Latest California Healthline Stories
Forty California inmates died of drug overdoses last year, and California’s long-term drug overdose rate is more than three times the nationwide prison rate.
A Los Angeles Times investigation uncovered numerous allegations against Dr. Patrick Sutton, the vice chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Huntington Memorial Hospital. Unease about Sutton was so widespread at Huntington that some nurses adopted a policy of misleading him about the progress of a woman’s labor to keep him out of the delivery room for as long as possible, according to interviews with more than half a dozen current and former nurses.
The “public charge” policy would allow officials to penalize legal immigrants for accepting government aid, such as Medicaid.
Weeklong Strike Set To Start For 4,000 Kaiser Mental Health Professionals In California
“This strike is a clear message to Kaiser that its mental health clinicians won’t stand by silently while their patients can’t get the care they need,” union leader Sal Rosselli said in a statement. Kaiser claims the union is most interested in raising wages that are already among the best in the nation.
Viewpoints: Drug Legalization, How To Solve Homelessness, And Drug-Pricing Optics
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
Child-Friendly Prison Visits Help Moms Stay Connected, Reduce Trauma Of Separation
States are experimenting with programs that allow low-risk, incarcerated mothers to spend quality time with their children. Women are the fastest-growing prison population, in large part due to the national opioid crisis. In other drug news, supervised injection sites are debated in cities.
People Still Getting Sick By E. Coli-Tainted Romaine Lettuce
Nine more recent cases have been reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also in public health news today: school lunch nutrition, a cookbook-related study retracted, autism, and suicide.
For Some Patients, Cancer Fight Turns To DNA
The therapies include risks and work for only a minority of patients. But those successes continue to drive the research forward.
Around California: Annual Ceremony Honors Los Angeles’ Forgotten People – The Unclaimed Dead
In other news around the state, San Diego’s Alzheimer’s Response Team increasingly responds to calls about people with dementia and, in the Bay Area, it’s the season to beware of toxic mushrooms.
Small Drug Companies Closely Watching Supreme Court Case On Patents
A Swiss drugmaker is challenging a 2011 change to the law that no longer allows a company to patent an invention if it was for sale for more than a year before filing a patent application. Meanwhile, Congress also plans to focus on the issue of pharmaceutical patents and lawmakers continue to question the industry’s pricing decisions. And as Capitol Hill gears up for potential action on drug costs, there may be some lessons to be learned from China.