Latest California Healthline Stories
Emphysema Surgery May Harm Advanced-Stage Patients
Researchers conducting a study on a controversial surgical treatment for emphysema announced yesterday that the procedure may prove “dangerous” and “even deadly” for patients in advanced stages of the disease, the AP/Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.
San Antonio Community Hospital Closes Mental Health Department
As part of a cost-cutting strategy, San Antonio Community Hospital stopped accepting new patients to its mental health and substance abuse departments at midnight yesterday, leaving San Bernadino County with only one local mental health inpatient service, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Federal Judge Mandates Medicare+Choice Mailings
Judge Henry Kennedy of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the HHS must send out information about private health plans participating in Medicare+Choice to 40 million seniors via mail by Oct. 16, the AP/Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
HHS to Delay and Loosen Medicaid Managed Care Rules
The Bush administration has chosen to delay and “soften” regulations issued during the final days of the Clinton administration that would provide a host of patient protections for Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled in managed care plans, the Washington Post reports.
Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Chief Executive to Step Down
Irwin Hansen, CEO and president of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, “unexpected[ly]” announced his resignation yesterday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
40% of People with HIV Get Tested Late
Two separate studies presented yesterday at the National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta found that nearly two out of every five people with HIV live with the disease for almost a decade before being tested, “forgoing life-prolonging treatment and potentially infecting others,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Sacramento, Alameda Counties Pilot Web Site to Help Seniors, Disabled Access Services
Under a $2.2 million grant from the state Department of Aging, Sacramento and Alameda counties will pilot a new Web site designed to help seniors and people with disabilities access the social and medical services available from more than 800 agencies and programs, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Federal budget cuts, a “critical” nursing shortage and an “outdated [Medi-Cal] funding” structure have created a “health care crisis” for long term care in California, according to a Torrance Daily Breeze editorial.
Statewide Childhood Asthma Management Project Planned
The Integrating Medicine and Public Health Program, in conjunction with the state Department of Health Services and the University of California-San Francisco, will implement the California Asthma Among the School-Aged Project, a model program designed to improve diagnosis, treatment and management of asthma among children ages five to 18.
Sonoma County Releases Report Outlining Recommendations for Adolescent Health
The Sonoma County Public Health Department yesterday released a 48-page report outlining its priorities and giving recommendations for improving the mental and physical health of adolescents and young adults ages 10 to 24, the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat reports.