East Bay Area May Be Becoming Hospital Desert
Seismic regulations are forcing some hospitals to close their emergency departments, leaving residents having to travel big distances to get help.
KQED:
Emergency Care Options Dwindle In The East Bay
For East Bay residents, access to emergency care might soon be getting even harder to come by. In 2016, Sutter Health, which owns Alta Bates Medical Center in Berkeley, announced it will close the emergency room and consolidate those services into its Oakland location at an unspecified time in the future. (Kovitz and Guo, 7/13)
In other news from across the state —
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Two County Supervisors Ask Tri-City To Rethink Mental Health Unit Suspension
Two county supervisors are calling for reversal of a decision that would indefinitely suspend the mental health units at Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside. In a letter dated Tuesday, July 10, Kristin Gaspar, chair of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, and Bill Horn, whose district encompasses most of North County, call the Tri-City board’s suspension decision “a failure to the community.” (Sisson, 7/13)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Number Of Unclaimed Bodies In Kern County On Pace To Far Surpass Last Year's Number
Every year, dozens of bodies go unclaimed at the Kern County Coroner's Office. And this year, that number is on pace to far surpass the amount of unclaimed bodies from the year before. According to officials at Historic Union Cemetery, the cemetery has received the cremated remains of 96 people from the coroner's office as of June 9, a number that includes both remains that went unclaimed by families and remains for which no surviving family member could be found. (7/12)
Fresno Bee:
Redwood Springs Nursing Home In Visalia Fined For Patient Death
The California Department of Public Health has fined Redwood Springs Healthcare Center, a skilled nursing home in Visalia, $100,000 for a patient death. The 176-bed nursing home on East Houston Avenue received the most severe penalty possible under state law from the California Department of Public Health. (Anderson, 7/12)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Komen, Atkins Celebrate Elimination Of Cancer Treatment Limits
Breast and cervical cancer treatment can last up to 10 years, but caps on treatment for low-income California residents, many who are undocumented immigrants, meant that some were cut off from care after only 18 or 24 months. Those limits dropped away on July 1 with new funding in the state budget for anyone enrolled in California’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program. (Sisson, 7/13)
The Desert Sun:
Palm Desert's CV Link 'going To Save Lives' Following Design Approval
Palm Desert is one step closer to riding into the CV Link dream, which officials say will increase safety for bicyclists, pedestrians and drivers. The Palm Desert City Council approved during Thursday’s meeting the preliminary designs of the four-mile stretch of the bike/recreational pathway that will wind through the city. (Hayden, 7/13)