Latest California Healthline Stories
Health Care Industry Likely to Fuel Next Economic Boom
Analysts predict that the “sprawling” $1.3 trillion health care industry — including drug companies, medical device manufacturers, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and insurers — may represent the “only driver” of economic “growth in the near term” and will likely “expand faster than most industries” in the future, the New York Times reports.
Red Cross Destroying Excess Blood Donated After Sept. 11
The American Red Cross has begun destroying thousands of pints of blood donated after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, the Washington Post reports.
Council on Aging, Health Hero Launch Interactive Health Monitoring Program in Santa Clara County
The Council on Aging-Silicon Valley Inc. and Health Hero Network have launched a pilot program in Santa Clara County that uses interactive technology to monitor the health of the elderly and people with disabilities.
More than 32,000 Took Antibiotics as Precaution for Anthrax
Since the discovery of three anthrax-tainted letters, about 32,000 Florida, New Jersey, New York City and Washington, D.C., residents have taken antibiotics as a precautionary measure, the Washington Post reports.
Budget Shortfall Will Be on ‘Higher End’ of $8B-$14B Range, Legislative Analyst Says
Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill told members of the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy yesterday that California’s budget shortfall for the coming fiscal year will be “on the higher end” of the $8 billion to $14 billion range that Gov. Gray Davis (D) has given, the Sacramento Bee reports.
CDC Study Finds Many State Medicaid Programs Lack Smoking Cessation Programs
A lack of access to smoking cessation programs and the costs of such treatment are “major barriers” for low-income people who are trying to quit smoking, a new CDC study has found.
San Diego City Council Committee Endorses ID Card for Medical Marijuana Users
A San Diego City Council committee Wednesday endorsed a proposal to provide patients who use marijuana with identification cards to “protect them from arrest” by city police, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Judge Temporarily Blocks Ashcroft Order to Shut Down Oregon Assisted Suicide Law
A federal judge yesterday “temporarily blocked” an order by Attorney General John Ashcroft to effectively “shut down” Oregon’s landmark physician-assisted suicide law, the AP/Nando Times reports.
UCSF Medical Center Officially Designates Part of Facility a Children’s Hospital
University of California-San Francisco Medical Center officials yesterday designated part of the facility as the UCSF Children’s Hospital, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
New PBGH Plan to Offer Consumers Online Quality Care Information
As expected, the Pacific Business Group on Health, a San Francisco-based purchaser of insurance for 44 California employers, yesterday unveiled a new fixed account plan that it will offer to its membership as an alternative to managed care, the Wall Street Journal reports.