Latest California Healthline Stories
NIH Director Zerhouni Addresses Embryonic Stem Cell Research Policy in Letter
In a “highly anticipated” response to members of Congress who have encouraged President Bush to relax his policy limiting federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, NIH Director Elias Zerhouni in a letter released on Saturday “reiterated the Bush administration’s position” but also said that the availability of additional stem cell lines could speed scientific research, the Washington Post reports.
The state should close loopholes that allow seniors with total assets that exceed eligibility requirements to qualify for nursing home benefits under Medi-Cal, but “it will not be quite so simple for the state to save the $150 million the Legislature is hoping for,” according to a Los Angeles Times editorial.
Community Medical Centers Launches First Preferred Patient Program in Fresno Area for Major Donors
Community Medical Centers is launching a program that gives some financial donors preferred customer services such as upgraded rooms and a special patient hotline, the Fresno Bee reports.
Director Gerberding Unveils Details of CDC Reorganization Plan
CDC Director Julie Gerberding on Thursday unveiled details of a reorganization plan scheduled to take effect on Oct. 1, when the agency will consolidate 12 major subdivisions into four “coordinating centers,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
U.S. Will Speed FDA Approval of Some HIV/AIDS Drugs; Rx Companies Working Together
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson on Sunday at a news conference in Geneva announced plans for a new FDA fast-track review program to “speed the delivery” of low-cost antiretroviral drugs, including fixed-dose combination drugs, to African and Caribbean nations covered under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, USA Today reports.
Glendale City Council Approves Community Health Clinic
The Glendale City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to allow not-for-profit health care provider Northeast Community Clinic to operate a community health clinic at a facility that the city owns, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Behavioral Drugs Lead Sales Among Children for First Time, Study Finds
Spending on drugs for attention deficit and other behavior disorders in children has surpassed spending on children’s antibiotics and asthma drugs for the first time, according to a study of prescription purchasing by Medco Health Solutions to be released Monday, the AP/St. Petersburg Times reports.
Sacramento County Judge Hears Arguments on Mandatory Nursing Staff Levels
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Gail Ohanesian on Friday heard arguments in the hospital industry’s challenge to a provision in new nursing staff regulations that require extra nurses to replace those who leave their stations to transport patients or to take breaks, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports.
AP/Las Vegas Sun Looks at ‘Crush’ of Returning Veterans Seeking Care at VA Facilities
The AP/Las Vegas Sun on Sunday examined the “mixed record” of the Department of Veterans Affairs in handling the “crush of new veterans” returning to the United States from various conflicts abroad.
Federal Task Force Holds Final Meeting on Reimportation of Prescription Drugs
The HHS Task Force on Drug Importation on Friday held a sixth and final public meeting in which medical and pharmacy groups testified that they “seemed resigned to some level” to reimportation of lower-cost prescription drugs from other nations, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports.