LA Health Agency’s Chief Announces Departure
Dr. Mitchell Katz is headed to New York where he will run the corporation that manages the city's public hospitals and other health facilities and he will be able to help care for his parents.
Los Angeles Times:
Head Of L.A. County's Health System, One Of The Largest In The Country, Announces Departure
Dr. Mitchell Katz, tapped by Los Angeles County seven years ago to lead the nation’s second-largest public healthcare system out of a period of instability and mismanagement, has announced he will leave his post at the end of the year. Katz oversees the county’s Health Agency, the umbrella health organization with a budget of approximately $8 billion and 32,000 employees. He will return to his native New York to take care of his two elderly parents and to become chief executive of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp., which operates the city’s public hospitals, clinics and nursing homes. (Agrawal, 9/23)
In other news from across the state —
Sacramento Bee:
Free Health Clinic Draws 1,500 People
While the number of uninsured Californians has decreased from 8.6 percent to 7.3 percent in 2016, according to U.S. Census figures, millions still can’t afford health insurance or the costly copayments and deductibles that come with their policies. At the California CareForce clinic, about half reported having no insurance, 20 percent said their insurance didn’t cover their needs and 10 percent were insured but couldn’t afford the cost of their deductible. (Sullivan, 9/24)
The Bakersfield Californian:
How Safe Are Carnival Rides At The Kern County Fair?
Frank Polizzi, a spokesman for California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health, better known as Cal-OSHA, said the agency's Amusement Ride Section inspects every ride in the state at least once a year — more often if problems are flagged. They not only inspect the structural and mechanical integrity of the rides, they look at the operation of the ride, the maintenance and safety records and the training of the operator. If a ride doesn't pass inspection, no annual use permit is issued until all requirements are addressed and the ride passes a follow-up inspection. (Mayer, 9/23)
Modesto Bee:
Stanislaus County Will Consider Rules For Cannabis
Stanislaus County supervisors could approve what officials are calling a conservative strategy for permitting marijuana dispensaries and other commercial cannabis activities. The Board of Supervisors will consider a proposal Tuesday for allowing no more than seven retail dispensaries in the unincorporated area. (Carlson, 9/24)
The Cannifornian:
Tainted: Can California Solve Pot's Pesticide Problem?
California consumers will soon have two choices in cannabis: clean, legal and pricey — or dirty, illicit and cheap. ... That’s because starting Jan. 2, when California’s vast legal marijuana market opens, all cannabis must be tested — and most chemicals will be banned. (Krieger, 9/24)