All posts tagged "Healthandwellness"

A suspected bat bite turned into a $6,000 hospital bill for a Seminole County, Florida, woman. Worried she may have been exposed to rabies, Caroline Ford sought treatment from AdventHealth Altamonte Springs. She called her insurance company, Anthem Blue Cross, and expected she’d need to pay about $600 based on her conversation over the phone. Rabies is fatal if left untreated. A regimen of immune globulin and four vaccination shots over two weeks is lifesaving if administered quickly after exposure to the deadly disease. “With rabies, there are no second chances,” she said. “That’s why I decid......

Sean was a 44-year old former salesman, church volunteer and father of two whose severe neurological disorder left him wasting away, unable to speak or care for himself. Half Sean’s age, Markeith Loyd Jr. was an accused carjacker and son of a convicted cop killer, who had cold-cocked a nurse in the face at a hospital for criminal defendants. His severe mental illness left him prone to outbursts of rage. When they were assigned rooms on opposite sides of the hall at a North Florida state psychiatric hospital, that decision would eventually lead to Sean’s death. It also would spawn five lawsuits......

A Florida bill that would allow chaplains to provide counseling services to public school students is gaining traction — and opposition — in the Legislature. The bill (SB 1044) would give schools districts and charter schools an option to use volunteer chaplains to provide counseling and other services to students. Supporters say chaplains would help address a shortage of mental health counselors in many schools and that parents would have to approve counseling. But opponents argue it’s a slippery slope that opens the doors of public schools to religious influence, and could put some students ......

Despite recent blowups among Republicans in the Missouri Senate, the majority party remained unified Wednesday to block a Democratic effort to legalize abortion in cases of rape or incest. After Republicans opened debate on a plan to ban Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood, Democrats responded with amendments aimed at loosening Missouri's near-total abortion ban. Missouri since June 2022 has only allowed abortions in medical emergencies. While the Democratic amendments weren't likely to pass, the minority party used the opportunity to showcase and document Republican support for what Democr......

An Illinois man was sentenced to five years in prison on Monday for trying to prevent the opening of an abortion clinic in downstate Danville by crashing his car into the building and attempting to set it on fire, an act that reproductive health care advocates say has been part of a spike in violence and harassment against such facilities since the end of Roe v. Wade. Philip Buyno, 73, of Prophetstown was also ordered to pay more than $300,000 restitution, the Justice Department said in a statement. Authorities said Buyno intended to destroy the building before the clinic could open, citing hi......

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Mateo County recently became the first county in the country to recognize loneliness as a public health emergency. The county Board of Supervisors voted unanimously last week to approve a resolution introduced by Supervisor David Canepa declaring loneliness a health emergency. In the resolution, Canepa outlined several strategies to address loneliness. These include strengthening social infrastructure, implementing pro-connection public policies, mobilizing the health sector, conducting research to deepen knowledge, reforming online environments and fostering a culture o......