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CT health care centers serve thousands of undocumented residents. It’s not just medical care
Ed Stannard, The Hartford Courant, Aug. 25
When someone seeks care from Fair Haven Community Health Care, they are never asked their immigration status. “No one, no one, zero — and that needs to be emphasized — no one is ever denied care,” said Dr. Suzanne Lagarde, CEO of Fair Haven Community Health Care. “And we do not provide two levels of care. We provide one level of care,” she said. The health center not only treats illnesses, but also offers preventive, maternity, pediatric, dental, and behavioral health care. Beyond health care, it helps children get onto HUSKY insurance, offers low-cost medicine, and helps connect patients to food and housing assistance.
Europe offers clues for solving America’s maternal mortality crisis
Laura Ungar, The Associated Press, Aug. 22
The United States has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality of any wealthy nation, around 20 per 100,000 live births overall and 50 for Black moms. Several European countries have rates in the single digits and experts believe some of the solutions used abroad can be translated to the U.S. Norway, for example, has the lowest maternal mortality rate in the world: zero. Through its universal health care system, patients receive free prenatal appointments at health centers near their homes, regardless of immigration status. The country has more midwives than in the U.S. and mandates a total of 86 weeks of paid leave.
Biden administration announces expansion of maternal home visit programs
Carma Hassan, CNN, Aug. 29
Services from the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program can be a lifeline for new mothers. The program partners trained home visitors with families to answer questions about things like sleep and breastfeeding, connect them with other services and resources, and more. As part of new investments aimed at improving maternal and early childhood health care, that program will be expanded. The program “aims to reduce disparities in the access and treatment that women receive for their time during pregnancy and right after,” said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
California Senate acts to end racism in medical exam room
Jennifer Porter Gore, Word in Black, Aug. 23
The California Senate is considering a bill that would require the state to track discrimination in hospitals and doctors’ offices. Current law requires adverse events to be reported to the health department, but under the new law, the state will collect patients’ self-identified demographic information instead of just counting the number of complaints filed. Advocates said this would be an important step toward health care equity, including maternal health care. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 30% of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial mothers in the U.S. reported being discriminated against when receiving maternity care.
UnitedHealth pledged a hands-off approach after buying a Connecticut medical group. Then it upended how doctors practice
Lizzy Lawrence, Casey Ross, Bob Herman, and Tara Bannow, STAT News, Aug. 28
Almost 10 years after UnitedHealth bought ProHealth Physicians, doctors are retiring earlier than planned or leaving for other practices, while patients struggling to make appointments are also leaving. When the sale occurred, the company promised doctors would have some agency over the delivery of care, touting that it would be “physician-owned.” A STAT investigation found that instead, the company began to control major aspects, including doctors’ schedules, and pushing doctors to add questionable diagnoses to patient medical records that would make them look sicker than they were, justifying higher payments from Medicare. Doctors report that they received pushback when expressing their concerns.