Latest California Healthline Stories
Los Angeles County Health Chief Resigns
Mark Finucane, Los Angeles County’s “embattled health chief,” resigned on Wednesday, after guiding the agency for five years, the Los Angeles Times reports.
‘Traffic’ Shifts Debate on ‘Drug War’
The Washington Post reports that the “critically acclaimed” film “Traffic” — which depicts the national “crusade” against drugs as a “well-intentioned flop” that “squanders billions on efforts to disrupt supplies while doing little to curb demand through programs” such as drug treatment and education — has “not gone unheeded” on Capitol Hill, with senators Wednesday calling for a “balanced” and “holistic” approach to fighting drugs.
St. John’s Nurses to Vote on Contract with Catholic Healthcare West
Nurses at St. John’s hospitals in Camarillo and Oxnard will vote today on a contract with Catholic Healthcare West, the hospitals’ not-for-profit parent company, the Ventura County Star reports.
Lawsuit Alleges Lack of Medical Licensing in Prison Hospitals
Adding to the “mounting criticism” of prison health care in California, an advocacy group for prisoners filed a lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court Tuesday alleging that only five of the state’s 33 prisons have “licensed medical facilities” as required by law, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Will Sell Discounted AIDS Drugs to Africa
Bristol-Myers Squibb announced yesterday that it will sell its two AIDS drugs Videx and Zerit at $1 per day to all African nations participating in the ACCESS Program, a joint initiative sponsored by the United Nations and five pharmaceutical companies to provide cheaper AIDS drugs to Africa.
Los Angeles Times Encourages Tougher State Ergonomics Standards
A “safer, less painful workplace is still possible” in California, despite actions by federal lawmakers last week to “quas[h]” Clinton administration ergonomics regulations aimed at reducing repetitive stress injuries, a Los Angeles Times editorial states.
HIV Infection Declines Among S.F. Heterosexuals, Rises Among Gay Men
The rate of HIV infection among heterosexuals in San Francisco is falling, but the HIV infection rate among the city’s gay male population is on the rise, according to a report released Monday, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Blue Cross of Georgia May Drop Medicare HMO After Purchase
Officials at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, whose parent firm, Cerulean, is being acquired by WellPoint Health Networks, will face a “thorny decision” soon after the acquisition — whether to drop its Medicare HMO, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Senators Propose New Ergonomics Regulations
Sen. John Breaux (D-La.) and Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who sided with GOP Congress members in voting last week to kill ergonomics rules issued by the Clinton administration, have proposed new ergonomics legislation that they say “protects workers without putting too heavy a burden on business,” the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
Thompson Says He Would Protect Medicare Part A Funds
Trying to alleviate Democrats’ concerns that President Bush was planning to “rob” the Medicare Part A Hospital Insurance Trust Fund to pay for his proposed tax cut, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson said yesterday that all payroll tax revenue collected for the trust fund would be “used exclusively” on Medicare Part A, the New York Times reports.