Latest California Healthline Stories
Thompson To Name Gerberding as CDC Director Today
According to Bush administration officials, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson today will name Dr. Julie Gerberding as the next director of the CDC, the Washington Post reports.
Latino Children Face More Health Disparities, Access to Care Barriers, Report Says
Latino children, the largest minority group of children in the United States, face a number of barriers to health services, including language, cultural differences and a lack of health insurance, resulting in a “high prevalence” of various health conditions among the population, according to a special report published in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association, the Hartford Courant reports.
Wall Street Journal Examines Some Hospitals’ Solutions To ER Overcrowding
The Wall Street Journal today examines the “huge and prolonged problem” of hospital emergency room overcrowding and the steps that several hospitals are taking to reduce ER waiting time.
State Appeals Court Decision Requires Medi-Cal to Cover Chair Lifts for Some Beneficiaries
A three-judge state Court of Appeal panel has ruled that Medi-Cal must cover motorized stairway chair lifts for some beneficiaries, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Officials at Western Health Advantage last week announced that the Sacramento-based HMO will participate in CalPERS next year, a reversal of an earlier decision to withdraw from the health system, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
Drkoop.com to Sell Assets, Including Patient Information
The health information Web site Drkoop.com, which last December filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection, yesterday announced plans to sell its assets, including its former members’ e-mail addresses, to the online vitamin discount store Vitacost.com.
House Votes to Expand Visa-Extension Program for Foreign MDs Who Agree to Work in Underserved Areas
The House last week voted 407-7 to increase the number of foreign doctors allowed to remain in the United States in exchange for providing care in underserved areas, AP/CNN.com reports.
Minority Enrollment in Medical Schools Declining Across the United States
Although a growing number of researchers have said that increasing the number of minorities enrolled in medical schools “is an important antidote” to racial health disparities, the number of minority medical students across the nation is declining, the Baltimore Sun reports.
Los Angeles County officials next week plan to audit the county’s Office of AIDS Programs and Policy over concerns about the distribution of $80 million in county funds and state and federal grants, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reports.
ANA to Address Nursing Shortage at National Convention This Week
The American Nurses Association plans to address the U.S. nursing shortage, as well as the impact of the shortage on patient safety and quality of care, at the group’s annual convention this week in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.