Brad D. Holland has been named CEO the 171-bed San Angelo Community Medical Center. He takes the place of Samuel Feazell, who retired at the end of 2008. Holland will oversee the hospital, with 700 employees; Community Medical Associates with 75 employees and Community Health Club of San Angelo with 50 employees. Holland and his wife both grew up in San Angelo.
The hemorrhaging of American jobs accelerated at a record pace at the end of 2008, bringing the year's total job losses to 2.6 million. The U.S. Labor Department jobs report showed the economy lost 524,000 jobs in December and 1.9 million in the year's final four months, after the credit crisis began in September. Education and health services, however, grew payrolls by 45,000 employees in December.
The board of the Service Employees International Union has decided to merge 240,000 members from three California locals into one mega-local representing nursing home workers and home health aides. Some California healthcare workers have fought the merger. Oakland-based United Healthcare Workers leaders have called the move undemocratic, and had called for a boycott of a December advisory vote by SEIU that asked members whether they wanted to merge all healthcare workers or only long-term care workers into a single California local.
Doctors' moonlighting for drug companies is coming under increased scrutiny, both at University of Wisconsin and across the country. This month, the trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America enacted a voluntary ban on company gifts of branded pens, sticky notes and other items and dinners for doctors. Also of special concern are university physicians who are sought by drug companies because of the influence and respect they wield with colleagues practicing in communities.
The New Orleans region's emergency medical services and other hospital capacity will expand with the opening of new facilities at Ochsner Baptist Medical Center. Ochsner Health System executives and some residents around the hospital praised in particular the opening of an emergency department, part of $12 million in improvements to the campus. The department will have two trauma rooms, nine exam rooms and one triage room. The upgrade also includes a wing with 43 private rooms and an expansion of the hospital's intensive care unit from three to 12 beds.
Forums held in Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN, were among thousands held across the nation in response to Obama's health transition team's request on his Change.gov website. The website outlines healthcare problems and provides discussion questions. Moderators are asked to e-mail feedback and suggestions from the public meetings to the team, led by Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Tom Daschle.