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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Texas lawmaker plans to re-file hospital bollard bill despite ‘very aggressive' lobbying
This story is part of KXAN's 'Preventing Disaster' investigation, which initially published on May 15, 2024. The project follows a fatal car crash into an Austin hospital's emergency room earlier that year. Our team took a broader look at safety concerns with that crash and hundreds of others across the nation – including whether medical sites had security barriers – known as bollards – at their entrances. Experts say those could stop crashes from happening. AUSTIN (KXAN) — Despite a 'VERY aggressive lobbying effort' by the Texas Hospital Association to kill a bill aimed at preventing vehicle crashes at emergency entrances — following last year's deadly crash at St. David's North Austin Medical Center — a state senator is pledging to refile the same safety measure next session, according to a senior staffer. Senate Bill 660, sparked by a KXAN investigation, sought to require crash-rated vertical barriers, called bollards, at Texas hospital entrances. The proposal was supported by the Texas Nurses Association, which said 'all protections should be considered' to ensure healthcare workers are safe and protected. It passed the Senate but stalled in a House committee despite a last-minute amendment to only require bollards at new hospitals in cities with a population of 1.2 million or greater. 'I am disappointed that Senate Bill 660 died in the House Public Health Committee, especially after we took so many suggestions from stakeholders on modifying the legislation,' said the bill's author, Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, who called the bollard requirement 'common-sense public safety legislation.' On Feb. 13, 2024, a drunk driver drove into the lobby of St. David's North, running over all four members of the Bernard family, including their two toddlers. The driver, Michelle Holloway, 57, was killed. After the crash, the Bernards — who were seriously injured — spoke exclusively to KXAN about their ordeal and their goal moving forward. 'That no one will have to suffer like we do,' said Nadia Bernard, who was still in a wheelchair recovering at the time. That plea led to a more than year-long KXAN investigation looking into crashes and finding solutions to prevent them. After surveying dozens of hospitals, watching bollard crash-tests at Texas A&M's Transportation Institute and learning about the strength of the security barriers, we were asked to share our findings with lawmakers as they considered SB 660, which would have required bollards at hospitals statewide. 'Without a uniform statewide approach, we found a patchwork system where some hospitals are protected while others remain vulnerable,' KXAN investigative reporter Matt Grant told a Senate panel. EXPLORE: KXAN's 'Preventing Disaster' investigation into medical center crashes Using data from the non-profit Storefront Safety council, TxDOT, police and media reports, we built our own nationwide database of crashes over the past decade. We looked at places patients receive care, according to the state's definition of 'health care provider' that includes doctors, nurses, dentists and pharmacists, among others. The result: By the start of the legislative session, we had identified more than 400 crashes since 2014 including more than 100 in Texas. Months later, as we continued to track and collect data, the list of crashes into, or at, medical-related sites had expanded to more than 580. The majority were caused by drivers who were either hurt, intoxicated — like at St. David's — or had pressed the wrong foot pedal. Nearly 160 of the crashes were at hospitals and almost half of those impacted the ER entrance area. In all, we identified at least two dozen deaths and hundreds of injuries. 'I think you've built the best dataset in the country right now,' said Ware Wendell, a consumer and patient advocate with Texas Watch. 'So, it definitely informed the debate here in Texas,' Wendell added. 'And, I wouldn't be surprised if it informs the debate all around the country as hospitals evaluate how they are protecting folks inside of their emergency rooms.' 'I have to credit you, Matt, and your team at KXAN, for doing the deep dive, for digging into the data. Ware Wendell, Texas Watch Map of crashes that have occurred at or into Texas hospitals since 2014. Source: Texas Department of Transportation, media reports, Storefront Safety Council. (KXAN Interactive/Dalton Huey) The Texas Hospital Association, which represents 85% of the state's acute-care hospitals and health care systems, testified against SB 660. 'Singling out hospital emergency rooms to install bollards would not prevent, based on the statistics we're aware of, the overwhelming majority of these types of accidents because they simply don't occur in hospitals,' THA General Counsel Steve Wohleb told lawmakers in March, referring to a majority of crashes occurring at business storefronts. Behind the scenes, sources tell KXAN the industry group lobbied heavily against the proposal. In a memo sent to hospitals around the state that we obtained, the THA criticized KXAN for including other medical centers in our data, not just hospitals, and, citing autonomy and cost as a factor, called the bill an 'unfunded mandate, without evidence-based support.' 'I would question that,' said Thomas Ustach with the McCue Corporation. 'What is the cost of life safety?' McCue is the same bollard-making company that allowed KXAN to watch its crash tests in Texas last year. The company has installed security barriers at dozens of hospitals across the country. The cost to secure an ER entrance, typically, is between $10,000 and $30,000, depending on how many bollards are needed, Ustach said. A single crash-rated bollard, on average, costs around $1,500-$2,000 to purchase and install, he pointed out. 'It's really not a difficult or costly fix to the problem,' Ustach said. 'So, I'm surprised that there's so much pushback against the bill.' Ustach said he's proud the crash-testing we witnessed last year could 'shine some light' — to the public and policymakers — on why, when it comes to bollards, testing and strict performance requirements are necessary. 'You can't leave it up to chance when you're talking life safety,' he added. Today, the Bernard family is in the middle of a $1 million lawsuit against St. David's for not having bollards at the time. St. David's previously said it does not comment on litigation. This isn't the first time a hospital's lack of protective barriers has been the focus of a lawsuit. In 2020, a driver lost control and drove into the patient entrance of Atlanta-based Piedmont Hospital. Several people were hit and a 55-year-old woman was killed. The lawsuit blamed the hospital for its 'failure to provide bollards or other barriers' outside of its ER. Piedmont settled for an undisclosed amount and previously did not respond to KXAN's request for comment. St. David's previously told us it installed $500,000 worth of bollards at its Austin-area hospitals after last year's deadly ER crash. However, it has repeatedly refused to say if any of those bollards are crash-rated. When asked about the bollard bill not advancing, St. David's said it 'does not have anything to add to your story.' This month, the hospital system admitted for the first time that it opposed Austin's ordinance, which passed nearly six months ago, requiring crash-rated bollards at new city hospitals. 'If these hospitals won't do it voluntarily, there must be laws to protect all families from this predictable and preventable destruction.' The Bernard Family in a statement to KXAN A spokesperson for St. David's said the opposition was due, in part, to a belief the measure 'selectively targeted healthcare facilities' based on an incident at one of its hospitals. 'Our family is very disappointed that this common sense, statewide public safety bollard bill was killed by hospital special interests,' the Bernard family told KXAN. 'We are so grateful that Austin bravely acted to pass protective bollard legislation and know this proactive law will eventually pass at the statewide level,' the family added. Former Austin City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly said she is 'incredibly proud' of the local bollard ordinance she initiated. She hopes it serves as a model for other communities. 'While I'm disappointed that SB 660 did not make it out of the House Public Health Committee this session, I remain hopeful and encouraged,' Kelly said. 'Austin led the way by acting before tragedy struck again, and I firmly believe this idea's time will come at the statewide level.' 'Protecting patients, emergency personnel, and hospital visitors should never be a partisan issue — it's a matter of life safety,' she added, saying she looks forward to supporting the measure again next session. The chair of the House Public Health Committee, Rep. Gary VanDeaver, R-New Boston, gave the bill a hearing but did not bring it back up again for a vote, allowing it to die. His office, and the Texas Hospital Association, did not respond to a request for comment. Graphic Artist Wendy Gonzalez, Director of Investigations and Innovation Josh Hinkle, Investigative Producer Dalton Huey, Investigative Photojournalist Chris Nelson and Digital Director Kate Winkle contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hospital bollard bill dies under Texas industry pressure
This story is part of KXAN's 'Preventing Disaster' investigation, which initially published on May 15, 2024. The project follows a fatal car crash into an Austin hospital's emergency room earlier that year. Our team took a broader look at safety concerns with that crash and hundreds of others across the nation – including whether medical sites had security barriers – known as bollards – at their entrances. Experts say those could stop crashes from happening. AUSTIN (KXAN) — A bill aimed at preventing future vehicle crashes at hospital emergency rooms in Texas will not pass this legislative session due, in large part, to an aggressive lobbying effort by the Texas Hospital Association against a proposed safety step, according to multiple sources. Senate Bill 660, which was supported by the Texas Nurses Association, would have required crash-rated vertical barriers, called bollards, at hospitals across the state. It was sparked by a series of KXAN investigations following last year's crash at St. David's North Austin Medical Center that seriously injured five people and left the driver, who was intoxicated, dead. The bill's author, Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, plans to re-file the bill during the next legislative session in 2027, his legislative director told KXAN. Despite several last-minute changes made to address concerns from the THA — including an amendment to only require bollards at new hospitals in counties with a population of 1.2 million or more — the bill stalled in the House Public Health Committee. It received a hearing last Monday but failed to get a vote before the clock ran out and a key deadline on Saturday passed. Last month, the Senate approved the measure 23-7. The THA, which represents more than 85% of Texas' acute-care hospitals and health care systems, had pushed back against the measure over concerns related to cost, autonomy and a belief that a bollard requirement unfairly targeted hospitals over other sites that could be prone to vehicle crashes. The THA called the proposal an 'unfunded mandate.' WATCH: Bollards are put to the test at Texas A&M 'This bill imposes a one-size-fits-all mandate on a single industry that does not, to our knowledge, pose a greater safety risk to the public than many other types of businesses,' THA General Counsel Steve Wohleb testified before the House panel. Since the deadly ER crash in Austin in February 2024, KXAN uncovered more than 400 crashes at a variety of medical-related sites across the country since 2014, resulting in more than 20 deaths, according to an analysis of TxDOT, police, EMS and media reports. There are no local, state or federal requirements for critical infrastructure, like hospitals, to have bollards. KXAN witnessed crash testing at Texas A&M Transportation Institute that revealed crash-rated versions of the devices can be effective at stopping the equivalent of a Dodge Ram pickup truck traveling at 20 miles per hour. EXPLORE: KXAN's 'Preventing Disaster' investigation uncovers hundreds of crashes We shared those findings with local and state policymakers and visited more than two dozen Central Texas hospitals to see how many entrances lacked bollards (nine had partial coverage and seven had none at the time). 'Despite their life-saving potential, a KXAN investigation found many Central Texas hospitals lack adequate bollard protection,' Rep. Toni Rose, D-Dallas, who sponsored the bill in the House, said at Monday's public hearing. The bill's demise comes nearly six months after the Austin City Council passed an ordinance to require crash-rated bollards at new local hospitals, urgent care clinics and standalone ERs. That safety step was initiated by former Council Member Mackenzie Kelly, who testified in front of a Senate and House panel in support of expanding that requirement to hospitals across the state. 'Bollards save lives and the legislation will ensure hospitals in our largest counties don't have to learn that lesson the hard way,' Kelly told House lawmakers during her testimony. 'Disasters don't discriminate. But policy can determine whether or not we're prepared.' In a statement to KXAN, Kelly said she is 'incredibly proud' of Austin's new bollard law and hopes it will 'serve as a model for proactive, common-sense public safety.' 'While I'm disappointed that SB 660 did not make it out of the House Public Health Committee this session, I remain hopeful and encouraged,' Kelly later told KXAN. 'Austin led the way by acting before tragedy struck again, and I firmly believe this idea's time will come at the statewide level. Protecting patients, emergency personnel, and hospital visitors should never be a partisan issue — it's a matter of life safety.' KXAN has reached out to St. David's HealthCare— which opposed Austin's ordinance — for comment. The hospital system said it 'does not have anything to add' to this report. We also reached out to the THA, West, Rose and the chair of the Public Health Committee, Rep. Gary VanDeaver, R-New Boston, for comment. We did not immediately hear back and will update this report with any responses. 'I am grateful to Senator West and Representative Rose for championing this bill,' Kelly added, 'and look forward to supporting its reintroduction next session.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Growing need for mental health resources in Texas schools
MIDLAND, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – The Texas Hospital Association shared that in 2023 more than 1.2 million Texas children under 18 years report having at least one mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral problem (MEDB). That is equivalent to 17.2% of all Texans under 18 affected by a MEDB problem, or roughly 1-in-5 of all Texas youth. Schools can be a lifeline to supporting students during a mental health crisis. The children who are most impacted are Hispanic and Black, according to Texas Hospital Association data. Children who experienced adverse experiences are more at risk for mental health difficulties. Kristin Madrid, a mental health specialist with PermiaCare, said the need for mental health services in schools is growing rapidly. 'Anger outbursts is what we see a lot where they're going into crisis very quickly mostly because parents don't know what to do in that moment,' Madrid said. Many times cost of medical insurance or lack of mental health coverage impact child's or family's ability to receive proper mental health resources. The Texas 2036's 'Who Are the Uninsured?' study found, 34% of uninsured individuals postponed obtaining mental health care support, and 37% postponed mental health care support for their children. Schools across the Basin are doing what they can to meet the growing need. 'There are options that are offered on campus as well as community partners where we can submit a referral for students to be seen outside of school,' said Taylor Harris, the Midland Independent School District. 'On campus we partner with Communities in Schools or CIS, as well as Texas Tech Tea Chat Program.' For mental health resources in the Basin visit: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
24-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Are Texas nonprofit hospitals providing adequate charity care?
When Deborah Hernandez went to the hospital in December of 2023 with abdominal pain, she wasn't expecting a cancer diagnosis or what would become a year-long struggle to pay down the resulting debt. But doctors told her she had ovarian cancer and needed 14 rounds of chemotherapy. So, she quit her job at the elementary school where she worked with special education students. "Any school kid's going to carry a lot of germs," Hernandez said. "I couldn't go to work because I didn't have the white cells to fight off germs." That left her without a paycheck, relying solely on Social Security to cover her expenses. "I have to sit and think, who am I going to pay," Hernandez said. "I have to keep the lights on, the water running and the gas on. What do I do after that? If the money runs out, it just runs out. When the I-Team first spoke with Hernandez, she told us her medical bills had soared past $300,000. Medicare was covering much of it, but she still faced out-of-pocket expenses, including a $315 bill from Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth. Hernandez faxed a charity care application to the hospital for relief. She says a few days later someone from the hospital called her to tell her she shouldn't have faxed in the application and to let her know it was denied. "It's a big stress," Hernandez said. "There will be times when I wake up in the middle of the night and be like, how am I going to get out of this debt." How charity care is supposed to work Nearly one in four Texans struggle with medical debt. Charity care is supposed to offer help. In exchange for massive tax breaks, nonprofit hospitals are supposed to assist patients who can't afford to pay their bills. Texas nonprofit hospitals receive over $1.8 billion in tax benefits annually, according to IRS data. In return, according to the Texas Hospital Association, the state's 127 nonprofit hospitals provided $9.1 billion in community benefits in 2022. That amount includes $576 million more in charity care than what hospitals say is the common industry standard. Texas is one of the five states that sets a minimum community benefit. And the Texas Hospital Association says that while Texas "boasts one of the most stringent charity care laws in the nation," the state's hospitals "go well beyond" legal obligations. But in recent years, the system has come under scrutiny. System under scrutiny The CBS News Texas I-Team reviewed more than half a dozen independent reports on charity care provided by nonprofit hospitals. Some, including one from the Baker Institute, found that Texas nonprofit hospitals "provide relatively high levels of charity care compared to the rest of the country." Others came to a different conclusion. "Nonprofit hospitals enjoy the benefits of tax-exempt status while not providing a proportional amount of community benefit through charity care," a report by the Texas Public Policy Foundation found. "They'll make it seem like everything is hunky-dory," said Tanner Aliff with the Paragon Health Institute. "There are just a few researchers, myself included, that would want to challenge that." Aliff has studied nonprofit hospitals for years. He says the hospitals' self-reported numbers can be misleading because of what hospitals consider community benefit. Community benefit spending doesn't just include helping patients with their bills. It can also mean funding research, community outreach programs or educational campaigns that Aliff says are really just marketing. A 2020 federal government audit highlighted how "the law is unclear what community benefit activities hospitals should engage in to justify their tax exemption." Five years later, Congress has still not passed legislation to clarify. "There is a huge kind of black box around charity care and community benefit around hospitals right now," Aliff said. "And that's where a lot of folks here in Texas want to get to the heart of, because we are hearing horror stories throughout the state of nonprofits not living up to their charity mission." Texas Rep. Tom Oliverson filed a bill in the Texas House that would prevent hospitals from pursuing debt collections on any patients until the hospital verifies that the patient is not eligible for charity care. As it stands now, nonprofit hospitals are only required to post that they offer charity care by putting up a sign in the lobby and by taking out an ad once a year in the newspaper. A resolution for Hernandez For more than a year, Hernandez has been stressed about her unpaid medical bills. But just days after the I-Team reached out to the Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital, she received a letter from the hospital saying it had taken a look at her request for charity care, and this time approved it. "I can actually go to sleep at night now, where I would lay awake at night or I'd wake up at two in the morning," Hernandez said. " So, yeah, that's a big relief." In an email, a Texas Health spokesperson wrote that the hospital proactively assesses patients for charity care, even in cases where a financial assistance application has not been completed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hospital safety bollard bill, sparked by KXAN, clears Senate
This story is part of KXAN's 'Preventing Disaster' investigation, which initially published on May 15, 2024. The project follows a fatal car crash into an Austin hospital's emergency room earlier that year. Our team took a broader look at safety concerns with that crash and hundreds of others across the nation – including whether medical sites had security barriers – known as bollards – at their entrances. Experts say those could stop crashes from happening. AUSTIN (KXAN) — A bill to require crash-rated safety bollards at hospitals across the state is one step closer to becoming law after clearing the Senate Wednesday in a vote of 23-7. The security step is a direct response to KXAN's 'Preventing Disaster' investigations following a deadly crash at St. David's North Austin Medical Center last year. 'In recent history, reports of crashes at hospitals or emergency room entrances have surged members,' Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, who filed the bill following KXAN's investigation, told lawmakers on Tuesday during the bill's second reading. 'This issue has not only intensified in Texas but also has been reported across the United States, resulting in numerous tragedies.' Last month, KXAN investigative reporter Matt Grant was invited to testify in front of a Senate panel about our own data analysis, which found hundreds of crashes at medical sites across the country resulting in at least 20 deaths over the past decade — a startling statistic that West highlighted. EXPLORE: Preventing Disaster investigation uncovers hundreds of crashes nationwide 'According to media and official reports in the United States, there have been over 400 crashes into medical facilities in the last decade,' he said, referencing KXAN's findings. 'Additionally, in the state of Texas, alone, there have been more than 100 incidents since 2014.' In response to industry concerns raised about Senate Bill 660, West filed a committee substitute that exempts hospitals in rural areas with a population of less than 68,000 people. Hospitals that already have bollards 'or similar type of effective device' are also exempt. The Texas Hospital Association opposes the safety step, calling it an unfunded mandate that unfairly targets medical facilities. Former Austin City Council Member Mackenzie Kelly, who initiated a city ordinance requiring crash-rated bollards at new hospitals, urgent care clinics and standalone emergency rooms — which unanimously passed and took effect in December — was also invited to testify in March. She told lawmakers expanding Austin's safety measure statewide will save lives. 'I'm proud that Austin was able to lead the way on this critical safety issue, and I'm grateful to see the Senate pass SB 660 today,' Kelly told KXAN Wednesday. 'After meeting with KXAN and the Bernard family affected by the crash at St. David's North Austin Medical Center, I knew we had to act.' One of the votes against the measure came from Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood. Last month, he called KXAN's findings a 'major problem' and said he supported the bill's goal. At the time, Hall told us if hospitals 'aren't going to' install bollards, 'we in the legislature have a responsibility to protect the people of Texas.' 'Senator Hall does support the goal and feels that Hospitals should be proactive in this endeavor,' his chief of staff told KXAN in an email Wednesday after the Senate vote. 'He just could not get to the point to require it of them.' The bill now goes to the House where it awaits a committee assignment. A companion House bill, HB 5392, a companion bill, was referred to that chamber's Public Health Committee this week and awaits a hearing. 'I hope the House will also pass this bill expediently so Texas can protect patients, families and healthcare workers at emergency rooms across Texas,' Kelly said. 'This is about saving lives and mitigating disaster before tragedy strikes, not partisan politics.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
