Latest California Healthline Stories
University of California health system officials yesterday “yielded” to some contract negotiation demands from nurses and agreed to drop a proposed merit-based pay system, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Prevalence of Depression, Mental Illnesses Increasing on College Campuses
The prevalence of depression and mental illnesses on college campuses is increasing at an “alarming” rate, USA Today reports.
A San Diego jury yesterday awarded $250,000 to a man who spent 17 days with a 14-inch-long metal retractor inside his body after doctors at Palomar Medical Center forgot to remove it, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
One-Quarter of Online Health Information Seekers Verify Source and Timeliness of Data, Survey Finds
While the number of consumers relying on the Internet for health information continues to rise — up 40% from 2000 — only a small minority of these consumers actively verifies the source and timeliness of the content they view, according to a survey released yesterday by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
Davis’ Revised Budget Proposal Would ‘Erode Progress’ of Anti-Tobacco Programs, Chronicle Says
The state’s Youth Anti-Tobacco Program — the “nation’s most ambitious tobacco-control plan” — has helped to reduce the rate of youth smoking in California over the past five years, but Gov. Gray Davis’ (D) revised fiscal year 2002-2003 budget proposal would “eviscerat[e]” the program and “erode progress” in the state’s “battle against teenage smoking,” according to a San Francisco Chronicle editorial.
House Overwhelmingly Approves Bioterrorism Preparedness Legislation
The House yesterday overwhelmingly approved a $4.6 billion bill (HR 3448) to strengthen the nation’s defenses against a bioterrorist attack, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
House Republican Medicare Reform Plan Contains ‘Precious Little’ Reforms, Rovner Writes
A “close examination” of recent drafts of House Republicans’ Medicare reform package “finds precious little of the types of reforms both the Bush administration and congressional Republicans have been espousing,” CongressDaily/AM‘s Julie Rovner writes in her “Health Matters” column.
Palomar Medical Center Nurses Vote to Hold One-Day Strike Next Month
Nurses at Palomar Medical Center in Escondido voted yesterday in favor of a one-day strike next month “as part of their effort to gain union representation,” the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Blue Cross of California Decides Not to Implement Proposed Tiered Hospital Plan
Blue Cross of California has “backed off” a proposal to implement a tiered hospital plan, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Los Angeles Times Outlines Three Plans to Restructure Los Angeles County Health Department
The Los Angeles Times today examines three options being considered by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services to cut costs in preparation for a projected $688 million budget deficit by 2005.