No Apparent Injuries In Molino Single Vehicle Crash
June 3, 2018
There were no apparent injuries in a single vehicle crash near Molino Saturday night.
A driver lost control and left the roadway, running into a wooded area about 10:15 p.m. Bystanders reported that the driver was out of the vehicle and walking away on foot; there was no word if he returned to the crash on Highway 95A north of Barrineau Park Road.
The Florida Highway Patrol is conducting the accident investigation.
Escambia County EMS and the Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue also responded.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Escambia Needs Poll Workers
June 3, 2018
Escambia County voters can get paid while serving the community. The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections is currently looking for poll workers. For more information, visit escambiavotes.com/poll-worker-information or call (850) 595-3900.
Gonzalez Kids Write Letters To ECSO Deputies
June 3, 2018
Children at Gonzalez United Methodist Church wrote letters to Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies to thank them for their service to the community. The children were learning about the parable of the Good Samaritan and how to help others and perform acts of kindness.
“You’re amazing,” Micah Frazier wrote. “Thank you for saving us from bad guys.”
“You area a savor to our city. We are very thankful and grateful for all yall. So thank you so so much. God and Jesus are with you for ever rescue. Thank you for every thing you do,” Jayda Fillingim wrote.
Images courtesy Escambia County Sheriff’s Office for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Vacation Bible School Scheduled At Many Area Churches
June 3, 2018
Vacation Bible School is a summertime tradition for many area children. Here is a list of upcoming VBS events in the North Escambia area. To add a VBS to this list, email news@northescambia.com.
JUNE
First Baptist of Cantonment VBS
First Baptist of Cantonment presents Game On! VBS for Summer 2018. VBS for Finished PreK- finished 5th grade will be held June 4-8, from 8:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. For the first time, we are offering a Special Friends VBS. This VBS will be catered to children that would benefit from all the VBS excitement and thrive in a small group setting with more one-on-one support. This VBS is pre-register only and will be held June 10-13, from 6 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Student, parent, and sibling class will be provided. Dinner will be served. The church is located at 118 Morris Ave in Cantonment (850) 968-9135. Find registration forms at www.fbccfl.com.
Highland Baptist Church Music Camp (Molino)
Highland Baptist Church will hold music camp June 4-8, from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. for children kindergarten through fifth grade. Deadline to register is May 28. A musical performance will be held June 10. The church is 6240 Highway 95A North in Molino. For more information call (850) 587-5174.
Atmore First Assembly VBS
Shipwreck VBS will be June 4-8 from 8 a.m. until noon at Atmore First Assembly on South Main Street.
Heritage Baptist Church VBS (Cantonment)
Heritage Baptist Church at 3065 Highway 297A in Cantonment will hold Vacation Bible School June 4-8 from 6-8:45 p.m for finished kindergarten to finished fifth grade. Register online at www.heritageonline.net or call (850) 478-3316.
Southern Harbor Mennonite Church VBS (Walnut Hill)
Southern Harbor Mennonite Church will hold VBS June 4-13 from 6-8:30 p.m. for ages five years through 9th grade. For more info or transportation call (850) 712-7256, (850) 281-2320 or (337) 340-0646.
Walnut Hill Baptist VBS
Walnut Hill Baptist Church Game On Vacation Bible School will be held June 10-15 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Marcus Pointe Baptist VBS (Pensacola)
Marcus Pointe Baptist Church, 6205 North W Street, Time Lab Discovering Jesus Vacation Bible School will be held June 11-15 from 9 a.m. until noon. More info: www.pensacolachurch.org
First Baptist Church Bratt
First Baptist Church Bratt Game On VBS will be held June 11-18 from 8:30 until 11:30 a.m.
Flomaton First Bapist ChurchVBS
Flomaton First Bapist Church Game On VBS will be held June 11-15 from 8:30 until 11:30 a.m. for children that have finished kindergarten through the sixth grade.
Highland Baptist Church VBS (Molino)
Highland Baptist Church will hold VBS, Shipwrecked Rescued by Jesus, June 18-22, from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. for children ages three years old through fifth grade. Family night will be June 24. The church is 6240 Highway 95A North in Molino. For more information call (850) 587-5174.
First Baptist Atmore VBS
Shipwrecked Rescued by Jesus VBS at the First Baptist Church of Atmore June 18-22 from 5:30 until 8:30.
Hillcrest Baptist Nine Mile Campus VBS (Nine Mile Road)
Game On VBS at the Hillcrest Baptist Church at 800 East Nine Mile Road June 18-22 from 8:30 a.m. until noon. More info: www.hillcrestchurch.com
Olive Baptist VBS (Pensacola)
Olive Baptist Church Game On VBS June 18-22 from 9 a.m. until noon for ages K-5 to fifth grade. More info: www.olivebaptist.org/kids
Byrneville Community Church VBS
Byrneville Community Church Vacation Bible School will be held June 20-24 at 5 p.m. daily. The church is at 1351 Byrneville Road.
Aldersgate UMC VBS (Molino)
Aldersgate United Methodist Church will host Rolling River Rampage VBS June 25-29 from 5:30 until 8 p.m. for children three-years old to rising fifth graders. Online registration is available at www.aumcmolino.org. For more information, contact Sandra Greenwell at (850) 587-2489 or the church office at (850) 587-5294.
Oak Grove Baptist VBS
VBS at Oak Grove Baptist Church, 2600 North Highway 99, June 25-29 from 6-8:30.
Beulah Free Will Baptist VBS
Beulah Free Will Baptist VBS Shipwrecked Rescued by Jesus VBS will be June 25-29 from 6-8:30 p.m.
Hillcrest Baptist Spanish Trail Campus VBS (Pensacola)
Game On VBS at Hillcrest Baptist Church at 3960 Spanish Trail June 25-28 from 6-8 p.m.. More info: www.hillcrestchurch.com
JULY
Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church VBS (McDavid)
Ray’s Chapel Baptist Church will hold VBS, “Time Lab”, Discovering Jesus from Eternity Past to Eternity Future, July 9-13, from 6 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. for children ages five and older. The church is located at 170 West Bogia Road in McDavid.
Charity Chapel VBS (Pensacola)
Charity Chapel Shipwrecked – Saved by Jesusl Vacation Bible School will be July 9-13 for ages 4 to eighth grade. Register at www.charitychapel.org by June 29. The church is located at 5820 Montgomery Avenue, three blocks behind the Mobile Highway Publix. (850) 944.5520.
Campus Church VBS (Pensacola)
Campus Church at 115 St. John Street will hold Camp Moose on the Loose Vacation Bible School July 10-13 from 6:15 until 8:30 p.m. for children entering K-4 to the the sixth grade. CampusChurch.com/vbs for more info.
Poplar Dell Baptist VBS (Century)
Poplar Dell Baptist Church Vacation Bible School will be held July 16-20 from 5:30 until 8:00 p.m.
St. Luke UMC VBS (Nine Mile)
Saint Luke United Methodist Church Shipwrecked Rescued By Jesus VBS will be held July 16-20 from 9 a.m. until noon for ages 4 to rising sixth grade. For more information: www.stluke-umc.org
Florida Gov’t Weekly Roundup: Politics Of Puerto Rico And Pot
June 3, 2018
Friday marked the onset of the 2018 hurricane season, but the political squalls are already brewing throughout the Sunshine State, with the August primary and November general elections on the horizon.
At the top of the ticket, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and his challenger, Gov. Rick Scott, have been duking it out, with Scott taking a day off from storming the state to travel to Puerto Rico — in his official capacity as governor — as he continues to court Hispanic voters.
The Puerto Rican visit — Scott’s sixth to the U.S. territory since Hurricane Maria devastated the island in September — came two days after The New England Journal of Medicine published a Harvard study concluding that more than 4,600 people lost their lives in Puerto Rico due to the storm, magnitudes greater than the official death toll of 64.
Nelson took to social media to mock Scott’s visit to the hurricane-ravaged island, where some residents remain without power long after Maria left almost all of Puerto Rico in the dark.
“I don’t know what I would do differently,” Scott told reporters in Puerto Rico on Thursday.
“Rick Scott just said: “I don’t know what I would do differently” in Puerto Rico. REALLY? Nine months after the hurricane and people still do not have electricity, water, and jobs! Rick Scott does not understand that people are hurting and in need,” Nelson tweeted.
But Senate candidates aren’t the only ones wooing Boricuas.
The day before Scott met with Puerto Rican government leaders on their turf, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez traveled to Central Florida to announce the state Democratic Party had received a $100,000 grant to “make sure that we are listening to Puerto Ricans and we are organizing in the Puerto Rican community.”
POLITICS OF POT, PART ONE
While Scott and Nelson seek the blessing of Puerto Rican voters, they’re far apart on what one political rainmaker predicts will be a critical issue for voters: whether Florida patients should be able to smoke medical marijuana.
Orlando lawyer John Morgan drew attention to the issue this week when he called on Scott to back down from an appeal of a judge’s order that said a state law banning smokable marijuana is unconstitutional.
Late last week, Leon County Circuit Judge Karen Gievers ruled that the prohibition, included in a state law passed last year, ran afoul of a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2016 that broadly legalized medical marijuana.
The state Department of Health, an executive branch agency controlled by the governor, immediately appealed the ruling, a move that put Gievers’ order on hold. Gievers will have a hearing Monday morning on a request by the plaintiffs to lift the automatic stay.
Morgan, who largely bankrolled the 2016 constitutional amendment, warned Scott that the fight to keep patients from smoking pot could spark a “political wildfire” that will cost the Republican votes in his battle to unseat Nelson.
“This is a message today for Gov. Scott. I believe that your decision to allow this to go on could have serious, serious ramifications in your election against Bill Nelson,” Morgan, a major political fundraiser who supported Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016, told reporters during a press conference Tuesday.
Asked to respond to Morgan’s demand that the governor drop the appeal, Scott’s communications staff directed a reporter to a statement issued last week by the health department after Gievers’ decision: “This ruling goes against what the Legislature outlined when they wrote and approved Florida’s law to implement the constitutional amendment that was approved by an overwhelmingly bipartisan majority. The department has appealed the ruling, and this imposes an automatic stay.”
Scott’s opposition to smoking pot “could really hurt him in his election for Senate,” Morgan told The News Service of Florida in a telephone interview.
“Pure and simple — politics. I think he’ll lose the election over it,” said Morgan, who toyed with running for governor this year as a Democrat or as an independent before abandoning the idea.
When asked if Nelson supports allowing patients to smoke medical marijuana, a campaign spokeswoman said the senator “supports medical marijuana ordered by a physician, voted for the constitutional amendment and believes Floridians should have access to the medication recommended by their doctor.”
The Democratic senator gave a more direct answer later in the week during a stop in St. Petersburg.
“Of course,” Nelson said, when asked if he backs allowing patients to smoke pot. “That’s what the constitutional amendment was.”
POLITICS OF POT, PART TWO
The tangle over pot won’t just affect the top of the ticket, according to Morgan, who spent at least $7 million of his own money to help legalize medical marijuana.
Support for legalizing recreational marijuana is a make-or-break issue for the Democratic candidates vying to replace Scott in the governor’s mansion, Morgan said.
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, Winter Park entrepreneur Chris King and former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine back an across-the-board legalization of pot in Florida.
Former Congresswoman Gwen Graham, meanwhile, has endorsed a plan to decriminalize marijuana for personal use, saying she doesn’t believe people should be locked up for possessing small amounts of pot.
That won’t cut it, at least in Morgan’s view.
“A Democrat who doesn’t call for the full legalization of marijuana I do not believe can win the Democratic primary,” Morgan said in an interview.
Graham, who has been criticized by some Democrats for being too conservative during her two-year stint in Congress, is the only candidate to stop short of endorsing flat-out legalization. Some states, counties and cities have used decriminalization as a way to allow people to get citations for possessing small amounts of pot, removing the possibility that they will be arrested on criminal charges.
Graham included decriminalization of personal possession of marijuana in a criminal-justice reform package released Thursday. She also wants to reduce sentences for nonviolent drug possession and called for a review of all mandatory-minimum sentencing laws.
“Florida should embrace the principle that no young person should go to jail or have their lives ruined over an incident of marijuana use — we can and should decriminalize,” she said in a statement last year.
But Morgan said the only way “people won’t be arrested, detained, ticketed or stopped” is the full legalization of marijuana.
“Gwen is playing a general election game assuming that she’s going to be the nominee, and that is the most dangerous game a politician can play, because it reeks of arrogance and it assumes that the Democratic Party is going to give her a pass on an issue they’re passionate about,” he said. “I would never vote for her in a million years with that position. And I think I speak for almost 100 percent of the Democratic Party. It’s an outrage.”
STORY OF THE WEEK: The battle over whether patients should be allowed to smoke medical marijuana continued to flare, after plaintiffs in the case asked a Tallahassee judge to lift an automatic stay sparked by an appeal by the Department of Health. Leon County Circuit Judge Karen Gievers, who ruled on May 25 that a state law banning smokable medical marijuana is unconstitutional, will hold a hearing Monday on lifting the stay.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I really don’t want my visits or anyone’s visits to be taken. … Why would you even take them away? I mean, they’re already having a bad enough time in prison. Why would you make it worse? Please. I need to see my dad on the weekends.” — Eleven-year-old Cody Calhoun, pleading with prison officials to abandon a proposed rule that could cut inmate visitation in half.
by Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida
UF: Want To Eat Healthy? Try Getting Back To Nutrition Basics
June 3, 2018
Now is the time to commit to healthy eating, says a registered dietitian with the University of Florida.
Popular diets come and go, but the no-frills, evidence-based guidelines are here to stay. Kaley Mialki, youth programs specialist with the Family Nutrition Program, part of the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension, said, “Eating well does not have to be complicated.”
Here are a few tips to help you and your family get back to nutrition basics:
- As you shop and eat, practice these habits:
- Eat a variety of foods from all food groups.
- Fill half your plate with ts and vegetables.
- Make half your grains whole grains.
- Choose low-fat and fat-free dairy products.
- Eat a variety of protein-rich foods from plant and animal sources.
- Read the Nutrition Facts label on food packages to choose foods lower in saturated fat, sodium and added sugar.
- Eat the amount of calories that is right for you. Go to choosemyplate.gov/MyPlate-Daily-Checklist-input to calculate your caloric needs.
- Embrace the power of fruits and vegetables.
Eating more fruits and vegetables often can help make us feel better, Mialki said. Eating a healthy diet that includes fruits and vegetables may also lower your risk of developing chronic diseases.
“Fruits and vegetables contain nutrients, including vitamins, minerals and fiber, all of which help keep our bodies working well,” she said. “Vitamins and minerals help keep our skin and eyes healthy, heal wounds, and control our blood pressure. Fiber helps us feel full for longer, maintains normal digestion, helps reduce blood cholesterol and has many other health benefits.”
- Sneak fruits and vegetables into meals and snacks.
Consuming more fruits and vegetables can be a matter of tweaking your eating routine. Here are some examples:
- Add berries or banana slices to cereal, yogurt or oatmeal for breakfast.
- Include tomatoes, mushrooms or spinach in your omelet.
- Snack on a piece of fresh fruit or crunchy vegetables and hummus.
- Swap sandwich bread or tortillas out for lettuce wraps.
- Blend fruit and leafy green vegetables — spinach and kale work well — together with low-fat yogurt for a flavorful smoothie.
- Keep fruit and vegetables in sight by placing a bowl of fresh fruit on the counter or placing vegetables in a visible spot in your fridge.
- Help kids eat better by making it a family affair.
There are many strategies for encouraging children to develop healthy eating habits, Mialki said.
- Be a role model for kids by making healthy food choices, practicing good mealtime behaviors and being physically active.
- Set the menu, meal location and meal time. Let kids decide which foods they want to eat and how much they want to eat from what parents offer. Children may eat better when they feel in control of their food choices.
- Allow kids to help with food purchasing and preparation. They may be more likely to eat the foods they helped buy and cook.
- Find age-appropriate kitchen tasks for kids, such as washing produce, measuring ingredients or reading recipe instructions.
- Keep meal times and food choices positive. Encourage positive conversations at the dinner table, eat together as a family, keep the TV off and respect your child’s food preferences.
- Teach kids that no foods are off limits, but encourage healthier foods most of the time. Remind kids that foods like ice cream, French fries and sugar sweetened beverages are “sometimes foods,” so we only eat them sometimes.
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tragic Tractor Accident Claims Life Of Cantonment Man
June 2, 2018
A tragic accident claimed the life of a man in Cantonment Friday afternoon.
About 5:30 p.m., the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and emergency personnel responded to the 200 block of Cedar Point Road where a man had flipped a tractor into a pond.
“A 74-year old male was pinned under the tractor in the water and drowned,” according to Deb Henley, spokesperson for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
The man’s name has not been released.
NorthEscambia.com photo by Kristi Barbour, click to enlarge.
Weekend Trip: Explore The Blackwater State Forest
June 2, 2018
It’s time to get outside and explore the local area. In neighboring Santa Rosa County, a terrific destination for a variety of outdoor activities is the Blackwater River State Park.
Visitors can canoe, kayak, tube, fish and swim the river. Hikers can enjoy trails through nearly 600 acres of undisturbed natural communities. Bring a picnic and hang out at one of several pavilions or white sand beaches that dot the river (restroom facilities available). Near the pavilions, stop and see one of the largest and oldest Atlantic white cedars, recognized as a Florida Champion tree in 1982. The park also offers 30 campsites for tents and RVs. Park entry is $4 per car, payable at the ranger station or via the honor system with exact change.
The Blackwater River is considered one of the purest and pristine sand-bottom rivers in the world. The water is tea-colored from the tannins and organic matter that color the water as it weaves through the predominantly pine forest. The river is shallow with a beautiful white sandy bottom, a nice feature for those tubing or paddling the trail. The river flows for over 50 miles and is designated as a Florida canoe trail. Multiple small sand beach areas line the river and provide plenty of space to hang out, picnic, or throw a Frisbee. Blackwater eventually flows into Pensacola Bay and the Gulf of Mexico bringing high quality freshwater into this important estuary.
A favorite trail in the Park is the Chain of Lakes Nature Trail. Parking for this 1.75 mile loop trail is at South Bridge on Deaton Bridge Road. The trail head is well marked and has a boardwalk that leads into the floodplain forest. The trail winds through a chain of shallow oxbow lakes and swamp that dot the former route of the river. On a clear, blue-sky day, you may see a beautiful rainbow effect as the sun hits the water. It’s called the pastel swamp rainbow effect. This is a result of the natural oils from the cypress cones settling on the surface of the water and associated trapped pollen.
The trail then turns to sneak through the sandhill community in the park with giant longleaf pines, wiregrass and turkey oak. Evidence of prescribed burning shows management efforts to maintain the forest. Cinnamon ferns, bamboo and other natives appear in pockets along the trail. The trail in this section is blanketed with a mosaic of exposed root systems, so be careful as you step. Bug spray and a water bottle are recommended.
by Laura Tiu, UF/IFAS
UF/IFAS: Test Your Well Water At Least Once Per Year
June 2, 2018
by Andrea Albertin, UF/IFAS
An estimated 2.5 million Floridians (approximately 12% of the population) rely on private wells for home consumption, which includes water for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing, toilet flushing and other needs. While public water systems are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure safe drinking water, private wells are not regulated. Private well users are responsible for ensuring the safety of their own drinking water.
How can well users make sure that their water is safe to drink?
It’s important to have well water tested at a certified laboratory at least once a year for contaminants that can cause health problems. According to the Florida Department of Health (FDOH), the most common contaminants in well water in Florida are bacteria and nitrates.
Bacteria: Labs generally test for Total coliform bacteria and fecal coliforms (or E. coli specifically) when a sample is submitted for bacteriological testing. This generally costs about $25 to $30, but can vary depending on where you have your sample analyzed.
Coliform bacteria are a large group of different kinds of bacteria and most species are harmless and will not make you sick. But, a positive test for total coliforms indicate that bacteria are getting into your well water. Coliforms are used as indicator organisms – if coliform bacteria are in your well, other pathogens (bacteria, viruses or protozoans) that cause diseases may also be getting into your well water. It is easier and cheaper to test for total coliforms than a suite of bacteria and other organisms that can cause health problems.
Fecal coliform bacteria are a subgroup of coliform bacteria found in human and other warm-blooded animal feces. E. coli are one species of fecal coliform bacteria. A positive test for fecal coliform bacteria or E. coli indicate that water has been contaminated by human or animal waste.
If your water sample tests positive for only total coliform bacteria or both total coliform and fecal coliform (or E. coli), the Department of Health recommends that your well be disinfected. This is generally done through shock chlorination. You can either hire a well operator in your area to disinfect your well or you can do it yourself. Information for how to shock chlorinate your own well can be found
Nitrates: The U.S. EPA set the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for nitrate in drinking water at 10 miligrams per liter of water (mg/L). Values above this are a concern for infants who are less than 6 months old because high nitrate levels can cause a type of “blue baby syndrome” (methemoglobinemia), where nitrate interferes with the capacity of hemoglobin in the blood to carry oxygen. It is particularly important to test for nitrate if you have a young infant in the home that will be drinking well water or when well water will be used to make formula to feed the infant.
If test results come back above 10 mg/L, never boil nitrate contaminated water as a form of treatment. This will not remove nitrates. Use water from a tested source (bottled water or water from a public supply source) until the problem is addressed.
Nitrates in well water come from fertilizers applied on land surfaces, animal waste and/or human sewage, such as from a septic tank. Have your well inspected by a professional to identify why elevated nitrate levels are is getting into your well water. You can also consider installing a water treatment system, such as reverse osmosis or distillation units to treat the contaminated water. Before having a system installed, make sure you contact your local health department or a water treatment contractor for more information.
Where can you have your well water tested?
Most county health departments accept samples for water testing. You can also submit samples to a certified commercial lab near you. Contact your county health department for information about what to have your water tested for and how to take and submit the sample.
Contact information for county health departments can be found on this site: http://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/county-health-departments/find-a-county-health-department/index.html
You can search for laboratories near you certified by FDOH here: https://fldeploc.dep.state.fl.us/aams/loc_search.asp This includes county health department labs as well as commercial labs, university labs and others.
You should also have your well water tested at any time when:
- The color, taste or odor of your well water changes or if you suspect that someone became sick after drinking your well water.
- A new well is drilled or if you have had maintenance done on your existing well
- A flood occurred and your well was affected
Remember: Bacteria and nitrate are by no means the only parameters that well water is tested for. Call your local health department to discuss your water and what they recommend you should get the water tested for. The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) also maintains an excellent website with many resources for private well users: http://www.floridahealth.gov/environmental-health/private-well-testing/index.html . This site includes information on potential contaminants and how to maintain your well to ensure the quality of your well water.
Many Nursing Homes, ALFs Don’t Meet Generator Requirements
June 2, 2018
Months after Gov. Rick Scott promised a hard line against nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, much of the industry is not in compliance with new rules as the state heads into the 2018 hurricane season.
Scott pushed to require that nursing homes and assisted living facilities have backup power systems to make sure that residents can remain cool for 96 hours in case buildings lose electricity.
The Agency for Health Care Administration this week released data showing that nearly 66 percent of nursing homes in the state have complied with the new rules but that only 18 percent of assisted living facilities have done so.
Mallory McManus, a spokeswoman for AHCA, said the state expects full compliance with the rules, which required special approval from the Legislature because of the steep costs for businesses. The state will cite facilities that aren’t in compliance, which could lead to fines, she said.
“AHCA will stop at nothing to ensure assisted living facilities and nursing homes are following this important rule,” AHCA Secretary Justin Senior said in a statement. “We will hold all facilities accountable.”
But compliance doesn’t necessarily mean that facilities have equipment, such as generators, and fuel in place to meet the requirements, which call for being able to keep buildings at 81 degrees Fahrenheit for 96 hours. That’s because nursing homes and assisted living facilities that requested six-month extensions to meet the mandates also are considered compliant, McManus said.
A review of the data shows that 102 nursing homes can meet the requirements and that 348 facilities have asked the state for more time. There are 686 nursing homes in Florida.
The data is as of May 25, a week before the requirements took effect Friday with the start of hurricane season.
Florida Health Care Association spokeswoman Kristen Knapp said nursing homes that requested extensions could face challenges at the local level such as delays in zoning approvals.
“I don’t believe it’s fair to say that if a facility submitted a request for an extension it doesn’t mean they won’t be ready,” she said in an email.
Likewise, 205 assisted living facilities have proper equipment to meet the mandates. Another 344 are deemed in compliance because they have approved extensions or have submitted extensions. Six requests for extensions have been denied.
Unlike nursing homes that will be able to offset the costs of equipment with Medicaid funding, there is no assistance for the 3,102 assisted living facilities in the state.
Skip Gregory, who served as Florida’s chief of health care facility plans and construction for 17 years, said the industry is moving to comply with the new rules but that it takes time.
“It’s not as simple as snapping your fingers and saying. ‘Let there be air conditioning at all nursing home and ALFs,’ ” he said.
But Gregory said there still are “gray areas” regarding the rules and rattled off a number of issues such as long-term storage of diesel fuel and the use of natural gas for generators.
He also warned that allowing assisted living facilities to use gasoline generators to meet the requirements is a mistake.
He predicted that it would take 100 gallons of fuel to keep the generators powered for 96 hours and said owners of small ALFs would stockpile five-gallon gas tanks.
“I just don’t think that’s a good idea,” Gregory said. “That’s like a bomb waiting to go off.”
The rules are not what Scott initially sought in 2017 after the deaths of residents at The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills in Broward County following Hurricane Irma. The hurricane knocked out the nursing home’s air-conditioning system, leaving residents in sweltering conditions for three days. Authorities have attributed 12 deaths to the problems at the nursing home.
The Scott administration initially issued emergency rules that required facilities to have generators installed. But the emergency rules sparked successful legal challenges from some industry groups concerned about the potential costs. The state appealed the decision and continued to enforce the rules but also worked with Republican legislative leaders on codifying a pair of permanent rules.
The new rules don’t require that the equipment be installed, which indicates it could be portable, and don’t mandate a generator be used to keep air temperatures cool. They instead suggest generators but allow for each provider to determine the most appropriate equipment to meet their facility needs.
Moreover, the new rules require facilities to be able to cool off a set amount of square feet based on the number of residents. Nursing homes are required to cool at least 30 square feet per resident, and assisted living facilities are required to cool 20 net square feet per resident.
“By June 1, 2018, facilities must have access to an emergency power source such as a generator for use during a power outage, have arrangements to bring a power source onsite when an emergency is declared, or evacuate if the facility is in an evacuation zone,” AHCA said in a news release.
Justice for Aging attorney Eric Carlson supported Scott’s original rules but was more reserved in his support of the new ones, noting that the square footage requirements were “pretty tight.”
“They’ve been watered down,” he said.
by Christine Sexton, The News Service of Florida
Pictured. Generator at Century Health & Rehabilitation, which meets the state requirements. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.