Hospital charges couple $39.35 to hold their newborn baby

A man who posted a photo of a hospital bill after his wife delivered their baby said they were charged to hold their newborn.

Reddit user halfthrottle said he and his wife “got a chuckle” when they saw the $39.35 charge, which was billed as “skin to skin after c sec.”

“During the C-section, the nurse asked my wife if she would like to do skin to skin after the baby was born. Which of course anyone would say yes to. We just noticed it in the bill today,” he wrote. “The nurse let me hold the baby on my wife’s neck/chest. Even borrowed my camera to take a few pictures for us. Everyone involved in the process was great, and we had a positive experience.”

Many Reddit users voiced outrage about the charge, but one user who claimed to be a nurse said there was a valid explanation for the fee.

“I didn’t know that hospitals charged for it, but doing ‘skin to skin’ in the operating room requires an additional staff member to be present just to watch the baby,” user FiftySixer wrote. “We used to take all babies to the nursery once the NICU team made sure everything was OK. ‘Skin to skin’ in the OR is a relatively new thing and requires a second labor and delivery RN to come into the OR and make sure the baby is safe.”

According to the La Leche League of Canada, skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby immediately after birth “helps regulate the baby’s temperature, breathing, heart rate and sugar levels. It also calms the baby so he (or she) doesn’t get stressed out or cry a lot.”

“This is part of the operating procedure, where after the baby is removed, it is placed on the mother’s chest and monitored while she is being stitched back up. It should be free, and it’s ridiculous it’s not,” another Reddit user wrote.

AG: 4 Nursing Home Aides Took Demeaning Photos, Recorded Video of Residents

Four Oswego nursing home aides are facing charges for allegedly taking humiliating pictures and recording video of residents in their care.

The four were arrested and arraigned in city court on Sept. 13.

According to New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, investigators discovered incidents at two separate nursing homes.

They say Mathew Reynolds and Angel Rood took cell phone photos of residents in “undignified positions” while working at the Pontiac Nursing Home.

The AG’s office says Reynolds and Rood lay in bed with a resident, touching that resident “an a taunting and abusive manner.”

They were charged with endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, along with willful violation of public health law.

Investigators also accused Austin Powell and Brittany Bolster recorded video of themselves “verbally and physically tormenting a resident” at St. Luke’s Health Services.

They say the video reveals Bolster and Powell touching a resident’s nose and taunting her.

They were charged with endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person and willful violation of the public health law.

All four were released on their own recognizance.

They are scheduled to return to court on Oct. 19.

Man who removed girlfriend’s lung while she was alive sentenced to life in prison

LOS ANGELES — A 28-year-old Pomona, California, man was sentenced to life in prison Monday for “brutally” killing his girlfriend and cutting out her lung while she was still alive, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Alexander Anthony Clever, who pleaded no contest to a first-degree murder charge in July, will not be eligible for parole, the DA’s office said in a news release.

In addition to the no contest plea, the defendant also admitted to special circumstance allegations of torture and mayhem, prosecutors said.

Clever went to a motel — identified by police at the time as the Motel 6 at 2470 S. Garey Ave. in Pomona — on Nov. 29, 2014, with his girlfriend, Yvette Silva, and two others.

At some point, he went into the bathroom with Silva and the pair argued, according to Deputy DA Michael Matoba, who prosecuted the case.

The couple’s companions tried to intervene after hearing muffled screams. When they went into the bathroom, they observed the defendant holding Silva, who was unconscious, in a chokehold, the release stated.

After trying to free her, the pair ran for help.

Police responded to the scene and discovered Silva deceased in the shower; her heart and right lung had been removed from her body, according to the release.

Silva was still alive when the lung was cut out from her body, according to Matoba.

Clever was arrested outside of his home two days later. Police found a knife that tested positive for the victim’s DNA.

Florida man dies in meth-lab explosion after lighting farts on fire

GAINESVILLE, FL – A 37-year-old man is dead after his trailer home was destroyed in a meth-lab explosion, caused by him lighting up ‘blue angels’ to amuse his wife.

The man’s wife was found lying naked on the couple’s front yard, reportedly still laughing. “A Blue Angel is when you put a lighter up to your butt and fart on it, making it catch on fire. It’s funny as s—,” explains the mans wife, who claims to be an expert on the subject. “Normally we go to Del Taco because of their $0.59 tacos, but we made some extra cash this week so we went to Chipotle. The farts you get from there could fill a gas chamber. I know he’s looking up from hell laughing his ass off saying it was worth it,” she says smiling through blackened teeth, apparently not caused by the fire.

The woman plans on suing Chipotle, which failed to address their peppers causing a higher rate of methane in human farts. She offered a statement, “I’m not mad about my husband dying, I just got my eyebrows did and now they’re gone.” Chipotle Mexican Grill has yet to respond.

Frog Designs A Life-Saving MRI Machine For Newborns

Getting an MRI isn’t a pleasant experience. You enter a cold, claustrophobic tunnel only to be bombarded by the loud sounds of the machine doing its work. For adults, it’s nerve-wracking. For premature or sick babies, it can even be dangerous. The long preparation and scanning process can send their fragile systems into distress.

Aspect Imaging, in partnership with the design consultancy Frog, has created a new MRI machine designed with newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of hospitals in mind. Because the system can safely be placed inside the NICU, the new machine dramatically decreases the time and preparation involved in a typical MRI.

baby friendly mri machine

“It’s baby-centered design,” says James Luther, a designer at frog who was the creative director for Aspect Imaging’s Embrace Neonatal MRI. “We got to be the advocate of the newborn in this case. They don’t have much of a voice.”

MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, is a non-invasive test that uses a magnetic field and radio waves to capture images of organs and all internal body structures. It’s a standard tool used in hospitals across the country and is particularly useful in diagnosing problems for both adults and newborns.

Mom in quadruple murder identified, kids ages 6, 7 and 11 also killed

GREENVILLE, Pitt County – Officials say Dibon Toone, 39, will make his first appearance at a Virginia court Thursday morning. Toone has been charged with murdering his girlfriend and her three children.

Chief Mark Holtzman said Garlette Howard, 32, was killed by her boyfriend, Toone. Howard’s three girls, ages 6, 7 and 11, were also murdered. Police said Toone is the father of the two youngest victims.

The victims were found in a townhome at 1101 A2 Grovemont Drive in Greenville Tuesday night around 8. Police had been at the home to do a welfare check after concerned family members called them when the mom and kids could not be reached.

Greenville Police and the SBI received information around 11 p.m. that Toone was in the area of Richmond, Va. GPD contacted Richmond Police, who were able to arrest Toone late Tuesday night. He was arrested near the intersection of Lost Avenue and Hopkins Road in Richmond. Police said Toone was driving Howard’s work-issued SUV at the time of his arrest.

Holtzman said family members of Toone called Greenville Police out of concern, which prompted the welfare check. Police forced themselves into the home where they found Howard and the three female children. Detectives said there’s a chance the victims may have been killed several days prior to the discovery of their bodies.

Holtzman said there was past history of incidents where police were called to the residence. Officers were called there on July 22 after Toone attempted to commit suicide. Toome was transported to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville where he was admitted to psychiatric evaluation.

At this point, police are not saying how the victims were killed. Police said Toone should be extradited back to North Carolina on Friday.

Are These the Best U.S. Cities for Massage Therapists?

Two national companies partnered to create a list that they say shows the 10 best cities for launching a massage practice.

SpareFoot partnered with Thumbtack to create the list of best U.S. cities for massage therapists, based on data indicating the greatest demand for massage relative to supply. (SpareFoot specializes in use of space and moving; Thumbtack matches services, including massage, to consumers who seek them.)

Additional data factored in to create the list of best U.S. cities for massage therapists included: price charged per session; median monthly rent cost; the number of sessions a therapist would need to provide in order to pay each month’s rent; median home sales price; median price for retail property; and the number of sessions a massage therapist would need to provide in order to pay for a square foot of commercial space, according to a post on the SpareFoot blog, where in-depth information about the data is posted.

10. Madison, Wisconsin
9. Columbus, Ohio
8. Kansas City, Missouri
7. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
6. Chattanooga, Tennessee
5. Rochester, New York
4. Birmingham, Alabama
3. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2. Jackson, Mississippi
1. Buffalo, New York

7 Reasons Being a Medical Assistant is the Perfect Career Choice

Becoming a medical assistant doesn’t take long, and the job is rewarding in so many ways. You might be interested in a management job, a particularly interesting area of medicine, or maybe you want to go into teaching. If you’re looking for stable, meaningful work in one of the hottest fields, look no further than these seven reasons why you should pursue a career in medical assisting.

1. You can jump-start your career quickly
Becoming a medical assistant is a fast track, from start to finish.

2. You’ll be in high demand
It’s not always easy to get a job. But when you’re a medical assistant, you’re in demand. In fact, this occupation is growing much faster than almost any other occupation.

3. It pays great and it’s stable
Being in a high-demand industry has advantages: It’s a very stable career, and the pay trends high. The average wage for a medical assistant is currently $32,946, and ranges between $30,377 and $35,570.

4. It’s fulfilling
You love working with people! You want to be a light in someone’s dark moment, or just add a smile to their day. If this describes you, you might make a great medical assistant.

5. You can go anywhere
Some people find lifelong careers as medical assistants, and others use the certification as a step in a longer career path.

6. You’ll receive a broader education
If you’re a medical assistant, you’ll never be bored. Medical assistants work in a variety of environments like hospitals, medical offices, patients’ homes, outpatient facilities, surgical centers, and medicine clinics.

7. It’s a licensed trade
Medical assistants need to study for and pass the Certified Medical Assistant (AAMA) Exam issued by the American Association of Medical Assistants. This license proves you’re a professional in your field, which builds confidence. You’ll also be working with other licensed professionals, so everyone around you has the same knowledge base.

How EMS impacts nursing care of patients in the ER

by DougMSNRN

EMS is our partner in crime so to speak. They bring us the good, bad and the ugly. The care that EMS starts is the care that we continue. What they do on the street directly affects what we do. I’ve been an IL-licensed pre-hospital RN for almost 10 years now on a rural EMS squad. I’m also an advanced practice nurse in a community ER. Along the way, I’ve worked in a level one truama center for 10 years too. I give you these qualifications only to reinforce this as firsthand knowledge. We (in the field) need to:

1. Provide the ER with as much info as possible BEFORE we roll thru the door. Some things that we might not always think about: is the pt >500 lbs? Is the scene a suspected crime scene? Is the pt on dialysis? Allergies? Is the pt compliant if they are chronically ill?

2. Give a very concise and to the point report, emphasizing the main complaint (the reason 911 was activated) and then add info as it is pertinent. A list of current meds and allergies is important.

3. Be polite yet assertive. It is important for the ER RN to be aware of things such as violence at the scene, reason for prolonged on-scene time, and inability to get an IV or airway.

And, we as the receiving facility need to help continue this care:

1. Listen to the EMS report. Keep the trauma bay and/or room as quiet as possible when the EMT is giving report. Wait until they are finished and then ask questions.

2. Ensure that you have received all the written info that the EMTs have including a list of meds and/or allergies. Also, if it is an accident scene, take a look at the photos if the EMTs have them – this will give you valuable info about the mechanism.

3. Be especially vigilant if the EMTs report that there was violence at the scene as it often follows the patient to the hospital.