Latest California Healthline Stories
Palomar Pomerado Health District Technical, Service Workers Submit Petition for Union Representation
About 1,600 Palomar Pomerado Health district technical, service and maintenance employees yesterday submitted a petition to district officials to recognize their membership in the Caregivers and Healthcare Employees Union, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Nation Better Prepared for Smallpox Attack Than Last Year, HHS Official Says
The nation is “far better prepared” to handle a potential smallpox attack than it was a year ago, according to HHS Office of Public Health Preparedness Director Dr. D.A. Henderson, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The Assembly Health Committee in January will launch an investigation into whether Tenet and other California-based for-profit hospital chains charged the state “too much” for prescription drugs and services, committee Chair Dario Frommer (D-Los Angeles) said yesterday, the Los Angeles Times reports.
California HealthCare Foundation, La Opinion Release Spanish-Language Nursing Home Guide
The California HealthCare Foundation and La Opinion, the largest Spanish-language daily newspaper in the nation, yesterday released “Entre el hogar y el hospital,” a guide that provides information on California nursing homes in Spanish.
Most Nurses on Strike at Doctors Medical Center Refuse To Return to Work Despite Threat of Job Loss
Most of the 450 nurses on strike at Doctors Medical Center, which has facilities in San Pablo and Pinole, did not return to work yesterday after hospital administrators informed the nurses that they could lose their jobs as a result, the Contra Costa Times reports.
DHS Holds Third Hearing on Nurse-to-Patient Ratios
The Department of Health Services yesterday held the last of three public hearings on proposed nurse staffing ratios, the Fresno Bee reports.
Wall Street Journal Examines ‘Compassionate Use’ for Prescription Drugs Waiting for FDA Approval
The Wall Street Journal today examines a “surge in patient activism” that has prompted some pharmaceutical companies to provide experimental treatments to patients with serious illnesses.
San Jose Mercury News Examines State Health Care Reform Plans
The San Jose Mercury News today examines recent health care reform proposals, particularly a universal health care plan, in California.
CHL Rounds Up Reactions to Vaccine Liability Provision in Homeland Security Bill
Newspapers and columnists nationwide have recently addressed a provision attached to the homeland security legislation that protects pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly from lawsuits involving thimerosal, a preservative that was used in vaccines that some contend is a factor in childhood autism.
Fewer Physicians Providing Charity Care, HSC Study Finds
Increased health care costs and reduced reimbursements have prompted a decreased number of physicians to provide charity care for the uninsured and accept Medicaid patients, trends that may reduce access to care for the two groups, according to a new study, the Hartford Courant reports.