Latest California Healthline Stories
Some Adult Film Companies Stop Production After Two Performers Test HIV-Positive
After two actors tested positive for HIV, several adult film companies on Thursday announced that they would stop production for at least 60 days to try to prevent an “outbreak” in the industry, which employs more than 6,000 performers and production personnel in Southern California, the Los Angeles Times reports.
McDonald’s Touts Healthier Fare, Receives Praise From HHS Secretary Thompson
At a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, officials for McDonald’s highlighted several recent efforts by the fast food chain to combat obesity and “alter the widely held view that McDonald’s sells junk food and only junk food,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Uncoordinated Care Compromises Quality of Children’s Health, Study Finds
Insurers and health policymakers have “paid less attention to the quality of care for children” than they have for older patients, resulting in a fragmented “nonsystem” of care, particularly for the uninsured, according to a report released Thursday by New York-based health advocacy group the Commonwealth Fund, Scripps Howard/Detroit News reports.
Santa Barbara County Supervisors Vote To Establish Identification Card for Medical Marijuana Users
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on Monday voted to order the county Public Health Department to begin work on a program to provide identification cards to residents who use marijuana for medical purposes, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Documented Immigrants Protest Schwarzenegger’s Proposed Funding Cuts to Health and Human Services
Documented immigrants and advocates on Thursday met before the Senate Budget Committee, which has jurisdiction over health and human services legislation, to ask Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) to “scrap a provision in his proposed budget that would reduce funding for certain health care, food and income-support programs,” the Sacramento Bee reports.
California Supreme Court Limits Anti-Toxics Labeling Law in Nicotine Replacement Products Case
The state Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously ruled that federal warnings on nicotine replacement products, such as nicotine patches and gum, preempt the state’s more stringent label requirements for the products, marking the first time the court has limited the scope of the state’s anti-toxics law, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Schwarzenegger Withdraws ‘Threat’ To Pursue Ballot Measure on Workers’ Compensation
With legislators expected to pass the workers’ compensation reform bill (SB 899) Friday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Thursday said that he would withdraw “his threat to take the issue directly to voters in November,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
A nationwide e-mail prescription system, or “e-prescription,” could prevent medical errors that stem from illegible handwritten prescriptions and save the nation’s health care system $29 billion annually, according to a report released Wednesday by the eHealth Initiative, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Los Angeles Times Examines Schwarzenegger’s Role in Nov. 2 Ballot Initiatives
The Los Angeles Times on Thursday examined Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s (R) role in the initiatives, including several health-related measures, that might appear on the Nov. 2 statewide ballot.
Federal Task Force Holds Third Meeting on Prescription Drug Reimportation
The federal Task Force on Drug Importation on Wednesday held a third meeting to allow the public to comment on the reimportation of prescription drugs from other nations, Reuters/Philadelphia Inquirer reports.