Nursing Home To Pay $345K In Suit Over Patients Allegedly Being Given Powerful Drugs Without Consent
The Newbury Park nursing home denied all allegations of wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
Ventura County Star:
Newbury Park Nursing Home Pays In Class-Action Settlement
A highly-rated Catholic nursing home in Newbury Park has agreed to pay $345,000 and will undergo spot inspections of health records in the settlement of a class-action lawsuit alleging patients were being given powerful drugs without required consent. The long-awaited settlement was approved by Ventura County Superior Court Judge Rocky Baio in May and involves the nonprofit Mary Health of the Sick Convalescent and Nursing Hospital and family members of former residents of the facility. It calls for the nursing home to use procedures to ensure doctors explain the benefits and risks of psychotherapeutic drugs to residents or their legal representatives. (Kisken, 6/14)
In other news from across the state —
San Francisco Chronicle:
SF’s Proposed Ban On Flavored Tobacco Sales Upsets Store Owners
San Francisco officials are looking at a ban on flavored tobacco products, ranging from cherry cigarillos and blueberry blunt wraps to menthol cigarettes, e-cigarettes, hookahs and smokeless tobacco. Berkeley recently passed a similar law. The proposed ban is the latest in a string of restrictions on tobacco products, including a $2-per-pack tax that went into effect in the state in April. (Johnson, 6/14)
East Bay Times:
How Safe Is Your East Bay Drinking Water?
Despite drought-related increases in cancer-causing compounds, tap water for 1.4 million East Bay residents is safe to drink, state regulators said Wednesday. The East Bay Municipal Utility District reported Tuesday that concentrations of trihalomethanes, a byproduct of chlorine disinfectant and organic matter in water, have risen sharply since 2015. (Cuff, 6/14)
The Mercury News:
New Sex Ed Curriculum To Be Tested Next Year
A new sexual health curriculum will be tested next spring for seventh- and eighth-grade students in the Cupertino Union School District.The move comes a few months after the school board, in a 2-2 vote, failed to adopt sex education curriculum that conforms to new state standards. Parents in March told school officials the proposed curriculum was “too graphic” and “not age-appropriate,” while others suggested it did not align with their cultural values, and some complained that it explicitly described different types of sex. (Myllenbeck, 5/14)
Orange County Register:
Sovereign Rehab Center Still Open For Business After Raids, State Says
Sealed search warrants were executed at several facilities on Tuesday by the FBI, with the help of state and local officials. ... The California Department of Health Care Services, which licenses and regulates rehabs, did not take any action against Sovereign’s licenses or certifications in the wake of Tuesday’s raids, said Carol Sloan, department spokeswoman. (Schwebke and Sforza, 6/14)
The Bakersfield Californian:
CPR Training Sessions Scattered Throughout Bakersfield Sidewalks
The seven minutes between when someone goes into cardiac arrest and when emergency responders arrive are critical, and the likelihood of someone surviving depends on CPR being started immediately, Bakersfield Fire Department Battalion Chief John Frando said. So the Kern County Department of Public Health Services organized a day where groups across the county would take to city sidewalks and teach passersby how to perform hands-only Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.... Derek and David Carr, the quarterback brothers from Bakersfield who have made names for themselves in the NFL, are partnering with Dignity Health to promote health-care awareness among children, Bakersfield Memorial Hospital President and CEO Jon Van Boening said Wednesday. The Carrs will become spokesmen for Dignity Health, much the same way Derek has been for Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera, Van Boening said. (Pierce, 6/14)