HOSPITALS

A rural hospital hasn’t closed in Texas since the COVID-19 pandemic started in March 2020. That could change as federal relief ends.

U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, hopes the pilot program will help female veterans get better access to cancer care.

Medical professionals across the state have expressed confusion over what care they can provide amid Texas’ abortion ban, leading to some patients allegedly receiving delayed care or being turned away.

Hundreds of patients who have waited two years or more have already said they are willing to travel.

Dispatch Health is a perfect option for your family without even having to leave your home.

Debate over the waiver was key to the federal government’s push for Texas to expand Medicaid for more working poor.

Hospitals and other health care providers in Texas, which has the lowest rate of insurance coverage in the nation, have gotten some $1.8 billion in federal help for uninsured COVID-19 patients.

Sunday on 60 Minutes, Scott Pelley reports on Russia's targeting of Ukraine's health care system, from hospitals to ambulances, according to the WHO.

Texas got a temporary reprieve on Medicaid funding from the federal government. But that won’t solve underlying problems with high numbers of uninsured Texans and the plight of hospitals in the state — especially those in rural areas.

The money reimburses hospitals for the services they provide to Medicaid patients in Texas.

State lawmakers will tell you they hate property taxes as much as anyone. But the state itself doesn’t levy the tax — local governments do. And lowering it in a meaningful way would require state officials to raise taxes or cut programs. For them, talking about it is easier than doing something.

COVID-19 numbers are plummeting statewide, but on Texas’ southern border with Mexico, Laredo is still battling its fourth surge.

Texas falls short, again, of the pandemic record for COVID-19 hospitalizations, while daily deaths are expected to continue rising for several more days.

A staffing crisis and the surge from the omicron variant have pushed the number of Texas ICU beds to a new record low. The shortage affects not just patients with the coronavirus, but every Texan seeking serious medical care.

HCA Healthcare is planning to expand its number of hospitals in Texas.

Texas will soon surpass its previous COVID-19 hospitalization record. Doctors and nurses say they can’t keep up this pace for much longer and implore people to get vaccinated.

“The situation in Texas is that it probably won’t reach the peak [for cases] until the second half of January,” a top researcher said.

Darrell Pile with SETRAC is concerned that this current surge will surpass all of those prior.

Health officials are asking people to stop visiting hospitals for testing and avoid adding an additional strain on the state’s health care system.

Some hospitals are better prepared than they were early in the pandemic, but administrators say staff morale still stands on shaky ground.

Illinois hospitals are being flooded with patients more than at any other time of the pandemic, a Tribune analysis of state data has found, with fewer beds open now than during the deadliest COVID-19 surge a year earlier.

Charities say they have been inundated with calls from worried immunosuppressed people.

Escuche al Dr. Ivan Meléndez disipar la desinformación que corre entre la población de habla hispana.

Some hospitals are racing to vaccinate their staff as COVID cases continue to rise.

Stuck between Biden's and Abbott’s competing vaccine rules for employees, public hospitals consider their next move even as most private systems already require vaccination for employees.

With hospitals being full, emergency room doctors are asking patients not to go to the ER just to take a COVID test.

Pediatric hospitals are "at or near capacity" and expect to see more young COVID-19 patients as the school year resumes, according to the Children's Hospital Association.

Stressed health workers are now confronting volatile visitors and patients. “The verbal abuse, the name-calling, racial slurs … we’ve had broken bones, broken noses,” said one hospital official in Dallas.

So far the state has paid to hire more than 8,000 contract health care workers as hospitalizations from COVID-19 in Texas approach the record set last winter.

More than a year into the pandemic, a doctor at Houston's United Memorial Medical Center said some of his nurses have left for higher paying jobs.

Health experts expect the situation to get worse in September.

After increasing in January due to the COVID-19 omicron variant, the number of hospitals reporting full ICU units declined after falling short of the August peak, which was caused by the delta variant.

The small districts aren’t fighting Gov. Greg Abbott’s mask rules, but fears for staff, students and local medical facilities are driving them to fight COVID-19 with temporary closures.

With multiple hospitals in the Houston area dealing with staffing issues, the Harris Health System received some much-needed help on Thursday.

Indiana hospitals are admitting more COVID patients who are unvaccinated.

Indiana hospitals are admitting more COVID patients who are unvaccinated.

As medical professionals continue dealing with a surge in COVID-19 patients, the impact is certainly being felt across Houston-area hospitals.

Tennessee hospitals are struggling to keep up as COVID cases climb.

Tennessee hospitals are struggling to keep up as COVID cases climb.

Healthcare workers react to the growing rise of Covid patients in US hospitals despite vaccines.

Sheyla Moraes, an intensive care nurse, says this latest surge of the coronavirus pandemic is particularly draining because it was preventable. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast.

The number of COVID-19 patients being treated continues to increase every day.

Some Florida hospitals have paused elective procedures to refocus resources towards COVID patients.

More children are being treated in Texas hospitals for COVID-19 than ever before, and an unseasonable outbreak of respiratory syncytial virus is adding to the stress on children’s hospitals.

County commissioners approved up to $9M to help pay nurses to help staff at overflowing hospitals

The number of COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals is rising too fast for hospitals to keep up with, hospital leaders told state lawmakers Tuesday.

In 2016, an independent study commissioned by the city of Houston called for 70 “peak time” ambulances to be added to the Houston Fire Department in order to effectively serve the city’s population.

"This surge is by far the fastest and most aggressive that we've seen," said the health authority for Austin and Travis County, who urged eligible Texans to get vaccinated.

The lack of available nurses has driven up salaries and created a heated, competitive job market as thousands of positions remain open throughout Texas.

The average number of new daily coronavirus cases over seven days in Illinois topped 2,000 on Tuesday for the first time since early May.

Some hospitals are changing visitation policies as COVID cases continue to rise.

While supporting mandatory vaccines for nurses, Texas Nurses Association officials say nurses do have the right to chose, but they also have the right to choose a different career field that doesn’t put themselves and others in harm’s way.

More rural hospitals are facing closures amid the pandemic.

Indonesian health authorities have announced the country’s largest one-day jump in new coronavirus infections, as the country’s number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began crosses 2 million

Hospitals are planning ahead as many physicians near retiring age.

As the pandemic stressed health care systems, hospitals saw more attempted data hacks.

Many hospitals were forced to close down or file for bankruptcy in 2020.

After years of studying how to practice medicine, they quickly learned how to treat COVID-19 patients, relay difficult news to loved ones and manage their own mental health during a pandemic.

Some U.S. hospitals are abandoning the use of convalescent plasma to treat severely ill COVID patients.

Houston – KPRC 2 Investigates sent a poll to area hospitals asking about healthcare worker vaccine rates. Each hospital that responded to the poll said COVID-19 vaccines were offered to 100% of its healthcare workers. Baylor College of Medicine reported a 79.6% vaccination rate. Texas Children’s Hospital reported a 78% vaccination rate. Cuero Regional Hospital had the lowest vaccination rate in the poll.

Dr. David Persse, Houston’s chief medical officer, spoke about various medical situations he has seen pop up during the winter storm. You can find a list of warming centers here. Dialysis patientsPersse said people who need dialysis may be having trouble getting their treatment because many of the dialysis centers are dealing with power outages and low water pressure. In the meantime, some providers may direct their patients to other dialysis centers that do have the ability to provide treatment. Outpatient clinicsPersse said most outpatient clinics are dealing with power outages and water issues just like everyone else.

HOUSTON – Oren Murphy is a former minesweeper for the U.S. Navy and 60 years later, he is navigating the deadly challenge of COVID-19. KPRC 2 Investigates discovered foreign nationals who have traveled to Houston and elsewhere are getting vaccinated. Dr. Joseph Varon of United Memorial Medical Center says he first heard of foreign nationals receiving vaccines intended for Texans here in Houston at the end of last month. Following a roundtable meeting with public officials on Tuesday, we asked Houston Methodist CEO Marc Boom about foreign nationals out of the county on hospital databases who are receiving vaccines. Back home in Houston, Boom told KPRC 2 Investigates, “There have been 60,000 people vaccinated.

HOUSTON – Employees at The Heights Hospital said they couldn’t get into the building Monday when they showed up for work. “We came to work and we were locked out,” said clinical coordinator Barbie Ortega. One indicates more than $322,000 in back rent, and the other indicates more than $948,000 in back rent. She said patients still showed up so staffers took matters into their own hands, treating what they could in the parking lot. The hospital’s website is currently down and some employees said they do not know if they will still get paid.

Southern California hospitals overwhelmed amid worsening pandemic Coronavirus cases are rising in 40 states while California hospitals are overwhelmed from a surge of infected patients putting them at a breaking point. Lilia Luciano reports.

HOUSTON – Health experts at Memorial Hermann Hospital and Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center say they’re prepared for what may come in the next few weeks. “We certainly continue to ask for help from the people of greater Houston help us stop this disease. On Tuesday, the Texas Medical Center reported 4,515 new cases and 388 new hospitalizations. Several hospitals in our area already have plans in place if the numbers get worse. Both hospitals also have additional staff, agencies and traveling workers who are ready to help out.

HOUSTON – The Houston area officially crossed Tuesday the hospitalization threshold that triggers a rollback in reopenings for the area, and the state has sent letters to county judges informing them of the requirement. Greg Abbott’s reopening order that requires, among other things, bars to close and restaurants to reduce capacity to 50%. ‘Wake-up call’Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said she expected Tuesday’s numbers to push the region over the threshold. Pamela Hillhouse, who owns Mel’s Place on Airline Drive, said she had to use more money to get a license and products to serve food. Stella Birchfield, the head bartender at Mel’s Place, said she chose to retire from her other work and spent years working at the bar, taking care of regular patrons.

Hospitals in crisis amid record number of coronavirus cases Health systems across the country are overwhelmed as coronavirus cases continue to climb amid the holiday season. In California, hospitals are running out of beds and rooms to treat patients. Carter Evans shares more.

Hospitals brace for COVID-19 surge after holiday travel The crush of holiday travelers is prompting fears of another surge in coronavirus cases. Carter Evans has the latest.

Hospitals to begin COVID-19 vaccine distribution today Hospitals around the country are expected to start giving COVID-19 vaccinations to health care workers today. Dr. Stephen Parodi, associate executive director of the Permanente Medical Group at Kaiser Permanente, joins CBSN AM to talk about rolling out the vaccine.

Hospitals practice for unprecedented coronavirus vaccine distribution Hospital workers across the country are practicing how to distribute the coronavirus vaccine once the shipments from Pfizer arrive. Meg Oliver takes a closer look.

It will be up to hospitals and care facilities that receive the vaccine to determine who in the top-priority group will be vaccinated first, DuPage County Director of Community Health Resources Chris Hoff said. Most likely emergency room and ICU staff, COVID-19 care unit workers and those who handle inpatient services will receive the first shots, he said.

Though the hospitals are not named in the complaint, a spokeswoman for the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City confirmed officials there contacted the U.S. Attorney’s office and the Federal Bureau of Investigations “after At Diagnostics did not return the funds sent in escrow when the purchase was canceled.”

While at least seven local hospital campuses are now closed, at least three emergency rooms remain open. They do not anticipate the closed hospital campuses, which include outpatient, wellness centers and orthopedic hospitals, to reopen until at least Friday. Flood gates securedOfficials at the Texas Medical Center in Houston closed the flood gates Wednesday afternoon. Per emergency recommendations, the metal doors close eight hours before any storm makes nearby landfall. Research and our teaching activities within this building were completely halted for many weeks,” said Scott Patlovich, UT Health Assistant VP Environmental Health and Safety.

HOUSTON – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has fast-tracked a promising drug to treat COVID-19 patients and it is in trial at Houston Methodist Hospital. The drug is called RLF-100 and is also known as aviptadil. It has been approved by the FDA for emergency use at multiple clinical sites in patients who are too ill to enter the FDA’s Phase 2/3 trials. According to a press release from the drug maker NeuroRX, independent researchers have reported that aviptadil blocked replication of the SARS coronavirus in human lung cells and monocytes. The drug has been successful in reducing lung inflammation and so the FDA now says any doctor at any hospital can request this treatment to help severely ill COVID-19 patients.

HOUSTON – Leaders from the four largest hospital systems in Houston said Thursday that they are in good shape to handle a surge of coronavirus patients if it happens. Still, CEOs from four leading hospitals in the medical center say they’re prepared to handle surge capacity. Houston hospital leaders discuss capacity Houston-area hospital leaders are discussing capacity at their facilities amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, the hospitals in the Texas Medical Center are equipped to deal with a surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations. “What they are showing is an increase in cases, increase in hospitalizations, increase in intensive care unit stays, and an increase in deaths for the next couple of months,” he said.

___In Guinea, oxygen is a costly challenge for government-funded medical facilities such as the Donka public hospital in the capital, Conakry. Courts have sentenced about a dozen people for selling and stockpiling unauthorized oxygen cylinders, often at exorbitant prices. “The amount of oxygen being brought here isn’t enough.”In Sierra Leone, neighboring Guinea, just three medical oxygen plants serve 17 million people. Everyone is counting on the hospital’s oxygen plant to start up, but no one knows when. Julhas Alam in Dhaka, Bangladesh; Christine Armario in Bogota, Colombia; and Youssouf Bah in Conakry, Guinea, contributed to this report.

HOUSTON – Intensive Care Units at hospitals throughout the Houston area could surpass total occupancy as soon as Thursday, according to data released by the Texas Medical Center. Data released Wednesday placed the ICU occupancy percentage at 97% of which 27% are COVID-19 patients. The current growth trajectory for coronavirus in the Houston area suggests ICU surge capacity could be exceeded within the next two weeks. After an ICU reaches its capacity, a hospital will use other spaces to house ICU patients. An unsustained surge means a hospital no longer has space in-house for ICU patients, meaning patients could be housed elsewhere.

HOUSTON – At the United Memorial Medical Center, the COVID-19 surge is not numbers and statistics. That day, doctors and nurses struggled to save an 82-year-old man with a history of heart disease whose heart had stopped. The same scene plays out daily, at this small hospital in a low-income north Houston neighborhood that primarily treats minority patients. I’m a hundred percent sure it’s going to happen.”The increased patient count at this ward shows the spike has already begun. However, the governor insists that even with the surge in cases, Texas has enough hospital beds and ventilators to accommodate the increase of new cases.

HOUSTON – As Texas continues to reopen, many areas, including the greater Houston area, have seen a slow climb in the number of new coronavirus cases reported each day and coronavirus-related hospitalizations. Since Memorial Day, the state has also seen increases in the number of people testing positive for the virus. He also said Texas has “abundant” hospital capacity at present the goal is to keep it that way. See the SETRAC coronavirus and hospital capacity dashboard below:How to use this interactive dashboard:The dashboard has six sets of charts that range from a daily COVID-19 tracker to hospital bed capacity. Click through the buttons at the top or the slides at the bottom to see all the charts from SETRAC.

Are American hospitals ready to fight Ebola? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is assuring the public that the nation's hospitals stand ready to handle cases of Ebola, but in a survey, nurses across the country say they fear their hospitals are not ready. John Blackstone reports.