Category: Health Care
-
Primary Care for Underserved Virginians
by James C. Sherlock It is an old story for Virginia: shortages of primary care providers in inner cities and rural areas. Perhaps the best article I have ever seen on the unique value of primary care and payment reforms to reflect its value was published in 2021 in the Harvard Business Review. I recommend…
-
Critical Staff Vacancies at Central State Hospital
By James C. Sherlock This space has offered the opinion previously that it is unwise to build a new Central State Hospital (CSH) on the site of the old one. A follow-up FOIA request to the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services has yielded current “jobs filled” data to compare to “jobs vacant”…
-
School Closures Resulted In Spike In Suicide Attempts Among Kids
by Kerry Dougherty How is it that those of us without fancy degrees from prestigious universities or medical training intuitively KNEW that the Covid-19 lockdowns and school closures would have a profoundly negative effect upon kids? I watched one of my nieces, who graduated from high school in 2021, spend her junior year at home,…
-
No More Deliveries Here
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Pregnant women in Halifax County will soon be faced with an unwelcome dilemma. Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital (SHRH) in South Boston has announced that, beginning in May, it will begin phasing out its labor and delivery services. Those patients expected to deliver before August 4 will continue to be served. Those obstetric…
-
Washington State Appears Set to Legalize No Notification of Parents for Youth Gender Transition
by James C. Sherlock In another flashing sign of the apocalypse, Democrats in the Washington State legislature want the state to become a destination for runaway youth seeking gender transition as minors. They proudly point to a newly passed law as their party’s response to other states passing laws to prohibit transgender medical services to…
-
Central State Hospital – the State’s Only Maximum Security Mental Health Facility, a Legacy of Jim Crow and Not Nearly Good Enough
By James C. Sherlock I have written often about the state of mental health support in Virginia. The Governor has a major initiative to improve it. But it does not go far enough. The state maximum security mental health facility at Central State Hospital needs to be disbanded and the duties dispersed across the state.…
-
The More Things Remain the Same
by Joe Fitzgerald Stop me if you’ve heard this one. The Hopewell chemical plant where Kepone was born and raised has been cited 66 times over the past eight years for releasing toxic chemicals into the air and into the James River. The Richmond Times-Dispatch tells the story better than I do. What makes this…
-
LifePoint Health Credit Ratings and Outlooks Signal Additional Challenges for its Virginia Hospitals
by James C. Sherlock One thing I watch about companies in industries I cover is the ratings and outlooks on their credit. In my experience, the SEC’S three largest nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSROs), Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch, tend to know as much about company finances as their boards do. Sometimes more. I recently…
-
Move Over Covid: Sharks Are Back
by Kerry Dougherty Great news! Sharks are swarming off the coast of the Outer Banks. Nine great whites so far. One, named Breton, is a 13-foot adult male weighing over 1,400 pounds according to a story in Saturday’s Virginian-Pilot. Why is this good news? Because it’s a sign that Covid is truly over. The general…
-
Virginia Hospital Profits Soared Far Above National Averages – Again – in 2021
by James C. Sherlock The predictions for hospital finances in 2021 forecast Armageddon. Then the actual financial data from 5,600 U.S. hospitals in 2021 were assessed. Based on those data the median operating margin for U.S. hospitals in 2021 was actually a loss of 1.5%. Meanwhile, the average operating margin for hospitals was a loss of…
-
Continuing Turmoil at Danville and Martinsville Hospitals Raises Questions of Oversight – Again
by James C. Sherlock Beckers Hospital Review reports that Sovah Health hospitals in Danville and Martinsville have eliminated the Chief Operating Officer (COO) positions at both hospitals. Sovah announced that the responsibilities of those two positions will now be absorbed by “other members of the existing team.” Whatever that may mean. Management turmoil at Sovah…
-
Virginia Needs a Top Mental Health Research Hospital – UVa is Positioned Provide It Statewide
by James C. Sherlock The Commonwealth has an ambitious and promising program to improve behavioral health services to its citizens. One thing missing among the six pillars of that program is a top mental health research hospital system. The top-rated mental hospital in the United States is Mass General Brigham’s McLean hospital. Many of the…
-
A More Appropriate Management Model for State Mental Health Facilities
by James C. Sherlock I always find it disturbing when state agencies operate institutions that they are also responsible for regulating and inspecting. It almost cannot work. I have brought this up with regards to the VDOE operation of a virtual learning program when that same agency oversees private providers of the exact same services.…
-
Crime in Virginia — the Statistics of Race and their Causes
—
by
in Children and Families, Civil Rights, Individual Liberties, Corruption and Scandals, Crime, Corrections, Law Enforcement, Culture wars, Democracy and Western Civilization, Demographics, Education (K-12), Efficiency in Government, General Assembly, Governance, Government Finance, Health Care, Housing, Land use & Development, Mental illness and substance abuse, Politics, Public safety & health, Race and Race Relations, Regulations, Gov’t Oversightby James C. Sherlock Crime, especially violent crime, is a constant topic in private conversations and in public politics, and thus here on Bacon’s Rebellion. Comments on BR crime-related articles turn quickly to race, often without basis in fact. I will offer below the actual crime statistics by race from 2021, the latest available year,…
-
Last Gasp for Masks
by Kerry Dougherty A friend of mine went to the dermatologist yesterday. The medical office was in the Sentara Leigh medical complex in Norfolk and she was required to wear a face diaper. Hey, there were a total of 5 cases of covid yesterday in Norfolk. That’s 2 cases for every 100,000 residents. There may…