Clock is ticking for local governments to use billions of dollars of federal pandemic aid

Clock is ticking for local governments to use billions of dollars of federal pandemic aid

From the looks of it, the Phoenix suburb of Gilbert hasn’t done too much with the $24 million it received in federal pandemic aid. The site where it plans to spend most of the money for a crime victims center remains an empty plot of dirt. And just one-quarter of its funds are obligated for … Read more

Feds rarely punish hospitals for turning away pregnant patients

Feds rarely punish hospitals for turning away pregnant patients

As the pregnant woman’s contractions rolled in every two minutes, staff at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, dispatched an ambulance to send her elsewhere. Just two minutes later, she gave birth to a 6-pound baby girl in the cab of the ambulance down the road from the 900-bed … Read more

Walgreens to pay $106M to settle allegations it submitted false payment claims for prescriptions

Walgreens to pay 6M to settle allegations it submitted false payment claims for prescriptions

WASHINGTON — Walgreens has agreed to pay $106 million to settle lawsuits that alleged the pharmacy chain submitted false payment claims with government health care programs for prescriptions that were never dispensed. The settlement announced on Friday resolves lawsuits filed in New Mexico, Texas and Florida on behalf of three people who had worked in … Read more

Boar’s Head closing Virginia plant linked to deadly listeria outbreak

Boar’s Head closing Virginia plant linked to deadly listeria outbreak

Boar’s Head said Friday it’s closing the Virginia plant tied to a deadly listeria outbreak. The Sarasota, Florida-based company said it will also permanently discontinue production of liverwurst, the product that was linked to the deaths of at least nine people and hospitalizations of about 50 others in 18 states. Boar’s Head expressed regret and … Read more

Hospital shaving elderly Sikh patient without consent ‘cannot happen again’: WSO

Hospital shaving elderly Sikh patient without consent ‘cannot happen again’: WSO

An Ontario hospital network is investigating an incident from last month in which an older Sikh patient’s beard was shaved off without his consent, a move that has been condemned by the Sikh community as a severe breach of religious rights. As the investigation unfolds, Balpreet Singh, legal counsel and spokesperson for the World Sikh … Read more

The Bird Flu Outbreak Takes a Mysterious Turn

The Bird Flu Outbreak Takes a Mysterious Turn

This year in the United States, 14 people have tested positive for avian influenza, or bird flu. Nine of those became infected after coming into contact with poultry, and four got the virus from exposure to dairy cows. The source of the remaining, most recent case remains a mystery. The Centers for Disease Control and … Read more

Nebraska AG alleges thousands of invalid signatures on pot ballot petitions, with 1 man charged

Nebraska AG alleges thousands of invalid signatures on pot ballot petitions, with 1 man charged

Nebraska’s Republican attorney general said Friday that supporters of two measures to legalize medical marijuana could have submitted at least “several thousand” invalid signatures to get them on the ballot, suggesting that the issue ultimately could keep the proposals from becoming law. Attorney General Mike Hilgers made the statement during a Zoom news conference with … Read more

Austrian woman is found guilty of fatally infecting her neighbor with COVID-19

Austrian woman is found guilty of fatally infecting her neighbor with COVID-19

A woman in Austria has been found guilty of fatally infecting her neighbor with COVID-19 in 2021, her second pandemic-related conviction in a year, according to local media VIENNA — A woman in Austria was found guilty of fatally infecting her neighbor with COVID-19 in 2021, her second pandemic-related conviction in a year, according to … Read more