Disbanded nursing board raises public safety concerns; Healthcare absent from State of the Union address;

> California legislators disbanded the state's Board of Registered Nursing this year, raising questions of whether the public will be adequately protected, reported California Watch. Article

> Atlantic Health and Valley Hospital in New Jersey have applied to become a Medicare accountable-care organization, according to NJBIZ. If the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services accepts the application, the Atlantic ACO will launch April 1. Article

> Tennessee-based Community Health System (CHS) has reached agreement to acquire in Pennsylvania's Memorial Hospital, the Surgical Center of York and other associated facilities, reported The York Daily Record. Earlier this month, CHS acquired a Scranton, Pa., health system, giving it 16 affiliated hospitals statewide. Article

> The topic of healthcare was noticeably absent from the State of the Union address last night, according to Kaiser Health News. However, President Barack Obama did say he would not return to "the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny your coverage or charge women more than men." Article

And Finally... Nothing says Valentine's Day like a chocolate cockroach. Press release