Latest news with #healthcareworkers
Times
11 hours ago
- Health
- Times
Wards ‘completely demolished' after Iran hits Israeli hospital
Doctors and nurses on the ground floor at Soroka Medical Center, southern Israel, were preparing to treat their first patients of the day when the air raid sirens wailed. Then an Iranian ballistic missile crashed into the roof. 'We heard a massive boom and the door blew in,' a healthcare worker said. When they had recovered, she and her colleagues sprinted up flights of stairs to the wards, where bedridden patients were terrified. 'We had to carry them down … to the shelters,' another hospital employee said. The missile destroyed the top floors of the building at the rear of the hospital in Beersheba, 60 miles from Jerusalem. An Israeli soldier at the scene shrugged when asked what she had seen. 'It's all destroyed there,' she said. Oscar, an elderly patient in a wheelchair outside the hospital, was waiting to be taken to safety. 'It was chaos,' he said. 'Nurses were crying, patients were crying, it felt as if the whole room was shaking.' Shlomi Kodesh, the hospital director, said 40 people were slightly injured in the attack and several wards were 'demolished'. Hospital staff said most patients had already been moved to safe spaces. Jonathan, a member of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), said the upper two floors of the building 'were empty' when the missile hit. The Israeli military has accused Iran of deliberately aiming a missile strike at the hospital. Iran earlier claimed it targeted a military site close to the hospital, not the hospital itself. • However, Brigadier General Effie Defrin, an Israel Defence Forces spokesman, said on Thursday: 'Let there be no doubt, the Iranian regime deliberately and maliciously fired at the hospital and population centre with the intent to harm civilians. This is state-sponsored terrorism and a blatant violation of international law.' The head of the World Health Organisation, which has repeatedly criticised Israel for bombing hospitals in Gaza, condemned the Iranian missile attack as 'appalling'. Israel has defended its bombing of hospitals in Gaza as the only way to destroy what it claims are Hamas bases underneath medical facilities. The United Nations said Israel had not provided sufficient evidence in many cases. AMIR COHEN/REUTERS Israel Katz, the defence minister, accused Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, of giving the order to attack the hospital. 'Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist,' he said. The barrage also hit a residential area of Tel Aviv and a financial district close to the city. Health officials said more than 240 people were taken to hospital across Israel, with four in a serious condition. Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, said in Beersheba the threat of missiles from Iran, as well as its nuclear programme, would be eliminated. 'Iran will pay a heavy price,' he added. More than 20 people have been killed in Israel by Iranian missiles since last week. Among them was a seven-year-old girl from Odesa, Ukraine, who was being treated for blood cancer. Another four family members were also killed. Nastia Borik, her mother, Maria, 30; her grandmother, Olena, 60; and two of her cousins, Konstantin Totvich, nine, and Illia Peshkurov, 13, were killed when Iranian missiles hit the city of Bat Yam on June 14. Their identities were not immediately reported. The girl's father, Artyom, is reportedly fighting at the front in Ukraine. He had helped raise money for his daughter to fly to Israel for treatment. The Ukrainian embassy in Israel confirmed that five of its citizens had died in the attack. Thursday's Iranian attacks came after several days of relative calm in Israel that had led to hopes among locals that Tehran was running out of ballistic missiles. As the war continued Netanyahu assured Israelis: 'With God's help, we will win.' Ultra-orthodox Jews, however, see the conflict as evidence of the impending end of the world. 'This is the start of the end of days,' said Meriev, a woman who lives near the hospital in Beersheba. 'After this war, God will send a new temple.'
Forbes
a day ago
- Health
- Forbes
Five Ways Medicaid Work Requirements Could Harm Small Businesses
Healthcare worker filling in a form with a patient during a home health visit Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget reconciliation package that includes hundreds of billions in dollars to cuts in Medicaid that are projected to leave millions of Americans without health insurance. The majority of these cuts will come from more stringent work requirements mandating that Medicaid recipients either work, volunteer, or be enrolled in school for at least 80 hours a month. Legislation proposed in the Senate would expand the requirement to teenagers and make even more cuts to Medicaid. While this is promoted as an effort to eliminate waste, it is important to note that the majority of Americans enrolled in Medicaid are already working. However, if you are an adult in Bradshaw, WV, or New Orleans Ninth Ward and you suddenly lose your job, you cannot immediately enroll in courses at a community college or begin volunteering at a nonprofit. Even on the off-chance that those opportunities are available, it may still be logistically and financially impossible for you to do so. At the state level, Medicaid work requirements have also historically led to unintended disenrollments. For example, Georgia last year denied nearly percent of applicants because they reported less than the required 80 hours per month or did not sufficiently verify their hours. The truth is that Main Streets and communities across the country, especially underserved ones, rely on the stability of the consistent healthcare coverage that Medicaid provides. If these cuts and work requirements go into effect, here are five ways that it could negatively impact small businesses and their employees. 1. Threat to Coverage for Working Low-Income Employees A recent survey of small businesses found that nearly three in five have owners, employees, or family members who rely on Medicaid or CHIP coverage. Many workers in small businesses are already meeting these proposed work requirement thresholds, but their hours fluctuate, especially in the retail and hospitality sectors. Some – including U.S. citizens – may not have proper documentation to verify work, especially gig, cash-based, or shift workers. That being said, even if they are working and their hours dip or they miss a month reporting them, they could still lose coverage. More employees becoming uninsured would ultimately lead to worse health outcomes and higher absenteeism, not only hurting small businesses, but communities as well. 'If Congress cuts funding for Medicaid benefits, Missouri workers and their children will lose their health care. And hospitals will close. It's that simple. And that pattern will be replicated in states across the country,' Senator Josh Hawley [R-MO] 2. Administrative Burdens and Red Tape While there has been so much talk around government efficiency as of late, work requirements can be even more bureaucratic and usually involve complex reporting systems. Many small business workers may not have digital access or face language barriers when missing paperwork or tech errors can result in automatic loss of coverage. This means small businesses may see more turnover or have to step in to assist with compliance even if they do not have the capacity to do so. 3. Reduced Workforce Participation Losing Medicaid could make it harder to stay healthy or afford to work—especially in physically demanding jobs. Because of this, caregivers, older workers, and people with chronic illnesses may find it hard to meet these more rigid work requirements and just choose to stay on Medicaid without working. That same survey found that 43% of small business owners predict higher employee turnover. This will shrink the available labor pool and make it harder for small businesses to hire and retain talent. 4. Increased Costs for Small Businesses When employees lose Medicaid, they may skip needed care and show up sick or not at all. Some workers may ask their employers to step in with health coverage or unexpected healthcare costs, which will either be very expensive or unaffordable, leaving them in a lose-lose situation. Most small business owners are already bracing for this, as the survey found that more than half said they would face new pressure to provide employee healthcare coverage, directly hitting their bottom line. 5. Disproportionate Impact on Rural and Underserved Areas Many businesses in rural areas or marginalized communities rely on Medicaid to keep their staff and customers healthy. The proposed work requirements could strip coverage from people in areas that have less job opportunities, where their only means of transportation is their car. Medicaid work requirements may seem like a way to encourage employment, but in practice, they could harm the very workforce small businesses rely on and disrupt the morale of their communities and local economies. There are a number of legislative steps ahead before these cuts would become law and it would be worth lawmakers time to see how they would truly impact Main Streets in their districts.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Health
- Telegraph
NHS staff want right to stop working if it gets too hot
Doctors want the right to go on 'heat strike' as temperatures are set to soar. They have argued that NHS staff should not be forced to work in conditions above a certain temperature. A surge of hot weather will see temperatures increase to more than 30C this week and over the weekend, prompting a health warning from officials. A motion put forward by members of the British Medical Association (BMA) is calling on the union to demand that the NHS adopts a 'national maximum workplace temperature'. It said the BMA should support staff to take 'heat strike action' if the temperature rises any higher than that, allowing all non-essential staff to walk out. Just how high will temperatures get? 🌡️ Here's a look at when the peak temperatures may occur where you are over the next few days 📈 — Met Office (@metoffice) June 18, 2025 A threshold should be set using available evidence, it added. Some estimates suggest that staff concentration is affected from 24C, while the NHS says vulnerable patients could suffer at 26C. The proposals, which also call for funding to keep NHS buildings cool enough to work, have been put forward by the BMA's London regional council to be voted on at its annual meeting next week. It said that there was 'evidence linking workplace heat to stress, poor health outcomes, reduced performance and decreased patient safety' and that the 'escalating climate and health emergency is increasing the frequency and severity of heatwaves in the UK, such that extreme working temperatures are very likely to become ever more common'. Resident doctors – formerly known as junior doctors – are currently balloting on taking strike action over pay again, arguing that the 5.4 per cent average pay increase this year should be closer to 30 per cent. The doctors went on a five-day strike last summer after temperatures hit 30C, causing 'major disruption' to NHS services, according to health service bosses. Yellow heat health alerts have been issued for most of England as temperatures could reach 33C by the weekend, with the UK Health Security Agency warning that the weather could have an impact on people's health and put pressure on services. Data for 2022-23 found that there had been more 6,800 cases of wards or clinical areas exceeding 26C, which the NHS says puts vulnerable patients at risk because they 'are physiologically unable to cool themselves efficiently'. This was up by almost a quarter on the year before, and more than double the 2,980 incidents that occurred in 2016-17. Patients aged 65 and over or with pre-existing health conditions, such as those affecting the lungs or heart, are at higher risk from overheating, which can lead to heat exhaustion and, if untreated, develop into heatstroke, which requires emergency intervention to cool the body. Hot wards and clinical areas can also affect patient care in other, less direct ways. Overheating has in the past caused issues with refrigerators used to store medicines, the failure of essential hospital equipment and the crashing of IT systems that hold patient information. A heatwave in July 2022 saw temperatures hit record highs of 40C, which caused computer systems at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London, one of the NHS's biggest hospital trusts, to fail. 'Starved of capital investment' Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents health organisations, said the NHS estate had been 'starved of capital investment', which has left 'many of the buildings crumbling and in urgent need of repairs'. He added: 'We know that during heatwaves issues with inadequate ventilation can cause challenges with dealing with extreme heat. 'This could have a detrimental impact on staff and patient wellbeing and hinder productivity unless organisations have the funding and capacity to fix faulty ventilation systems.' Mr Taylor added that a lack of investment to improve the NHS estate in the spending review had made it 'even more vital for NHS leaders to have access to other sources of capital funding, particularly from the private sector, in order to boost NHS productivity and keep patients well'. A report produced by Round Our Way, a campaign group, stated: 'In addition to patient distress, high temperatures also pose an occupational health risk to NHS staff.' It cited evidence that the 'cognitive performance' of doctors and nurses decreased at high, or even mild temperatures of 24C, lowering their productivity. Issues with building design Experts have also found that as many as nine in 10 hospital wards are at risk of overheating because of the design of buildings. With a third of the NHS estate built before 1965 – more than 50 years before the recording of overheating incidents began – the buildings are primarily designed to keep heat in. Daniel Elkeles, the chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said that 'heatwaves pile more pressure on stretched NHS services' and that 'welfare of the workforce is always a top priority'. He said: 'A lot of ageing NHS buildings and equipment – with almost £14 billion needed for essential repairs – aren't built to cope with very hot weather.' He said the whole of the NHS – not just hospitals – needed 'much more national investment in infrastructure to be able to handle extreme weather and reduce disruption'.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Researchers make concerning discovery in blood of firefighters and health care workers: 'Potential sources of exposure remain unclear'
There are heroes who put their lives and health on the line to protect others every day. We want those brave and selfless people to be celebrated and protected as much as possible, so it's a huge problem to discover that they're more at risk than we previously knew. Unfortunately, it turns out that firefighters and health care workers have above-average levels of toxic PFAS in their bodies, and we're not sure why, reported the University of Arizona. A recent study published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology looked at the levels of multiple perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the blood of various essential workers. It found that firefighters and health care workers had elevated levels of certain PFAS compared with other groups. The study had 1,960 participants, including 280 firefighters, 787 health care workers, and 734 other essential workers. It took place over three years. During that time, the overall level of PFAS in the blood samples studied declined but was still significant. "Our study reinforces previous research showing elevated PFAS levels among firefighters and suggests that health care workers may have unique sources of PFAS exposure as well," said senior author Kate Ellingson, a professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, per the University of Arizona. "Our findings underscore the need to understand occupational exposure pathways for PFAS among different types of workers." PFAS are toxic substances also known as "forever chemicals" because they essentially never break down in the environment or the body. Instead, they build up. PFAS are used in a wide range of products, especially ones that are water- or stain-resistant. They pollute our water and soil and cause a wide range of serious health effects. "Almost all adults in the U.S. have detectable levels of certain PFAS, and people in occupations with more frequent exposure to PFAS-containing materials have been shown to exhibit higher serum concentrations of some PFAS," said co-author Jeff Burgess, a professor and the director of the Center for Firefighter Health Collaborative Research at the Zuckerman College of Public Health, per the University of Arizona. "Research into occupational exposure to PFAS is vital to reduce the health risks associated with PFAS, including but not limited to increases in rates of certain cancers, increases in cholesterol levels, lower antibody response to certain immunizations, and increased rates of certain adverse reproductive outcomes." Identifying the issue is the first step in addressing it. "To date, PFAS exposure in health care settings has not been widely studied, and the potential sources of exposure remain unclear," said Ellingson. "Therefore, it's important to further examine specific exposure routes and health consequences for firefighters and health care workers." Scientists are also working on ways to destroy PFAS. Do you worry about having toxic forever chemicals in your home? Majorly Sometimes Not really I don't know enough about them Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Health PEI, CUPE workers reach tentative three-year agreement
Health PEI and members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) have reached a tentative three-year collective agreement that includes wage increases and service retention premiums. The agreement is retroactive to April 1, 2023 and will run until March 31, 2026, according to a news release from Health PEI. Members from CUPE Locals 805, 1051, 1778 and 1779 will vote on the agreement next Tuesday. Combined, the four CUPE Locals represent more than 1,300 health-care workers in P.E.I. They work in laundry, maintenance, dietary, housekeeping and more. 'It has been a very difficult five years for our members. We went through COVID-19, rising living costs, staff shortages, and more than two years without a contract,' said Robyn Sharpe, president of CUPE Local 1051, in the release. 'This investment recognizes the critical role our members play in the health system and gives them the respect and support they deserve.' The agreement includes: general wage increases of 10.5 per cent across three years a $5.50/hour wage grid reset to improve competitiveness and address wage compression service retention premiums of two per cent after 10 years of service and an additional two per cent after 15 years increased shift premiums a $500 retiree return incentive a full-time commitment pay of $1.07/hour worked 'This was one of the most difficult rounds of negotiations we've faced, but it resulted in a historic agreement that our members have earned,' said John MacKenzie, chief shop steward for Local 805. 'I am not the only one who feels that this deal will be life-changing for workers. It's an exceptionally good deal, and I'm happy to see that Health PEI and the Province are investing in their front-line staff.' For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
