Latest California Healthline Stories
San Mateo County Set to Begin First Local Government-Sponsored Clinical Trial of Medicinal Marijuana
San Mateo County is set to begin the nation’s first local government-sponsored clinical trial of medicinal marijuana, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
House Republican Leaders Delay Vote on Patients’ Rights
House Republican leaders, hoping to “head off a political defeat,” yesterday postponed a vote scheduled for today on patients’ rights legislation, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Appellate Court Orders Release of Second Inmate in Conjunction with Proposition 36
A California appellate court on Tuesday ordered the release of a Los Angeles County inmate because of “ambiguities” surrounding which nonviolent drug offenders qualify for treatment instead of prison under Proposition 36, the Los Angeles Times reports.
JAMA Study Refutes IOM Report Estimates of Medical Errors
Although a 1999 Institute of Medicine report estimated that medical mistakes in hospitals kill up to 98,000 patients per year, a new study in today’s Journal of the American Medical Association puts the number at between 5,000 and 15,000, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
House GOP Leaders May Delay Patients’ Rights Vote
House Republican leaders may delay a vote on patients’ rights legislation scheduled for tomorrow until next week, hoping to build support for a bill backed by the White House, the Washington Times reports.
Nurses at Four Mercy Healthcare Sacramento Hospitals OK New Contract
Nurses at four Mercy Healthcare Sacramento hospitals last Friday approved a two-year contract, ending nearly three weeks of negotiations, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Health Officials ‘Skeptical’ That Budget Will Include More Funds for Disease Surveillance
Although health officials around the state anticipate funding increases to care for the poor and uninsured patients, they are “skeptical” about whether the state budget will provide additional funding for disease surveillance, the Bakersfield Californian reports.
Finance Committee to Draft Rx Drug Benefit Bill in September
Members of the Senate Finance Committee will most likely draft a bipartisan Medicare prescription drug benefit bill in September, when Congress resumes business after the August recess, CongressDailyAM reports.
House Judiciary Committee Passes Human Cloning Ban
The House Judiciary Committee yesterday voted 18-11 in favor of a bill that would prohibit human cloning for any purpose, the New York Times reports.
California’s Response to the Nursing Shortage Might Not Help
The “political response” to California’s nursing “challenge” only will “make matters worse,” a Sacramento Bee editorial states.