It’s Been Years Since This Family Was Awarded $12.1M In Its Medical Malpractice Case. It Hasn’t Been Paid A Cent

East Bay Times: East Bay Family Awarded $12.1 Million Hasn't Seen A Cent
It’s referred to as a 1-in-30,000 pregnancy, quite unusual and very concerning. Brian’s mother was assigned a family practitioner by Contra Costa County Health Services. It was late in the pregnancy and during what should have been a routine exam at the Pittsburg Health Center that an emergency occurred. A C-section was performed on Brian’s mother. Brian’s twin died. And Brian was born with profound brain damage that left him with diminished speech and motor skills. The family sued, alleging medical malpractice. On Sept. 18, 2014, it was awarded a $12.1 million judgment by a Contra Costa jury: $55,000 for past medical care; $9.577 million for future medical care, $2 million for loss of future earnings and $500,000 in general damages with the money to be held in a trust supervised by a judge. (Peterson, 9/3)

In other news from across the state —

The Bakersfield Californian: Kern Medical Center Encourages Community To Think 'Fast Fast Baby' In Stroke Music Video
It's a project by Kern Medical Center staff to educate people in a fun way. They've done it before. Last year, the KMC group made their debut with a music video about Sepsis, a life-threatening immune response to infection. Returning rapper Sage Wexner, the leader of the project, realized, while finishing his four-year residency program at KMC this year, many people in the community aren't aware of the symptoms of a stroke. (Sanchez, 9/3)

The Desert Sun: Cathedral City Considers Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Tax
Looking to promote healthier beverages and combat childhood obesity, Cathedral City could ask restaurants to promote milk or water with kid’s meals and might discuss a tax on sugar-sweetened drinks later this year. A UCLA study shows 42 percent of children in Cathedral City are obese or overweight, the third highest rate in the valley, behind Coachella and Indio, at 48 and 44 percent, respectively. (Kennedy, 9/4)

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento's Troubled Eagle Crest Nursing Home To Close
A large Carmichael nursing home that was targeted for years by government regulators for poor quality care has decided to voluntarily close after state inspectors determined that a female resident was sexually abused multiple times by another resident at the facility. (Lundstrom, 9/2)

East Bay Times: Livermore School District Spends $100,000 On Safer Helmets
The high school football season kicked off this year with an unusual move to outfit every player with a state-of-the-art helmet that reduces the risk of a concussion. The 285 new Riddell SpeedFlex helmets, considered by many to be the gold standard, arrived over the summer, and are being used by the freshman, junior varsity and varsity football teams at Livermore and Granada high schools. ...The decision to make the purchase — at a cost of $104,934— had its start last fall with an appearance by author Jeanne Marie Laskas, author of the book “Concussion,” at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore. In the crowded theater was Craig Bueno, a former Hayward fire chief, current president of the Livermore Joint Unified School District Board of Education, and a volunteer football coach at Granada High School for the past 14 years. (Jensen, 9/5)

San Francisco Chronicle: Map Shows Which SF Neighborhoods Are Hit Hardest By Air Pollution
The most recent figures available from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District — a map based on 2010 data — show that air pollution runs along the city’s highways, and Interstate 80 cuts straight through SoMa, South Park, South Beach and the city’s new high-rise neighborhood, Rincon Hill. (Swan, 9/4)

KQED: Heat Risks High For Bay Area Homeless
With record heat beating down on the Bay Area this holiday weekend, advocates who work with homeless people are redoubling efforts to spread word about places that offer some escape from the heat. (Small, 9/2)