August 2009  

Health Policy at a Glance

In This Issue:


Summa Foundation
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House Energy and Commerce Committee Approves Healthcare Reform Bill

The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved its portion of the House healthcare reform bill by a vote of 31 to 28, with all Republicans and five Democrats opposing it. The vote came after a long period of negotiation between House and committee leadership with the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of fiscally conservative Democrats who had concerns about the original bill.

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HHS Secretary Announces Availability of Funding to Expand Training for Health Professions*

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently announced the availability of $200 million to support grants, loans, loan repayment, and scholarships to expand the training of health care professionals. The funds are expected to train approximately 8,000 students and credentialed health professionals by the end of 2010. The funding is a portion of the $500 million allocated to HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration to address workforce shortages in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

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Congressional Staff Visits Summa

On August 3, Max Blachman, District Liaison for Senator Sherrod Brown, and Chris Crupples, District Director for Congressman Boccieri, visited Summa to learn more about the health system and its health policy priorities. Congressional staff began their day by meeting Tom Strauss, President and Chief Executive Officer of Summa Health System.

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Summa Evaluates Women's Services

Summa Health System is committeed to providing patient care services that are efficient and cost effective. To this end, the system has created a task force to evaluate its entire offering of women's health services for Summa's Wadsworth-Rittman and Barberton Hospitals. The system is committed to reviewing its service plans on an ongoing basis to respond to market forces. At this time, Summa is still assessing women's services in its southwest region. No decisions have been made about service modifications.

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