Latest California Healthline Stories
HHS Awards $11.4M in Grants For Community-Based Research
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson on Wednesday announced 25 grants totaling $11.4 million for community-based research on local disease prevention and “health promotion needs.”
Tenet Says Profit More Than Doubled in First Fiscal Quarter, Raises Earnings Estimate
Net income for Santa Barbara-based Tenet Healthcare more than doubled in the fiscal quarter ending Aug. 31, the Los Angeles Times reports.
FDA Halts Three Gene Therapy Trials After Patient Develops Cancer
In a “major setback” for the field of gene therapy, the FDA yesterday announced it suspended three gene therapy trials early last month after learning that one child who received the treatment has developed a leukemia-like disease, the New York Times reports.
Federal Government Contracts with Two Companies To Develop New Anthrax Vaccine
HHS officials announced yesterday they have awarded two contracts totaling $22.5 million to British company Avecia and California-based VaxGen to develop a new anthrax vaccine, the Washington Post reports.
PacifiCare Unveils New HMO that Limits Provider Options to Control Costs
In a “radical change,” PacifiCare Health Systems today will unveil an HMO that will restrict patients to a relatively small network of providers, the Los Angeles Times reports.
KQED’s ‘Bay Window’ Series Examines San Francisco’s Mentally Ill Homeless Population
KQED’s “Bay Window,” a series that examines Bay Area issues and civic life nationwide, tonight will focus on the link between mental illness and homelessness in San Francisco.
Harbor-UCLA Hospital Most Likely To Convert to Outpatient Clinic, Los Angeles County Report States
County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center would be the first of four Los Angeles County trauma centers to be converted to outpatient clinics if the county does not receive additional health system funding, according to a county draft report, Copley/Torrance Daily Breeze reports.
Two Laboratory Owners To Plead Guilty in $19 Million Medi-Cal Fraud Case
The owners of a Glendale medical laboratory yesterday agreed to plead guilty to charges of conspiracy and money-laundering for billing Medi-Cal $19 million for “bogus” blood tests, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Few States Spend Settlement Funds on Tobacco-Control Programs, New England Journal Study Finds
A small percentage of states’ tobacco settlement funds are spent on programs to reduce smoking, according to a study published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine, Reuters reports.
States Resist Cuts in CHIP Programs Despite Budget Deficits, Urban Institute Says
Despite enrollment growth and widespread state budget deficits, no state cut its benefits package for CHIP programs in fiscal year 2002, according to panelists at an Urban Institute forum Tuesday.