Jury Finds Mental Health Provider Guilty Of Neglect, Fraud In Sexual Assault Case
The case against EMQ FamiliesFirst revolves around a boy who was assaulted in 2013 by an older peer from a group home in Davis.
ProPublica:
California Group Home Liable For Millions In Case Of Abused Boy
A jury in Sacramento, California, last week awarded more than $11 million to the family of a 16-year-old-boy who had been sexually assaulted by a peer at his group home in Davis. The jury found that operators of the group home failed to look after the boy as the facility for troubled youngsters descended into a prolonged period of chaos and violence. (Sapien, 4/17)
In other news from across the state —
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Clinton Foundation Beginning To Study Child Welfare In San Diego
Next month a major initiative to help vulnerable children and their families will begin in San Diego under a partnership between three prominent organizations. The collaboration between the Clinton Foundation’s Health Matters Initiative, San Diego County, and San Diego Foundation, will focus on the foster care and juvenile justice programs, particularly what sort of factors lead to the disparities that cause some populations [to be] disproportionately entangled in these systems. (Stewart, 4/17)
The Desert Sun:
Health Clinics See Drop Amid Immigration Fears
Since January, quieter days have been the new normal for this Borrego Health clinic, which stands among farm fields near the community of Oasis west of the Salton Sea. Many patients just don't show up for appointments or they cancel without rescheduling. Instead of 60 or 70 patients a day, medical assistant Norma Diaz said the clinic is seeing closer to 40...Other health and social-service providers in the largely Latino eastern Coachella Valley say they are seeing the same thing: A decline in numbers that coincides with President Donald Trump taking office in January and a perceived crackdown on illegal immigration. (Newkirk, 4/17)
Sacramento Bee:
Teens Take Dental Care Into Their Own Hands, With Questionable Results
Inspired by social media, some people are turning to rubber bands, fishing line and paper clips to perfect their own pearly whites – a practice that orthodontists warn could lead to gum irritation, misalignment and tooth loss. A quick search on YouTube reveals thousands of tutorials about how to straighten teeth without braces, many posted by users who appear to be teenagers. (Caiola, 4/17)
Capital Public Radio:
Rally Calls On UC Davis To Reinstate Primary Care For Medi-Cal Patients
University of California Davis Medical Group is facing criticism for not providing primary care to Medi-Cal patients... UC Davis ended a contract with a Medi-Cal insurance contractor Health Net in 2015, which forced thousands of patients to look elsewhere for primary care. (Schilling, 4/17)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Berkeley Couple’s Mysterious Deaths Raise Public Health Fears
No one knows how a young Berkeley couple and their two cats were fatally poisoned with carbon monoxide during a storm one night in January. ... But three months, one lawsuit and a procession of experts later, the source of the carbon monoxide remains a mystery. Toxicology professionals say that’s not just bizarre, but a possible danger to public health. (Veklerov, 4/17)