Latest California Healthline Stories
California Uses Public Bonds To Fund Stem Cell Research
Researchers at the California Institute of Regenerative medicine are working to discover within 10 years clinical stem cell treatments for difficult medical conditions. California is the first state in the country to use public bonds to fund human stem cell research. Wall Street Journal.
CDC: 250,000 U.S. Adults Are Unaware They Have HIV
About 250,000 U.S. residents are infected with HIV but unaware of it, according to a CDC study released Thursday. Researchers found that just over 40% of U.S. adults have been tested at least once for HIV and only about 10% are screened annually. Sacramento Bee, Los Angeles Times.
Proposal To Require Paid Sick Leave Dies in California Senate
The bill would have required all California businesses to provide paid sick leave to workers. San Francisco requires employers to provide paid sick leave, but no state has such a requirement. A California Senate analysis raised questions about the cost of enforcing the bill given the state budget deficit. Sacramento Bee.
Governor, Legislature Must Protect Kids’ Medical Care
According to an opinion piece in Capitol Weekly, the state’s sickest children face “unacceptably long wait times to see specialists, and the situation is quickly worsening as a direct result of the 10% mid-term state budget cut to” California Children’s Services reimbursement rates. The opinion piece calls on Gov. Schwarzenegger and lawmakers to take action to ensure children’s access to medical care. Capitol Weekly.
California Hospital News Roundup for August 8, 2008
Century City Hospital leaders warned that the facility might have to declare bankruptcy as early as this month if a sale isn’t finalized, while Sonoma County supervisors OK’d a note to help Palm Drive Hospital emerge from bankruptcy. Meanwhile, debates over union elections continued at St. Joseph Health System.
Drugmakers Doubling Prices of More Rx Drugs, Researchers Find
The average wholesale price of more than 25 brand-name drugs at least doubled in 2007, a jump from 15 medications with price hikes on that scale only three years earlier. Two U.S. senators have requested a government investigation into large price increases for prescription drugs. USA Today.
Poor Health Plagues Low-Income, Minority Women in California
A new report by UCLA researchers found that low-income and minority women are more likely to be uninsured and have a variety of health conditions than higher-income women in California. An author of the report says it underscores the need to expand health care coverage. Fresno Bee.