Mobile Syringe Exchange Greenlit By State Despite Vocal Local Opposition
But in response to the counties' concerns, the state has limited the program both to smaller service areas than proposed in Costa Mesa and Santa Ana and a tighter schedule.
Orange County Register:
State Gives OK To Orange County Mobile Syringe Exchange Program, Over Local Objections
A mobile needle exchange program universally opposed by the county and four affected cities was approved this week by the California Department of Public Health. State officials decided Monday to let the Orange County Needle Exchange Program operate for two years starting Monday, Aug. 6, according to an email and letter from the department. Supporters say such programs help reduce the spread of diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C, and are often the only regular contact injection drug users have with health care professionals. (Robinson, 7/31)
In other public health news —
Sacramento Bee:
Ibuprofen Safe For Infants, Sutter Sacramento Doctor Finds
A study pioneered by a Sutter Sacramento doctor has determined Ibuprofen is safe for children under 6 months old. Ibuprofen is primarily used on infants to treat fever, but children 6 months old or younger need a prescription to be treated with ibuprofen. (Holzer, 7/31)
Sacramento Bee:
Inmate Advocates Sue Sacramento County Over ‘Dangerous, Inhumane’ Conditions Inside Jails
Charging that Sacramento County’s two jails confine inmates in “dangerous, inhumane and degrading conditions,” inmate advocates filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Tuesday against the county seeking wholesale changes in how the jail system is run. The suit, which seeks class action status for the roughly 3,700 inmates held in the jails each day, follows years of negotiations by the groups and the county to agree to a settlement that would avoid legal action. (Stanton, 7/31)