Severe rainfall forces Woodhull Hospital to evacuate

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Oct 02, 2023 View in browser   By Maya Kaufman Good morning and welcome to the Weekly New York Health Care newsletter, where we keep you posted on what's coming up this week in health care news, and offer a look back at the important news from last week. Beat Memo Woodhull Hospital is closed for repairs and not accepting any patients, after a neighborhood power failure and flood-related damage from Friday’s record rainfall forced a full evacuation. The Brooklyn facility, which is part of the NYC Health + Hospitals system, transferred 116 patients to other public hospitals over the course of the day Saturday. Patients in Woodhull’s ICU and labor-and-delivery unit were moved Friday out of an abundance of caution following a power loss in the area, which forced the hospital to switch to back-up emergency power. There were no adverse effects to patients during the process, officials with the public hospital system said in a news release. “We were extremely sensitive here in the hospitals to make sure we got it right,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a briefing Saturday. Now the hospital is working on fixing the underlying electrical damage caused by the rain, which could take a minimum of several days. In the meantime, Woodhull will remain on diversion for all ambulances. IN OTHER NEWS: — A 114-bed residential treatment center has opened in the Bronx, the state Office of Addiction Services and Supports announced Friday. The facility, which is operated by Argus Inc., offers care management and treatment to people with co-occurring mental illnesses and substance use disorders. It also offers an outpatient treatment clinic. The Office of Addiction Services and Supports provided over $26 million for the construction of the facility and $2.6 million in annual operating funds. ON THE AGENDA: — Wednesday at 10 a.m. The City Council Committee on Health hosts an oversight hearing on the summertime surge in Covid-19 cases. GOT TIPS? Send story ideas and feedback to Maya Kaufman at mkaufman@politico.com. Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You’ll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day’s biggest stories. What you may have missed — The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released a 16-page set of guidelines for the establishment and operation of supervised injection sites, otherwise known as overdose prevention centers. The rules call for any such sites to adhere to certain staffing and training standards, offer wraparound services and provide a direct point-of-contact for community concerns. Odds and Ends NOW WE KNOW — The FDA has extended the expiration dates of many at-home Covid tests. TODAY’S TIP — Switching the types of carbs you eat could prevent weight gain. STUDY THIS — A new study links an ingredient in stevia to stroke and heart attack. What We're Reading — Smoking-related cancers are declining in NYC, but vaping and e-cigs raise concerns, Gothamist reports. — Via New York Focus: Dysfunction plagues program for incarcerated opioid users. — Women spend 20 percent more per year on out-of-pocket health costs, STAT reports. — Mosquitoes are a growing public health threat, reversing years of progress, The New York Times reports. Around POLITICO — House stopgap spending bill extends funding for health centers, delays hospital cuts, Robert King reports. — CMS transparency crackdown irks payers and PBMs, Kelly Hooper reports. — FDA proposes phasing out enforcement discretion for most lab-developed tests, David Lim reports. MISSED A ROUNDUP? Get caught up on the New York Health Care Newsletter.   Follow us on Twitter Maya Kaufman @mayakauf   Follow us

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