Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Snooze You Can Use: California Legislates More Sleep For Better Health
Other states may follow California’s new law requiring later start times for middle and high school students. The new law highlights the importance of better sleep, which will once again be on people’s minds as most of America — but not all — sets the clock back an hour early next month. (Mark Kreidler, )
Good morning and happy Friday! Here are you top California health stories for the day.
Medical Board Of California Issues Accusations Against Physicians Over Their Vaccination Exemptions: The Medical Board of California has accused three California physicians of granting inappropriate childhood vaccination exemptions, but many more doctors across the state may be in for similar scrutiny. More could be on the way. According to an email from the medical board, the regulatory body has received 192 complaints regarding inappropriately granted vaccine exemptions since 2016, including 99 so far this year. Given that the average investigation and legal processing times for complaints range from one to nearly two years, it’s likely that many of the cases, especially the 135 made in 2018 and 2019, could still generate additional accusations. Earlier this week, the board released a formal charge of negligence against San Diego-based Dr. Tara Zandvliet for writing a vaccination exemption for a local girl based on inadequate documentation of an adverse medical history that would make inoculation too risky. While the state is not keeping a tally of how many exemptions are granted by each doctor, the San Diego Unified School District has been ahead of the curve in this regard. Read more from Paul Sisson of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The New Normal: How Humans Are Going To Have To Adjust To A World On Fire: Facing down 600 wildfires in the past three days alone, emergency workers rushed to evacuate tens of thousands of people in Southern California on Thursday as a state utility said one of its major transmission lines broke near the source of the out-of-control Kincade blaze in Northern California. Aerial footage of the Kincade fire showed homes engulfed in flames propelled by high winds that could become even stronger in the coming days. But beyond the destruction, which appeared limited on Thursday to several dozen buildings, hundreds of thousands of people were affected, both by the fires and a deliberate blackout meant to prevent them. Schools and businesses closed and thousands of people evacuated their homes. All this is happening after three straight years of record-breaking fires that researchers say are likely to continue in a warming world and which raise an important question: How to live in an ecosystem that is primed to burn? Read more from Thomas Fuller and Kendra Pierre-Louis of The New York Times.
In related news:
Los Angeles Times: Fires Explode Across California, From Wine Country Vineyards To Southern California Subdivisions
Sacramento Bee: Kincade Fire Burns 16,000 Acres In Sonoma County, As PG&E Reports Problem At Tower
Wired: Kincade Fire: The Age of Flames Is Consuming California
Los Angeles Times: California Wildfires Map
Below, check out the full round-up of California Healthline original stories, state coverage and the best of the rest of the national news for the day.
More News From Across The State
Fresno Bee:
CA Resident Without Insurance Handles Health On Her Own
In 2017, an estimated 2.8 million Californians like Garcia lacked medical coverage, according to the UCLA California Health Interview Survey. And despite her efforts to keep herself healthy through lifestyle changes, health professionals warn that is not a substitute for ongoing medical care and a doctor’s guidance on how to best manage chronic or potentially life-threatening conditions. An estimated 13 million residents, or nearly half of California adults, suffer from prediabetes, like Garcia, or undiagnosed diabetes, according to a 2016 study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. (Amaro, 10/24)
San Jose Mercury News:
Juul Backs Out Of East Bay Vaping Ban Referendum
Juul, the popular company that sells vaping pens, has backed out of a referendum to overturn the city’s ban of vape pens and e-cigarettes. A note was sent to Livermore City Clerk on Thursday afternoon, announcing the company was withdrawing the referendum that could have reversed a city ordinance to ban vape pens. (Ruggiero, 10/24)
The Associated Press:
Vaping-Related Illnesses In US Still Rising, But More Slowly
Fewer reports of vaping illnesses are coming in, but U.S. health officials say they are not sure what to make of it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 125 additional cases were reported in the last week, bringing the total to 1,604 in this year's outbreak. That includes 34 deaths, one more than last week. The outbreak is still happening, but the count of new cases has dropped for three straight weeks. A CDC spokeswoman said reporting delays could be one explanation. (10/24)
Fresno Bee:
‘A Tragic Example.’ Baby’s Death Shows Fresno’S Homeless With Children Need More Help
Homelessness is often more complicated for families. There are far fewer homeless shelter beds and low-income housing units in Fresno than are needed to meet the need, and among those already limited resources, there are even fewer spaces available for homeless families with children, especially large families and those with fathers or teenage boys. (George, 10/25)
Los Angeles Times:
Drug Overdose Data Spotlight Fentanyl’s Deadly Westward Expansion
A rigorous effort to track U.S. overdose deaths and the drugs that caused them offers a snapshot of a fentanyl epidemic on the cusp of a westward shift. A study released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the synthetic opioid cutting a swath of death and destruction across the northeastern United States and the industrialized Midwest in 2017. That year, fentanyl was the drug cited most often as a cause of fatal overdoses in all five regions lying east of the Mississippi River, as well as the neighboring region that includes Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska. (Melissa Healy, 10/25)
Los Angeles Times:
How Computer Algorithms Help Spread Racial Bias In U.S. Healthcare
People may be biased, even without realizing it, but computer programs shouldn’t have any reason to discriminate against black patients when predicting their healthcare needs. Right? Wrong, new research suggests. Scientists studying a widely used algorithm typical of the kind health insurers use to make crucial care decisions for millions of people have discovered significant evidence of racial bias when it comes to predicting the health risks of black patients. (Khan, 10/24)
The California Health Report (healthycal.org):
As California Bans Chlorpyrifos, Activists Turn Attention To Other Pesticides
Chlorpyrifos is widely used to control pests on a variety of crops, including citrus and strawberries. Research has tied exposure to chlorpyrifos to brain damage and neurological delays in children. Acute exposure can also cause respiratory problems. Under the deal, growers must stop using almost all chlorpyrifos products by the end of 2020. The new rules come as the Trump administration has reversed efforts to ban use of the controversial pesticide nationwide. Olga Naidenko, vice president of science investigations at the Environmental Working Group, said California’s action will benefit people living in the state, and also those who buy produce grown here that might otherwise carry chlorpyrifos residue. (Boyd-Barrett, 10/24)
Ventura County Star:
Silver Tsunami Has Arrived In Ventura County, Will Intensify
The data that tumbled out of a forum on aging Wednesday was powerful enough to turn hair gray. The number of Ventura County residents 60 and older — now about 196,000 — will likely exceed the number of youth younger than 18 early in 2020. County residents aged 85 and older will nearly quadruple in 40 years. The aging surge could strain already existing issues like the nearly 70% of area renters 65 and older who pay at least 30% of their income on housing. (Kisken, 10/24)
The Hill:
Warren Faces Tough Choices On Funding 'Medicare For All'
It’s the multitrillion dollar question everyone is trying to answer, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.): How do you pay for “Medicare for All,” a proposal that would dramatically reshape the entire U.S. health care system? Warren, a Democratic candidate for president, says she will soon release a plan to pay for Medicare for All after facing criticism for evading questions about the proposal's potential tax implications for the middle class. (Hellmann, 10/24)
Los Angeles Times:
Can Elizabeth Warren Afford To Be All In On 'Medicare For All'?
Warren is caught between two powerful forces. On the one side, progressives expect her to stick to her pledge to pursue a far-reaching plan similar to the one proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. On the other, her identity as the candidate of detailed policies means she can’t easily avoid the fine print, which is full of political peril. “She’s painted herself into a corner,” said Gerald Friedman, a University of Massachusetts economist whose research is often cited to support Medicare for all. “She wants Medicare for all, but she didn’t think through the politics.” (Halper and Hook, 10/24)
The Washington Post:
Economists Rush To Help Sen. Elizabeth Warren Solve Medicare-For-All Puzzle
Internal and external economic policy advisers are trying to help Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) design a way to finance a single-payer Medicare-for-all health-care system that would place every American on a government insurance program. Warren has promised more details within weeks, but her team faces a challenge in crafting a plan that would bring in large amounts of revenue while not scaring off voters with big middle-class tax increases. The proposal could cost more than $30 trillion over 10 years. Complicating matters, she has already committed all of the money she would raise from a new wealth tax, close to $3 trillion over 10 years, to several other ideas, including child care and student debt cancellation. (Stein, 10/24)
The Associated Press:
Sanders Plans To Release Health Records By End Of Year
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is planning to release his health records by the end of the year. The White House hopeful addressed his health Thursday in Iowa ahead of his first appearance in an early voting state since suffering a heart attack earlier in the month. The 78-year-old Vermont senator has repeatedly promised to release his health records at some point, but he outlined a likely timeline in an interview with The Associated Press. (Peoples, 10/24)
The Hill:
O'Rourke Unveils Plan To Combat Opioid Epidemic
Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) unveiled a plan Thursday to address substance use disorders and end the opioid crisis as part of his 2020 presidential campaign. The plan would, among other things, look to end the stigma of substance abuse, focus on promoting long-term recovery, target the supply chain of illegally imported fentanyl and work to improve economic stability for those recovering from substance abuse. (Axelrod, 10/24)
Bloomberg:
Trump Considers Retreat From Ban Of Mint, Menthol Vaping Flavors
The Trump administration is considering backing away from a pledge to ban popular mint and menthol vaping products -- part of an effort to stem use among kids and curb a growing health crisis -- as e-cigarette advocates press to preserve some flavors for adults. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said last month that the administration would soon ban all flavors of vaping products except tobacco-flavor. But the administration is reconsidering on mint and menthol, two people familiar with discussions said. They asked not to be identified because no decision has been made. (Wingrove, Porter and Cortez, 10/25)
The Associated Press:
Tally Of Children Split At Border Tops 5,400 In New Count
U.S. immigration authorities separated more than 1,500 children from their parents at the Mexico border early in the Trump administration, the American Civil Liberties Union said Thursday, bringing the total number of children separated since July 2017 to more than 5,400. The ACLU said the administration told its attorneys that 1,556 children were separated from July 1, 2017, to June 26, 2018, when a federal judge in San Diego ordered that children in government custody be reunited with their parents. (10/24)
Reuters:
Several States Wary Of $48 Billion Opioid Settlement Proposal
Several U.S. states that have been ravaged by the opioid epidemic are pushing back on a proposed $48 billion settlement framework that would resolve thousands of lawsuits against five drug companies accused of fueling the addiction crisis. The proposal would bring an end to all opioid litigation against AmerisourceBergen Corp, Cardinal Health Inc and McKesson Corp, drugmaker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Inc, and Johnson & Johnson. (10/24)
The Associated Press:
Fewer US Children In Foster Care; First Drop Since 2012
The number of children in the U.S. foster care system has dropped for the first time since 2012, stemming a surge that was linked to substance abuse by parents, according to new federal data released on Thursday. The annual report from the Department of Health and Human Services counted 437,283 children in foster care as of Sept. 30, 2018, down from about 441,000 a year earlier. (10/24)
Los Angeles Times:
Paying For ‘Medicare For All’? No Problem
Democratic presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have struggled to explain how they would pay for “Medicare for all.” This is puzzling. A single-payer approach like Medicare for all can reduce overall health spending. Other wealthy countries that have universal coverage spend far less on healthcare than the United States as a share of their gross domestic product. A lack of money is not the problem. That’s why it should not be difficult to devise a way to pay for Medicare for all to benefit the vast majority of us, particularly low- and middle-income earners. (Stephen Marks, 10/24)
Los Angeles Times:
California's Battle With Trump Over Contraception Isn't Just About Contraception
California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra’s many lawsuits against the Trump administration are policy fights, at the simplest level — legal battles by a blue state to impede a Republican president’s deregulatory and socially conservative agenda. But a more interesting subtext is the work by California and its allies to limit the power of the federal government, and in particular the executive branch of the federal government. Most often, Becerra and company have pushed back against procedural shortcuts the administration has taken in Trump’s haste to erase every trace of the Obama administration’s work. But as a ruling Tuesday morning by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals illustrated, sometimes the fights are over the far more meaty matter of the executive branch’s authority to interpret law. (Jon Healy, 10/22)
Sacramento Bee:
Newsom Should Have Signed Hospital Closure Notification Bill
In 2015, Sutter Health reported assets worth over $14 billion dollars – an increase of around $2.5 billion compared to 2011. Sutter also announced in that same year it was closing down Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley because it couldn’t afford to keep it open. What does it mean not to be able to afford something? (Zenei Cortez, 10/23)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Needs To Launch A Campaign To Stop Teens From Vaping
Vaping is a crisis in California that will require a strong policy response and courage to stand up once again to the tobacco industry. We have done it before, and we can do so again. But it’s important to learn from the success of California’s previous tobacco control experience. In 1988, voters passed a ballot initiative creating the single largest anti-tobacco public health intervention of its kind. The initiative and a follow-up act provided for taxation of tobacco products. It specifically earmarked funding to help prevent youths from smoking and to help smokers overcome their addiction. The program was broad based and sweeping, involving multiple state agencies with funds for health education including a media campaign, programs for city and county health departments and grant programs for school districts. (Jeannine English, 10/23)
CalMatters:
PG&E Shutoff Is About Greed, Climate Change
Life as we know it quickly comes to a halt without electricity, as hundreds of thousands of people learned when PG&E shut off power in the October windstorm. Schools and businesses closed, and people scrambled to make sure they had supplies. But as people tried to get by without power, something was missing from many of the discussions: the role of climate change in the power shut off. Gov. Gavin Newsom went so far as to say: “The power shut-offs by PG&E are not a story of climate change. It’s a story of greed and mismanagement. Of recklessness and putting profits before people. It’s outrageous and unacceptable.” (Mary Creasman, 10/24)
The San Francisco Chronicle:
Death, Homelessness And Despair — All Part Of The Job
Death never gets any easier to stomach. At this point in my career, several decades in, I’ve seen it in many ways — witnessing executions, watching people burn to death in disasters, shot to death in gutters and war zones, torn apart by animals. But most of all, as I have specialized for many years now in homelessness, I’ve seen the poorest of the poor die. Penniless. Lost. Mostly forgotten. (Kevin Fagan, 10/22)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento County CA Needs To Ban No-Fault Housing Evictions
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors may have a chance to save residents from becoming homeless for the holidays — but it must act quickly. Tenants of Bell Oaks Apartments say their landlord has sent dozens of them eviction notices. They’re asking the board to approve a moratorium on “no-fault” evictions, where landlords throw out tenants who have done nothing wrong. (10/23)
The San Francisco Chronicle:
San Francisco’s All In Project: For Families Who Need Stable Homes
My family moved to the Fillmore in the 1940s. I was born and raised there, graduated from Lincoln High School, and spent much of the past two years homeless in San Francisco. Today, I’m stably housed, and an advocate for solutions to homelessness. I believe that we all have a role to play in ending homelessness. (Tracey Mixon, 10/24)