The Huffington Post: If Uber Kills Cabs, Cities Must Ensure Accessible Vehicles Live
Now there’s a figure to back them up: According to a recent report, the number of wheelchair-accessible vehicles for hire in San Francisco fell significantly in the past few years — all while services like Uber and Lyft were rapidly expanding in the area. “This is more urgent than people realize,” Carol Tyson, policy director for the United Spinal Association, told The Huffington Post. — Alexander Howard (Dec. 1)
The New York Times: A Patient Is Sued, and His Mental Health Diagnosis Becomes Public
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the federal patient privacy law known as HIPAA, allows health providers to sue patients over unpaid debts, but requires that they disclose only the minimum information necessary to pursue them. Still, the law has many loopholes. One is that HIPAA covers only providers who submit data electronically. — Charles Ornstein (Dec. 23)
The New York Times: Programs Expand Schizophrenic Patients’ Role in Their Own Care
[O]ver the past several years, a number of states have set up programs with a different approach, emphasizing supportive services, like sustained one-on-one therapy, school and work assistance, and family education, as well as medication. The therapists work to engage each patient as an equal partner in decisions — including about medication dosage, to make it as tolerable as possible. In a landmark study published this fall, government-backed researchers reported that after two years, people who had this combined package were doing better on a variety of measures than those who received treatment as usual. — Benedict Carey (Dec. 28)
NPR: Privacy Violations Rising At Veterans Affairs Medical Facilities
Employees and contractors at VA medical centers, clinics, pharmacies and benefit centers commit thousands of privacy violations each year and have racked up more than 10,000 such incidents since 2011, a ProPublica analysis of VA data shows. The breaches range from inadvertent mistakes, such as sending documents or prescriptions to the wrong people, to employees’ intentional snooping and theft of data. Not all concern medical treatment; some involve data on benefits and compensation. — Annie Waldman and Charles Ornstein (Dec. 30)
Reuters: U.S. Lawmakers Call for Action to Protect Drug-Exposed Newborns
Two senior U.S. senators are calling for swift federal action to help protect thousands of infants born each year to mothers who used opioids during pregnancy. Senator Robert Casey of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the children and families subcommittee, is calling for oversight hearings, in part to understand why a longstanding federal law directing states to safeguard the newborns is not being enforced. Another Democrat, Senator Charles Schumer of New York, wants the Obama Administration to put “an emergency surge” of funds from the new federal budget toward addressing the growing number of drug-dependent newborns. — Reuters (Dec. 22)
BLOG, Disability.Blog: “Finding a Place in the Disability Community,” Maddy Ruvolo Environmental Scan – Interim Report”
I’d encourage the disability community to embrace the complexity of our bodies and the diversity of our community. Figure out a way to dispel stereotypes about some disabled people without disparaging others. And be patient and welcoming of new members to the disability family. Being embraced by a community is a good way to learn that your life is not over. — Maddy Ruvolo, systems change advocate at the Marin Center for Independent Living and youth caucus chair of the National Council on Independent Living (Dec. 16)
REPORT, The White House: 2015 White House Conference on Aging Final Report
The information and links provided here are a courtesy. The National Advisory Board does not necessarily endorse or share the views contained in any article, report or web site. No link provided here should be considered an endorsement of any opinion, product or service that may be offered in the article or at the linked-to site.