Latest California Healthline Stories
Assembly members Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) and Patty Berg (D-Santa Rosa) on Wednesday used a parliamentary maneuver to send a bill (AB 654) that would legalize physician-assisted suicide in some cases to the Senate without an Assembly vote, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Approves No-Bid Contract for HIV/AIDS-Related Services
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 3-2 to award a contract for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services to a not-for-profit group without seeking competing bids, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Santa Clara County Officials Respond to Grand Jury Report
Santa Clara County health officials on Tuesday responded to criticism about the pace of the county’s implementation of electronic health records, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Assembly Vote on Bill To Legalize Physician-Assisted Suicide Could Come Down to One Vote
The future of a bill (AB 654) that would legalize physician-assisted suicide in some cases could be decided by a margin of one vote, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Half of Post-Market Trials for Products With Accelerated FDA Approval Not Complete, Report Says
Drug companies that are granted accelerated approval by FDA for some treatments complete only about half of post-market clinical trials promised as a condition of approval, according to a congressional report commissioned by Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and released Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Democratic Legislators’ Budget Plan Rejects Proposed Pay Cut for In-Home Care Workers
A budget proposal released on Tuesday by Assembly Democrats rejects a plan by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) to reduce the state’s contribution to salaries for in-home care workers for state residents with disabilities and calls for increased state income taxes for some residents, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Judge Indicates Support for Federal Receiver of California’s Prison Medical System
Senior U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson on Tuesday “hinted that he is at least sympathetic to the idea” of appointing a federal receiver who would oversee the state prison health care system, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
California Healthline Highlights Recent Legislative Action
The Legislature on Tuesday approved measures to delay a compliance deadline for state seismic safety standards for hospitals, create a state universal health care system and address other health-related issues.
Los Angeles Times Examines Merger of Johnson & Johnson, Scios
The Los Angeles Times on Wednesday examined Johnson & Johnson’s $2.4 billion acquisition of the biotechnology company Scios and the issues that accompanied the transition to new ownership.
Report Raises Concerns About Mental Health Care in State Prisons
Ten years after U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton ordered California prisons to provide better care to inmates with mental illnesses, the situation at Corcoran State Prison is “exceedingly troubled,” according to a report issued to the judge in March, the Los Angeles Times reports.