The chairwoman of the Atlanta-based Grady Memorial Hospital board has become the center of controversy for taking on the hospital CEO role while postponing a management change some believe could lead to her ouster. Pamela Stephenson was named chief executive of the hospital in late January 2008, and said it would only be on an interim basis. But there are suggestions she is pressing to become Grady's permanent chief--a committee of Grady board members has been named to negotiate a contract for Stephenson.
A study by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has found that kids who consistently see the same doctor during their first six months are more likely to get recommended health screenings by age two. The screenings check for common and often treatable illnesses that can have long term health consequences if unaddressed. Kids from urban and low-income families are most at risk from not receiving care from the same doctor, researchers said.
Brighton, MA-based Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center should abandon its role as a top-level academic hospital treating complex cases, and Caritas Carney Hospital in Dorchester should consider becoming a mental health center, according to a report on the Archdiocese of Boston's hospital chain by Attorney General Martha Coakley. The report also urges the archdiocese to cede control of the operation of Caritas Christi Health Care System so that an independent board with expertise in healthcare management can run it.
A global healthcare worker shortage is hitting African and other developing nations hardest. Experts gathered in Uganda to discuss the problem and considered asking rich countries to compensate poorer nations for the staff they recruit and to pay to train health workers in the developing world. The long-term goal is galvanizing the funding and political will to radically expand the education and training of health workers in the developed and developing world.
Under a new agreement, the state of Maryland and Prince George's County will each pay $12 million annually for two years to keep the county's hospital facilities open while searching for a new owner. State and county officials agreed that a seven-member hospital authority should be created to conduct an open and transparent bidding process for possible new companies to take over.
Mounting frustration over the more than seven-year process to bring a new hospital to Madison has reached Alabama governor Bob Riley's desk. Madison Mayor Sandy Kirkindall and Madison County Commissioner Dale Strong wrote to Riley asking for changes to Alabama's decades-old rules for approving new hospitals, nursing homes and other medical facilities. State lawmakers from the Huntsville area--both Democrats and Republicans--are also pressing for reforms.