: News

Filed Under:

Maryland's Health Department Takes Brunt of Layoffs

Play associated audio

Maryland's health department is taking the brunt the layoffs made in the state's latest round of budget cuts. The Health Department will absorb 160 of 202 layoffs approved by the Board of Public Works. They're part of $454 million in reductions made this week.

John Colmers is Maryland's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Secretary. He says the reductions could persuade health providers to avoid serving Medicaid patients. The changes also mean the Upper Shore Community Mental Health Center will close its inpatient psychiatric units in February. Two wards at Spring Grove Hospital will also close.

It is the sixth time the Board of Public Works has made midyear budget cuts since Governor Martin O'Malley took office. The state's Board of Revenue Estimates will meet in mid- September to provide a better picture of the state's finances.

Natalie Neumann has more....

NPR

Spy Reporter Works Her 'Sources' To Write A Thriller

Mary Louise Kelly used to cover national security for NPR, but lately she's turned her attention to fiction. Her new novel, Anonymous Sources, draws on Kelly's own reporting experiences, including things she couldn't say when she was a journalist.
NPR

Hot Dogs, Bacon And Red Meat Tied To Increased Diabetes Risk

A fresh study looks at what happens after people change their meat-eating habits. Those who upped their intake — about 3.5 servings more per week — saw their risk of developing type 2 diabetes during four years of follow-up increase by almost 50 percent.
NPR

Why The FISA Court Is Not What It Used To Be

President Obama says federal judges have been "overseeing" the recently exposed government surveillance programs. But few, if any, experts in the Bush or Obama administrations believe that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has the enforcement teeth it once had.
NPR

Teens Find The Right Tools For Their Social-Media Jobs

There was a time — a time long, long ago — when MySpace dominated the teen social-media world. Not anymore. NPR's Sami Yenigun looks at how teenagers use various social platforms in today's increasingly segmented online universe.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.