ALSO NOTED: NC mental healthcare in the red; Cleveland Clinic plans $163M hospital expansion; and much more...

> A new report says that North Carolina is so behind in providing mental health services that it will need more than $500 million for the next five years to meet its obligations. Article [1]

> The Cleveland Clinic is sinking $163 million into its Hillcrest Hospital campus expansion over the next five years, the most it's ever spent on one of its nine community hospitals. Release [2]

> Hoping to lower an estimated $100 million in medical costs related to obesity, West Virginia's Medicaid program has begun offering free access to the Weight Watchers program to eligible enrollees. Article [3]

> The medical system in Zimbabwe remains paralyzed, frozen by doctors and nurses striking for higher pay. Article [4]

> A federal bankruptcy judge has OK'd a bid for the assets of the Oklahoma City's bankrupt Moore Medical Center. Article [5]

> Citing contrary religious beliefs, a pair of Nebraska parents have gone to court to avoid being forced to test their newborn daughter immediately for congenital diseases. Article [6]

And Finally... Wired hospitals, green thinking and robotics--sounds like a crop of anime subplots! But actually, these are some of the themes JCAHO plans to address at its next national symposium. Check it out. Release [7]