Latest California Healthline Stories
Most U.S. Companies Unprepared for Flu Outbreak, Survey Finds
Most companies have not developed plans to prepare for an unexpected flu outbreak, according to a survey scheduled for release on Friday at a meeting of representatives from 25 companies and public health experts, the AP/San Jose Mercury News reports.
Group To Spend $9M To Improve Medical Lab Inspection System
The College of American Pathologists, which accredits 6,000 medical laboratories worldwide, on Thursday announced plans to spend $9 million to improve the system used to inspect the facilities and to begin to conduct unannounced inspections, the Baltimore Sun reports.
Cases of Colon Infection Increasing
A dangerous bacterial infection that often occurs in older, severely ill patients who have taken antibiotics or recently have spent time in a hospital has begun to occur more often in younger, previously healthy individuals without traditional risk factors, according to three reports released on Thursday, the Washington Times reports.
Former HHSA Undersecretary Named Director of Finance
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Thursday appointed acting Director of Finance Michael Genest as permanent head of the Finance Department, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Grassley Expands Investigation of Organ Transplant Centers
Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) plans to expand an investigation into problems at organ transplant centers nationwide to include a liver transplant program at the University of California-Irvine Medical Center in Orange, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Report Finds ‘Serious’ Problems in Medicare Drug Discount Card Program
There were “serious, widespread problems” in the Medicare prescription drug discount card program launched last year, including “inaccurate and incomplete information … and improper use of the discount cards” to purchase drugs not covered under the program, a Government Accountability Office report released in October says, the New York Times reports.
States Not Using Tobacco Settlement To Fund Prevention
Only a fraction of the money that states receive from the 1998 tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes is being used to prevent smoking, according to a report released on Wednesday by several advocacy groups, the AP/Boston Globe reports.
Plaintiffs in Proposition 71 Lawsuits Will Pursue Trial
Lawyers for opponents of Proposition 71 on Wednesday said they could still win at trial, despite a ruling on Tuesday by a Superior Court judge that lawsuits filed against the measure fail to establish a clear argument, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Number of California Residents Living With HIV Increases
The number of California residents living with HIV has increased by 40% over the past seven years, largely because of new treatments, according to a study released on Wednesday by the University of California, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Mifepristone Not Linked to Increased Risk of Infection, Study Finds
A government investigation of four California women who died of toxic shock syndrome after taking mifepristone and another drug to induce a medical abortion found that the risk of infection from the combination is “low,” according to a study published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Los Angeles Times reports.