Latest California Healthline Stories
Bush Asks Bioethics Panel to Act ‘Conscience’
At the first meeting of the President’s Council on Bioethics yesterday, President Bush called on the panel to be the “conscience of the country” with regard to biomedical issues such as human cloning and embryonic stem cell research, and he again reiterated his opposition to human cloning, the AP/Baltimore Sun reports.
Fresno County Nurses Vote to Authorize Strike, Cite ‘Lack of Progress’ in Contract Negotiations
Nurses employed by Fresno County voted yesterday to authorize a strike “because of a lack of progress” in contract negotiations with the county, the Fresno Bee reports.
Language Barriers Prevent Orange County Seniors from Accessing Health Services, Poll Finds
Language barriers, not cultural differences, prevent some Orange County seniors from seeking medical care, using senior centers or “even understanding the basic symptoms” of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, according to the first countywide, multilingual poll of seniors released Tuesday, the Orange County Register reports.
Sen. Kennedy Seeks Tax Cut Freeze to Fund Health Initiatives
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) yesterday proposed delaying a portion of the $1.35 trillion tax cut passed last year, saying the money should instead go toward funding “other priorities,” including several health care initiatives, the Washington Post reports.
East Palo Alto Clinic Opens With Goal of Serving Area’s Diverse Population
To provide services that have been missing in East Palo Alto since 1997 — when the area’s only community clinic closed — the South County Community Health Center opened last month with the goal of serving the community’s diverse population, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Lawmakers Offer Bills to Ban Reproductive Cloning, Permit Embryonic Stem Cell Research
A bill (SB 1230) proposed by Sen. Dede Alpert (D-Coronado) would ban reproductive cloning but allow cloning to continue for research purposes, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Congress Should Update ERISA to Clarify Authority of State Patient Protection Laws, Bee Says
Many California residents “can no longer rest assured” that they can request an independent review in disputes with their HMOs, a system established under a state law that “may face dismantling” by the U.S. Supreme Court, a Sacramento Bee editorial says.
San Diego County Supervisors Approve $4.3M for Local Emergency Medical Services
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a plan to distribute $4.3 million from the county’s share of the national tobacco settlement to 19 area hospitals to help with the rising costs of providing emergency medical services, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Leapfrog Group Plan Urges Quality Care, Elimination of Medical Errors
The Leapfrog Group, a consortium of 96 large health care purchasers, is announcing a plan today to encourage hospitals to reduce medical errors by “steer[ing] employees to hospitals that excel in three areas deemed to promote patient safety,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Los Angeles Launches Citywide Program To Place Defibrillators in Public Places
In a move that will likely be watched by other cities, Los Angeles today will launch the “nation’s largest citywide” program to place automated external defibrillators in public places, USA Today reports.