Here’s what’s happening in health in Rhode Island, Nov. 21:
HOSPITAL LAYOFFS: United Nurses and Allied Professionals (UNAP), a health care workers’ union, notified the press Friday that Prospect CharterCARE would be laying off about 30 employees at Our Lady of Fatima and Roger Williams Medical Center hospitals. In its statement, UNAP said, “When Prospect lobbied the Providence City Council and North Providence Town Council in 2014 for hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax breakers, they promised to preserve and create new jobs through investment in Fatima Hospital and Roger Williams Medical Center. In fact, job preservation and creation were central to the councils’ willingness to pass ordinances giving Prospect its’ tax breaks. Today, Prospect management proved that they cannot be trusted to keep their word. They have reneged on their promises to municipal leaders in Providence and North Providence and should be held accountable.”
A spokesman for Prospect CharterCARE countered that claim though. In a statement he said, “The UNAP statement is misleading in that it fails to note the more than 185 new jobs that CharterCARE has created in the past two years. These new jobs were the result of a more than $30 million capital investment in our two hospitals for renovations, new equipment and medical technology, as well as new clinical programs we have created to meet the changing needs of our community.” He said the “adjustment” in staffing was an effort to align with changing market conditions. Not great news for the laid off employees, but not surprising for any hospital competing in this market.
ALZHEIMER’S AWARENESS: November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. And in honor of that, here’s a heads up about a workshop for caregivers. Family members, caregivers, and friends of persons with Alzheimer’s Disease are invited to a four-part series to learn more, Dec. 7, 3026 through Jan. 18, 2017. The series includes: Part 1 – Caregiving Wellness During the Holidays and Every Day After; Part 2- Basics of Alzheimer’s: Memory loss, dementia and Alzheimer’s; Part 3 – Effective Communication; and Part 4- Legal and Financial Planning. To reserve a seat, call the Alzheimer’s Association at 1-800-272-3900.
HEALTH EQUITY SUMMIT: The Rhode Island Department of Health will hold the 2016 Health Equity Summit on Thursday, December 8th at the Convention Center. This year’s theme is “Equity in Action: Justice and Health for All.”
CHOOSING WISELY: First the Rhode Island Business Group on Health adopted it, and now the Society for Human Resource Management of Rhode Island is joining a new campaign to fight unnecessary medical care and costs. Choosing Wisely is a campaign developed by the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation in collaboration with Consumer Reports. According to the Choosing Wisely website, the campaign is “designed to create a dialogue between doctors and patients for more informed healthcare decision making and to reduce healthcare waste.”
BABY FRIENDLY: Kent Hospital’s Women’s Care Center has recently received international recognition as a Baby-Friendly® babyfriendlyusa.org Designated birth facility. Kent Hospital, part of Care New England Health System, is the second largest hospital in the state. Baby-Friendly is part of a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The initiative encourages and recognizes hospitals that support breastfeeding mothers and promote the best, evidence-based feeding practices for all babies.
CHILD PSYCHIATRIST HONORED: The Mental Health Association of Rhode Island’s Bell Award goes this year to Gregory Fritz, M.D., Chief of Child Psychiatry at Lifespan, and President of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
