Latest California Healthline Stories
Gov. Gray Davis (D) on Sunday announced that he will propose changes to the state’s patient rights law to ensure that people with HIV/AIDS are referred to qualified HIV specialists through their HMOs, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Model Public Health Legislation Raises Privacy Concerns
With as many as a dozen state legislatures this year likely to debate model legislation recently released by the CDC designed to strengthen states’ authority to cope with a bioterrorist attack, a “new battleground” has been created between public health activists and civil libertarians, Wall Street Journal reports.
Bush, Congress Should Not Delay Appointment of FDA, NIH Heads, Los Angeles Times Says
The FDA and the NIH have not had leaders for more than a year, and additional delay “would be a big mistake,” a Los Angeles Times editorial says.
San Diego County this month will receive more than $400 million in tobacco settlement funds, some of which will be spent on health programs, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Contra Costa County Begins Effort to Enforce State Workplace Smoking Ban
An undercover officer yesterday began to inspect Contra Costa County bars, restaurants and night clubs as part of a state program developed to enforce the 1995 California Workplace Act, the state’s workplace smoking ban, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Awaiting Audit, HIV Prevention Groups Soften Message
As federal officials prepare to conduct a “comprehensive review” of all AIDS prevention programs funded with federal money, some people involved with AIDS prevention say that the threat of an audit has already produced a “chilling effect” on the sexual tone of program materials, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Sacramento AIDS Groups Work to Halt HIV Transmission Among Minorities
Several Sacramento-based AIDS groups are stepping up efforts to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS among African Americans and other minorities, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Bush Signs Transactions HIPAA Standards Delay Bill
President Bush last week signed a bill that will delay the compliance deadline for HIPAA transactions standards by one year, until Oct. 16, 2003.
Although state hospital officials “welcomed” Gov. Gray Davis’ (D) announcement yesterday that he would not cut $25 million from the state’s 44 trauma care centers, they said “it is not enough to qualify as a real remedy for an ailing system,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
MedicaLogic/Medscape Sells Online Health Information Division to WebMD
MedicaLogic/Medscape last week sold its Medscape online health information unit, including Medscape’s Medical Professional and Health for Consumers Web sites, to competitor WebMD, the Portland Oregonian reports.