SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California's minimum wage will jump to $15.50 per hour next year, Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration announced Thursday, an increase triggered by soaring inflation that will benefit about 3 million workers.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a COVID-19-linked bill requiring health care centers to allow in-person visitations, as the Republican announced he approved dozens of other measures passed during this year's legislative session.
NEW YORK (AP) — Nursing home residents are subjected to ineffective care and poor staffing, while facility finances are shrouded in secrecy and regulatory lapses go unenforced, according to a report Wednesday that called for wholesale changes in an industry whose failures have been spotlighted by the pandemic.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's says Kansas won't enforce a federal mandate that nursing home workers get vaccinated against COVID-19, acknowledging Wednesday that it conflicts with an anti-mandate state law she signed four months ago.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Hospital executives on Thursday urged New Mexico's governor to sign off on a health care spending proposal that would devote $171 million to shoring up labor costs at hospitals and nursing homes.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will use his State of the Union speech to launch a major overhaul of nursing home quality, including minimum staffing levels and steps to beef up inspections while continuing to keep COVID-19 at bay.
PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech government agreed Wednesday to further ease coronavirus restrictions as the wave of infections caused by the highly transmissible omicron variant has been receding.
Health Minister Vlastimil Valek said all limits on the number of people attending any public gatherings, including sports matches and concerts, will be lifted on March 1.
Health care workers in about half the states face a Thursday deadline to get their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine under a Biden administration mandate that will be rolled out across the rest of the country in the coming weeks.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Shining a light on key markers for nursing home quality, Medicare said Wednesday it is now posting details on staff turnover and weekend nurse coverage on its “Care Compare” website, where families can research a facility.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill Friday extending executive orders that help address crippling shortages of medical personnel and nursing home workers.
One order allows hospital staff to perform a broader range of duties.
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's health director on Thursday ordered nursing homes to offer on-site booster shots to residents who are not up to date on the COVID-19 vaccine in a state that lags others in vaccinating people in long-term care facilities.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order Thursday intended to continue offering hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers extra flexibility as they deal with the latest COVID-19 surge driven by the highly contagious omicron variant.
COVID-19 infections are soaring again at U.S. nursing homes because of the omicron wave, and deaths are climbing too, leading to new restrictions on family visits and a renewed push to get more residents and staff members vaccinated and boosted.
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration disputed the methodology and conclusions in a pending report that is expected to say there were thousands more coronavirus-related deaths tied to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities in Michigan than reported by the state health department.
LONDON (AP) — U.K. government advisers have recommended against giving a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine to nursing home residents and people over 80 because data shows that a third shot offers lasting protection against admission to the hospital.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday eased or suspended Kansas licensing rules for medical personnel and nursing home workers in hopes of making it easier for them to attack staffing shortages during a surge of new COVID-19 cases.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials on Thursday pressed nursing home workers to get their booster shots amid a spike in COVID-19 cases among staffers and a concerning lag in booster vaccination for residents and staff.