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Expanded hospital infection rate records soon to be online (AUDIO)

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Consumers will soon have ready access to state records disclosing the infection rates of Missouri hospitals.

State officials say hospital infection rate records, dating back to 2005, will be posted on the Department of Health’s Web site soon. State Health Director Margaret Donnelly says the officials who told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that it had become too costly to keep the records available online and that they were too sensitive for public review misspoke.

Donnelly says budget cuts have prevented the department from buying a new computer system.

“What we are able to do that is not cost prohibitive is to reformat the way the data will go back up on the computer and we are able to make it so that consumers will find its accessible on the Web site, looking for prior years,” Donnelly says.

The current system runs by quarters. Once we enter a new quarter the old quarter is dropped from public view.

“What would happen, though, is that we kept the data on the Web site for each 12-month period. And so, what was not on the Web site was the prior year’s history,” Donnelly says, “but we have it in the department.”

And she says it will soon be available to the public so comparisons can be made with prior years.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that infections associated with health care kill nearly 100-Thousand people in the United States each year and cost the health system up to $45 billion.

AUDIO: Brent Martin reports [1:25 MP3]

Objections raised, still abortion restrictions bill advances in Senate

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Objections are raised, still a bill which would further restrict abortions in Missouri advances in the state senate.

Opponent Joan Bray, a Democratic senator from St. Louis, says the year-in-year-out battle to further restrict abortions sends a message to women in the state.

“Women have been beat up on in Missouri on this subject far more brutally than in most states,” Bray says during Senate floor debate on SB 793.

The bill has won initial approval. It would modify the state’s informed consent requirements for an abortion. The Department of Health would develop new printed materiel about abortions to be presented to a woman, detailing the risks of the procedure and the physiological characteristics of an unborn child. The woman would also be given the opportunity to view an ultrasound of the fetus and listen to the heartbeat, if it is audible. Information about the possible pain to the fetus an abortion inflicts must also be included.

Opponents say the bill intrudes on the doctor/patient relationship and adds many new burdensome and unnecessary requirements to the informed consent process.

House Budget Committee Chairman calls for additonal 5% cut

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House budget committee members have been told to cut a little deeper as the committee chairman looks ahead and sees no reason to believe state revenues are turning around any time soon.

The state budget submitted by Governor Nixon totals nearly $24 billion, which would be $2.6 billion less than the current budget. That still is too large for House Budget Committee Chairman Allen Icet (R-Wildwood) who has asked his various appropriations sub-committee chairmen to trim an extra five percent.

“Now, clearly every committee has different dynamics they have deal with so that was not a hard and fast, but see what you could do,” Icet says he instructed his six budget sub-committee chairmen. “And if you can go beyond five percent, that’s good.”

Some have taken the advice to heart with chaotic results. The House Appropriations Committee for Health, Mental Health and Social Services was thrown into disarray when it couldn’t get enough Republicans to vote for deep cuts to the departments of health and mental health. The committee went into recess until enough members were persuaded to approve the budgets.

The cuts being pushed by Icet would come in the crucial General Revenue budget which totals $7.2 billion. State tax revenues still lag well below levels necessary to pay all the state’s bills; as much as 12% below. Icet doesn’t see them rebounding over the next couple of years. The state also plans to use the remaining budget stabilization money approved by Congress, which would total at least $900 million, perhaps $1.2 billion if a promised $300 million actually comes through.

The five percent reduction target would total about $300 million. Icet worries about making up the extra federal funds.

“Next year at this time, if we do in fact have a, let’s say, a $900 million hole. If we are able to cut $300 million this year, which I don’t know if we can get to, that still leaves a $600 million hole,” Icet says. “My opinion is, again if nothing happens, there will be programs that are completely eliminated. You can’t get to $600 million by trimming around the edges.”

The health sub-committee has proposed cutting funding to crisis pregnancy centers as well as community health care centers. It recommends cutting state subsidies for domestic violence shelters.

Much time remains in the budget process. The six sub-committees funnel their recommendations to the full House Budget Committee which must approve the bills and send them to the full House for consideration. Once the House approves a budget, it moves to the Senate for consideration. The two chambers then meet to reach agreement before a final product goes to Governor Nixon for consideration.

AUDIO: Brent Martin reports [:60]

H1N1 vaccine recall having little effect in Missouri

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A federal recall of H1N1 flu vaccine shouldn’t have much of an impact on Missouri, according to state health officials

Vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur has recalled around 800,000 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine for children, because the vaccine was found to lose potency after being packaged. It has recalled 22,200 doses from Missouri.

State Health Department spokesman Kit Wager says the manufacturer is trying to determine why it lost effectiveness.

“This is a very tiny drop in the strength of the vaccine. It really is not very significant,” Wager says. “It just comes down to it didn’t meet the standard and so the buyer said, ‘Hey, I want what I paid for.’”

Health officials say the recall is merely a precaution while it is determined why some batches of vaccine lost potency when they were packaged. Only pre-filled syringes of vaccine designed for children under three years old were subject to the recall. Wager points out the recall is based on the vaccine not meeting federal standards. He says it appears it retained enough potency to ward off the Swine Flu for those vaccinated prior to the recall.

Also, Wager is quick to point out the vaccine was recalled because it lost strength, not for a safety reason.

“There was never a question about the safety of this vaccine. The vaccine has been found to be very safe. That was never an issue in the recall,” according to Wager.

Missouri has plenty of the flu vaccine from other makers. So much in fact, that state officials lifted restrictions on who could receive the H1N1 flu vaccine.

Brent Martin reports 1 min.

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Group says Missouri meets disaster criteria

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An organization that gauges how well America’s health care system can respond to a public health disaster says no state meets all ten of its criteria, but Missouri is among the two-thirds of the states able to meet seven of the ten.

The Trust for America’s Health says Missouri is on target with acquiring medicine, making beds available, processing samples and having enough staff. It’s also okay with its networking with the Centers for Disease Control, and with lining up volunteers and funding.

But the organization says the state misses the mark on identifying pathogens in food-borne outbreaks, requiring child-care facilities to have written evacuation plans, and limiting liability actions against organizations that provide volunteer help in emergencies.

Missouri schoolchildren particularly hard hit by H1N1 virus

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As more cases of the H1N1 virus, or Swine Flu, are reported in Missouri, it has become apparent that young people are particularly at risk.

As of last Saturday, October 17th, 5,365 cases of flu had been recorded in Missouri. That has skyrocketed from the median number of flu cases reported in the state by the third weekend in October – 34. Kit Wagar with the State Department of Health and Senior Services says most of the current cases affect children.

“Of that (5,365) 58 percent or about 3,100 were aged 5-17,” said Wagar in an interview with the Missourinet. “So school age children are really bearing the brunt of this pandemic right now.”

[Read more…]

State health officials introduce improved plan for stroke and heart attack treatment

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The State Department of Health and Senior Services is hosting a half dozen public meetings, throughout the state, to introduce an improved statewide system of care for victims of stroke and heart attack . It’s being billed as a cutting-edge plan for emergency treatment, with Health Department officials leading discussions of proposed rules to guide the emergency care system for patients who suffer stroke or a common form of heart attack known as ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI.

Doctor Samar Muzaffar, the State EMS Medical Director with the Department, says it is known that patients with the best survival rates are those who are given appropriate treatment in relatively short time. It’s called time critical diagnosis.

“The goal of the system is to identify that right patient and get them to the right place in the right amount of time so they can get the right care,” said Muzaffar in an interview with the Missourinet.

Many times a person suffering a stroke or heart attack will drive to or will be driven to a hospital for treatment, but it is important to get the patient to the right place where the best treatment can be provided.

“The key is really calling 911, and that’s what we’d like to stress with the system,” said Muzaffar.

And, once 911 is called and the patient is being treated, the best course of action can be determined.

“911 and the EMS out-of-hospital hospital folks have that knowledge in terms of, you know, what needs to be done next,” said Muzaffar. “While they’re transporting a patient they can be doing things during that time, as well, and there’s always communication happening between the out-of-hospital and the hospital folks to really pinpoint what needs to be done with that patient.”

Educating heart disease and stroke patients to know what to in the event of an emergency is crucial to dealing with Missouri’s number 1 and number 3 causes of death, respectively.

Download/Listen: Steve Walsh report (:60 MP3)

Health Department: Seniors suffering falls a big problem

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As the fall season rolls in, so does the message about falls prevention awareness from the Missouri Department of Health .

falling down.jpg One in three seniors in Missouri will suffer a serious fall in their lifetime, according to the Health Department. The number of those falls that result in death, says Director Margaret Donnelly, is a third higher than the national average.

Donnelly says the department is urging Missouri seniors to make sure they’re exercising and maintaining good strength and balance, identify hazards in their home, such as area rugs they could slip and fall on, make sure their medication is balanced so it’s not making them dizzy, and get their vision checked on a regular basis.

The department recommends older adults who live alone have a good safety plan in place with their family and friends, whether it’s calling to check in every day, frequent visits or wearing an alert device in case of an emergency. Donnelly says awareness of the risk is key to preventing them and senior citizens can get information on how to be proactive and prevent falls either through the Health Department or their community senior center. Donnelly says most think about the elderly falling a breaking a hip, but the injuries are far reaching.

Jessica Machetta reports [Download/listen MP3]

State officials say H1N1 vaccine is coming

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State officials want Missourians to get vaccinated against the H1N1 virus , once the state finally gets the vaccine.

H1N1, popularly known as the Swine Flu, has already hit the state. The vaccine is expected to arrive in Missouri by mid-October. State Health Director Margaret Donnelly says trials at St. Louis University have provided some good news.

"We will probably need only one shot for the vaccine to be effective, instead of the two shots which we had expected," Donnelly says. "That means that we will be able to get a larger number of people vaccinated more quickly. When the vaccine first comes in, we will be targeting certain groups, such as health care workers who have direct contact with patients."

Other vulnerable groups include pregnant women, children six-months old to 18-months who struggle with various health problems and the elderly who are likewise afflicted.

Donnelly expects the state will have 878,000 doses of vaccine by the middle of next month. Donnelly urges Missourians, especially those over 65, to get their normal flu shots now. They can receive the H1N1 vaccine when it arrives later.

 

Donnelly met with the staff of the St. Louis University Center for Vaccine Development, one of eight sites funded by the National Institutes of Health where clinical trials are under way to test the safety and effectiveness of the new vaccine. Dr. Sharon Frey, clinical director of SLU’s Center for Vaccine Development, is overseeing the tests at St. Louis University. So far, tests have proven that one shot of the vaccine can be safe and effective in fighting H1N1.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services says Donnelly’s tour of the facility on Monday kicked off a statewide campaign against the Swine Flu. The Department reports the seasonal flu causes about 15,000 illnesses in Missouri in a typical year between early October and late May. But the new H1N1 virus, which emerged in the United States in April, continued to cause illness throughout the summer.

Donnelly says more vaccine will be coming to Missouri after the initial doses, enough she says for everyone who wants the vaccine to get it.

 

House Speaker Richard dismisses Nixon criticism

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House Speaker Ron Richard defends his action that kept an autism insurance mandate bill from coming to the House floor for debate, dismissing criticism leveled by Governor Nixon.

Governor Nixon has been harshly critical of House leadership for blocking SB 167 which easily passed the Senate.

"That bill never came up for a vote on the House floor," Nixon stated during a news conference held at the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Columbia .

Nixon, a Democrat, outlined his requirements for an acceptable autism bill during his visit to the center. The governor says health insurance carriers must provide diagnosis and treatment, ABA treatment must be included, treatment caps must be excluded, and insurance companies must not be allowed to terminate a policy due to an autism diagnosis.

Nixon favored the bill approved in the Senate. He has stated repeatedly that there are no excuses for the House not to vote on the measure. He has blamed House leadership for blocking a vote.

Despite the fact that a House committee approved the Senate bill, Speaker Richard, a Republican from Joplin, told the Missourinet he didn’t believe the bill was ripe for a vote.

"If I thought it was ripe for a vote, I would have sent it to the floor," Richard said.

Richard said that though the bill passed a House committee, many House members expressed concerns about its cost. He rejected the governor’s charge that the only argument against the bill was that the insurance industry didn’t want it.

"You’re talking about the criticism of the governor?" Richard asked, "That’s OK. We just thought, and I thought, it was in the best interest (of the legislature) to have a good, solid solution and we weren’t there yet."

Richard has appointed an Interim Committee on Autism Spectrum Disorders to build consensus on the issue.

"We want to make sure it works, it’s affordable and it’s transparent and it doesn’t go to the form of big government, what the president wants to do," Richard said.

Richard vowed that an autism bill will be the first bill the House takes up next year.

In a letter sent to Missouri newspapers, Richard stated he’s urging Governor Nixon to leave politics out of this sensitive issue and directly engage with House Leadership.

Nixon, responding to reporters during the Columbia visit, said he will have an opportunity to visit with Speaker Richard, stating that the two don’t always agree, but have a good personal relationship and have been able to work together.

 

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (1:15 MP3)