Latest California Healthline Stories
Department of Veterans Affairs To Review Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Claims
The Department of Veterans Affairs beginning in September will conduct a yearlong review of about one-third of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder — or about 72,000 cases — after an internal study found inconsistencies in how claims were decided, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.
Judge Rules on Voter Guide Language for Parental Notification Ballot Measure
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Raymond Cadei ruled on Thursday to allow some statements from supporters and opponents of Proposition 73 to appear on the voter pamphlet that will be used in the November special election, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports.
Stark Recommends Medicare Beneficiaries Become Educated on Details of New Prescription Drug Benefit
Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) on Wednesday recommended that Medicare beneficiaries be “well-educated on the intricacies” of the 2003 Medicare law’s prescription drug benefit, which begins on Jan. 1, 2006, CQ HealthBeat reports.
Health officials worldwide should consider an antiviral medication manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline as they prepare for a potential pandemic avian flu, according to an article published in the current issue of the Lancet, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Grants, Additional Funding Awarded To Help Address Nursing Shortage
The Employment Development Department this fall will administer $20 million in job training grants, some of which will fund projects to help address the nursing shortage, the Sacramento Bee reports.
More Than One-Third of U.S. Latinos Lacked Health Insurance in 2004, Study Finds
More than one-third of the U.S. Latino population in 2004 lacked health insurance, and about one-fourth received coverage only through public health insurance programs, according to a study released on Tuesday by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, CQ HealthBeat reports.
California Healthline Rounds Up Recent Hospital News
JCAHO grants conditional accreditation to Alta Bates Summit Medical Center; bonds approved for Laguna Honda Hospital reconstruction
Pfizer Announces Moratorium on Direct-to-Consumer Advertisements for New Medications
Officials for New York-based Pfizer on Thursday announced that the company will implement a six-month moratorium on direct-to-consumer advertisements for new medications and will improve information on safety risks in ads, USA Today reports.
Bush administration officials this week visited several states to promote the new Medicare prescription drug benefit as part of a “100-city tour” scheduled to end in late September.
Missouri Stem Cell Debate Could Be Preview of Action in Other States
A “fierce” debate in Missouri over stem cell research could have “broad implications” for the future of science and politics, regardless of whether research money is supplied by private contributions as in Missouri, or by public funds, as is the case in California, the Washington Post reports.