California Leads The Way On Reducing Maternal Deaths
By forming a committee to create guidelines and toolkits for hospitals to follow, California made huge strides in reducing maternal complications, where that rate has risen nationwide. In other public health news: aid-in-dying, firefighters' health, a later start to school, and marijuana.
Modern Healthcare:
Better Data Needed To Tackle Maternal Mortality
Back in 2006, state officials and providers in California were alarmed by the rising maternal mortality rates being reported nationally. The problem was California didn't have the data to understand how the issue was playing out in its own state. There was no uniform system tracking maternal mortality. So, with grant funding, the state formed a review committee called the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative that has played a critical role in state efforts to reduce maternal mortality. (Castellucci, 9/1)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego Man With Terminal Illness Defends End Of Life Option Act In Top Medical Journal
Faced with a hopeless diagnosis, Michael Danielson of San Diego took solace in the knowledge that he, not the fatal disease swallowing his life, would get to choose the moment when the indignities of terminal illness become unacceptable. As a lawsuit threatens to take California’s End of Life Option Act off the table, Danielson speaks out Tuesday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, one of the nation’s most influential medical journals, with an essay that strives to make clear the sense of comfort and autonomy that the law has given to those living with a dire prognosis. (Sisson, 9/3)
The Associated Press:
Study Shows Health, Reaction-Time Declines In Firefighters
Randy Brooks' son had a request three years ago: What could his dad do to make wildland firefighting safer? To Brooks, a professor at the University of Idaho's College of Natural Resources who deals with wildland firefighting, it was more of a command. His son, Bo Brooks, is a wildland firefighter who a few days earlier during that 2015 fire season fled a wall of flames that killed three of his fellow firefighters in eastern Washington. (9/1)
The Mercury News:
Schools May Start Classes Later Under New California Bill
Many middle and high schools in the Bay Area eventually will have to change their class schedules to start later in the morning if a bill passed by the California Legislature late Friday night is signed by the governor. Senate Bill 328 would prevent middle and high schools from starting classes until at least 8:30 a.m. Numerous districts start the regular school day some time between 8 and 8:30 a.m. (Sciacca, 8/31)
The Mercury News:
CBD Industry Grows In California Even As Confusion Swirls Over Local, State Laws
Marijuana businesses are now heavily taxed and regulated in California since they deal with products that contain THC, a compound that can make consumers high. But businesses that deal in CBD products made from hemp, a strain of cannabis plant with less than 0.3 percent THC, have so far been largely left to their own devices. The industry is growing despite a number of hurdles, including federal bans, a lack of clarity in California law, and a confusing patchwork of local policies. (Staggs, 9/1)