- Alabama: The Mobile County Health Department on Monday confirmed the fourth case of a flesh-eating bacteria called vibrio vulnificus. The bacteria is one of several that causes the vibriosis illness in humans, the symptoms of which include diarrhea, cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills—as well as a skin infection when an open wound is bared in brackish water or saltwater. Two of the four cases in Mobile County involved people who were infected after eating raw oysters, while the other two were related to open-wound exposure to water in Alabama (Zimmerman, Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality ,7/11).
- Ohio: Mercy Medical Center has selected Paul Hiltz to serve as interim CEO. Hiltz succeeds Thomas Cecconi, who will be retiring. Previously, Hiltz worked as a senior adviser for the Mercy Health System and as president and CEO of Community Mercy Health Partners (Vaidya, Becker's Hospital Review, 7/11).
- Oregon: The Oregon Legislature last week sent to Gov. Kate Brown (D) a bill that would reclassify possession of certain drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine as a misdemeanor instead of a felony. According to lawmakers, the bill aims to redirect people who misuse drugs from prison to drug treatment programs. The bill also aims to curb racial profiling by using data collection and analysis to help police departments become more aware of any policies they have that might encourage racial disparities (Lewis, Washington Post, 7/11).
Reduce opioid misuse and abuse with our new report
Opioid misuse and abuse is one of the most pressing public health issues in the U.S., and hospitals and health systems are on the front lines. Currently, most health systems focus their opioid management efforts on select medical specialties, and providers typically intervene only after the patient has shown signs of misuse and addiction.
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