Latest California Healthline Stories
Obama Calls on Doctors To Boost Support for Health Care Reform
About 150 physicians gathered in the White House Rose Garden yesterday, where President Obama called on them to help build public support for Democratic health care reform proposals. The doctors are members of a number of groups supportive of reform efforts. Politico et al.
Study: L.A. Ban on New Fast-Food Restaurants Ineffective
A moratorium on fast-food restaurants in South Los Angeles approved by the L.A. City Council last year and extended through March 2010 is unlikely to address obesity rates among the city’s residents, a RAND study found. The study, based on InfoUSA business data and surveys of 1,480 Los Angeles County residents, found that the number of fast food restaurants in South Los Angeles is fewer per capita than other parts of the city and that limiting the type of restaurants in the area likely will not address obesity rates. Los Angeles Times.
Supreme Court Asks for Obama’s Stance on Healthy S.F. Challenge
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court asked the Obama administration to state its position on the Golden Gate Restaurant Association’s challenge of a provision of Healthy San Francisco that requires employers to contribute toward workers’ health care expenses. The court currently is deciding whether to hear the case. San Francisco Chronicle.
Online Application Helps With Sign-Ups for Health Programs
The California-based Center To Promote HealthCare Access’ One-e-App system allows people to apply for multiple publicly funded health and social service programs using a single online application. The program already has helped 2.2 million people access services this year, up one million from a year ago. Government Health IT.
Number of U.S. Children With Autism Up 50% in Two Years
The incidence of autism spectrum disorder in eight-year-olds in the U.S. has risen by 50% since 2007, from one in 150 to one in 100, according to a CDC report that will be released later this year. However, the higher rate might not mean that more U.S. children have autism spectrum disorder, but instead that physicians’ ability to detect the disorder is improving, according to Tom Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health. Los Angeles Times.
Calif. Poison Control Center Looking for Funding Lifeline
The state budget package enacted in July eliminated half of state funding for the California Poison Control Center, forcing center officials to seek an additional $6 million to maintain the operation. If the center is forced to close, California would be the only state without a poison control system. KQED’s “The California Report.”
Governors Cite Cost Concerns in Resistance to Medicaid Expansion
The Senate Finance Committee’s bill would have the federal government cover 77% to 95% of the cost of expanding Medicaid, but governors are nonetheless concerned about the costs. Gov. Schwarzenegger has said the expansion could cost California billions of dollars a year, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein said she couldn’t support a bill that raises costs for California or counties. Washington Post.
Alameda County Long-Term Care Watchdog Criticized
The Alameda County division of the California Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is unresponsive to complaints regarding the quality of care or suspected abuse in facilities in the county, according to some residents and their caretakers. The program has just one staff member to log complaints from the 400 residential and skilled-nursing facilities in the county and just one coordinator, four part-time paid staff and 13 volunteers to address the complaints, Alameda County Social Services Agency spokesperson Sylvia Soublet said. Oakland Tribune.
California Health Care Personnel News Update for September 2009
Alfred Gilchrist has been named CEO of the California Medical Association. San Mateo Medical Center also named a new CEO, and Hospice of the Valley announced three new members of its board of directors. Meanwhile, UCSF School of Medicine named Saw Hawgood as its new dean.
Governor’s Arguments in Line-Item Veto of Health Funds Due Today
The Schwarzenegger administration will file its arguments in a case challenging the governor’s line-item veto of hundreds of millions of dollars for health care and other programs. Lawsuits are challenging more than $4 billion in cuts in the current budget. San Jose Mercury News.