Latest California Healthline Stories
President Bush’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health Launches New Web Site
President Bush’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health on Monday launched a Web site that will allow members of the public to monitor the first comprehensive study of the U.S. mental health system.
NIH Decision To Halt Hormone Replacement Therapy Study Confuses Women, Doctors
Postmenopausal women and their doctors yesterday reacted with “puzzlement and disbelief” after learning that a federal study on the effects of hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women was halted because of health concerns, the New York Times reports.
New England Tops Nation in Health Care Spending, Health Affairs Study Finds
Residents of Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island spent about 15% more on personal health care in 1998 than people living in the rest of the United States, according to a new study in the current issue of Health Affairs.
Disagreement Between CNA, Antelope Valley Hospital Officials Delays Union Representation for Nurses
Nurses at Lancaster-based Antelope Valley Hospital have sought union representation, but hospital and union officials disagree on the number of registered nurses at the facility, which has delayed the process, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Law Enforcement, Legislature Consider Action Against Illegal Pharmacies
The Los Angeles Times today examines the “significant danger” posed by “backroom clinics” in Orange County, which “peddl[e] drugs that are sometimes illegally manufactured or whose expiration dates have passed.”
Federal Officials Draft Quarantine Plan to Address Potential Smallpox Exposure
Federal health officials are “quietly” drafting plans for quarantining Americans in the event they are exposed to smallpox, the AP/Contra Costa Times reports.
Federal Officials Halt HRT Study After Detecting Increased Breast Cancer Risk
A “long anticipated” federal study on the effects of hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women has been halted three years early because researchers determined the treatment carries a “slight but significant” increase in the risk of invasive breast cancer and other diseases.
Department of Health Services Orders San Francisco Hospital to Reopen Emergency Room
The Department of Health Services yesterday ordered San Francisco-based St. Luke’s Hospital to reopen its emergency room by 7 a.m. today, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
National Cancer Institute Awards Grant to Study Effects of Online Support for Cancer Patients
The National Cancer Institute has awarded a $750,000 grant to Massachusetts-based Clinician Support Technology Inc. to study the impact of the company’s online communication system on the quality of health care and the rate of medical errors at a Boston hospital, the Boston Globe reports.
USDA’s Decision on J-1 Visa Program for Foreign Doctors Affects Rural Health
The Los Angeles Times on Sunday reported on how the Department of Agriculture’s decision to end its participation in a visa program has affected rural areas of California and has exacerbated a physician shortage in some locations.