As an intensivist, Mohammed will work with the hospital’s critical care team in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Health & Society
County Government’s Health Costs Take $1.5 Million Hit, Clouding Brighter Budget Outlook
Property values are expected to improve by 4.5 percent, adding $2.5 million to county revenue absent tax-rate changes, but the county’s health costs are increasing dramatically, leaving county commissioners with difficult choices again.
Construction on Florida Hospital Flagler’s $15 Million Expansion Advances
Construction continues to progress on Florida Hospital Flagler’s $15 million expansion project to add 32 new beds on the second and third floors over the hospital’s emergency department.
Florida’s Tortured Medical Pot Law Regulating Nurseries Keeps Drawing New Legal Challenges
The state has spent nearly $500,000 on private lawyers to represent the Department of Health in legal challenges that have delayed implementation of a 2014 law that first opened the door for medical marijuana in Florida.
For Flagler’s Gun Shops, New Residents Spur Brisk Business But Laws Conceal Debate
Flagler County’s gun shop owners say fear and a need for protection rather than hunting still drives much of their business, but they have differing views on gun regulations and the need for additional laws.
Housing Restrictions on Sex Offenders Spread Even as Evidence Shows They Don’t Work
The restrictions can make offenders’ lives less stable by severely limiting their housing options, and can push them away from family, jobs and social support — all of which make it more likely they will abuse again.
Suicide, Now 2nd-Leading Cause of Death for Young Floridians, Seen as Public Health Threat
While suicide is increasing for nearly every age group, it’s now the second-leading cause of death for Floridians aged 25 to 34, according to the state Department of Health Vital Statistics, and the third-leading cause of death among youths aged 10 to 24.
Flagler Schools Seeks to Be 1st in Florida To Use Concussion-Alert Football Helmets District-Wide
The helmets, which would cost $500 each, would alert coaches and trainers in real time of the severity of collisions players sustain to the head, enabling trainers to more readily take precautions against concussions.
Poison Flush: Drug Take-Back Day in Palm Coast and Flagler Beach on Saturday, No Questions Asked
Residents can stop at four locations in Palm Coast and one in Flagler Beach to privately return expired or unwanted prescription, over-the-counter meds, vitamin or herbal remedies as well as veterinary medications.
Florida Health Summit Concludes With One Overriding Prescription: Expand Access to Care
While senators have focused heavily on access, the House and Scott have pushed for health-care changes that include reducing or eliminating some longstanding regulations. They contend that such ideas would create more competition and lower health-care costs.
Florida Justices Block 24-Hour Abortion Waiting Period Pending Review
On a 5-2 vote, justices granted a stay of a lower court’s order allowing the 2015 law to take effect. The Supreme Court said it would keep the stay in place while it decides whether to review the decision by the 1st District Court of Appeal.
In a Rebuff to Florida, Federal Government Says New Abortion Law Can’t Block Clinic Funding
A key federal health agency on Tuesday notified Florida and other states that they may not ban Medicaid funding for family-planning services at clinics that also offer elective abortions.
You’re Dying. But Most Doctors Don’t Know How to Tell You.
Policy experts are urging more end-of-life conversations not just to accommodate patients’ desires, but to save money on aggressive medical interventions that patients and their families don’t want and that won’t prolong life.
Citing Problematic Time-Sharing of Children, Gov. Scott Again Vetoes Alimony Reform Bill
The plan became one of the most hotly contested issues of the 2016 legislative session when it was amended to include a child-sharing component that would have required judges to begin with a “premise” that children should split their time equally between parents.
Father Accused of Smacking and Suffocating 9-Year-Old Son For Talking Back During Chores
Joshua Stevens, 31, a resident of Prospect Lane in Palm Coast, allegedly struck his child five times and closed his nose and mouth when the child talked back while mopping the floor.
Nurse Assistants at Grand Oaks Rehab Strike for $15/hr Wage in Echo of National Movement
Workers at Grand Oaks Rehab Center in Palm Coast, most on poverty wages, walked out for 24 hours, though they’d given the facility almost two weeks’ notice and replacements ensured no residents lacked care.
Survey Puts Homeless Total in Flagler-Palm Coast at 104, But Undercount Likely
The 2016 census of the homeless population in Flagler-Palm Coast was a dramatic decline from 2015, but also very likely an under-count. The majority of homeless people who have no shelter at all are in Palm Coast.
Outside Gov. Scott’s Office, a Battle Over Alimony Bill’s Elevation of “Father’s Rights”
The most contentious part of the measure involves not alimony but offspring. It would tell judges that, when determining child-custody arrangements, they should begin with a “premise” that children should split time equally between parents.
Hear Us Roar, Older Residents Tell Palm Coast Council as They Clamor for a Senior Center
But the Palm Coast City Council is cool to the idea of a dedicated senior center: it has an active community center on Palm Coast Parkway and is ramping up uses of its new city hall’s community wing.
IRS Could Easily Signal to 10 Million Uninsured Working Poor Eligibility for Coverage. But It Doesn’t.
About half of the uninsured people in families receiving the earned income tax credit are eligible for significant financial assistance — 4.1 million are eligible for Medicaid, and another 1.1 million are eligible for large subsidies.
Bowing to Baptist and Catholic Pressure, DCF Backs Off Protecting LGBT Children from Discrimination
Proposed language protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth in a DCF rule was opposed by the Florida Baptist Children’s Home and the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, so it was deleted.
Gateway Drug Bunk: No, Smoking Pot Doesn’t Lead to Harder Drugs
Smoke pot and be merry. Cops’ and politicians’ claims that pot is a gateway drug is baseless fear-mongering intended to stop the legalization of marijuana. But it’s time to dispense with the lie once and for all.
Florida Hospital Flagler CEO Ken Mattison Leaving For Volusia; Ron Jimenez, a Physician, Takes Over
FHF CEO Ken Mattison was reassigned to head the transition of Bert Fish Medical Center’s 112-bed hospital in New Smyrna Beach into the Adventist system. Dr. Ron Jimenez will have his first posting as a hospital CEO.
300,000 Floridians Could Lose Food Stamps as State Restores Work Obligations and Time Limits
The requirement was suspended in the aftermath of the recession, but starting Jan. 1, all able-bodied, childless adults 18 to 49 were required to work, get job training or volunteer 20 hours a week to receive food stamps . Otherwise, they’re limited to three months of food assistance in each 36-month period.
Closer to Home: Gainesville’s San Felasco Nurseries Approved for Marijuana Growing
San Felasco’s approval came after an administrative law judge ruled in February that health officials wrongly rejected the nursery’s application last year because of a decade-old drug crime.
Florida Drops Planned Parenthood Case, Eliciting Charge of Political Motivation
Barbara Zdravecky, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, blasted the state Agency for Health Care Administration for “political gamesmanship” in a statement.
As Scott Signs Bill Stifling Abortion Clinics, Planned Parenthood Sees Danger and Cruelty
The restriction means low-income Floridians could lose access to the organization’s health-care and family-planning services. Planned Parenthood said it has more than 67,000 patients in Florida annually.
Scott Signs Medical Marijuana Bill for Terminally Ill, Enabling Experimental Drugs
That law allows terminally ill patients to have access to experimental drugs that have not been approved for general use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Florida Supreme Court Deals Another Blow to Tobacco Industry, Rejecting Disease Defense
Justices, in a 5-2 ruling Thursday, rejected R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.’s arguments in a Broward County case stemming from the 2002 death of George Ciccone, who started smoking as a child.
Three Changes You Can Expect In Next Year’s Obamacare Coverage
Ahead: more warning about “surprise” medical bills from out-of-network providers, more standardized out-of-pocket costs and better information about the size of the insurers’ network of doctors and hospitals.
Florida House Overwhelmingly Approves Use of Full-Strength Pot for Terminally Ill, 99-16
The measure approved Thursday, in part, would likely lead to more licenses for nurseries that would be able to grow, process and distribute the full-strength and non-euphoric types of pot.
Centra Urgent Care Center Opens on Palm Coast Parkway Under Florida Hospital Imprint
Centra Care on Palm Coast Parkway is the latest urgent care clinic to open in the region as health care providers shift services away from emergency rooms when possible, to control costs. But Centra Care also helps channel patients to the Florida Hospital Flagler system.
In Major Shift, Florida Senate Panel Approves Use of “Full-Strength” Pot for Terminally Ill
The bill, in part, would likely lead to more licenses for nurseries that would be able to grow, process and distribute the full-strength and non-euphoric types of pot.
Florida Court Clears Way for 24-Hour Waiting Period Before an Abortion
Florida joins 27 other states with waiting periods. Opponents say the law would impose hardships on women seeking abortions because it would force them to miss work, lose wages and pay for additional child care and travel.
Florida Senators Reject Weakening State’s Regulatory Power in Health Care Expansions
The Senate on Wednesday listened to hospitals, nursing homes and hospice providers and killed a bill that would have weakened the “certificate of need” process that gives the state power to review and approval new health-care facilities.
At Florida Hospital Flagler, an Additional 32 Beds as Facility Grows Beyond Rural Stage
The $15-million, 32-bed addition tips Florida Hospital Flagler past the 99-bed threshold, reducing its Medicare dollars by up to $12 million, but hospital officials see the expansion as meeting local needs.
As Judge Calls Pot Laws “Harsh,” Sheriff and Public Defender Will Propose De-Criminalization Ordinance
Flagler Sheriff Jim Manfre and Public Defender Jim Purdy will craft a proposal to de-criminalize pot and move to a civil citation program. The proposal will first be vetted by the Public Safety Coordinating Council before heading for the county commission.
States Begin Increasingly to Let People Reject Smart Meters Amid Health and Privacy Fears
At least 15 states allow customers to opt out of smart meter installation, although many permit utility companies to impose a fee on customers who don’t want the meters. Florida is not among those states.
Thanks to Elderly, Florida Medical Marijuana Market Could Be a $1.5 Billion Industry By 2020
Florida is one of four states best positioned to legalize medical marijuana, with the state’s older population playing a large role in the industry’s viability.
Bathroom Use By Transgenders Scuttles Bill Designed to End LGBT Discrimination
The anti-discrimination bill is backed by big business such as Disnet and AT&T but opposed by social conservatives such as Florida Family Policy Council.
Health Insurers Moving to Undermine Obamacare By Limiting Enrollment
major insurers are seeking to sharply limit how policies are sold to individuals in ways that consumer advocates say seem to discriminate against the sickest and could hold down future enrollment.
Bringing “Poverty Inc.” to Palm Coast’s Epic Theater, a Compassionate Entrepreneur’s Goal
Jenny Skripko, a Palm Coast resident and “Compassionate Entrepreneur” with Trades of Hopes, is bringing the celebrated “Poverty Inc.” documentary to Epic Theaters on Feb. 23, but a minimum of 87 tickets must be sold by Feb. 16.
My Sobering, Rewarding Job at an Abortion Clinic
Catherine Durkin Robinson’s duties involved helping patients through their abortion procedures. They’d already met with the doctor and nurse. Her job was to assist them emotionally.
“We Live Without My Son”: A Mother’s Story of Her Teen’s Suicide Frames Town Hall Meeting
Barbara Coxwell, who lost her 15-year-old son to suicide in 2013, and School Board Chairman Colleen Conklin, led the virtual town hall as a first step in a countywide effort to broaden attention to suicide-prevention across all age groups.
Flagler’s Family Life Center Now a Certified Rape Crisis Center, Ensuring Critical Services
Until Family Life took over the service in an arrangement with the sheriff’s office in March 2014, Flagler County had been without a reliable crisis center because the Children’s Advocacy Center had quit providing that service.
Conklin Will Lead Suicide Awareness Town Hall Sunday: #FlaglersuicideASK4HELP
In the wake of two recent and related suicides in Palm Coast, the town hall will feature Barbara Coxwell, whose son took his life in 2013. The Legislature is considering bills related to increased suicide awareness.
A Pair of Big Checks Contribute to Pink Army and United Way
The Pink Army’s 5K run in Town Center last fall raised $12,585.35, and the five Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties donated $10,000 to the United Way.
Herculean Effort More Than Doubles Memberships at Belle Terre Swim Club, Dimming Talk of Closure
The Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club’s supporters have managed to increase memberships to more than 300 and close an $80,000 budget gap ahead of a Feb. 2 deadline when the school board will decide the club’s fate.
Sanders Revives Talk of Single-Payer System, Contrasting Differences With Clinton
Sanders’ main rival for the nomination, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has criticized the plan for raising taxes on the middle class and said it is politically unattainable.
Sheriff Manfre Proposes De-Criminalizing Pot Possession; County Officials and State Attorney Open to Idea
Following in the steps of three Florida counties and some 20 states, Sheriff Jim Manfre wants to replace criminal penalties for small amounts of pot with civil fines. State Attorney R.J. Larizza and county officials are willing to explore the new approach.