Rick Mayer
Health News FloridaI’m the online producer for Health News Florida, a collaboration of public radio stations and NPR that delivers news about health care issues.
This is an important position at WUSF. In 2019, the typical U.S. family spent about 11 percent of its annual income on health care, so it stands to reason issues of cost, quality, access and innovation are consequential to all Floridians. Then COVID-19 came along, and the weight of these matters gained exponentially. I take our reporting on these topics quite seriously, as I’m sure you do, too.
Literally growing up in newsrooms and a little serendipity along the way prepared me well for the post. Here’s the abridged version: I’m a Tampa guy, graduating from H.B. Plant High and thrust into the world with my USF degree rolled tightly in hand. From there, it was three mostly sleepless decades as an editor at The Tampa Tribune, then developing and managing an online journal serving physician executives. There’s also my side job editing a statewide health magazine.
And being married to a longtime hospital nurse/case manager helps; dinner conversation often gives me a feel of what’s happening on the front lines. The good and not-so-good.
Of course, my time isn’t always spent flailing in the health news vortex. You’re actually more likely to find me breaking down the Bucs, Bulls or Bolts after a game, taking Oodle the poodle to the dog park or tinkering the backroom piano while vicariously reliving my former life as a musician. (Remember, kids: Parents of percussionists have plenty of patience. Plenty!)
Contact Rick on Twitter @rmayer2361 or by email at Mayer1@wusf.org.
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The $910 million deal will make Orlando Health a managing partner in Brookwood Baptist Health, which includes five Birmingham-area hospitals, as well as affiliated physician practices and operations. -
Stewart Health Care reportedly declined an offer to purchase all eight of its Bay State hospitals before getting approval from a bankruptcy judge for the closures. -
U.S. News and World Report also unveiled its annual honor roll of the nation’s 20 best hospitals, but no Florida hospitals made the cut. -
The hospital did not reveal the amount of the "major investment" provided to its foundation by John and Susan Sykes, whose names will go on the new center, part of the TGH Cancer Institute. -
The financially struggling health system has been under contract with the Maltese government to run three public hospitals that have been under investigation by authorities on the island nation. -
The Lakewood Ranch resident and ESPN basketball analyst tells social media followers he underwent surgery at Sarasota Memorial Hospital and that his doctor was pleased with the outcome. -
Steward, which owns eight hospitals in Florida, said it continues to seek other buyers. The struggling health system considered the proposed sale key to its Chapter 11 restructuring. -
The retail giant on April 30 cited an unsustainable business model when it announced it would close its 51 Walmart Health locations in five states. That included 23 stores in Florida. -
Gov. Ron DeSantis noted the priority of protecting the state’s natural resources, but added that granting power over Florida beaches to the Department of Health was "ill-advised.” -
The program, which began in March after the ramsomware attack on Change Healthcare, will close July 12. Providers are now successfully billing Medicare, the agency said.
