Health Providers

Under pressure from legislators and financially strapped health care providers, Gov. Parris N. Glendening is proposing to spend an additional $46 million next year on state health programs. In a budget sent to the General Assembly yesterday, the governor included $30 million for mental health providers, some of whom are facing bankruptcy because of late payments from the state. He also agreed to legislators' requests by providing partial funding for a program to offer state assistance to the elderly to purchase prescription drugs.

HIV/AIDS services The Department of Health offers free, confidential testing and counseling for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Call for an appointment at the Annapolis center 410-222-7493; Glen Burnie center 410-222-6636 or Parole 410-222-7248. Information: 410-222-7108. Men's health kits The Learn to Live program of the Department of Health offers free men's health kits with information on prostate health and colorectal cancer screening, as well as the HIM magazine, which includes information on sun safety, smoking, nutrition and other men's health tips.

Carl Edgell doesn't enjoy going to the hospital. But he doesn't want to hurt anyone, either. The 44-year-old homeless man has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. At times when he has felt that he has reached a breaking point, he has taken himself to a local emergency room. Each time, he says, the experience has been different. When he has been referred to a psychiatric unit, he says, he has found the physicians and nurses "compassionate.

Carl Edgell doesn't enjoy going to the hospital. But he doesn't want to hurt anyone, either. The 44-year-old homeless man has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. At times when he has felt that he has reached a breaking point, he has taken himself to a local emergency room. Each time, he says, the experience has been different. When he has been referred to a psychiatric unit, he says, he has found the physicians and nurses "compassionate.

WASHINGTON -- White House advisers are recommendin that President Clinton include benefits for at-home care for the disabled and elderly in his health-care overhaul plan, according to sources.With Mr. Clinton expected to make initial decisions on the plan later this week, advisers are pushing for a $15 billion-to-$20 billion program that would provide at-home care services, such as dressing and meal preparation.All disabled or elderly would be covered regardless of age or income, the sources said yesterday.

NeighborWare has a new name, is getting a new home and is broadening its business.The company, now Health-Objects Corp., grew out of the NeighborCare Pharmacies chain's efforts to develop its own software. NeighborWare Health Systems was created last year by many of the NeighborCare principals to develop and market software oriented to pharmacies.NeighborCare was sold in June to Genesis Health Ventures of Kennett Square, Pa., and Steven G. Bass, who had been a NeighborCare executive, was named president and CEO of NeighborWare.

The director of the state's Mental Hygiene Administration, Oscar L. Morgan, submitted his resignation this week and will leave at the end of the month, state health officials said last night. Morgan, 49, of Annapolis, was appointed director of the mental health agency - part of the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene - in 1997, after three years as its deputy director. He was instrumental in implementing the state's public mental health system, run by Maryland Health Partners, a unit of Columbia-based Magellan Behavioral Health.

ON THE SITE... Supreme Court upholds health care law's mandate : The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of President Obama's health care law Thursday, ruling that the government may impose tax penalties on people who do not have health insurance. And Baltimore's funniest celebrity is... :  In the end, Baltimore's Funniest Celebrity became more of an endurance test than a flexing of comedic muscle. Man shot in face and neck in Lauraville :  City police said robbery is the likely motive in a shooting early Thursday in the Lauraville neighborhood that has left a 25-year-old man hospitalized.

Feeling the effects of the state's growing mental health crisis, Omni House - a provider of services to Anne Arundel County's poor mentally ill for 20 years - is struggling to remain open after closing two of its clinics. The Glen Burnie facility joins the list of community-based mental health providers across the state that are trying to cope with lack of funding and administrative problems in the state's public mental health system. Financial pressures forced Omni House to close its mental health clinic for children and adolescents two months ago, as well as its substance abuse clinic.

A legislative joint committee approved rules yesterday for moving 330,000 medical assistance patients into managed-care plans, but it delayed the start of the program for 30 days in response to requests from health providers.The action by the Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review Committee means the program will begin Feb. 1, moving Medicaid patients into managed care within six months in an effort to save money and provide better-coordinated care.About a third of the patients are already in health maintenance organizations.

State Health Secretary Martin P. Wasserman yesterday unveiled the latest draft of regulations for the complicated task of moving 220,000 Medicaid recipients into managed care plans to somewhat skeptical members of the Senate Health Subcommittee.Wasserman said the revised draft was based on testimony by nearly 50 people and written comments from about 100 more in reaction to a draft released last month.The health department is "still on target" to begin the program Jan. 1 and to get all Medicaid recipients assigned to HMOs or similar managed care plans by the end of June.

Armed with a federal advanced-technology award of nearly $2 million, Columbia's Sequoia Software is attempting to solve the vexing problem of creating a national "master patient index."The index would help a doctor treating a patient to find and read other records related to that patient, even if they are stored on the incompatible computer systems of a hospital, lab or another doctor.The 40-employee firm, which is No. 15 on the "Fast 50" list based on revenue growth among high-tech companies in Maryland, hopes to double in size by the end of next year, both with the patient index problem and to handle other growth.