I-10 Speed Limit Increase Near Highway 29
October 9, 2017
According to the Florida Department of Transportation, the speed limit on I-10 eastbound near the I-10 interchange has been increased from 50 to 60 mph, but may, at times, be reduced to 50 mph between 8 p.m. and 6 p.m. to accomodate night construction work.
The speed limit on I-10 westbound near the U.S. 29 interchange remains at 50 mph as crews continue construction activities.
Bratt Elementary Students Learn About Fire Safety
October 9, 2017
The Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue presented a fire safety program Friday at Bratt Elementary School.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Nate: Gulf Power Restores Power For 38,000 In 24 Hours
October 9, 2017
Gulf Power crews, joined by more than 250 outside crews, have completed restoring service to customers in the wake of Hurricane Nate. Crews worked through the night to restore more than 38,000 outages in about 24 hours since Hurricane Nate first impacted Northwest Florida.
“I’m proud of our team and the outstanding work they did today,” said Adrianne Collins, Gulf Power VP of Power Delivery. “Every single Gulf Power employee has a storm function, and they all came together to safely restore power to our customers. Despite the wind and driving rain, our crews persevered until all power was restored.”
After Hurricane Nate made landfall near Biloxi, Mississippi early this morning with 85 mph winds, it quickly lost strength as it moved across Northwest Florida and turned to the northeast.
“We want to thank our customers for their patience and understanding as crews worked to restore their power,” said Collins. “Year-round we train for this type of a scenario and crews deploy to different areas to help others restore power. That training and developing of skills has really paid off in helping us quickly and safely get our customers’ power back on in the wake of Nate.”
Georgia Power crews from Southern Company along with energy providers from Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida pitched in to help.
“Having the strength and resources of Southern Company and other industry partners behind you when you’re faced with this type of situation is everything,” said Collins. “We’re better together — with Georgia Power and other crews from Florida and out of state by our side, we were able to speed the restoration process while working safely.”
Local Elementary Schools Join Forces To Help Hurricane Victims In Texas, Florida
October 9, 2017
Several Escambia County elementary schools joined forces to collect donations to help elementary schools in Florida and Texas with hurricane recover.
Friday a loaded truck departed Lipscomb Elementary School headed to Anderson and Lemm elementary schools in Spring, TX. Anderson was flooded, which meant a loss of all paper products and most other supplies (including teachers’ materials). Lemm Elementary School’s library lost its inventory of books.
Lipscomb was assisted with donations from Bratt, Molino Park, Blue Angels and McArthur elementary schools.
Cordova Park Elementary School collected donations for Bonita Springs Elementary School in Lee County, FL. Many of their families lost their personal belongings in flooding, including their school uniforms.
Cordova Park was assisted with donations from Jim Allen, Molino Park, Scenic Heights, Ensley, Navy Point and Brentwood elementary schools, along with the Global Learning Academy.
Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Kara Christina Milstid
October 9, 2017
Kara Christina Milstid, 42, of Milton, Florida, passed on to a better place on October 07, 2017, after an auto accident near Jay, FL. Kara was a native of Atmore, AL, where she lived most of her life and graduated high school. Kara was a cosmetologist and later became a medical assistant and worked for Santa Rosa Clinics, in Milton, FL.
Kara is survived by her father Tommie Eugene Milstid, and her brother Greg Eugene Milstid.
She was preceded in death by her mother Arva Ruth Milstid, and her sister Janet Michelle Milstid.
She was the granddaughter of Melvin and Mae Simmons of Atmore, AL., and Floyd Milstid, Sr., and Maggie Lee Whittington, of Perdido, AL. She is also survived by many aunts, uncles, and cousins she loved very much.
The many friends who’s lives she touched made an undeniable difference in their lives. She was loved and will be missed by all. She requested no service and wanted to be cremated. She asked everyone not to mourn her death, but to celebrate her life that she spent with them. She also asked that instead of sending flowers, to make a donation to the American Heart Association. Love and Light to all.
Telehealth Panel Eyes Florida Insurance, Licensing Issues
October 9, 2017
To increase the use of telehealth in Florida, a panel is recommending that insurance companies be required to reimburse health-care providers for telehealth services and that the Legislature authorize participation in interstate “compacts” that make it easier for doctors and other providers to be licensed in a variety of states.
The Telehealth Advisory Council held a two-hour-plus teleconference Tuesday, with members reviewing a draft copy of a 32-page report that will be sent to the governor and Legislature later this month.
Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Justin Senior, the chairman of the advisory council, said a copy of the report would be posted publicly and that another meeting will held before the panel votes on the final version
“I really appreciate all the work that has gone into this. I really think it’s coming together nicely,” Senior told members of the council.
Telehealth, at least in part, involves using the internet and other technology to provide services to patients remotely. The Legislature for years grappled with telehealth and how it should best be used and regulated. In 2016, lawmakers passed a bill creating the advisory council and directed it to survey the current level of telehealth participation in the state, identify obstacles and make recommendations on how those obstacles can be eliminated.
Recommendations in the report run the gamut, from making clear that a practitioner/patient relationship can be established through telehealth to providing a definition for telehealth.
Perhaps the most controversial recommendation, though, is that the Legislature require insurance companies to reimburse health-care providers for telehealth services as though the care were provided face-to-face.
Moreover, the draft report also recommends that insurance companies cover services provided via telehealth if the same services are covered for in-person visits.
The advisory board recommendation applies to commercial insurance coverage only. The report recommends, however, that the state support changes being considered by Congress that would make Medicare coverage of telehealth services less restrictive.
With regard to Medicaid, the advisory council is recommending that the state amend its Medicaid rules and allow reimbursement to providers for more telehealth services. Currently, Medicaid rules allow for reimbursement of live video conferencing only.
Advisory council member and Leon County EMS provider Kim Landry told The News Service of Florida on Monday that the recommended mandates on insurance companies should go a long way to increasing access to telehealth services.
“Reimbursement has been an issue,” he said noting that he doesn’t expect every provider to gravitate toward telehealth but that the promise of reimbursement will help sway some physicians.
As of September, 34 states and the District of Columbia had established health-insurance parity laws to address gaps in coverage for telehealth services, according to the draft report. But only three of the states with telehealth parity laws explicitly mandate that the reimbursement for telehealth services be the same as for in-person care.
The advisory council worked with the Office of Insurance Regulation, the Department of Health and the Agency for Health Care Administration in polling insurance companies, facilities and providers about telehealth.
The findings showed that only 6 percent of practitioners in Florida reported using telehealth, which was below the national average of 16 percent.
Those who did offer telehealth services were recent converts, with 55 percent reporting doing so for the first time in the last year.
The poll also showed hospitals in Florida lagged behind their peers nationally in the use of telehealth. While 45 percent of hospitals responding to the Florida survey reported using telehealth, that was less than the 52 percent of hospitals (with another 10 percent in the process) in a 2013 national poll.
Results of the Florida survey showed that for health care practitioners, the top barriers for telehealth were financial. Practitioners were concerned about the required investments, adequate reimbursement for services and a financial return.
In addition to tackling reimbursement, the advisory council also weighed in on licensure requirements, recommending that “health care practitioners be licensed in Florida prior to being allowed to provide care to a patient in Florida.”
To make the licensure process easier, the council is recommending that the Legislature authorize Florida to participate in multi-state practitioner licensure compacts so long as the eligibility requirements for licensure equal or exceed the state’s existing requirements.
The advisory council also is recommending that, similar to the boards of medicine and osteopathic medicine, the various health-care regulatory boards and councils be given specific authority to develop rules necessary to implement telehealth.
by Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida
Billy Huskey
October 9, 2017
He is survived by his wife of over 51 years, Patsy and their children Leslie (Gary) Chandler, Tommy Huskey, Ronnie (Christy) Huskey, Will (Haley) Huskey, 11 loving grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Billy is preceded in death by his parents Will and Elizabeth Floyd Huskey, his three sisters and three brothers, and most recently his son John Huskey in 2015.
Although he was a very quiet and private man, Billy loved to share stories and memories of his childhood growing up as the youngest of seven children, in Pollard, AL. Being a very competitive athlete, he would fondly recall his days on the Flomaton High School football team in the 1950’s.
He set a great example for the young family he and Patsy began in Century, FL. As a civically active member of the community he served as a volunteer firefighter, worked with the Boy Scouts of America and gave often during local Blood drives. There he worked for Alger-Sullivan Lumber Company which was later acquired by Jim Walter Doors. But working & building for Swift Lumber Company became his ultimate career.
Billy loved carpentry, fishing and growing large vegetable gardens in the summer. In all this, he taught his children and others by example. He taught them the importance and value of honesty and hard work. Work seemed to his children, to be his hobby.
The young family moved to Atmore in the late 70’s as Billy became a vital part of the expansion of Swift Lumber Company and eventually built his wife’s dream home in Byneville, FL. After over 30 years of dedicated employment, Billy retired and spent many days fishing on the Alabama and Tensaw rivers.
In the most recent years he spent 3 days a week at the Atmore Dialysis Center where he continued to set an example for his family of strength and endurance. This quiet simple man had only one final request of his family, that there he no funeral or visitation and his remaining ashes be cast upon the still waters of the river he loved so much.
Irma’s Death Toll Up To 69 In Florida
October 9, 2017
Hurricane Irma’s official death toll in Florida stands at 69, nearly a month after the storm pounded a south-to-north path through the state. But the number released Friday should continue to grow.
The figure, compiled by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the state Division of Emergency Management from county medical examiners, includes nine deaths in Broward County. The deaths in Broward County are listed as being due to carbon monoxide, chronic pulmonary disease, heat exhaustion tied to chronic alcoholism, a diabetic crisis, a subdural hematoma and two cases each of blunt trauma and cardiovascular disease.
Eight residents of The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills died Sept. 13, days after the center lost its air-conditioning system because of Irma. Four more died after the sweltering facility was evacuated.
Deaths from Irma have been reported in the following counties: Broward (9), Collier (1), Duval (5), Hardee (2), Hendry (1), Highlands (4), Hillsborough (4), Lake (1), Lee (1), Leon (2), Liberty (1), Manatee (1), Marion (3), Miami-Dade (5), Monroe (6), Nassau (1), Okeechobee (1), Orange (6), Palm Beach (5), Pinellas (2), Polk (3), Seminole (1), St. Lucie (1), Taylor (2) and Volusia (1).
Twenty-three deaths across the state are attributed to a blunt-force injury — typically involving traffic crashes or injuries that occurred during the storm or while people worked on storm preparation or recovery. Irma is also blamed for eight deaths by drowning, four cases of electrocution and 14 deaths involving carbon monoxide.
Rebecca “Becky” Black
October 9, 2017
Mrs. Rebecca “Becky” Black, 54, passed away Saturday, October 7, 2017, in Pensacola, FL.
Mrs. Black was a native and life long resident of Bogia, FL. She was a member of Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church and loved her animals. She is preceded in death by her parents, Junior and Diane Black and a brother, Joe Black.
She is survived by her two sisters, Jean (Hong) Zhang of China and Gail (David) Williamson of Milton, FL; special aunt, Christine Truesdell of McDavid, FL; two aunts, Joan Brooks of McDavid, FL and Louise Cobb of Uriah, AL; one uncle, Sonny Snow of Uriah, AL and a niece and nephew, Ashlyn Williamson and Owen Williamson.
Funeral services will be Tuesday, October 10, 2017, at 2:00 p.m. at Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church with Rev. Nathan Brown and Rev. Dexter Truesdell officiating.
Burial will follow at Ray’s Chapel Cemetery.
Visitation will be Tuesday, October 10, 2017, from 12:30 p.m. until service time at 2:00 p.m. at Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church.
Pallbearers will be George Snow, David Williamson, Owen Williamson, Charlie Wilson, Paul Stewart and Brad Brooks.
Final Weather Update On Nate
October 8, 2017
Hurricane Nate made a landfall at the mouth of Mississippi River before continuing north to a second landfall at 12:30 a.m. Sunday near Biloxi.
The latest details on Nate are available in the maps and images on this page.
See the front page of NorthEscambia.com for additional details on Nate, evacuation information, safety tips and more.
