Latest news with #StephanieJohnson
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmaker seeks magistrate's resignation after releasing Berlin man who murdered estranged wife
A Republican state legislator is calling upon a court magistrate to resign after granting $5,000 bail for Michael Gleason Jr. on felony kidnapping and sex assault charges two months before he murdered his estranged wife and shot himself to death Sunday. Berlin rep seeks resignation from court magistrate over bail for man who murdered his wife State Rep. Lori Korzen, R-Berlin and center, called for the resignation of Court Magistrate Stephanie Johnson over the bail granted to Michael Gleason Jr. two months before he murdered his estranged wife, Marisol Fuentes, and shot himself to death. Pictured here with Koren are former Rep. Brian Valerino, left, who is now warden of the state medium security prison in Berlin and Peter Morency, the former Berlin police chief who serves with Korzen in the New Hampshire House. First term state Rep. Lori Korzen, R-Berlin, released the letter she sent to Court Magistrate Stephanie Johnson as the fallout continues over the tragic death of restaurant worker Marisol Fuentes. 'The decision to set Mr. Gleason's bail at just $5,000 despite clear warning signs and the severity of the charges he faced, has had devastating consequences for Marisol, her family and our entire community,' Rep. Korzen wrote. 'The bail system exists to balance the rights of the accused with the imperative of public safety. In this instance, I believe that balance was not achieved, and the result was a preventable tragedy.' Fuentes took out the criminal complaint against Gleason, also accusing him of trying to steal thousands of dollars she had saved to start her own business. Both were found on Sunday morning following a murder-suicide inside the La Casita Mexican Restaurant where Fuentes worked. Upon granting bail, Johnson had ordered Gleason to have no contact with Fuentes and to possess no firearms. She issued the ruling under an existing, more permissive bail law that gets much tougher when a bail reform bill (HB 592) Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed kicks in on Sept. 21. Local rep seeks court magistrate's resignation over bail decision State Rep. Lori Korzen, R-Berlin, is calling upon Court Magistrate Stephanie Johnson, center, to resign for releasing on $5,000 bail Michael Gleason Jr. two months before he shot his estranged wife to death and killed himself. In this picture from left to right, Jaye Duncan, Johnson and Frank Weeks took the oath of office last December for five-year terms as full-time magistrates created under a 2023 bail reform law. Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed last spring an even tougher bail law that as of this September will get rid of the magistrate positions and their role in holding bail hearings. The new bail law will lower the threshold that judges use in deciding to hold an offender without bail pending trial. Jaye Duncan, Frank Weeks and Johnson were sworn in as full-time magistrates last December to five-year terms. The bail reform measure also eliminates magistrates and the budget to pay them, requiring in the future that only judges take part in holding court hearings required prior to any decision on bail following an arrest on one of a series of violent crimes. Some legislative budget writers believe court administrators may have to find other work for magistrates to do other than bail hearings given they have five-year assignments. 'I recognize the immense pressures and complexities that come with your role,' Korzen concluded. 'However, the gravity of this oversight cannot be ignored. Accountability is essential for restoring public confidence in our legal system and for ensuring that such a heartbreaking event is never repeated.' klandrigan@
Miami Herald
27-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
The Friday Checkout: Distributor disruption signals an evolving industry
C&S Wholesale Grocers' announcement this week that it has agreed to take over SpartanNash is more than just another development on the M&A front. It's a reminder that the distribution sector is undergoing fundamental shifts that are poised to ripple across the industry. Like supermarket companies, grocery distributors benefit from scale, as C&S and SpartanNash made clear when announcing their deal. The companies are positioning their merger as a way to bring down grocery costs, noting that the efficiencies they stand to gain by coming together will allow them - and the grocers they serve - to become more competitive. They also described their deal as a way to help alleviate food deserts and improve people's access to pharmacies. News of that deal came on the heels of a cyberattack that brought fellow distributor UNFI to a standstill. UNFI said Friday it has resumed taking online orders, but the disruption brought home in a very public way the fact that grocers depend heavily on large distributors to keep their shelves stocked. UNFI, C&S and SpartanNash are all confronting a future where scale, security and efficient operations are paramount for success. C&S's move to bolster its operations by combining with SpartanNash reflects a laudable goal of helping strengthen a grocery supply chain that has shown itself to be surprisingly fragile. The question now is whether the two companies will be able to deliver on that promise. In case you missed it Grocery trade groups endorse bill that would block SNAP/EBT fees The National Grocers Association and FMI - The Food Industry Association both announced this week that they support proposed congressional legislation that would prohibit state-imposed processing fees on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) electronic benefit transactions. The bipartisan measure would make permanent a ban on the fees that was part of the 2018 Farm Bill. The legislation, known as the EBT Act, is intended to ensure that retailers are responsible only for their own costs as the federal government updates the technology used to process SNAP EBT transactions. "The EBT Act is a necessary and common-sense solution to protect community-based retailers from new swipe fees that could compromise their ability to provide SNAP benefits and threaten food access in low-income areas, Stephanie Johnson, group vice president for government relations at NGA, said in a statement. Grocery data-analysis firms merge Data analytics company SPINS has acquired pricing and promotions specialist Datasembly, the companies announced on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The combination will unite the real-time pricing, promotion and assortment information Datasembly collects with the product and category data gathered by SPINS, which focuses on the wellness-focused CPG sector, the companies said in a press release. Big Y to provide employees' tuition benefits for employees The New England grocery chain announced Thursday that it will provide its workers with tuition benefits at the University of Phoenix as part of an agreement it reached with the university. Eligible curriculum at the online college for Big Y employees includes select business-related programs. The partnership also provides college credit for "relevant life experience and the opportunity to learn in-demand skills that can positively impact career trajectories," Big Y said in a press release. Impulse find Aldi starts them young Aldi commemorated Father's Day on its LinkedIn page with a photo of a father and infant son in matching outfits. What was the duo wearing? Personalized Aldi polos, of course. Carl, a store manager based in the discounter's Tully, New York, division, was featured on Aldi's page alongside his seven-week-old son, Carl (yes, their names match just like their polos). After 13 years in the grocery industry, Dad Carl took parental leave and commemorated his first day back on the job by dressing up his son in the same Aldi uniform he wears. "To say it was tough to go back after 7 weeks is an understatement, but I'm glad to be back with a routine in place. So everyone, meet Baby Carl. Future ALDI [team member]!" Dad Carl said in the LinkedIn post. The post underscores how Aldi is finding ways to bring more heart and personality to its social media presence. Copyright 2025 Industry Dive. All rights reserved.
Medscape
20-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Nurse Practitioners Fill Gaps as Geriatricians Decline
On Fridays, Stephanie Johnson has a busy schedule, driving her navy-blue Jeep from one patient's home to the next, seeing eight in all. Pregnant with her second child, she schleps a backpack instead of a traditional black bag to carry a laptop and essential medical supplies — stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, and pulse oximeter. Forget a lunch break; she often eats a sandwich or some nuts as she heads to her next patient visit. On a gloomy Friday in January, Johnson, a nurse practitioner who treats older adults, had a hospice consult with Ellen, a patient in her 90s in declining health. To protect Ellen's identity, KFF Health News is not using her last name. 'Hello. How are you feeling?' Johnson asked as she entered Ellen's bedroom and inquired about her pain. The blinds were drawn. Ellen was in a wheelchair, wearing a white sweater, gray sweatpants, and fuzzy socks. A headband was tied around her white hair. As usual, the TV was playing loudly in the background. 'It's fine, except this cough I've had since junior high,' Ellen said. Ellen had been diagnosed with vascular dementia, peripheral vascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. Last fall, doctors made the difficult decision to operate on her foot. Before the surgery, Ellen was always colorful, wearing purple, yellow, blue, pink, and chunky necklaces. She enjoyed talking with the half dozen other residents at her adult family home in Washington state. She had a hearty appetite that brought her to the breakfast table early. But lately, her enthusiasm for meals and socializing had waned. Johnson got down to eye level with Ellen to examine her, assessing her joints and range of motion, checking her blood pressure, and listening to her heart and lungs. Carefully, Johnson removed the bandage to examine Ellen's toes. Her lower legs were red but cold to the touch, which indicated her condition wasn't improving. Ellen's two younger sisters had power of attorney for her and made it clear that, above all, they wanted her to be comfortable. Now, Johnson thought it was time to have that difficult conversation with them about Ellen's prognosis, recommending her for hospice. 'Our patient isn't just the older adult,' Johnson said. 'It's also often the family member or the person helping to manage them.' Nurse practitioners are having those conversations more and more as their patient base trends older. They are increasingly filling a gap that is expected to widen as the senior population explodes and the number of geriatricians declines. The Health Resources and Services Administration projects a 50% increase in demand for geriatricians from 2018 to 2030, when the entire baby boom generation will be older than 65. By then, hundreds of geriatricians are expected to retire or leave the specialty, reducing their number to fewer than 7600, with relatively few young doctors joining the field. That means many older adults will be relying on other primary care physicians, who already can't keep up with demand, and nurse practitioners, whose ranks are booming. The number of nurse practitioners specializing in geriatrics has more than tripled since 2010, increasing the availability of care to the current population of seniors, a recent study in JAMA Network Open found. According to a 2024 survey, of the roughly 431,000 licensed nurse practitioners, 15% are, like Johnson, certified to treat older adults. Johnson and her husband, Dustin, operate an NP-led private practice in greater Seattle, Washington, a state where she can practice independently. She and her team, which includes five additional nurse practitioners, each try to see about 10 patients a day, visiting each one every 5-6 weeks. Visits typically last 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the case. 'There are so many housebound older adults, and we're barely reaching them,' Johnson said. 'For those still in their private homes, there's such a huge need.' Laura Wagner, a professor of nursing and community health systems at the University of California, San Francisco, stressed that nurse practitioners are not trying to replace doctors; they're trying to meet patients' needs, wherever they may be. 'One of the things I'm most proud of is the role of nurse practitioners,' she said. 'We step into places where other providers may not, and geriatrics is a prime example of that.' Practice Limits Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with advanced training that enables them to diagnose diseases, analyze diagnostic tests, and prescribe medicine. Their growth has bolstered primary care, and, like doctors, they can specialize in particular branches of medicine. Johnson, for example, has advanced training in gerontology. 'If we have a geriatrician shortage, then hiring more nurse practitioners trained in geriatrics is an ideal solution,' Wagner said, 'but there are a lot of barriers in place.' In 27 states and Washington, DC, nurse practitioners can practice independently. But in the rest of the country, they need to have a collaborative agreement with or be under the supervision of another health care provider to provide care to older adults. Medicare generally reimburses for nurse practitioner services at 85% of the amount it pays physicians. Last year, in more than 40 states, the American Medical Association and its partners lobbied against what they see as 'scope creep' in the expanded roles of nurse practitioners and other health workers. The AMA points out that doctors must have more schooling and significantly more clinical experience than nurse practitioners. While the AMA says physician-led teams keep costs lower, a study published in 2020 in Health Services Research found similar patient outcomes and lower costs for nurse practitioner patients. Other studies, including one published in 2023 in the journal Medical Care Research and Review , have found healthcare models including nurse practitioners had better outcomes for patients with multiple chronic conditions than teams without an NP. Five states have granted NPs full practice authority since 2021, with Utah the most recent state to remove physician supervision requirements, in 2023. In March, however, Mississippi House Bill 849, which would have increased NP independence, failed. Meanwhile, 30 Texas physicians rallied to tamp down full-scope efforts in Austin. 'I would fully disagree that we're invading their scope of practice and shouldn't have full scope of our own,' Johnson said. She has worked under the supervision of physicians in Pennsylvania and Washington state but started seeing patients at her own practice in 2021. Like many nurse practitioners, she sees her patients in their homes. The first thing she does when she gets a new patient is manage their prescriptions, getting rid of unnecessary medications, especially those with harsh side effects. She works with the patient and a family member who often has power of attorney. She keeps them informed of subtle changes, such as whether a person was verbal and eating and whether their medical conditions have changed. While there is some overlap in expertise between geriatricians and nurse practitioners, there are areas where nurses typically excel, said Elizabeth White, an assistant professor of health services, policy, and practice at Brown University. 'We tend to be a little stronger in care coordination, family and patient education, and integrating care and social and medical needs. That's very much in the nursing domain,' she said. That care coordination will become even more critical as the US ages. Today, about 18% of the US population is 65 or over. In the next 30 years, the share of seniors is expected to reach 23%, as medical and technological advances enable people to live longer. Patient and Family In an office next to Ellen's bedroom, Johnson called Ellen's younger sister Margaret Watt to recommend that Ellen enter hospice care. Johnson told her that Ellen had developed pneumonia and her body wasn't coping. Watt appreciated that Johnson had kept the family apprised of Ellen's condition for several years, saying she was a good communicator. 'She was accurate,' Watt said. 'What she said would happen, happened.' A month after the consult, Ellen died peacefully in her sleep. 'I do feel sadness,' Johnson said, 'but there's also a sense of relief that I've been with her through her suffering to try to alleviate it, and I've helped her meet her and her family's priorities in that time.'
NZ Herald
15-06-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
As America's elderly population increases, the ranks of nurses to care for them are growing
On Fridays, Stephanie Johnson has a busy schedule, driving her navy-blue Jeep from one patient's home to the next, seeing eight people in all. Pregnant with her second child, she has a backpack instead of a traditional black bag to carry a laptop and essential medical supplies -
Washington Post
15-06-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
Nurse practitioners step in as geriatrician ranks shrink
On Fridays, Stephanie Johnson has a busy schedule, driving her navy-blue Jeep from one patient's home to the next, seeing eight people in all. Pregnant with her second child, she schleps a backpack instead of a traditional black bag to carry a laptop and essential medical supplies — stethoscope, blood pressure cuff and pulse oximeter.
