To contact Health Watch USA please  use the following E-Mail Address

Content in this website may be linked to, as long as the linking webpage and passage has a known and clearly stated author.

The following presentations were given at the Kentucky State Health and Welfare Committee meeting on November 16, 2008.  The videos are unedited and the viewer should verify all statements and opinions made on this website and in these presentations. 

MRSA and Mandatory Reporting of Health Care Acquired Infections
Kentucky State Senator Vernie McGaha 256 Kbps 6 mins 47 secs
Kevin Kavanagh, MD- Board Chairman of Health Watch USA discusses healthcare transparency for quality and costs. 256 Kbps 6 mins 44 secs
Senator McGaha and Dr. Kavanagh - Answer questions regarding mandatory screening for MRSA and public reporting of health care acquired infections. 256 Kbps 9 mins 47 secs
The Videos Below are Kentucky Hospitals Association Presentations in Opposition to SB 183
Sarah Nicholson from Kentucky Hospitals Association 256 Kbps 1 mins 44 secs
Ruth Carrico, PhD,  University of Louisville College of Public Health 256 Kbps 6 mins 40 secs
Marty Evans, MD,  Infectious Disease Medical Director VA Hospital, Lexington and the University of Kentucky 256 Kbps 8 mins 21 secs
Fontaine Sands, PhD, Lexington Ky. 256 Kbps 3 mins 41 secs Key Points:  1)  Not enough private beds to isolate MRSA positive patients.  A large tertiary hospital in Lexington would loose 1/3 to 1/2 of its bed capacity.    (Editor's note.  This statistic refers to a situation of using standard cultures which take 2 to 3 days for results.  The statistic may not be valid if a rapid MRSA test which takes hours for the results is used. )  This relates to the issue of CON --  see letter to editor from Mayor John Martin.  2)  Patients who are admitted after transfer from another hospital where they were hospitalized for three days are at risk for developing MRSA.
Doctors Sands, Evans and Carrico answer questions regarding MRSA and health care acquired infections. 256 Kbps 13 mins 23 secs Key Points:  1)  Dr. Marty Evans affirms the key points in the preamble of SB 183.  2) At the Veterans Administration Hospital in Lexington, KY,  admitted patients have a 0.8% chance of developing an infection if they are surveillance culture negative, but a 17% chance of developing an infection if they are surveillance culture positive.