Latest California Healthline Stories
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputies Call on State To Take Over Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center
The Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs on Thursday called on the state to take over Los Angeles County-owned Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center, alleging that patients are “perishing needlessly because of the deteriorating health services provided by this hospital,” the AP/Contra Costa Times reports.
FDA Approves Genentech’s Colon Cancer Drug Avastin
FDA Thursday approved Genentech’s Avastin as an initial treatment with standard chemotherapy for metastasized colorectal cancer, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Two Salinas Hospitals Preparing To Open Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Units
Administrators at two Salinas hospitals are preparing to build Level III neonatal intensive care units, raising concerns about whether it is in the best interest of the community for both hospitals to open such facilities, the Monterey County Herald reports.
The U.S. Justice Department has issued subpoenas for medical records of women who have undergone abortions at Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, Planned Parenthood of San Diego and Riverside Counties and four other Planned Parenthood affiliates nationwide, DOJ officials confirmed Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Tulare County Approves Plan To Join Regional Emergency Services Agency
The Tulare County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a plan to join the regional Emergency Medical Services agency, which currently includes Fresno, Kings and Madera counties, to improve training of its ambulance workers, the Fresno Bee reports.
Most Seniors Confused About New Medicare Law, Survey Finds
Many U.S. residents ages 65 and older do not understand the new Medicare law (HR 1), and those who do say they do not like it, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey released Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
FDA Commissioner McClellan Defends Position on Reimportation of Prescription Drugs
FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan on Thursday offered “a spirited defense” of his opposition to the reimportation of lower-cost, U.S.-manufactured prescription drugs from Canada, CongressDaily reports.
Grocery Store Chains, Union Reach Tentative Deal
After 16 days of negotiations, grocery store chain executives and union leaders in Southern California on Thursday reached a tentative agreement that could end a nearly five-month-long strike and lockout that “highlighted the national debate over how much companies should pay for workers’ health care coverage,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
Lawmakers Call for Improved Oversight of State Prison Health Care System
Sen. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough), who is “leading the charge to reform California’s troubled corrections system,” is pushing the administration of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) to release publicly a “blistering” report on health services at the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility in Corcoran, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Health Advocacy Group Charts Diabetes-Related Deaths in State
About 82 deaths per 100,000 people in the state are diabetes-related, with legislative districts in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties and the Central Valley having the highest rates of such deaths, according to a California Center for Public Health Advocacy study released Wednesday, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.