January 27, 2010 -- Hospital Impact has been ranked one of the top 50 healthcare blogs by Wikio.
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Yes, the uninsured problem is still a huge and growing problem, but it's good to see individuals step up and contribute in whatever way they can. This Sunday School room at Grace Lutheran Church is now an evening clinic. This clinic in Oregon provided 7,868 patients with 16,321 clinic visits, including medical and mental health services, as well as preventive dental services for preschool and elementary school children. The Fan Free Clinic in VA, partially funded by the United Way, is the 1st free clinic in the state and provided 4,500 patients with ~8,000 visits.
It's also good to see hospitals stepping us as well. Central Kansas Medical Center set up an endowment specifically to help patients who find themselves strapped without necessary funding. A recent golf outing added $55,000 to that endowment. The major hospitals in Des Moines, Iowa also recently announced discounts to the poor and uninsured - this is representative of what many hospitals around the country have been doing, especially the last few months.
While most of the media attention is on the bitter fighting, class-action lawsuits won by patients, the 19 states taking on healthcare into their own hands, let's not minimize the value of a helping hand and a clearly thought-out & well-communicated charity care policy.
Safety TipHospital facilities built today do not include asbestos, but many older buildings still have asbestos components in them. Steam pipes, boilers and furnace ducts were often insulated with an asbestos blanket or asbestos paper tape because of their fireproof and insulating properties. Resilient floor tiles were made from vinyl asbestos. Asbestos cement was employed in roofing, shingles and siding materials. The hazard of this carcinogen increases when the fibers become airborne, and untrained contractors can inadvertently increase risks by cutting, tearing, sawing, scraping, or sanding asbestos materials. Elevated asbestos levels can occur in hospitals where old materials are damaged or disturbed. It is best to leave undamaged asbestos material alone if it is not likely to be disturbed. Inhaling asbestos fibers is known to cause mesothelioma and other diseases. Be sure to use an experienced asbestos removal contractor when you need to get rid of old materials that might contain asbestos. |