The Sports Medicine Advisory Committee of Florida’s High School Athletics Association (FHSAA) drafted a new physical evaluation form last month that would make menstruation questions mandatory for high school athletes. Public concerns include transgender athletes being banned from participation in sports, and the in-depth tracking of menstruation during a time when states are cracking down … Read more
The Florida House’s Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee met last week, where they were provided a presentation about the state’s county health departments and biomedical research programs concerning cancer. “We, as health departments, we have to look how can we move forward and meet the changing needs of our state,” Florida Interim Deputy Secretary for County … Read more
Florida’s Senate Committee on Health Policy met earlier this week to discuss Medicaid redeterminations, which will take place starting in April. The committee also discussed the procurement process for Medicaid managed care plans since the current contracts expire on December 31st of 2024. In Florida, Medicaid serves more than 5.5 million individuals, with about 25% … Read more
On January 17th, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the Prescribe Freedom proposal, which would make protections from COVID-19 mandates permanent and create protections for medical professionals who voice their religious views. “When the world lost its mind, Florida was a refuge of sanity, serving strongly as freedom’s linchpin,” DeSantis said. “These measures will ensure Florida remains … Read more
On January 13th, the Tampa General Hospital (TGH) Cancer Institute announced an expansion of its Radiation Oncology Program to include the addition of new cancer treatment technology and enhanced locations. TGH is also working in collaboration with the Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institutes to build the first proton therapy cancer center in the Tampa … Read more
On Tuesday, January 17th, Florida State University (FSU), Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH), and real estate developer, the St. Joe Company, celebrated the start of construction at a new healthcare campus in Panama City Beach. The FSU Health – Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Medical Campus will bring together clinicians, researchers, and students to meet the rapidly increasing … Read more
Florida state Representative Randy Fine (R-Brevard) has been appointed chair of the House Health & Human Services Committee. Fine is a Harvard graduate and a former gambling industry expert, who will spend the next two years reviewing legislation relating to healthcare and human services. While Fine said he doesn’t have much of a legislative background, … Read more
While COVID-19 remains present in communities across the nation, Dr. Vincent Hsu, AdventHealth’s Infection Control Officer, expects the 2022-2023 flu season to be significant. “It’s a little hard to tell how long or how severe it’s going to be,” Hsu said. “In normal pre-pandemic, it could be suggested that if you have an earlier start … Read more
Over the last year, there have been over 4,000 reported fatal substance overdoses in Florida, while current data indicates that Gulf County is among the top ten counties in the state with the greatest fatal overdose rates. On December 7th, Department of Health Secretary, Dr. Kenneth Scheppke, alongside Secretary Shevaun Harris of the Department … Read more
Last Wednesday, the Florida Health Insurance Advisory Board (FHIAB) voted unanimously to send a set of policy recommendations developed by Florida Voices for Health to the state legislature for consideration in the 2023 legislative session. The 8 consumer policy recommendations were presented to the FHIAB by Florida Voices for Health Program Director and … Read more