Tag: health care

Witness Alleges Hospital’s ‘Egregious’ Breaches of Standard of Care Killed Teen

Witness testimony continued this week in the wrongful death trial of Grace Schara, a 19-year-old with Down syndrome who died in a Wisconsin hospital days after being admitted for a COVID-19 infection. Grace’s sister and expert witnesses testified that doctors violated the standard of care and principles of informed consent.

Grace’s family sued Ascension St. Elizabeth Hospital in April 2023 and filed an amended complaint in July 2023, alleging the hospital’s COVID-19 treatment protocols directly resulted in Grace’s death in October 2021, a week after admission.

The trial began last week at the State of Wisconsin Circuit Court for Outagamie County. The lawsuit names several defendants, including some Ascension doctors and nurses and the Wisconsin Injured Patients and Family Compensation Fund.

Grace’s older sister, Jessica Vander Heiden, testified Tuesday that she was unaware that the hospital had placed a “do not resuscitate” (DNR) order in Grace’s chart until shortly before her death and that, in Grace’s final moments, hospital staff refused to intervene and did not honor her family’s repeated requests to revoke the DNR.

Expert witnesses for the plaintiffs testified that there were multiple violations of the standard of care by Ascension doctors and nurses.

Dr. Gilbert Berdine, an associate professor of medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, said that this was the first malpractice case where he testified as an expert witness for plaintiffs and explained why he chose to do so.

“The breaches of the standard of care were egregious, and I could not live with myself without answering the call to review and give advice on this case,” Berdine said.

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UK Turning Into ‘National Health State’, Says Think Tank

The UK is turning into a “National Health State,” the Resolution Foundation has said, after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a £29 billion annual increase in NHS funding.

The think tank’s analysis of Reeves’s Spending Review estimates that by the end of financial year 2028–29, the health service will account for half (49 percent) of all day-to-day public services spending, up from 34 percent in 2009–10.

On Wednesday, the chancellor announced a record £29 billion funding injection, which the Treasury said will deliver on the government’s promise to cut waiting lists, improve patient care, and modernise services.

Resolution Foundation Chief Executive Ruth Curtice said in a statement, “Health accounted for 90 per cent of the extra public service spending, continuing a trend that is seeing the British state morph into a National Health State, with half of public service spending set to be on health by the end of the decade.”

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) noted in its initial response to the Spending Review that the funding increase for the NHS was substantial, but questioned whether it will be enough to get the health service back to meeting its 18-week target for hospital waiting times within this Parliament, something which the think tank said was “enormously ambitious.”

£6 Billion to Speed up Tests and Treatments

After the Spending Review, Reeves announced that £6 billion of the allocated funds will be used to deliver up to four million additional NHS tests, scans, and procedures over the next five years.

This will be spent on ambulances, new scanners, increasing diagnostic centre capacity, and more Urgent Treatment Centres.

The government will also invest £30 billion in day-to-day maintenance and repair of the NHS estate, with over £5 billion allocated for critical repairs over the next five years.

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The Statin Wars

We shouldn’t have been surprised that the Covid experience was so marred by financial conflicts where pharmaceutical industry interests called the shots—too often to the detriment of our health.

Some of us weren’t surprised.

For decades, I’ve been unearthing unthinkable scandals inside our medical establishment. They are stories that I wouldn’t have believed myself had I not spoken to first hand sources and whistleblowers, and seen the proof in hard data and documents.

The Statin Wars is one such example.

I began covering issues regarding cholesterol-lowering statins and conflicts of interest around 2004 when I was an investigative reporter for CBS News.

I continued covering these issues on my independent Sunday television program “Full Measure.”

The statin controversy began when a panel of government advisers decided our cholesterol levels should be lower than we thought. It turns out nearly every one of the “experts” — was paid by statin makers. Yet none of them initially disclosed this financial conflict of interest!

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Los Angeles Children’s Hospital Shutting Down ‘Transgender’ Youth Clinic Amid Federal Pressure

The Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) has announced that it will shut down the Transyouth Health and Development program by the end of July.

The move comes amid mounting federal pressure to stop mutilating and sterilizing children in the name of “gender science.”

There have been reports that CHLA is under investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for potential violations of new federal guidelines issued by the Trump administration regarding sex changes for minors.

The hospital is one of the few in the nation that will provide sex change surgeries and hormones to kids under 18 who receive taxpayer-funded healthcare.

“Federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, have made it clear there will be consequences, potentially civil and criminal, for entities pushing irreversible procedures on vulnerable minors,” the hospital wrote to staff.

“The threats are no longer theoretical,” the hospital asserted.

“CHLA has a responsibility to navigate this complex and uncertain regulatory environment in a way that allows us to remain open as much as possible for as many as possible,” the email continued. “This painful and difficult decision was driven by the need to safeguard CHLA’s ability to operate amid significant external pressures beyond our control.”

The Post Millennial reports, “CHLA is more dependent on public funding than any other pediatric center in California, making it especially vulnerable to changes in federal policy. Around 40 percent of all pediatric beds in Los Angeles are housed at CHLA, and executives say preserving access to care for the largest number of children, particularly low-income and chronically ill kids, must come first.”

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Democrat Governors Are Rolling Back State-Funded Healthcare for Illegal Aliens – Why is the Left Not Protesting Them?

Some liberal Democrat governors are starting to roll back state (taxpayer) funded healthcare for people who are in the country illegally. Why is the left not protesting them? Could it be simply because the left gives Democrats a pass? Do they even know this is happening?

Under Gavin Newsom in California, the state is so broke that they are being forced to do this because there’s simply no money for it and the program came in costing billions of dollars more than people were told.

The same thing is now happening in Minnesota under Tim Walz and Illinois under JB Pritzker, all far left Democrats.

NBC News reports:

Democratic governors seek to roll back state-funded health care for undocumented immigrants

A trio of states with Democratic governors viewed as potential 2028 presidential candidates have taken steps in recent weeks to freeze or cut government-funded health care coverage for undocumented immigrants.

Democratic Govs. Gavin Newsom of California, JB Pritzker of Illinois and Tim Walz of Minnesota have largely attributed the proposals to budget shortfalls stemming from original plans to expand health care to immigrants without legal status.

But the moves also occur against the backdrop of broader debate within the Democratic Party over how to handle immigration, an issue that dragged it down in the last election and that President Donald Trump and the GOP have continued to try to capitalize on…

The latest development came in Minnesota on Tuesday, after both chambers of the Legislature passed a bill to end state-funded health care for undocumented adults…

Newsom’s plan in his 2025-26 budget has called for freezing enrollment for undocumented adults to receive the full scope of the state’s Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal…

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NIH Director Gives More Details on New Government Medical Journal

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will start a new journal that will help change the culture of science, the agency’s director said in a newly released interview.

“The NIH can stand up and will stand up a journal where these replication results can be published and made searchable in an easy way,” Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said in a four-hour podcast interview with Andrew Huberman, a professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine, released on June 9.

Bhattacharya said he envisions people being able to see summaries of similar papers that looked at the same questions.

“A scientific journal put out by the NIH, a high-profile journal will then make publishing replication work a high-profile scientific, high-prestige scientific activity,” he added later.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in May that federal scientists would likely be told to stop publishing in medical journals and, if that happened, the NIH would launch journals that would publish the scientists’ research.

Kennedy said that the existing journals have problems such as not publishing all of the data that underpins studies, while Bhattacharya said the journals will not publish replication research. Both officials have said they want the government to devote resources to replication, with Kennedy estimating that 20 percent of the NIH budget be designated for that purpose.

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Catholics fight government surveillance in confession after wins against abortion mandate, tax

Catholic physicians and social service workers won over the Trump administration and Supreme Court, respectively, last week against their compelled participation in emergency room abortions and a state unemployment compensation program that costs more than their own church’s.

Bishops hope to make it a trifecta against a Washington state law that violates the seal of confession, threatening priests with imprisonment and fines if they don’t report suspected child abuse or neglect when “penitents” confess, but not lawyers who learn the same from clients.

Diocesan leaders filed a motion for preliminary injunction Thursday against Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson, Attorney General Nicholas Brown and county prosecutors in federal court in Tacoma to block SB 5375 at least 10 days before it takes effect July 27.

The Justice Department also quickly opened a civil rights investigation into the law as a prima facie First Amendment violation after Ferguson signed it, expanding the category of mandatory reporter to “member of the clergy,” defined as any regularly licensed, accredited or ordained minister, priest, rabbi, imam, elder, or similarly positioned religious or spiritual leader.

Denial of an injunction would likely fast-track the case to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and, if also rejected by the historically most liberal appeals court, to SCOTUS, which has rarely struggled to reach lopsided rulings upholding religious liberty.

The high court Thursday unanimously overturned the Wisconsin Supreme Court‘s ruling that found that a local Catholic Charities bureau’s work is primarily secular and hence it can’t get a religious exemption from paying into the state unemployment compensation system.

Justices unanimously ruled for Gerald Groff two years ago after the U.S. Postal Service threatened to fire the evangelical Christian for refusing to work Sundays under an Amazon delivery agreement, junking the “de minimis cost” standard that let employers easily deny religious exemptions but only appeared in a footnote in a 1977 ruling.

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Japan Has Created the First Artificial Womb in the World

Researchers in Japan are developing artificial womb technology, a groundbreaking innovation that could change how we care for premature infants and even reshape the future of childbirth.

This isn’t science fiction—it’s a reality scientists are working toward, and Japan is leading the way.

Let’s explore what this technology is, how it works, and what it means for the world.

What Is Artificial Womb Technology?

An artificial womb is a device designed to mimic the environment of a natural womb. It provides a safe, controlled space for a fetus to grow outside the mother’s body.

The system uses a fluid-filled chamber that acts like amniotic fluid, along with machines to supply oxygen and nutrients through the umbilical cord.

In Japan, scientists have tested this technology on animals like goats and sharks, successfully keeping embryos alive for weeks.

For example, researchers at Juntendo University sustained goat fetuses for up to three weeks in a plastic tank filled with artificial amniotic fluid.

This is a big step toward using the technology for human babies, especially those born extremely premature.

The goal is to help babies born before 37 weeks, who often face serious health risks.

According to the World Health Organization, 15 million babies are born prematurely each year, and 1 million die due to complications.

Artificial wombs could offer a lifeline by allowing these infants to continue developing in a womb-like environment, improving their chances of survival and healthy growth.

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Alleged manifesto of murder suspect Luigi Mangione highlights lessons learned from Unabomber: Court docs

Police caught up with Luigi Mangione, 27, at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days after he allegedly gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel last December. In addition to allegedly finding a 9mm handgun, a homemade silencer, multiple cartridges, a fake New Jersey ID, a passport, approximately $7,800 in cash, and a written admission of guilt on his person, police reportedly found a notebook detailing plans for the shooting.

Mangione’s defense attorney asked the court overseeing the case to rule the notebook inadmissible, claiming the search of Mangione’s backpack where it was located violated his Fourth Amendment rights. The defense also asked the court to dismiss his indictment altogether.

Prosecutors responded with a damning court filing on Wednesday containing entries from Mangione’s alleged notebook, which they claim reveals “in unambiguous terms [the] defendant’s intent and motive in deliberately assassinating the CEO of the country’s largest health company.”

In an Aug. 15, 2024, entry, Mangione allegedly wrote, “I finally feel confident about what I will do. The details are coming together. And I don’t feel any doubt about whether it’s right/justified. I’m glad — in a way — that I’ve procrastinated bc it allowed me to learn more about UHC. KMD [the initials of another apparent target considered] would’ve been an unjustified catastrophe that would be perceived mostly as sick, but more importantly unhelpful.”

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Nevada Lawmakers Pass Resolution Urging Congress To Reschedule Psychedelics And Expedite Research On Their Medical Benefits

The Nevada legislature has approved a joint resolution calling on Congress to reschedule certain psychedelics, streamline research and provide protections for people using the substances in compliance with state law.

After initially moving through the Senate and then the House with amendments, the Senate concurred to the other body’s changes and gave final approval to the proposal last Thursday.

SJR 10, from Sen. Rochelle Nguyen (D), has now been formally enacted and will be transmitted to President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) and all of the members of Nevada’s congressional delegation, as well as the heads of the Drug Enforcement Administration and National Institutes of Health.

The resolution cites research demonstrating the therapeutic potential of psychedelics in the treatment of serious mental health conditions and calls on the federal government to “reschedule psilocybin, psilocin, DMT, ibogaine, mescaline and MDMA to a schedule that better reflects the therapeutic value, low potential for abuse and safety for use under medical supervision of those compounds.”

It also points out that there have been federal developments on the issue, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designation of certain psychedelics as “breakthrough therapies” and research that’s being funded to explore the substances at the Department of Defense (DOD) and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

The measure urges Congress to increase funding for further research, establish a “streamlined process for approving and conducting research with psychedelic compounds,” and reschedule psilocybin, psilocin, DMT, ibogaine, mescaline and MDMA under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

Further, it calls for the establishment of “legal protection against federal prosecution for individuals and entities complying with state law concerning the supervised adult use of psychedelic compounds and require states to enter research partnerships with the Attorney General under the Controlled Substances Act to study the public health outcomes of such state programs.”

The amendment adopted by the Assembly and now signed off on by the Senate “specifies that legal protections against federal prosecution shall be for individuals and entities who are compliant with state and local laws concerning the supervised adult use of psychedelic compounds,” Sen. James Ohrenschall (D) said on the floor.

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