Latest California Healthline Stories
University of California Announces Reform Plan Addressing UCLA Willed Body Program
University of California officials on Wednesday announced a reform plan designed to address concerns about the willed body program at the University of California-Los Angeles School of Medicine, which was temporarily closed last year after authorities alleged the director of the program illegally sold cadavers at the school, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Merck To Block Supplies to Canadian Pharmacies in Effort To Stem Reimportation of Prescription Drugs
Merck this week has begun to block supplies to Canadian pharmacies that sell company products to U.S. residents, “adding to manufacturers’ efforts to disrupt” the practice of prescription drug reimportation, Bloomberg/Boston Globe reports.
CDC Letter Cites Computer Error for Problems With Study on Annual Obesity-Related Deaths
A computer error caused CDC in a March 2004 study to overstate by about 35,000 the number of annual obesity-related deaths in the United States, according to a letter from four agency researchers published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the AP/Boston Globe reports.
Los Angeles County Approves $7.7 Million To Hire Psychiatric Workers at County Hospitals
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to spend $7.7 million to hire 90 to 100 psychiatric workers to replace unarmed county police officers who work with doctors and nurses to respond to calls involving violent patients at county hospitals, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Cosmetics Firms Agree To Exclude Some Chemicals From Products
Pressure from the San Francisco-based Breast Cancer Fund and other groups has contributed to two cosmetic companies’ decision to exclude some chemicals from products sold in the United States, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Report Requested by Bush Administration Recommends Framework for National Health Information Network
A group of 13 health and information technology organizations on Tuesday in a report requested by the Bush administration recommended a “common framework” for a national health information network, the New York Times reports.
National Governors Association Members To Meet To Discuss Medicaid Reform Proposal
Members of the National Governors Association in a “closed-door discussion” in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday are expected to discuss a proposal to reform Medicaid “and, from there, lobby the Bush administration and Congress,” the AP/San Jose Mercury News reports.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Mike Leavitt, who President Bush last month nominated as the new HHS secretary, on Tuesday told senators at a confirmation hearing that states should have “greater flexibility” to determine Medicaid benefits to allow more individuals to receive “quality basic care,” the New York Times reports.
Rep. Bill Thomas Calls on Congress To Address Both Medicare, Social Security Reform
Congress now has “an opportunity to adjust” Medicare and Social Security benefits and the payroll tax system all at the same time, Rep. Bill Thomas (R-Calif.), chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, said on Tuesday at a National Journal symposium, the Los Angeles Times reports.
More than 1,500 Nurses Protest Delay of Staffing Ratios
More than 1,500 nurses organized by the California Nurses Association on Tuesday protested Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) decision to delay changes to nurse staffing ratio rules, the San Jose Mercury News reports.