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Check home smoke and carbon monoxide detectors this weekend

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We’ll be turning back the clocks this weekend, as Daylight Saving Time ends November 4th. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services wants to remind Wisconsin residents to take action to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

When you turn back your clocks, it’s also a good practice to check both your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

“When the temperature drops, we begin to see an uptick in carbon monoxide poisonings,” said Dr. Jon Meiman, Chief Medical Officer. “To prepare for winter weather, Wisconsin residents should make sure their heat sources and carbon monoxide detectors are in good working order.”

And Andrew Beckett with Wisconsin Emergency Management says those home safety alarms do need to be replaced periodically. “Carbon Monoxide detectors it’s recommended you replace them every 5 years, smoke detectors need to be replaced every 10 years.”

Daylight Saving Time ends this coming Sunday at 2:00 a.m.

Feds approve Wisconsin Medicaid work requirement

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The Trump administration has approved Wisconsin’s request for a Medicaid waiver. That will allow a strict 80 hour per month work requirement for childless adults with incomes below poverty level, in order to participate in Badgercare.

The state can also charge recipients premiums, and lock them out of coverage for 6 months if they don’t pay.

Wisconsin’s is the first work requirement the Trump administration has approved, among states that did not accept federal Medicaid expansion dollars. That’s the direction Governor Scott Walker’s Democratic opponent Tony Evers has said he’ll go if elected.

The administration did not approve Walker’s request to implement mandatory drug testing for all Medicaid beneficiaries.

Rare childhood neurological disease affecting Wisconsin kids

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A very rare but serious neurological disease has reached Wisconsin. It’s called acute flaccid myelitis or AFM, and it mainly affects children.

Department of Health Services Epidemiologist Susann Arami-Fard says the disease can mimic the effects of other illnesses that infect the central nervous system.

“Weakness and paralysis in the arms and legs, facial droop, trouble swallowing, and sometimes severe cases can result in respiratory failure.”

The CDC has tracked 62 across the country so far this year, and DHS is tracking cases here as well.

“Currently we have 2 confirmed cases, and we are actively investigating any other potential cases with our clinical and public health partners,” says Arami-Fard.

She says the disease can act quickly, so if you spot any of those symptoms in your child, bring them to their medical provider immediately.

Red Cross seeking blood drive hosts

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The American Red Cross is looking for places to hold blood drives this winter. “We’re asking individuals and organizations to help us, and host blood drives,” said Laura McGuire is External Communications Manager with the Red Cross.

All that’s needed is a 1200 square foot space, the Red Cross can pretty much do the rest. “We’ve got some excellent donor recruitment staff that’s going to help you throughout the whole process,” McGuire said. “So they’ll handle the logistics.”

Blood shortages are not uncommon during the winter months. By hosting a drive in December, January or February, individuals and groups can help ensure patient needs are met all winter long. To learn more about hosting a blood drive and to sign up, visit RedCrossBlood.org/HostADrive.

Covering preexisting conditions at issue in governor’s race

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Protecting coverage for preexisting conditions is a focus in the governor’s race. Republican incumbent Scott Walker says he’ll make sure people are covered. “Because it’s just the right thing to do,” the governor said. “As long as I’m your governor, we will always cover pre-existing conditions in the state of Wisconsin.”

Walker says he supports legislation to protect such coverage, but his opponent, Democrat Tony Evers, notes that bill did not pass both chambers of the legislature.

“If he was that serious about it, it would have passed,” Evers said. “It’s great to say now that he cares about it. If he cares about it he should get out of this lawsuit.” That’s a lawsuit to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Wisconsin is one of the state’s participating.

Legislation requiring coverage for pre-existing conditions, in the event of Obamacare repeal, passed the Assembly earlier this year but was never brought to a vote in the Senate. On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said he doesn’t know if his caucus would support the bill. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said some Republican senators oppose the measure because it places a mandate on health insurance providers.

‘Fake weed’ making people bleed

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More cases of severe bleeding linked to synthetic marijuana have been confirmed in Wisconsin. The product contains a chemical used in rat poison, and the Department of Health Services said Tuesday it’s confirmed 16 additional bleeding cases, bringing the number of people affected in the outbreak to 80.

The latest confirmed case is in Fond du Lac County, others have been in Dane, Milwaukee, Outagamie and Rock counties.

Victims have ranged in age from 16 to over 50 years old. There has been one death in Wisconsin associated with the outbreak, despite repeated warnings by DHS and state and local law enforcement agencies. The synthetic marijuana is marketed under various names, including spice and K2.

Walker and Evers stake out positions on ACA lawsuit

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His opponent in November, state Superintendent Tony Evers, is calling on Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker to withdraw the state from a lawsuit which seeks to overturn the Affordable Care Act. Walker says that’s not happening.

Tony Evers

Evers issued the challenge to the Republican governor in a video his campaign released on Monday. “For 8 years, Scott Walker has worked to sabotage the Affordable Care Act, and undermine its protections for the 2.4 million people in Wisconsin, with a pre-existing condition,” Ever says in the video. Evers is a cancer survivor.

“The reason why we’re in the lawsuit has nothing to do with pre-existing conditions,” Walker said in Wausau on Monday. “That’s going to continue coverage there, that’s going to continue no matter what one way or the other. “The reason why we’re in the lawsuit has nothing to do with pre-existing conditions. That’s going to continue coverage there, that’s going to continue no matter what one way or the other.”

Gov. Scott Walker

Walker supports legislation, already passed by the state Assembly, which he claims would protect those with pre-existing conditions in Wisconsin.

But a health care advocate says Walker’s pledge to protect pre-existing condition coverage is deceptive, given his long time opposition to the ACA, and the state’s participation in the lawsuit.

“Governor Walker has not shown concern with this issue for most of his term as governor, and has repeatedly called for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act,” said Robert Kraig with Citizen Action of Wisconsin. Kraig said that the legislation supported by Walker would still allow health insurance companies to charge exorbitant rates to anyone who has a gap in coverage. “It re-legalizes pre-existing condition discrimination in a lot of cases here in Wisconsin.”

Rains & flooding fuel mosquito outbreak in southern Wisconsin

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File photo

Rain and flooding has brought out the mosquitoes in southern Wisconsin. UW-Madison entomologist Susan Paskewitz says they bring two concerns with them — disease and the nuisance factor.

“I think that it’s going to probably to swing more to the side of the annoyance — those annoying little mosquitoes that are driving a lot of people to call me up and complain — as opposed to these other disease transmiting mosquitoes,” Paskewitz said.

Paskewitz works with Public Health Madison & Dane County, to collect both types in the summer. “In normal years, at this time of the year, things are beginning to tail off and we have a hard time collecting very many of them. This is going to be an outlier, a very unusual year.”

Paskewitz said hopefully, the return of cool weather later this month will stop our swatting.

Governor Walker declares statewide emergency

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An emergency due to heavy rains, flooding and tornadoes in Wisconsin is now statewide. Governor Scott Walker issued the declaration on Wednesday afternoon.

“After the latest round of continuing storms and their tremendous impact in Wisconsin, we have declared a statewide State of Emergency,” Walker said in a statement. “We are ready to provide any tools and resources necessary to impacted communities. I thank all of those who continue to work diligently to help those in need.”

Also on Tuesday, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin and Representative Ron Kind requested federal agency assistance for flooded communities in Southwest Wisconsin.

 

Major expansion planned for Children’s Hospital

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Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin is starting a major four year project to expand their campus and consolidate services at the hospital.

Spokesman Andy Brodzeller says the expansion will allow the hospital to combine surgery and treatment into one area, rather than splitting it between floors of the hospital.

“We’ll now be able to consolidate that all into one area, making our care more efficient. And then by having all of our teams in one place we’ll improve collaboration and just make that care and decision making happen even quicker.”

The expansion is required to keep care at the top quality they’re known for.

“We have some of the highest volumes in the country, do some of the most complex care in the country, and have one of the most busy emergency departments and trauma centers for kids in the country,” says Brodzeller.

The expansion will also add more spaces for doctor’s offices and improve the comfort of families getting care at the hospital. The cost of the project is 265 million dollars.