work to do to reach some subsets of the population. That includes youth and young adults heading to college, where many factors could collide and cause a drastic drop in mental health that shocks those back home — especially if it isn’t addressed before it’s too late.

    “There has to be an opportunity that mental health is brought up on every college campus, every high school, every elementary school,” Godin said. “At college campuses, the other thing we talk about is substance abuse. If we’re talking about college, there has to be an opportunity if there’s a moment on a Saturday at 4 a.m., where they’re like, ‘who do I call?’”

    Godin recalled going to college and seeing conversations around substance abuse, but not much more.

    “There was never a discussion on counseling, therapy, asking for help,” she said. “There needs to be more of that, posted in all of the guidance counselor’s offices.”

    Vicarious trauma, on the job or at home

    Then there are the others impacted by mental health as part of day-to-day life, more specifically work.

    Say you’re a police officer who witnessed a person dying by suicide, a firefighter helping a badly burned victim out of an engulfed building, or a doctor losing a patient. Vicarious trauma represents the harmful moments experienced by people as part of their daily lives — especially careers.

    It’s also something that affects those answering the phone at crisis centers. But vicarious trauma also goes deeper and can be further experienced by anyone at home, no matter their line of work or level of mental health awareness, according to Godin.

    “No one ever remembers that we’re humans,” she said. “Vicarious trauma is a real thing, and it can happen to the person answering a phone, can happen to me listening to a story, anyone watching a show or listening to the news. One of the things we try to do here at Northeast Health Services is our culture of self-care.

    “All our clinicians are licensed. I’m licensed as a clinician, and my supervisor as a chief operating officer is licensed as a clinician,” Godin continued. “If there’s a debrief that needs to happen that’s critical to make sure folks are okay, self-care regimens, boundaries… we have an EAP program for folks. If they need that, they can call it and get eight appointments right away.”

    Over at Eliot, “our staff have access to regular supervision and support,” Eigen said. “They have regular supervision with supervisors and managers, myself. Some of our teams also have group support where they’re meeting with other clinical directors to talk about tough calls or tough assessments, tough clients that they’re working with.

    “There’s so much trauma that the people we serve have been through,” he continued. “So it’s important and definitely a priority where we provide that kind of support.”

    For more information on CBHCs or to find one nearest you, visit tinyurl.com/3s59jpsp.

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    By Dustin Luca | Staff Writer

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  • Driver charged after Lawrence crash knocks out utility poles

    Driver charged after Lawrence crash knocks out utility poles

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    LAWRENCE — A man was arrested and charged with drunken driving and related charges after crashing into a utility pole at Lawrence Street near Erving Avenue late Wednesday night.

    The driver of a sedan hit a utility pole which caused others in the area to snap, knocking out power in the area, police said.

    Efren Alvarez, 36, of Lawrence was arrested and charged with operating under the influence of alcohol, destruction of property, operating to endanger, speeding, marked lanes violations, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, attaching plates and driving an unregistered motor vehicle.

    After crashing at 11:20 p.m., Alvarez attempted to flee, but was immediately taken into custody. He was treated on scene by paramedics and EMTs from Lawrence General Hospital and then transported by ambulance to the hospital.

    Police asked motorists to avoid the area because of the ongoing work to replace the utility poles.

    More were reported earlier but only a handful of National Grid customers were without power early Thursday afternoon.

    A restoration time of 2:45 p.m. was listed on the National Grid website.

    Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter/X @EagleTribJill.

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    By Jill Harmacinski jharmacinski@eagletribune.com

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  • Driver medflighted with serious injuries after motorcycle crash in Wenham

    Driver medflighted with serious injuries after motorcycle crash in Wenham

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    WENHAM – On Sunday, Wenham Police and Fire Departments responded to a call to the North Shore Regional 911 Center in Middleton about a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in the area of 52 Grapevine Road.

    The adult male operator appeared to be suffering from serious injuries, and was flown by medical helicopter to a regional trauma center.

    As of Tuesday, Wenham Police reported that the individual had left the hospital, but currently does not have a status on his condition, according to Sergeant David Marsh.

    The crash remains under investigation by the Wenham Police Department.

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    By Michael McHugh Staff Writer

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  • NH first reponders unite for benefit hockey game

    NH first reponders unite for benefit hockey game

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    Local New Hampshire first responders will trade their uniforms in for jerseys as they compete in the 16th annual Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth Battle of the Badges on March 10 at the SNHU Arena in Manchester.

    The charity hockey game raises money to provide critical services for children with chronic illnesses or injuries. Funds also help support pediatric patients and their families.

    Ten emergency personnel from police and fire departments in Salem, Hampstead, Londonderry, Derry and Danville are represented on the two teams.

    This will be Hampstead police Officer Bryan Lamontagne’s fourth time playing in the game. He’s joined by Officer Tyler Phair to represent his department.

    For Lamontagne, the game is secondary to the greater purpose of the event.

    It’s a way for him to give back and help children and families going through difficult times.

    “You see the families that need the support and help,” Lamontagne said. “If it takes a little bit of time and effort on my side to help these families and raise some money for them then that is what I am going to do.”

    The players each year are assigned to a special buddy from the hospital. Lamontagne and his wife have built a relationship with their buddy’s family over the last few years and offer a little extra support, whether through social media or texts, wherever they can.

    He has children of his own and hopes his oldest son will see the impact of that relationship and what the game means.

    Phair also felt it was important to be a part of something bigger than the game of hockey, which he’s played his whole life.

    He was injured during last year’s game so this will be his first time playing in it.

    “It’s great to give back to a great cause while also playing the sport we love,” Phair said. “That’s the main reason I became a cop – to help others in need.”

    Both Phair and Lamontagne have raised funds together and already met their goal. Now, they are looking to exceed the goal.

    While local departments on both the fire and police side face off against each other, they are still united for a singular cause. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t friendly rivalry between the two sides – or a chance for friends to switch teams.

    Phair went to high school with fellow benefit player, Hampstead firefighter Zach Sylvester who is on the roster for the opposing team.

    Salem Fire Fleet Mechanic Leo LeBlanc is another first timer like Phair. He is one of three from Salem Fire in the game, joining Firefighters Ashton Rome and Dylan Ferguson.

    He saw Rome’s repeated involvement in the game and wanted to join in. He’s looking forward to being a part of this with multiple members of Salem Fire.

    As a mechanic, LeBlanc spends most of his day at the station repairing and fixing broken apparatuses and doesn’t get as many opportunities to participate in community events.

    “This is my chance to get involved with the community that I don’t get to go out and see all the time,” LeBlanc said.

    While he’s excited to gear up in a sport he plays, LeBlanc knows there’s a bigger picture why they will be there.

    “Everyone is coming together for the same reason and that’s to help these kids,” LeBlanc said. “That’s what it’s all about.”

    Danville Officer Padraig Capsalis, Londonderry Field Training Officer Cameron Verrier, Derry firefighters Cody Lappas and Timary Malley are also skating in the game and raising funds for the children’s hospital.

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    By Angelina Berube | aberube@eagletribune.com

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  • Trahan pushing to protect nonprofit hospitals

    Trahan pushing to protect nonprofit hospitals

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    METHUEN — In the wake of ongoing issues with Steward Health Care System, the U.S. House of Representatives is looking to pass a bill to provide additional funding to “fill the gaps” for struggling community health systems, according to Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Westford.

    Trahan. D-Westford, introduced the Reinforcing Essential Health Systems for Communities Act with Rep. David Valadao, R-California, to provide more federal funding and support to the safety net hospitals.

    “Essential health systems serve the most vulnerable families in cities and towns across the nation, and these facilities deserve the funding and support necessary to maintain and expand their lifesaving services,” Trahan said.

    Trahan recently called out potentially “dangerous” outcomes with Steward Health Care’s system “private equity playbook,” which could affect her own delegation. She was also a signature with other reps to Steward Health Care System about possible closures, violations of Medicare rules and reports of missing payments.

    While Steward Health Care System announced it would not be closing Massachusetts hospitals, the effects could still be detrimental to patients.

    “Steward-owned hospitals would not be eligible for federal assistance through this designation because of their for-profit, private equity model,” Trahan said.

    “However, if Holy Family Hospital was sold to a nonprofit health system as part of the agreement that Steward recently announced but has provided no details on, the facility could then be eligible to receive additional federal funding and resources under this legislation to better support the patient population in the Merrimack Valley.”

    The act targets over 1,000 hospitals throughout the nation. Trahan said this would designate about 18 hospitals in Massachusetts as “essential health systems,” including Lowell General Hospital and Lawrence General Hospital.

    “Creating an essential health system designation acknowledges the vital role these systems play in improving the health, well-being of vulnerable populations that rely on them, and potentially reducing the disparities in their financial underpinnings,” said Abha Agrawal, president and CEO of Lawrence General Hospital.

    Lawrence General’s Dr. Eduardo Haddad shared staff concerns with Gov. Maura Healey and the Public Health Council on Wednesday about the news surrounding Steward Health Care System’s Holy Family Hospitals in Methuen and Haverhill, while stressing his hospital’s commitment to support patients in need.

    With the Essential Health Systems legislation, Trahan continues to work to support Merrimack Valley health care.

    “Private equity hospitals like Steward put profits over patients, and communities like Haverhill and Methuen are the ones who are forced to pay the price,” Trahan said.

    “This legislation is designed to deliver additional funding to nonprofit safety-net hospitals that are often forced to fill the gaps left when corporations like Steward move on.”

    Essential health systems often serve disproportionately higher numbers of Medicaid, low-income Medicare and uninsured patients.

    The hospitals often provide five times more uncompensated care compared to other hospitals, according to Trahan. Yet, they are historically underfunded and often limited in their ability to maintain and expand the critical health services they offer to patients, she added.

    “We must ensure hospitals in our rural and underserved communities have the resources they need to provide high-quality care,” said Valadao. “The Reinforcing Essential Health Systems for Communities Act will clearly identify the hospitals that serve our most vulnerable communities, allowing critical federal resources to be more easily directed toward them.”

    Hospitals qualify as “essential health systems” if they have a disproportionate patient percentage of Medicaid and low-income Medicare patients. The hospital could also serve a high percentage of Medicaid and low-income patients, or it could help capture the costs of care delivered to uninsured individuals.

    “Safety-net providers are vital to improving the health of our community and addressing the health needs of at-risk and medically underserved populations,” said Amy Hoey, president of Lowell General Hospital.

    Follow Monica on Twitter at @MonicaSager3

    Follow Monica on Twitter at @MonicaSager3

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    By Monica Sager | msager@eagletribune.com

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  • State to determine if Diaper Spa operated unlawfully

    State to determine if Diaper Spa operated unlawfully

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    ATKINSON — The state is taking action against Diaper Spa owner Colleen Ann Murphy over the possible unlawful and unlicensed medical practice of her business.

    Murphy will face three public disciplinary hearings to determine if she illegally operated Diaper Spa without medical certification in psychology, general medicine and mental health practices.

    The New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, Division of Enforcement issued the hearing notices after holding an emergency meeting on the issue, according to documents obtained.

    Two hearings are scheduled for March 1, before the Board of Psychologists and the Board of Mental Health Practice, and will take place at the Licensure Office, 7 Eagle Square, Concord. She will go before the Board of Medicine on March 6, the Licensure Office announced on Friday. 

    The boards will decide if she engaged in the unlawful and unlicensed practices of psychology and mental health, in addition to the unlawful practice of medicine.

    The Board of Medicine hearing was previously scheduled for an earlier date. 

    The Diaper Spa, at 23 Pope Road, caters to adults aged 21 and older, serving “all diaper-wearing individuals who seek acceptance, respite, and care” in a nursery-like atmosphere.

    Public concern over the nature of the business arose on Jan. 24 as the business, which operated out of Murphy’s home, advertised services and public activities which raised eyebrows — like play dates at the local park and the “Little Friends Play Date” service.

    Both of those have since been removed from Diaper Spa’s website, along with most of the site’s first iteration.

    Murphy was denied a special exemption permit to operate a home business from Atkinson’s Zoning Board of Adjustment on Wednesday night as her business application failed to meet certain zoning requirements.

    During the public hearing, Murphy told the board that the Diaper Spa was a nonmedical practice where she does not prescribe medication or make any medical diagnoses.

    She labeled her business as a “safe place” and “nonjudgmental environment” for adult regression. Murphy said it was also a place for decompression and relaxation for those who suffered past trauma.

    The board asked her if she was a mental health counselor.

    “Counselor is not a protected term in New Hampshire or the United States,” Murphy said.

    However, she stated she performs mental health coaching through telehealth and not in-person.

    Her submitted application requested an appeal of the zoning board for a home-occupation permit for “mental health counseling.”

    Murphy told the board she is not a licensed professional counselor, but added she is an ordained minister who can perform counseling under those services.

    She said she has worked in the medical community for more than 20 years and in nursing homes and hospitals. Murphy said she has helped nurses as a nurse’s aide and the diaper changing at the Diaper Spa mimics a hospital manner.

    “It’s done in a clinical manner just as it would be done in a nursing home,” Murphy said.

    She said there would be no genital contact with adults receiving her service. ZBA Vice Chair Bob Connors told Murphy that she stated to the board she would be changing the adult diapers and there would be no sexual contact.

    “Changing an adult’s diaper and coming in contact with adults in New Hampshire law for a fee, that’s illegal,” Connors said.

    It is unclear if Murphy has or had a registered medical license in New Hampshire.

    According to the New Hampshire Online Licensing website, there is no listing for a medical license for the name Colleen Ann Murphy.

    Murphy has a medical license through the state of New York which is valid through October 2025.

    In Maine, she was licensed as a medical doctor from February 2016 to Nov. 30, 2023.

    A business application with New Hampshire was rejected in December 2023 for the Diaper Spa.

    According to her statements to the Zoning Board of Adjustment, Murphy operated the Diaper Spa for four to six weeks before the building inspector visited her home and she stopped her services.

    Murphy’s Maine medical license lapsed from December 2023 to this past Jan. 27. On Jan. 28, a new medical license was issued and lists Atkinson as her residence.

    According to her Maine license, she does not have certification in internal medicine or psychiatry.

    Editor’s note: This story was updated on Friday to reflect changes to the dates of public disciplinary hearings with the state. 

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    By Angelina Berube | aberube@eagletribune.com

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  • ACLU sues Children’s Hospital Colorado for halting adult gender-affirming surgeries

    ACLU sues Children’s Hospital Colorado for halting adult gender-affirming surgeries

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    The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado alleges Children’s Hospital Colorado is discriminating against transgender patients by refusing to perform surgeries it offers to cisgender patients with other conditions.

    The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Denver District Court, also states the hospital is discriminating on the basis of disability, because gender dysphoria — distress when a person’s sense of their gender doesn’t align with physical characteristics — is a medical condition.

    The ACLU filed it on behalf of an 18-year-old Denver patient who was on track to receive gender-affirming surgery before the hospital discontinued that service.

    The main reason young cisgender men seek chest reconstruction is if they developed feminine-appearing breasts because of hormonal imbalances or medication side effects, according to the lawsuit. The hospital also sometimes performs breast reduction surgery on young women who have excessive chest tissue that causes pain, it said.

    The patient, who is identified in the lawsuit by the pseudonym Caden Kent, started receiving care at Children’s for mental health concerns when he was 16. He was diagnosed with gender dysphoria a few months later and had undergone about eight months of assessment before determining he was a candidate for surgery once he turned 18.

    In July, the hospital announced it would no longer offer chest reconstruction surgery for transgender patients, though they could still receive other gender-affirming treatment, including counseling, puberty blockers and hormone therapy. The hospital had only offered surgery to patients who were at least 18.

    The hospital stated it had received an unusual number of referrals for gender-affirming surgery as programs shut down in other states, and that it didn’t shut down the program because of threats. It came at a time when children’s hospitals were scrubbing references to transgender care from their websites, though, with at least 21 removing information in 2022. A search on the hospital’s website for its TRUE Center for Gender Diversity no longer turns up any results.

    According to the lawsuit, Kent chose to undergo surgery at Children’s because he received other care there, and hoped to recover from the surgery before leaving for college in the fall. Other surgical providers who accept his family’s insurance are booked up, meaning his parents will have to pay out-of-pocket for him to undergo the surgery in that time frame. Kent had resorted to chest-binding to ease his dysphoria, but found himself withdrawing from others when binding became too painful and he couldn’t otherwise hide the breast tissue, it said.

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    Meg Wingerter

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  • Lawrence General Hospital doctor worries about Holy Family closures

    Lawrence General Hospital doctor worries about Holy Family closures

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    BOSTON — Lawrence General Hospital doctors say they are worried about what will happen to patients if Holy Family Hospitals in Methuen or Haverhill close, but vowed to help as much as possible if needed.

    Lawrence General’s Dr. Eduardo Haddad shared staff concerns with Gov. Maura Healey and the Public Health Council on Wednesday about the news surrounding Steward Health Care System’s Holy Family Hospitals in Methuen and Haverhill, while stressing his hospital’s commitment to support patients in need.

    “We are indeed very worried about it,” said Haddad, who practices at Riverside Nephrology. “We at Lawrence General Hospital feel the pain of the community.”

    Haddad said Lawrence General Hospital will do its best to support additional patients and increase its staff serving the Methuen and Haverhill Holy Family Hospitals patients.

    “These folks would be left without a place to go if they were to close,” Haddad said. “There’s no lack of will on our part to take care of these patients.”

    Healey and the Public Health Council addressed the Steward crisis Wednesday morning as part of the council’s regular monthly meeting.

    “I know this is a situation of deep concern for all of us,” Healey said. “It is an urgent priority for me.”

    Steward Health Care System owns nine facilities in the state, including the Holy Family Hospitals in the Merrimack Valley. Local, state and federal officials have raised concerns around possible closures, violations of Medicare rules and financial distress.

    The for-profit hospital network announced on Feb. 2 it has no plans to close any of its Massachusetts hospitals.

    Healey said she and her administration are focused on the health and safety of patients, job retention for nurses and staff as well as the “safety net” the hospitals create for the local communities.

    “Many of these patients are among the most vulnerable in our state,” Healey said. “We are actively monitoring the quality of the care.”

    The state has placed “monitors” at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Brighton, Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton and both of the Holy Family Hospital campuses, according to Robert Goldstein, the Massachusetts public health commissioner.

    They are monitoring staffing, services, supplies and equipment to ensure communities are properly served, Goldstein said. This week, inspectors have been added to Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Morton Hospital in Taunton.

    Goldstein said inspectors will be at all Steward Health Care System hospitals by next week.

    “This is a situation that is enormously challenging and unsustainable,” Goldstein said.

    Even still, Goldstein said the state has no interest in bailing out the private, for-profit group.

    “Steward itself must address its significant financial challenges,” Goldstein said. “Right now we don’t know what Steward will do.”

    Goldstein said the Department of Public Health is prepared for “many scenarios.” He noted Steward is “likely” to need to restructure or close some of its hospitals.

    “The bottom line is at this time, we don’t know the future of Steward Health Care,” Goldstein said.

    The state is in communication with the health care group as well as federal and local administrations. Goldstein said the main goals now are to protect patients and preserve the jobs of the “heroes” in the hospitals’ communities.

    “This work is hard, but it is important,” Goldstein said. “We must do it right, and we must do it well.”

    Follow Monica on Twitter at @MonicaSager3

    Follow Monica on Twitter at @MonicaSager3

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    By Monica Sager | msager@eagletribune.com

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  • King Charles III has cancer

    King Charles III has cancer

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    The palace statement said Charles was “grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention,” and insisted the king “looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.”

    A source close to Charles’ younger son Harry, who lives in California, told the BBC the prince had spoken to his father and will be flying back to the U.K. to be at his side. The pair have met just once since Charles became king — at his coronation in May 2023.

    Charles’ health had already been of some concern after he spent three days in a London hospital for prostate treatment last month.

    Buckingham Palace revealed Monday night that during this treatment, “a separate issue of concern was noted.”

    “Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer,” the statement said. “His majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties.

    “Throughout this period, his majesty will continue to undertake state business and official paperwork as usual.”



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    Matt Honeycombe-Foster

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  • KSP: Mother charged after marijuana detected in 2-year-old son’s urine | News – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

    KSP: Mother charged after marijuana detected in 2-year-old son’s urine | News – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

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    A Johnson County woman was cited on a child endangerment charge after marijuana was detected in her 2-year-old son’s urine.

    Autumn Leigh Spencer, 24, of Ky. 1750, East Point, was cited with endangering the welfare of a minor on Jan. 17.

    Kentucky State Police Trooper Mark Spencer wrote in court documents he was dispatched to a child neglect complaint at Highlands ARH in Prestonsburg, where Autumn Spencer had taken her two-year-old son with possible injuries.

    Autumn Spencer told the trooper that her son and three-year-old daughter had been playing at her parents’ house and that when she went to check on them, the girl had fallen across the boy.

    “She then stated when she went to pick up her son, he appeared to be addled or incoherent,” the trooper said in his citation. “Autumn then advised she brought him to Highlands ARH because he wasn’t acting right.”

    Trooper Spencer wrote that he made contact with the hospital floor nurse, who said the boy showed positive signs of marijuana in his urine and also tested positive for COVID-19. 

    “She further advised they were awaiting MedFlight to take him to Cabell Huntington’s children’s hospital,” the trooper said.

    Trooper Spencer wrote he also contacted a social worker, who said they were working on a plan to possibly place all of Autumn Spencer’s children.

    A Jan. 22 court date was…

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    MMP News Author

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  • Film about Russia’s destruction of Mariupol gets nod for Oscars

    Film about Russia’s destruction of Mariupol gets nod for Oscars

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    KYIV ­— A documentary made by three of the last journalists to escape Mariupol as Russian forces destroyed the city in spring 2022 has been nominated for an Academy Award.

    The documentary “20 Days In Mariupol,” made by Mstyslav Chernov, Evgeniy Maloletka and Vasilisa Stepanenko and co-produced by Michelle Mizner and Raney Aronson-Rath of the Associated Press, was nominated in the Best Documentary Feature Film category at this year’s upcoming Oscars.

    The documentary tells the story of the first days of the Russian invasion of Mariupol, which is now fully controlled by Kremlin forces after a merciless assault that left tens of thousands of people dead.

    While Russia has blamed Ukraine for the city’s destruction, “20 Days In Mariupol” is a unique chronicle of what actually happened in the early days of Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Ukrainian citizens survived in basements, their food and water supplies cut off, while Kremlin troops bombed hospitals, theaters, and other civilian infrastructure.

    The 96th Academy Awards ceremony will be held on March 10 in Los Angeles. Last year, a film about imprisoned Russian dissident Alexei Navalny won in the documentary category.

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    Veronika Melkozerova

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  • ‘The New York Times’ misrepresented a shoddy study claiming private equity worsened hospital care

    ‘The New York Times’ misrepresented a shoddy study claiming private equity worsened hospital care

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    “Serious Medical Errors Rose After Private Equity Firms Bought Hospitals” was the headline of a New York Times article looking at the findings of “a major study of the effects of such acquisitions on patient care in recent years” published in the December issue of JAMA. The paper was also written up in USA Today, MarketWatch, Common Dreams, and The Harvard Gazette.

    “This is a big deal,” Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told Times reporters Reed Abelson and Margot Sanger-Katz. “It’s the first piece of data that I think pretty strongly suggests that there is a quality problem when private equity takes over.”

    Abelson, Sanger-Katz, and their fellow reporters misrepresented the findings of the study, which suffers from its own “quality problems.”

    Even its premise is fuzzy. The authors never say what they mean by “private equity,” which has no formal definition. Half of the hospitals in the study were already privately owned, for-profit hospitals before they were acquired. The authors suggest that what they call “private equity” is characterized by excessive leverage and short horizons, but present no data on either factor. Times readers may interpret the phrase private equity to mean “evil Wall Street greedheads,” in which case it seems logical that patient care would deteriorate.

    Even the paper’s lead author started with that assumption. “We were not surprised there was a signal,” Massachusetts General Hospital’s Sneha Kannan told the Times. “I will say we were surprised at how strong it was.”

    Bias was built into the study design. Research that looks only at “adverse” events and outcomes is designed to dig up dirt and will tend to come up with meaningless conclusions. Serious investigators study all events and outcomes—good and bad—in search of accurate, balanced conclusions.

    The study’s strongest finding shows that lives were saved in hospitals acquired by private equity—the opposite of what Kannan expected to find. Patient mortality, the most important measure, dropped a statistically significant 9 percent in the study group, which represents nearly 500 lives saved.

    The paper could have been headlined “Patient Mortality Fell After Private Equity Firms Bought Hospitals,” except JAMA might not have published it, The New York Times certainly wouldn’t have bothered to write it up, and Common Dreams couldn’t have run with the headline, “We Deserve Medicare for All, But What We Get Is Medicare for Wall Street.” So the study authors fell over themselves to explain this finding away. They theorized, without any evidence, that maybe private equity hospitals routinely transfer out patients who are near death. Though they raise legitimate reasons for skepticism that private equity acquisition saved patient lives, they apply equally to the negative findings that are trumpeted both in the study and the news write-ups.

    Another one of the 17 measures the study authors looked at was length of stay. They found that at the private equity hospitals the duration of stays was a statistically significant 3.4 percent shorter, which was another finding the authors were quick to downplay.

    Falls are the most common adverse events in hospitals, and the study found that they were more likely to occur in hospitals acquired by private equity. According to the Times, the “researchers reported…a 27 percent increase in falls by patients while staying in the hospital.”

    This isn’t what the study says. The rate of falls stayed the same at hospitals after they were acquired by private equity at 0.068 percent. Falls didn’t decline at the rate that they did at hospitals in the control group—from 0.083 percent to 0.069 percent—which is where the 27 percent number came from.

    In other words, the situation improved in the control group but didn’t get worse or better in hospitals acquired by private equity. So the authors assumed that there was some industrywide drop in hospital falls and that this positive trend didn’t take place at the private equity hospitals.

    What this finding actually suggests is that the control hospitals were badly chosen and run worse (at least when it comes to preventing patient falls) than the acquired hospitals both before and after private equity acquisition. That falls could change by 27 percent without any cause (the control hospitals were not purchased by anyone) makes nonsense of claiming statistical significance for much smaller changes in other factors.

    Let’s even assume that there was an industrywide decline in falls and that private equity hospitals didn’t see the improvement that would have taken place had their greedy new owners not been allowed to acquire them. If that improvement had taken place, there would have been 20 fewer falls in the study group. Doesn’t that matter less than the 500 deaths prevented—the stat that the authors chose to downplay?

    The Times article mentions that bed sores increased at the private equity hospitals even though that wasn’t a statistically significant finding, meaning that there weren’t enough data included in the study to make that assertion. The study authors acknowledged that this finding wasn’t significant, but the Times journalists chose to report it anyway.

    The study authors did claim that another one of their adverse findings was statistically significant: Bloodstream infections allegedly increased in private equity hospitals from about 65 cases to 99 cases. This is indeed serious, as such infections can easily be fatal. However, the finding had marginal statistical significance, meaning it was unlikely, but not completely implausible, to have arisen by random chance if private equity acquisition did not affect the rate of bloodstream infections. If the only hypothesis that the authors had tested was whether private equity acquisition increased bloodstream infections, then the finding would meet standard criteria for statistical significance.

    If you run a fishing expedition for adverse events and outcomes, you are very likely to find some findings that occur by random chance. The authors were aware of this and adjusted the claimed significance of this result as if they had tested eight hypotheses. But the paper reported 17 measures, and the authors may have tested more. If we adjust for 17 hypotheses, the bloodstream infection result loses its statistical significance.

    The rigorous way to do studies is to pre-register hypotheses to ensure that the authors can’t go fishing in a large amount of data to pick out a few conclusions that they like that happen to appear statistically significant by random chance. The authors did not report pre-registration.

    So what can we conclude from this study? The Times reporters seem to have gone on a second fishing expedition, this one for a scholar willing to conclude from the study’s findings that we need more government regulation, or perhaps a ban on private equity hospital acquisitions. To their credit, none of the experts they quoted fully delivered, forcing the reporters to blandly conclude that the study “leaves some important questions unanswered for policymakers.”

    “This should make us lean forward and pay attention,” was the best Yale economist Zack Cooper was willing to give Abelson and Sanger-Katz, adding that it shouldn’t lead us to “introduce wholesale policies yet.” Rice economist Vivian Ho told the Times that she “was eager to see more evidence.”

    Setting out to find “more evidence” of a conclusion that researchers already believe to be true, instead of going where the data lead, is what leads to such sloppy and meaningless research in the first place.

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    Aaron Brown

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  • Hydroxychloroquine could have caused 17,000 deaths during COVID, study finds

    Hydroxychloroquine could have caused 17,000 deaths during COVID, study finds

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    Nearly 17,000 people may have died after taking hydroxycholoroquine during the first wave of COVID, according to a study by French researchers.

    The anti-malaria drug was prescribed to some patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic, “despite the absence of evidence documenting its clinical benefits,” the researchers point out in their paper, published in the February issue of Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy.

    Now, researchers have estimated that some 16,990 people in six countries — France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the U.S. — may have died as a result.

    That figure stems from a study published in the Nature scientific journal in 2021 which reported an 11 percent increase in the mortality rate, linked to its prescription against COVID-19, because of the potential adverse effects like heart rhythm disorders, and its use instead of other effective treatments.

    Researchers from universities in Lyon, France, and Québec, Canada, used that figure to analyze hospitalization data for COVID in each of the six countries, exposure to hydroxychloroquine and the increase in the relative risk of death linked to the drug.

    In fact, they say the figure may be far higher given the study only concerns six countries from March to July 2020, when the drug was prescribed much more widely.

    Hydroxychloroquine gained prominence partly due to French virologist Didier Raoult who had headed the Méditerranée Infection Foundation hospital, but was later removed amid growing controversy.

    It was also considered something of a “miracle cure” by the then-U.S. President Donald Trump, who said: “What do you have to lose? Take it.”

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    Mari Eccles

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  • Russia bombs cities across Ukraine in ‘massive’ overnight assault

    Russia bombs cities across Ukraine in ‘massive’ overnight assault

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    Russia launched an attack on several cities in Ukraine in a “massive” assault overnight Thursday, killing more than 20 and injuring scores of people across the country.

    Missiles and drones reportedly struck the capital, Kyiv, as well the cities of Kharkiv, Lviv, Odessa, Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia. Millions of citizens received air raid alerts instructing them to seek shelter.

    About a thousand kilometers separate Lviv in Ukraine’s west and Kharkiv in the east.

    “We haven’t seen so much red on our monitors for a long time,” Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said, adding that Russia used a combination of hypersonic, cruise and ballistic missiles to strike targets.

    The Ukrainian Air Force on Friday said it shot down 114 of the 158 drones and missiles fired by Russia.

    In Kyiv, an apartment building, metro station and warehouse were damaged, killing at least one person and injuring seven others, according to the city’s mayor on Telegram.

    In the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, a maternity hospital and a shopping centre were targeted, while the northeastern city of Kharkiv came under “massive rocket fire,” the cities’ mayors said on Telegram.

    “In total, 26 people were killed and more than 120 people were injured in Ukraine as a result of the mass shelling in the morning,” Oleksii Kuleba, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said Friday afternoon.

    “There are people killed by Russian missiles today that were launched at civilian facilities, civilian buildings,” presidential aide Andriy Yermak said on Telegram.

    “We are doing everything to strengthen our air shield. But the world needs to see that we need more support and strength to stop this terror,” he added.

    ‘Heinous wave of attacks’

    The assault comes days after Ukraine bombed a Russian warship in Crimea, striking a major blow against Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, but amid signs of slipping Western support for Ukraine, with fierce debate in the United States about continued military aid for the country’s push-back against Russia.

    The Ukrainian air force said it shot down 114 of the 158 drones and missiles fired by Russia | Oleksandr Gimanov/AFP via Getty Images 

    “We will fight to guarantee the safety of our country, every city, and all our people. Russian terror must lose — and it will,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

    The latest assault triggered fresh international condemnation Friday. U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on X that the attacks showed Russian President Vladimir Putin “will stop at nothing to achieve his aim of eradicating freedom and democracy.”

    Denise Brown, the United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, issued a statement condemning “in the strongest terms” Russia’s “heinous wave of attacks on populated areas of Ukraine over the past few hours, which has left a path of destruction, death and human suffering.”

    Polish airspace incursion

    In a further development Friday, Poland — a NATO member country — said a Russian missile appeared to have briefly entered its territory.

    “Everything indicates that a Russian missile entered Polish airspace,” General Wiesław Marian Kukuła said Friday, according to Polish news outlet Onet.

    Polish authorities said the object entered the country’s territory for less than three minutes and violated its airspace for about 40 kilometers.

    Polish President Andrzej Duda discussed the incident with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg Friday. NATO “is monitoring the situation & we will remain in contact as the facts are established,” Stoltenberg said on X.

    This story has been updated with further reporting. Laura Hülsemann contributed reporting.

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    Seb Starcevic

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