Latest California Healthline Stories
Davis Approves Three Health-Related Bills
Gov. Gray Davis (D) over the weekend signed three health-related bills.
Lockyer Requests Meeting with Federal Officials To Discuss Medical Marijuana Raids
Attorney General Bill Lockyer (D) on Friday sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft and Drug Enforcement Administration Director Asa Hutchinson requesting a meeting to discuss a “growing list of provocative and intrusive incidents of harassment” by federal officials against state medical marijuana growers, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Pharmacy Chain Offer Prescriptions with ‘Talking Labels’ for Patients with Visual Impairments
Omaha, Neb.-based Kohll’s Pharmacy has become the first retail pharmacy chain in the country to offer prescriptions with “talking labels” to serve patients with visual impairments, the AP/Lincoln Journal Star reports.
Madera County Home Health Care Workers Ask for Improved Benefits, Wages
Dozens of Madera County workers who provide home health care for elderly and disabled county residents held a protest on Friday to demand improved benefits and wages, the Fresno Bee reports.
Medicare Beneficiaries, Privately Insured Older People Face Health Care Access Issues, Study Finds
Both Medicare beneficiaries and people ages 50 to 64 who are privately insured are facing barriers in accessing health care, according to a new Center for Studying Health System Change study issued on Thursday.
Davis Should Sign Paid Family Leave Bill, San Francisco Chronicle Says
Gov. Gray Davis (D) should sign a bill (SB 1661) approved by the Legislature that would provide employees with disability pay to allow them to care for a family member with an illness or to spend time with a newborn, according to a San Francisco Chronicle editorial.
Congress Should Pass Mental Health Parity Legislation, Washington Post Says
Although “time is getting short” and the congressional calendar is “crowded,” Congress “still should approve” a mental health parity bill, which President Bush should sign, a Washington Post editorial says.
Kaiser Permanente Reaches Tentative Contract Agreement with California Nurses Association
Kaiser Permanente on Friday reached a tentative contract agreement with the California Nurses Association that averted a potential strike of more than 10,000 nurses at 54 health care facilities in Northern and Central California, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Study of Hospitals Finds Several Daily ‘Potential Harmful’ Medication Errors
A new study of hospitals has found an average of more than 40 “potentially harmful” medication errors per day, the AP/Baltimore Sun reports.
Many Still Question Nation’s Preparedness for Possible Bioterrorist Attack
Public health officials across the country are strengthening efforts to address a possible bioterrorist attack and have been working on response plans since the anthrax incidents last fall.