According to sources close to the selection process, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, was on the short list for Department of Health and Human Services' top position from the very beginning. Now that former Sen. Tom Daschle's withdrawal amid an admission he had not paid taxes on a car and driver leaves the spot vacant again,
that Sebelius is again on the top of the list.
But what do we know about Gov. Sebelius? And does she have the requisite Read the rest of this entry »

Judging by Friday’s turnout at the reception for Sonoma Valley Hospital’s new Carolyn J. Stone Center for Women’s Health and Wellness, it’s a big hit.
The diagnostic imaging center opened last November, and Friday’s gathering was to thank the community for its support and to showcase both the new, state-of-the-art machines and tout the integration of women’s health services offered locally.

Carolyn Stone, for whom the center is named, has been Read the rest of this entry »

An audit of the D.C. Community Services Agency this year found that the city could save as much as $14 million by contracting the bulk of its services to private agencies. Health-care advocates who support the transition said the shift is needed because the agency duplicates many services provided by private clinics.
soon. The plan is expected to recommend shifting most mental health services provided by the Community Services Agency to private Read the rest of this entry »

The findings were based on a study of Medicare patients, some of whose plans provided equal cost-sharing and others whose plans put a greater cost burden on the patients. The patients in the study had recently received psychiatric discharges from facilities.
The study was published in the Dec. 24/31 issue of
.
U.S. health insurers have historically imposed higher out-of-pocket costs and greater restrictions for the use of mental health services Read the rest of this entry »

Columbia students who have come into contact with students from the University of Pennsylvania this month may have been exposed to bacterial meningitis, Health Services at Columbia and Barnard said in e-mails sent Monday afternoon.
Representatives from Health Services offices at both Columbia College and Barnard College sent several messages to inform students that individuals who “had direct contact” with Penn students recently may be at risk Read the rest of this entry »

, a provider of mental health services for people of all ages, is gearing up for the second-largest expansion in the nonprofit’s 45-year history.
The organization plans to add more than 40,000 square feet with new facilities in Jeffersonville and New Albany.
Terry Stawar, president and CEO of LifeSpring, said the expansion will enable the organization to increase counseling and psychiatric treatment services in Clark and Floyd counties — Read the rest of this entry »

Another notable name is joining BarackObama’s Cabinet — former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle will be Health
and Human Services secretary pending Senate confirmation, FOXNews learned Wednesday.
Daschle accepted the
offer, according to two Democratic sources close to Daschle and with intimate knowledge of the decision. Daschle had been
a longtime adviser on Obama’s campaign and served as a frequent surrogate on the campaign Read the rest of this entry »

SALEM TOWNSHIP — The county-run Riverview HealthCare Campus is the best nursing home in Ottawa County, according to a federal agency that rates facilities.
The 190-bed home received three out of five stars for overall care last week from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That means Riverview is an “about average” home, according to the ratings scale.
Five stars is the highest rating Read the rest of this entry »

Yet after several boom years for veterans, there are just barely enough services to care for their needs. And trouble is brewing.
“I anticipate we are going to have difficult times,” said James A. Adkins, Maryland’s secretary of veterans affairs.
At first caught unprepared, federal and state veterans departments have responded in recent years with a smorgasbord of new and expanded programs for tuition assistance and financial aid, employment counseling, Read the rest of this entry »

An 11th-hour Bush administration final rule may have bolstered protections for physicians and other health care professionals who object to providing abortion-related services based on moral or religious beliefs. But the regulation likely will be short-lived.
The move has prompted vehement protests by some opponents in Congress and several medical organizations. They say the regulation goes beyond existing protections and could endanger critical Read the rest of this entry »