Mental Hygiene

State health investigators disclosed Wednesday that they have uncovered evidence of "fraud or willful misrepresentation" by an Eastern Shore drug treatment and mental health clinic, including overbilling and charging for the work of physicians who were not at the facility. The inspector general of the state health department sent a letter Wednesday to Warwick Manor Behavioral Health Inc., near Cambridge, saying the state has suspended all Medicaid payments to the clinic. Warwick Manor treats roughly 2,000 patients a year and billed the state's Medicaid program $1.5 million last year.

As Memorial Day approaches and the temperatures rise, some state health officials are reminding residents to take care of themselves and their children and neighbors. The state is activating its heat emergency website, dhmh.maryland.gov/extremeheat , which has information about preventing death and illness. Heat advisories will be issued when it feels like it's at least 105 degrees after heat and humidity are factored. Health officials say at this heat level heat stroke and exhaustion are common.

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.

Want to know how many people have asthma or diabetes in the county where you live? A new state web portal was recently launched that provides this and other health data for every county in Maryland. The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene partnered with the Hilltop Institute at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County to create the website that uses data about Medicaid recipients.  The website can be found at http://www.md-medicaid.org/ia-maps/ .  The interactive website has data on chronic diseases, such as asthma, diabetes and hypertension.

R. Charles Dannettel Jr., who worked for 22 years as the chief of engineering for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, died of pneumonia Thursday at Stella Maris Hospice. The White Hall resident was 79. A Baltimore native who was raised in Roland Park, he was a 1946 graduate of Polytechnic Institute. He earned an engineering degree at the Johns Hopkins University in 1950. Mr. Dannettel followed in the academic path of his father, who also graduated from Poly and earned an engineering degree from Johns Hopkins.

More than 500 Maryland moms delivered babies at home last year, but as such births become more popular, a dispute is brewing over whether to make the process a more viable option in the state. Home births are on the rise in the United States with deliveries jumping 29 percent between 2004 and 2009, according to data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released last week. Maryland home births increased at an even more rapid clip of 62.5 percent. But supporters of home births say that Maryland still places too many restrictions on obtaining a midwife, and they have started a grass roots movement to ease the standards.

As Memorial Day approaches and the temperatures rise, some state health officials are reminding residents to take care of themselves and their children and neighbors. The state is activating its heat emergency website, dhmh.maryland.gov/extremeheat , which has information about preventing death and illness. Heat advisories will be issued when it feels like it's at least 105 degrees after heat and humidity are factored. Health officials say at this heat level heat stroke and exhaustion are common.

Richard K.C. Hsieh, a public health specialist and former National Library of Medicine official who in retirement traced his family tree back to seventh-century China, died of a heart attack Dec. 31 at his Towson home. He was 79. Born in 1932 in Tianjin, China, not far from Beijing, Richard Hsieh (pronounced Shay) moved with his family to Taiwan after World War II, according to his wife of 51 years, the former Rebecca Tung. He came to the United States in 1953 from Hong Kong to enroll at the Johns Hopkins University, where his father had done graduate studies in the 1920s.

25 Years Ago* Crownsville State Hospital contains the highest percentage of Negro patients of any state mental hospital, according to the Maryland Department of Mental Hygiene. Before desegregation in 1963, Crownsville was all-Negro and the other three state hospitals were all white. -- The Sun, May 1, 1969.* County Executive Joseph W. Alton, Jr. yesterday recommended a record county budget, a $3 property tax for each $100 of assessed valuation and a 50 percent "piggyback" income tax to finance it. -- The Sun, May 2, 1969.

Leonard E. Albert, retired supervising budget manager for the Maryland Department of Budget and Fiscal Planning, died of lymphoma March 10 at Gilchrist Center for Hospice Care. The Pikesville resident was 78. Mr. Albert was born in Baltimore and raised on Park Heights Avenue. He graduated from City College in 1943 and served in the Navy as a pharmacist's mate from 1945 to 1946. He earned a bachelor's degree from the Johns Hopkins University in 1948 and an accounting certificate from the Baltimore College of Commerce in 1962.

Working in tandem with the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Harford County Health Department has launched its Local Health Improvement Process for identifying the county's critical health needs and targeting them for action. The Harford County Local Health Improvement Process is part of a statewide initiative, the State Health Improvement Process, which is addressing 39 key health objectives, including those promoting healthy babies, healthy social environments, safe physical environments, infectious disease prevention, chronic disease prevention, and access to health care.

The state of Maryland is seeking doctors willing to practice in needy areas of the state, in exchange for up to $50,000 to repay student loans. The Maryland Loan Assistance Repayment Program was launched in 1996 and 157 primary care doctors have gone through the Program. Currently, 30 are employed in Baltimore city and county and Anne Arundel, Garrett and Worcester county. “Having a sufficient supply of primary care physicians across the state is critical to improving the health status of Maryland citizens,” said Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, secretary of the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene , in a statement.

Dr. John Leake Pitts, a retired pediatrician who during a long career in public health had been the acting Anne Arundel County health officer, died of cancer Wednesday at his Annapolis Roads home. He was 85. Born in Roanoke, Va., he was the son of John Leake Pitts Sr., a pharmacist, and Mary B. Allen, a homemaker and schoolteacher. As a young man he worked the soda fountain at his father's store. After attending Roanoke College, he graduated from the the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.

Long workdays and extended commutes to Baltimore and Washington have left many Howard County residents with less time to exercise and fewer chances to cook at home, the county's top health official says, often causing them to choose restaurants with their larger food portions. The time-crunched lifestyle has caused obesity to remain a persistent health concern in one of Maryland's wealthiest counties, said Dr. Peter L. Beilenson, Howard's health officer. In less-affluent communities, obesity is often a result of fewer choices for affordable, healthier food.

Want to give to the Maryland Cancer Fund? Officials have made it easy this year. You just have to check a Line 37 on your state tax form and fill in the amount. The money will get deducted from your refund or added to you bill. The contribution is also t ax deductible. The fund provides cancer prevention, detection and treatment programs. "Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Maryland," said Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, secretary of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene , in a statement. "Giving to the Maryland Cancer Fund is a great way to help your community.

More than 500 Maryland moms delivered babies at home last year, but as such births become more popular, a dispute is brewing over whether to make the process a more viable option in the state. Home births are on the rise in the United States with deliveries jumping 29 percent between 2004 and 2009, according to data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released last week. Maryland home births increased at an even more rapid clip of 62.5 percent. But supporters of home births say that Maryland still places too many restrictions on obtaining a midwife, and they have started a grass roots movement to ease the standards.

Lyme disease cases in Maryland increased 17 percent last year, according to figures released recently by the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Officials believe the increase is because of better public awareness and reporting.There were 493 confirmed cases reported in 1997, compared with 423 in 1996, said Dr. Clifford Johnson, the state's public health veterinarian.The disease is transmitted by ticks and symptoms include a circular, expanding reddish rash.Pub Date: 5/12/98

Nelson J. Sabatini, head of the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, has informed his staff that he will leave his position at the end of the month. Sabatini's departure has been expected, although a date had not been set. He previously held the job under Gov. William Donald Schaefer, and reluctantly returned at the insistence of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., agreeing to stay through two legislative sessions. Sabatini, 64, plans to split his time between Hawaii and Maryland, and to launch a consulting business.

Richard K.C. Hsieh, a public health specialist and former National Library of Medicine official who in retirement traced his family tree back to seventh-century China, died of a heart attack Dec. 31 at his Towson home. He was 79. Born in 1932 in Tianjin, China, not far from Beijing, Richard Hsieh (pronounced Shay) moved with his family to Taiwan after World War II, according to his wife of 51 years, the former Rebecca Tung. He came to the United States in 1953 from Hong Kong to enroll at the Johns Hopkins University, where his father had done graduate studies in the 1920s.

Dr. Angela Wakhweya began her medical career in her native Uganda, at the height of the AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa, where she saw many patients, friends and even some family members succumb to the deadly disease. The experience propelled her into the public health field, and eventually led her to Maryland, where she worked on infectious disease prevention at the state health department in Baltimore. Maryland ranks fourth in the nation in terms of newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS cases.