Morning Breakouts

Latest California Healthline Stories

Alameda County Board of Supervisors Approves Temporary Funding for Medical Center

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors and the Alameda County Medical Center Board of Trustees on Tuesday announced a “four-point rescue plan” that would provide short-term funding and other changes to temporarily avert proposed cuts to the center, which faces a $45.7 million budget deficit, the Oakland Tribune reports.

Lobbyists, Interest Groups Place ‘Heat’ on Lawmakers To Ensure Passage of Medicare Bill

Interest groups and lobbyists with a potential stake in the outcome of conference committee negotiations on the House and Senate Medicare bills (HR 1 and S 1) are “applying … heat” during Congress’ August recess, CongressDaily reports.

Many Urban Hospitals Require Increased Capacity To Prepare for Bioterrorist Attack, GAO Report Finds

Although some urban hospitals have begun preparations for a bioterrorist attack, many of them have not conducted drills and lack the necessary equipment to respond to a potential attack, according to a General Accounting Office report released Wednesday, the AP/Las Vegas Sun reports.

Pfizer To Sell Medicines Directly to Canadian Pharmacies To Reduce Online Sales to U.S. Consumers

In an effort to “crac[k] down” on Canadian pharmacies that sell prescription drugs to U.S. consumers over the Internet, New York-based Pfizer, the world’s largest drug company, sent letters to 46 Canadian pharmacies telling them that they must now purchase their medicines directly from the company instead of from wholesalers, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Fewer Healthy Foods Available in Low-Income Neighborhoods in Los Angeles, Study Finds

Grocery stores in lower-income sections of Los Angeles are less likely than those in more affluent west Los Angeles neighborhoods to stock fresh fruits and vegetables, non-fat milk and low-fat snacks, according to a study by the University of Southern California and the University of California-Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Glenn County Residents Support Tax for Local Hospital, According to Survey

According to a telephone survey, 62% of Glenn County and northern Colusa County residents would support an additional local property tax to help finance Glenn Medical Center, Glenn County Supervisor Denny Bungarz said, the Chico Enterprise-Record reports.

Fresno Hospital Begins Construction Project Intended To Attract Physicians to Area

Officials at St. Agnes Medical Center in Fresno have announced plans to build as many as five new office buildings totaling more than 100,000 square feet north of the hospital in an attempt to attract physicians to the Fresno area, the Fresno Bee reports.

Sunnyvale-Based Yahoo! Launches Online Disease Management System for Diabetes Patients

Sunnyvale-based Internet portal Yahoo! and Carlsbad-based health care software company iMetrikus yesterday launched an online system on the Yahoo! Health Web site that will help people with diabetes track their blood sugar levels, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.