Month: May 2011

Today an estimated 100,000 Americans — two-thirds of them women — undergo the treatment for major depression and other severe mental illnesses each year. That's about triple the number of procedures at ECT's lowest point, in 1980, when an onslaught of new anti-psychotic drugs as well as public stigma toward the treatment — driven in significant part by movies like "Cuckoo's Nest" — led to a dramatic drop in its usage. (CAPITAL TIMES, 5/18)

The Senate approved a bill Tuesday to ban the use and sale of synthetic marijuana and certain bath salts that have been abused as drugs. Synthetic marijuana, sold under names like K2 and Spice, mimics the effects of marijuana and can cause side effects that include increased heart rate and blood pressure, vomiting, tremors, seizures and extreme anxiety. The bill would also put restrictions on drugs like cathinone, a stimulant found in some bath salts that law enforcement says is increasingly being abused. (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 5/18)

Children's Hospital and Health System and the Next Door Foundation will hold a grand opening ceremony on Wednesday for their expanded primary care clinic in the Metcalfe Park neighborhood in Milwaukee. The clinic, which cost about $1.9 million to build and $470,000 to equip, will include a dental clinic staffed by up to two dentists, one hygienist, two dental assistants and a secretary, according to Children's Hospital. (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 5/17)

Gov. Scott Walker has told a judge he wants to stop defending Wisconsin’s domestic partner registry in court because he doesn’t believe it’s constitutional. The listing grants same-sex couples legal rights such as the right to visit each other in hospitals, make end-of-life decisions and inherit each other’s property, although supporters insist the registry doesn’t come close to bestowing all the rights that come with marriage. (AP, 5/17)

An ongoing national effort to improve health care is finding diabetics in Wisconsin are getting amputations that may have been preventable. Different people with the same conditions may not get the same health care. Analysts like Chris Queram are finding this out as they get better at measuring and comparing treatments. Queram is with the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality, one of 16 organizations in the U.S. given grants by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to find ways to improve care. (WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO, 5/17)

Walker's budget puts a freeze on Family Care that would go into effect June 20. Those who still are on waiting lists June 20 or sign up for the program after that date would have to wait until the freeze ends in two years or until someone leaves the program, opening up space. (WAUSAU DAILY HERALD, 5/16)

With thousands of Wisconsinites out of work, financial stress has increased on safety net programs like BadgerCare Plus. The rising cost of health care has been a major contributor to Wisconsin's state budget shortfall. The shortfall has been projected at $3.6 billion, although this past week a new economic forecast said the state will receive $636 million more in tax collections than expected. (APPLETON POST CRESCENT, 5/16)

Columbia St. Mary's Inc. has laid off members of its senior leadership team, including David Olson, president of the system's Ozaukee hospital. As part of the restructuring, Karol Marciano, executive vice president of business development and chief strategy officer, and Amy Marquardt, vice president of legal affairs and general counsel, were also laid off. (MILWAUKEE BUSINESS JOURNAL, 5/13)

With backing from the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, the Wisconsin Medical Society and the Brain Injury Association of Wisconsin, Rep. Jason Fields (D-Milwaukee) on Thursday introduced a bill that would require an athlete who is suspected of suffering a concussion to not be allowed to return to play until cleared by a health-care provider. “Concussions among professional athletes get a great deal of attention, but studies have found it is the young athlete who is more susceptible to the effects and often take longer to recover from a concussion,” Fields said. “I am pleased to partner with the WIAA to put policies in place to help coaches, parents and athletes manage concussions and brain injuries.” (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 5/13)