Latest California Healthline Stories
Los Angeles Clinic for Actors in Pornography Films Works to Combat Spread of HIV, STDs
After an “outbreak” of HIV among actors in pornography films three years ago, the Adult Industry Medical HealthCare Foundation was established to provide screening and medical services to actors in the pornography industry to stem the spread of AIDS and other STDs, the Los Angeles Times reports.
San Fernando Valley Hospitals Face ‘Financial Meltdown’
Long-term budget deficits caused by rising costs and declining revenue have left hospitals in the San Fernando Valley region facing a “financial meltdown” that could force many to close, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Advocates Discuss Nursing Shortage at Senate Hearing
At a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing yesterday, nursing advocates said that efforts to improve nurses’ working conditions and prevent them from leaving the profession will help stem the nursing shortage, CongressDaily/AM reports.
Court Rejects Challenge to Maine Rx Program
The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston on Wednesday struck down a challenge to a Maine law that would “impose price controls on prescription drugs if pharmaceutical companies refuse to provide a discount for thousands of uninsured residents,” the Washington Post reports.
Discovery Health Channel Series on Mental Illness Begins Sunday
A Discovery Health Channel four-part series, titled “Fires of the Mind”, beginning Sunday attempts to “dispel some of the frightening myths” about four mental illnesses: schizophrenia, manic depression, anxiety disorders and autism.
Critics Call S.F. Mayor Brown’s Plan for the Uninsured ‘Rushed’
Business leaders and city supervisors yesterday expressed “concern” that San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown’s (D) “landmark” proposal to expand health coverage for the uninsured is “moving too fast and needs further study,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Nursing Home Officials Apply for Exemption from Rolling Blackouts
In an application sent last week, nursing home advocates have asked the Public Utilities Commission to exempt nursing facilities from this summer’s expected rolling blackouts, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Did Pentagon Put ‘Improper Pressure’ on FDA?
Emails sent in 1999 between “high-ranking” Department of Defense officials indicate that the Pentagon was “exerting improper pressure” on the manufacturer of the anthrax vaccine and the FDA, according to Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), who chairs a congressional subcommittee that “concluded the vaccinations…ha[ve] not been proven legal, safe or effective” and should be stopped.
CalPERS Board Approves Premium Hikes
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System Board of Administration yesterday approved enrollee premium increases for its two self-funded preferred provider organizations, PERSCare and PERS Choice.
HHS ‘Reverses Course,’ Opens HIV Prevention Grants
After the group Americans United for the Separation of Church and State criticized the government over $4 million in drug abuse and HIV prevention grants designated exclusively for faith-based groups, HHS officials “promptly” reversed the provision yesterday to allow secular groups to compete for the funding, the AP/Excite reports.