Saturday, February 7, 2009

News Clipping Archives

 

Maryland / Regional

Nursing schools struggle with faculty shortage, increase in student applicants (Daily Record)

Crime lab deficiencies noted by audit (Baltimore Sun)

A Hospital Reborn (Washington Post)

National / International

Simple Steps Can Help Prevent Dangerous Falls in Seniors' Homes (Washington Post)

Opinion

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Maryland / Regional

 

Nursing schools struggle with faculty shortage, increase in student applicants

 

By Richard Simon

Daily Record Multimedia Reporter

Friday, February 6, 2009

 

University of Maryland, Baltimore, Nursing School Dean Dr. Janet D. Allan has a problem.

 

With a growing unemployment rate and a struggling economy, a record number of students are looking at a field that is needed more than ever, nursing.

 

Allan has received more applications from qualified candidates than ever before.

 

So what’s the problem?

 

“We are turning away qualified students because we don’t have enough faculty,” Allan said.

 

Struggling to keep up with the number of applicants, nursing schools statewide were forced to deny enrollment to more than 1,800 qualified candidates because of the shortage of faculty members in 2008.

 

With more than 100,000 unfilled nursing positions in American hospitals, and some of the top medical institutions in the country located in the Baltimore region, Allan and her colleagues say they are frightened that with the average age of American nursing faculty at 58, there won’t be enough faculty members down the road.

 

“As we age, the nursing professoriate is getting older, and I worry about being able to replace all of us,” Allan said.

 

This week, nursing representatives from 47 states and the District of Columbia convened for the second annual Nursing Education Capacity Summit at the Marriot Inner Harbor at Camden Yards, with a mission to address an unprecedented nursing shortage as 78 million baby boomers age and require additional care.

 

“The job of these state teams is to go home and engage many sectors including consumer advocates, philanthropy, government and the business community to help create solutions,” said Susan Hassmiller, the senior program officer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a philanthropy devoted to health and health care reform.

 

One of the major hurdles nursing schools encounter in attracting new faculty members is salary.

 

Most nurses who work at hospitals are already making a major time commitment and are earning more than twice what they would make from teaching at a nursing school.

 

Rosemary Mortimer, president of the Maryland Nurses Association, said that the pay factor can be a major deterrent.

 

“I think that there are a lot of people out there who would like to be nursing educators,” she said. “I believe that there’s a lot of folks who work in hospitals and other places who are very interested in it. The fact that the pay is so poor is what holds a lot of people back from being willing to do it.”

 

This can be especially difficult for nursing school deans who are trying to stay competitive in attracting new students.

 

“How can I ask a new masters or doctorate prepared person who could make anywhere between $80,000-$200,000 in the practice setting to come and be a faculty member with me and have to reduce their salary by 50 percent,” Allan asks. “I pay a masters prepared person only about $65,000.”

 

Copyright 2009 Daily Record.

 

Crime lab deficiencies noted by audit

Report released by police notes low funding, erratic records, broken equipment

 

By Melissa Harris

Baltimore Sun

Saturday, February 7, 2009

 

Baltimore's crime lab suffers from inadequate funding, spotty recordkeeping and broken equipment, according to an independent audit of the embattled facility released by the Police Department yesterday.

 

The report, which the Police Department initially refused to release to the public, found that the lab was inadequately staffed, equipment to analyze narcotics had long been out of order, faulty paperwork sometimes made it difficult to establish a chain of custody for evidence, and evidence was stored in rooms that were too warm, which could cause it to degrade.

 

In an interview, the lab's new director, Francis Chiafari, said the audit is guiding a host of reforms and upgrades, including repairs to equipment and a door that wouldn't close. He said he made a request yesterday for 12 more employees to collect evidence at crime scenes.

 

Patrick Kent, chief of the public defender's forensics unit, said the audit exposes serious deficiencies in the lab's resources and procedures.

 

"This is a lab that simply does not have the financial support needed to perform its job competently and reliably," Kent said. "No proper restrictions on people who enter and exit. They can't even maintain the proper temperature to not have a loss of DNA evidence. These are very basic requirements."

 

Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III requested the review, conducted by the industry's accreditation board, after The Baltimore Sun reported last year on problems in the lab's DNA section, including contamination of samples by lab technicians and cases in which the lab found DNA matches to convicted felons on crime scene evidence but did not inform detectives, prosecutors or defense attorneys.

 

Those issues led attorneys to bring up problems with the lab in arguing their clients' cases, but Kent said it's too early to tell whether the revelations in the audit will reverberate in the courtroom.

 

"I'm not in a position to note the seriousness and scope," Kent said. "Some of the issues being presented seem to be a matter of fixing some items, but what isn't being said is that a large volume of cases went through the lab while these problems existed, which potentially has a significant impact."

 

Crime labs nationwide are under assault from defense attorneys who question whether there's really "science" behind "forensic science" - for example, labs across the country have had differing standards for analyzing fingerprints.

 

And this week The New York Times reported that the National Academy of Sciences is poised to release a report concluding that crime scene evidence is often handled by poorly trained technicians who then exaggerate their findings on the witness stand to serve the interests of the field that employs them: law enforcement.

 

In response to both national and local problems, Maryland's legislature passed a law that will regulate crime labs much like hospital labs. Those changes, however, won't go into effect until 2011.

 

Chiafari, Baltimore's new crime lab director, said he's already put new regulations concerning the handling of paperwork and DNA into effect. Other changes are awaiting approval.

 

Some fingerprint analysis, for instance, was only stored electronically. Now hard copies will be put in files, he said.

 

Case numbers will be automatically printed on forms.

 

To catch employee contamination of crime scene evidence, all objects will be swabbed for DNA before any other tests are performed, and no one will be allowed in the lab until they've provided the department with a sample of his DNA.

 

"My top priority is to make sure all of these remediations are implemented using the most effective means possible," Chiafari said. "My next priority is to do an audit myself internally to see where additional effort and resources are needed."

 

Kent also said that the audit from the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board is only "the first step." Even after reading the report, he said, he can't assess the "true magnitude and scope" of the problems.

 

For instance, the auditors found that during tests of "single-source" DNA samples analysts found minor amounts of what could be DNA from other people. Kent said that would seem to suggest contamination.

 

But when asked about that criticism, Chiafari dismissed it as "noise" generated when the equipment is cranked up to extra-sensitive settings. The decision to release the audit from an outside accreditation team came weeks after the department's attorney, Mark H. Grimes, denied a request for it under the state's Public Information Act from The Sun. Grimes wrote that its release would be "contrary to the public interest."

 

In the weeks since, the department has faced mounting legal pressure to turn over the report, including the threat of subpoenas from the state public defender's office.

 

State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy is pleased that the report is being released, said her spokeswoman, Margaret T. Burns.

 

"It was needed to ensure full transparency to the public," Burns said.

 

Copyright © 2009, The Baltimore Sun.

 

A Hospital Reborn

Progress for the District's health-care system

 

Associated Press

Washington Post

Saturday, February 7, 2009; A12

 

TWO YEARS AGO, panicked physicians at what was then Greater Southeast Community Hospital wrote city officials about deteriorating conditions at the facility. They detailed broken equipment, shortages of supplies and a lack of staff so serious it imperiled patient care. That year, the hospital's accreditation was yanked. Today, much about the hospital has changed, including its name, and therein lies a success story in which the D.C. government plays a starring role.

 

If not for the District's willingness to take a risk -- to the tune of $79 million -- there is no doubt the troubled facility would have closed, leaving residents east of the Anacostia River without a hospital. City officials helped to engineer a sale from the company that had mismanaged it and entered into an innovative public-private partnership with Specialty Hospitals of America. Renamed United Medical Center, the hospital has undertaken major capital improvements, upgraded its equipment and added 100 employees. It expects to add more workers by the end of the year. Last month, the hospital regained its all-important Joint Commission accreditation and, most significant, it is poised to provide medical care that had been unheard of at Greater Southeast. For the first time in decades, heart attack patients can receive treatment east of the river; a pediatric emergency room is being planned in partnership with Children's National Medical Center and a wound-care program is underway.

 

To be sure, there are still problems, and it remains to be seen whether the hospital will be able to turn a profit. It's encouraging, though, that the improvements were done within budget, a monthly loss of $1 million has been virtually eliminated and, to date, the hospital has made its repayments to the District. At a time when many public officials are throwing their hands up at the seemingly intractable problems of health-care provision, credit goes to D.C. officials who stuck their necks out. Most notable are council member David A. Catania (I-At Large) who, as chair of the health committee crusaded to save the hospital, and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) whose administration put together the deal and continues to monitor the city's investment. One only has to look across the border at the struggles of Prince George's Hospital Center to know what this incipient success means for the well-being of people who live in Wards 7 and 8.

 

Copyright 2009 Washington Post.

 

National / International

 

Simple Steps Can Help Prevent Dangerous Falls in Seniors' Homes

 

Associated Press

By Francine Parnes

Washington Post

Saturday, February 7, 2009; F07

 

For people who want to stay in their homes as they age, avoiding falls is a top priority.

 

Because of the economic downturn, growing numbers of seniors might be unable to sell their homes and therefore need to make them safer, said Marion Somers, a geriatric care manager in Brooklyn.

 

"That's what is making people look at their own place, or a family member's house if they are living with them, and evaluate, how can we make this senior-friendly and safer?" said Somers, who wrote "Elder Care Made Easier" (Addicus Books, 2006). "With this economy, seniors and their families are not able to afford the cost of nursing homes and assisted-living facilities."

 

What starts as a simple misstep might cause seniors to lose their health, their independence and even their lives.

 

Each year in the United States, one out of every three people over 65 falls, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths, according to the National Association for Home Care and Hospice.

 

Geriatric care managers such as Somers help caretakers and aging family members create a plan of care, which might include home safety. Resources that can be found on the Internet include the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers and the National Aging in Place Council. Some businesses will come to evaluate your home.

 

It might seem surprising that so many people fall in their own bedroom, kitchen or bathroom, when home is supposed to be a sanctuary. Yet "some of the seemingly most innocent rooms in the home can actually be the most dangerous," Somers said. "It's important to look at your own home as if you are seeing it for the first time, and evaluate it with a fresh set of eyes."

 

For instance, in the bathroom, "a half-inch rise in the floor may seem like nothing to us, but for someone who has trouble lifting their feet and shuffles around, this could cause them to trip," she said.

 

"Elderly falls at home have long been the silent epidemic that leads to injuries and often results in nursing home placement," said Dr. Cheryl Phillips, the incoming president of the American Geriatrics Society, which represents health-care professionals who serve seniors.

 

The most dangerous room for falls, she said, is the bathroom, because of maneuvering between the bathtub, shower and toilet. "Lots of risk factors come into play, and medications that cause dizziness or weakness are the biggest single factor," she said. "And falls often accompany getting up in the night."

 

Some safety solutions might surprise you. Think a rug always provides protection against a slippery marble or tile floor? Think again.

 

"The single most important thing to remove is throw rugs, even if they have been in place for years," said Jonna Borgdorff, a physical therapist in Oak Park, Ill., and national rehabilitation director for Interim HealthCare, a company that provides home care for the elderly.

 

Skip loose rugs that aren't clearly slip-resistant, and choose uniform flooring rather than uneven walkways, she said. "It is ideal to have one consistent surface throughout the home to help avoid tripping."

 

Borgdorff's organization offers these tips to prevent falls:

 

· If you have wall-to-wall carpeting, make sure it is secure and flat, without bunched-up wrinkles or raised areas.

 

· Fix poor lighting and add nightlights for trips to the bathroom.

 

· In the bathroom, non-skid adhesive textured strips in the tub or shower floor can help prevent falls, while a plastic shower chair can help ease access in and out of the tub. Likewise, a raised toilet seat with armrests may provide balance both for sitting down and getting up.

 

· Add handrails on steps and grab bars on bathroom walls. Handrails placed near the toilet, bathtub or shower can help someone stay balanced when sitting or standing.

 

· In the kitchen, forgo slippery floor wax. To help avoid falls, keep kitchen items in cabinets that are easily accessible, at waist-high level.

 

· On stairs, pay particular attention to the top and bottom, where you might miss a step. Consider adding stair treads and handrails on both sides. Be particularly cautious when walking between a carpeted room and a slippery floor. If walking on stairs is perilous, consider adding a stair chair that electrically glides up and down the steps.

 

Some pitfalls are less obvious: Don't be blind to high thresholds in doorways, said John O'Callaghan, president of the Metro Louisville (Ky.) Aging in Place Council. His company, Evalusafe, offers home safety evaluations for seniors.

 

Speaking of the floor, clear any clutter there, which is particularly hazardous for nighttime trips from bedroom to bathroom, he said.

 

And try to keep the decor cheery.

 

"Being reminded that decline may be on the horizon is never attractive," Borgdorff said. "An idea to consider that may put a positive spin on the process is to look at it as redecorating."

 

Copyright 2009

 

Opinion

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