Latest California Healthline Stories
Opinion Piece Slams NRA for Mental Health Registry Idea
After the school shooting in Newton, Conn., last month, National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre proposed “a national registry for the mentally ill to prevent such individuals from buying guns,” but such a registry “would provide for one thing: another barrier to mental health treatment,” Michael Fitzgerald — executive director of behavioral health services at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View — writes in a Santa Cruz Sentinel opinion piece. He argues that “the largest barrier is stigma,” adding, “We need to re-think how we label individuals and how we conceptualize care.” Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Reports: Calif.’s Child Poverty Rate Up, Population Down
More than 20% of California children live in poverty, while the childhood poverty rates among Latinos and blacks are higher at about 33%, according to a report released Monday by the Center for the Next Generation. Meanwhile, a separate report by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health found that the number of California children decreased by about 200,000 between 2000 and 2010 and is on track to fall by another 100,000 by 2020. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert” et al.
Study: State Faces ‘Minimal’ New Costs With Medi-Cal Expansion
A UC-Berkeley and UCLA study finds that California faces “minimal” new costs from expanding Medi-Cal and that more than 75% of additional costs would be spent on individuals already eligible for the program. Sacramento Bee‘s “Capitol Alert,” KQED’s “State of Health.”
Website Aims To Help Patients Make Difficult Medical Decisions
California researchers have developed a website that offers guidance to people facing difficult medical decisions. The website is interactive and features videos of people talking about how they discussed medical issues with their family and physicians. FierceHealthIT et al.
State Asks Court To Drop Order To Significantly Cut Prison Population
State officials have asked a federal court to dismiss its order for California to make significant reductions in its prison inmate population to help improve overcrowding and prison health care conditions. The state says it already has improved such conditions. Sacramento Bee.
FDA Proposes New Rules To Ensure National Food Safety
On Friday, FDA proposed new rules aimed at strengthening national food safety efforts and preventing the contamination of produce and processed foods. The rules, which are expected to be finalized after a 120-day comment period, could cost the food manufacturing industry as much as $475 million annually to implement. Reuters et al.
Supreme Court Will Not Hear Case on Embryonic Stem Cell Research
The Supreme Court has declined to review a case challenging the Obama administration’s policy to expand federal funding for research involving human embryonic stem cells. The justices issued the decision without dissent or comment. AP/Modern Healthcare et al.
Federal Court To Hear Lawsuit on Conversion Therapy Ban
On Monday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco announced that a three-judge panel will hear oral arguments in a constitutional challenge to a new state law — which has been temporarily placed on hold — that prohibits sexual orientation conversion treatment for teenagers. The oral arguments will take place during the week of April 15. Los Angeles Times‘ “L.A. Now.”
Editorial: Calif. Falls Short as Mental Health Services Model
Last month, California Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg urged President Obama to consider California’s Mental Health Services Act as a model for the U.S., but the act has led to “[f]ewer psychiatric hospital beds, fewer doctors treating patients and fewer clinics across the state,” a San Jose Mercury News editorial states. It argues that Obama will need “to find a better [model] than California.” San Jose Mercury News.
Health Care Spending Increased by 3.9% in 2011, CMS Analysis Finds
A new CMS analysis finds that U.S. health care spending in 2011 grew by 3.9% for the third consecutive year. According to the analysis, health care spending accounted for 17.9% of the U.S. gross domestic product in 2011 and roughly matched overall economic growth. Reuters et al.