- California Healthline Original Stories 2
- In California, Planned Parenthood Girds For Potentially Grim Future Under Trump
- Immigrant Health Care Under Cloud Of Uncertainty
- Health Care Personnel 1
- Nursing Strike At Sharp Averted After 'Significant Movement' In Negotiations
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
In California, Planned Parenthood Girds For Potentially Grim Future Under Trump
The CEO of the group’s state organization, Kathy Kneer, says private donations can’t cover the potential loss of federal money for reproductive health services. (Anna Gorman, )
Immigrant Health Care Under Cloud Of Uncertainty
With Trump headed for the White House, many immigrants in California are worried not just about their legal status but about their health care options. (Emily Bazar, )
More News From Across The State
Nursing Strike At Sharp Averted After 'Significant Movement' In Negotiations
A union spokesman, however, says it might only be a temporary reprieve.
KPBS Public Media:
Sharp Nurses Call Off Planned Strike
A planned three-day strike of more than 3,000 nurses at three Sharp Healthcare hospitals set to begin Monday morning has been called off by the nurses' union, perhaps only for a while, a union spokesman said Sunday. (11/28)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Union Calls Off Nursing Strike Against Sharp Hospitals
With only hours left before picket lines formed in front of Sharp hospitals countywide, the union representing about 4,800 of the health system’s registered nurses canceled its walkout notice Sunday evening. John Cihomsky, Sharp’s vice president of public affairs, said the United Nurses Associations of California decided to restart negotiations that had stalled since Friday. Though it initially refused to say more, Sharp eventually issued a statement refuting reports from some San Diego media outlets that it has agreed to a “closed shop” a term that would have meant that all registered nurses at its hospitals would have to pay dues. Currently, according to the company, only about 53 percent have union payments deducted from their paychecks. (Sisson, 11/27)
Advocates See Recent Sweep Of Soda Taxes As Watershed Moment
Cash-strapped cities are beginning to realize the benefits of the tax that's gaining wider acceptance with the general population.
The New York Times:
As Soda Taxes Gain Wider Acceptance, Your Bottle May Be Next
For more than a decade, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and other beverage companies have fought mightily against efforts to tax sugary sodas, defeating more than three dozen such proposals around the country. But this month, voters in San Francisco, Oakland and Albany, Calif., as well as Boulder, Colo., stunned the industry by approving ballot measures in favor of soda taxes. Cook County, Ill., followed a few days later, bringing a soft-drink tax to Chicago and surrounding areas. They are joining Berkeley, Calif., which passed a tax two years ago, and Philadelphia, which passed one in June, bringing to seven the number of American communities with soda taxes. With that public momentum, a soda tax may be coming to a city near you. (O'Connor and Sanger-Katz, 11/26)
'I Continue To Go To Funerals': Heroin Crisis Besets Ventura County
The county's rate of incidence for both deaths and emergency room overdoses far outpace the rate across California. "There are no racial boundaries. There are no financial boundaries. There are no geographic boundaries," said Joseph May, deputy chief of police in Simi Valley.
Ventura County Star:
Heroin Tightens Deadly Grip On County
Overdoses involving heroin killed 33 people in Ventura County last year, the fatalities rising after two years of decline in a trend experts say shows the hammerlock the drug holds on communities as different as Oxnard and Simi Valley. ... Two sets of data from the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office showed deaths involving heroin overdoses — in some cases paired with other drugs — descended from 43 in 2012 to 23 in 2014. But fatalities climbed in 2015 with 12 deaths in the city of Ventura alone. The frequency of deaths in the county, according to nine years of data from the California Department of Public Health, has consistently surpassed the fatality rate across California. Many observers link the heroin problem to the county and nationwide epidemic of painkiller abuse, contending that people who are addicted to prescription meds eventually turn to heroin. (Kisken, 11/26)
In other public health news —
Los Angeles Times:
Air Pollution Hot Spot In Paramount Spurs Calls For Action On Metal Factory Emissions
Residents of this small, working-class city southeast of Los Angeles have for years watched regulators launch studies and promise stricter rules to protect homes and schools from toxic emissions from the array of metal-processing facilities operating in their midst. But they have seen little action. Then, a few weeks ago, air quality monitoring detected high levels of a potent, cancer-causing metal in Paramount, forcing authorities to pay attention.Now, what had been a slow-moving effort targeting one metal-forging plant has snowballed into a broad investigation, with teams of inspectors from several agencies fanning out to at least 20 facilities in the city’s industrial spine, searching for the origin of the toxic hot spot. (Barboza, 11/25)
Sacramento Bee:
Stem Cell Clinics Offer Unproven Treatments Around California
In the last few years, more than 570 stem cell clinics have popped up nationwide, advertising treatment for a range of maladies, from autism and Alzheimer’s to neuropathy and Parkinson’s disease, according to a recent UC Davis study. About 113 of those are operating in California.But do they really work? According to most stem cell experts and the federal government, there’s no way to know yet. (Buck, 11/26)
Flu Begins To Rear Its Head In California Schools
The virus often first shows up in children and then spreads to adults.
Fresno Bee:
Flu Circulating Among Students At California Schools
Doctors say schoolchildren are beginning to show up at clinics and hospitals with the telltale signs of influenza – cough, fever, body aches. “The virus is starting to percolate through the schools,” said Randy Bergen, a pediatric infectious disease specialist for Kaiser Permanente Northern California. So far, influenza activity has been sporadic – 7 percent to 9 percent of Kaiser viral specimens sent for testing have come back positive for influenza A, one of the virus strains. Fresno has had some patients, Bergen said.Almost exclusively, the sick have been children ages 5 to 18, he said. (Anderson, 11/24)
In other health care news from across the state —
The Bakersfield Californian:
Accurate Valley Fever Counts Elude Health Officials
Estimates of the number of valley fever cases recorded by local, state and federal agencies vary so widely that they call into question the accuracy of the figures released to the public, a Center for Health Journalism Collaborative investigation has found. The finding comes during a critical year for valley fever, or coccidioidomycosis. In Kern County, public health officials declared an epidemic in October, predicting more than 2,000 cases in that county alone by year’s end. But data collection methods in California are inconsistent, which adds to the problem of getting an accurate picture of valley fever. (Pierce and Innes, 11/28)
Modesto Bee:
Hospitals Treating More Dog-Bite Victims In Stanislaus County And State
The number of people who seek treatment for dog-bite injuries has increased substantially in Stanislaus County, following a statewide trend. Hospital emergency departments in the county are dealing with 100 additional patients with dog bites each year compared with six years ago, according to state data. (Carlson, 11/25)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Cancer Survivor Has New Purpose In Race Quest
Ten years ago, Keith Stuessi decided to celebrate his 40th birthday by running his first half-marathon, but he never got past the four-mile mark in training. This winter, the retired doctor is trying again and this time running with a purpose after a near-death experience. Stuessi, 50, is a member of Tri-City Medical Center’s “Lucky 13,” a team of former patients who have overcome major health challenges and are now training for their first half marathon. Each year, several hundred North County residents apply for one of the 13 team positions, which include six months of free personal training at Tri-City Wellness Center in Carlsbad as well as race registration fees for the Carlsbad Half Marathon on Jan. 15. (Kragen, 11/24)
Promises Are Dangerous Things, And Other Lessons Trump Can Learn From Obama's ACA Mistakes
The road to overhauling the health care system in America has not been smooth for President Barack Obama. Meanwhile, Politico talks with Heritage Foundation health policy analyst Ed Haislmaier about health care's next chapter under the Trump administration.
The Associated Press:
What Trump Can Learn From Obama's Rough Ride On Health Care
President Barack Obama took on the problems of a lack of access to health care and high cost, but he and Democrats paid a political price. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to undo much of what Obama put in place, and pledged to make the system better. Although Trump is lacking in specifics, he seems to want to make costs his priority. States, insurers, businesses, and individuals would get more leeway to sort out access. Health care keenly reflects the country's deep political divide. A look at some lessons Trump might learn from Obama's rough ride. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 11/27)
Politico:
How Heritage Is Influencing Trump And Health Care's Next Chapter
As a candidate, Donald Trump vaguely promised to fix health care by repealing Obamacare and "getting rid of the lines." But as president-elect, his health policy is getting more robust — and there's a straight line to the Heritage Foundation. "Our view … it's about giving people choices. It's about having the markets work well, the structure and the incentives," Heritage health policy analyst Ed Haislmaier said on POLITICO's "Pulse Check" podcast this week. "It's not about products." (Diamond, 11/23)
In other national health care news —
The New York Times:
A Battle To Change Medicare Is Brewing, Whether Trump Wants It Or Not
Donald J. Trump once declared that campaigning for “substantial” changes to Medicare would be a political death wish. But with Election Day behind them, emboldened House Republicans say they will move forward on a years-old effort to shift Medicare away from its open-ended commitment to pay for medical services and toward a fixed government contribution for each beneficiary. (Pear, 11/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
Lawmakers Try For Year-End Bill On Medical Research, Devices And Opioid Addiction
U.S. Senate and House negotiators are in final stages of talks toward legislation that would boost funding for the National Institutes of Health, provide states with $1 billion for opioid-addiction treatment and improve access to mental-health treatment. The bill, which is likely to become completed in the next few days, will also have potentially significant impact on the regulation of medical devices and drugs. The House is scheduled to vote on some version of the legislation as early as Wednesday. ... People familiar with the talks, however, said that over the weekend there are major provisions to be hammered out, especially regarding Food and Drug Administration regulation of drugs and devices. One of those people said on Saturday that there was still the possibility that this emerging deal would fall apart. (Burton, 11/26)
Reuters:
Senate Panel Postpones Mylan Hearing
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday postponed a hearing planned for next week to discuss Mylan NV's pending $465 million settlement to resolve charges that it underpaid government healthcare programs by misclassifying its EpiPen emergency allergy treatment. Mylan, the Justice Department and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had all declined to send officials to the Nov. 30 hearing, the committee said in a statement. (Bartz, 11/24)
Wall Street Journal:
Planned Medicaid Overhaul Could Put GOP Governors In An Awkward Spot
President-elect Donald Trump has proposed converting the federal-state [Medicaid] program into block grants to the states in an effort to give them more latitude over how the program is run. This would jibe with many leading Republicans in Congress, who for years have wanted a Medicaid overhaul that hands more control over to the states. But such a move is likely to expose divisions among Republicans over how significantly to peel back coverage protections for the more than 12 million people who gained Medicaid in the 31 states, as well as Washington, D.C., that expanded the program. (Armour, 11/24)
The New York Times:
Eli Lilly’s Experimental Alzheimer’s Drug Fails In Large Trial
An experimental Alzheimer’s drug that had previously appeared to show promise in slowing the deterioration of thinking and memory has failed in a large Eli Lilly clinical trial, dealing a significant disappointment to patients hoping for a treatment that would alleviate their symptoms. The failure of the drug, solanezumab, underscores the difficulty of treating people who show even mild dementia, and supports the idea that by that time, the damage in their brains may already be too extensive. And because the drug attacked the amyloid plaques that are the hallmark of Alzheimer’s, the trial results renew questions about a leading theory of the disease, which contends that it is largely caused by amyloid buildup. (Belluck, 11/23)
Stat:
Why Billion-Dollar Biotech Deals Are Often Just A Mirage
It was a good day for UniQure, a Dutch biotech company at work on gene therapies for rare diseases. A big pharma company had just made a billion-dollar investment in its future. Or so the headlines blared. Eighteen months and two CEOs later, UniQure is laying off about a quarter of its staff, abandoning some of its would-be drugs — and running out of cash. So what happened to that billion dollars? It never really existed. Bristol-Myers Squibb paid UniQure just $50 million in cash up front. The rest of the deal came in what’s known in the industry as “biobucks” — akin to lottery tickets that pay out when an experimental drug hits various milestones along the path to commercialization. When a drug fizzles, the money doesn’t materialize. (Garde, 11/28)