Latest California Healthline Stories
The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday examined health insurers’ collection of data about members’ race and ethnicity as part of a “burgeoning effort” to reduce health care quality disparities.
San Diego County Considering Plan To Outsource Some Mental Health Services
San Diego County officials are proceeding with a plan to contract with private entities to provide mental health services to more than 5,300 county residents, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
HHS is committing $4.6 million to a new nationwide initiative designed to enroll low-income Medicare beneficiaries in the new prescription drug discount card program that begins June 1, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson announced Thursday, Chicago Tribune reports.
San Francisco Mayor’s Budget Proposal Calls for Elimination of Some Jobs at City Health Department
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal, which he will submit to the Board of Supervisors by Tuesday, would lay off more than 500 city employees, including some Department of Public Health personnel, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Immigrants Live Longer Than Native-Born U.S. Residents, Study Finds
U.S. immigrants live an average of three years longer than native-born residents, according to a study published in the May issue of the Canadian Journal of Public Health, the AP/Wall Street Journal reports.
President Bush Promotes Electronic Medical Records in Tennessee Appearance
President Bush on Thursday discussed his plan to encourage the adoption of electronic medical records systems during an appearance at Vanderbilt University following a visit to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, where he had been shown a demonstration of an EMR system, the Tennessean reports.
Sharp HealthCare Nurses Vote on Contract Offer, Strike Authorization
Nurses at San Diego-based Sharp HealthCare on Thursday voted on whether to accept management’s “final contract offer” or give the hospital chain a 10-day notice of a walk out after the two parties failed to reach a consensus over wages and state nurse staffing rules, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Overall Percentage of State Residents Who Smoke Decreases
The percentage of adults in the state who smoke dropped to a “record low” of 16.2% in 2003, but smoking rates remained high among low-income residents with less education, a statewide survey found, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Monrovia Community Hospital Shuts Doors Because of Insufficient Funds To Pay Employees
Monrovia Community Hospital closed on Wednesday and evacuated all patients after being unable to finance operations or pay employees, the Pasadena Star-News reports.
More Diseases Than Thought Linked to Smoking, Federal Report Finds
U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona on Thursday released a more than 900-page report that found cigarette smoking “harms nearly every human organ” and is directly linked to “more illnesses than previously known,” the Los Angeles Times reports.