Latest California Healthline Stories
Sonoma County Jury to Rule on Marijuana Farmers’ ‘Caregiver’ Status
In what defense attorneys believe will be the state’s first jury trial involving a supplier of medical marijuana, a Sonoma County jury will be asked to determine if two Petaluma men violated state law by growing more than 800 plants to supply a San Francisco marijuana buyers’ club.
Internet Health Care Profiles Future of Internet Pharmacies
Noting the “wid[e] divergence of opinion” about Internet pharmacies’ “eventual fate,” this month’s issue of Internet Health Care magazine reports in its cover story that the industry “remain[s] upbeat.”
drkoop.com to Offer Harris Interactive Access to Members
drkoop.com will supply the online market research firm Harris Interactive with access to its two million members as potential participants in a panel on chronic illness, Reuters Health reports.
State Health Care Programs Add to Fund Shortages
Facing a slowing economy, several states are struggling to meet financial commitments for programs — including several health initiatives — that were expanded or implemented during the height of the economic boom, the New York Times reports in a front page story.
Thompson Discusses Medicare Reforms At Fla. Nursing Home
During a visit to a Florida nursing home yesterday, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson told seniors that Medicare needs to undergo a “thorough review,” as well as a “complete overhaul,” and that the Bush administration plans to do both, the Miami Herald reports.
West Hollywood Condom Distribution Ballot Measure Fails
Voters in West Hollywood on Tuesday rejected by a 53% margin a measure that would have required bars and nightclubs to supply free condoms to patrons, the Los Angeles Times reports.
San Jose Medical Center May Remain Open
HCA-The Healthcare Co. announced Tuesday that it is “revisiting” its 1998 decision to close San Jose Medical Center and shift the hospital’s emergency room and other patient care services to Regional Medical Center by 2006, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
NIH Proposal Would Require More Disclosure of Trials
A National Institutes of Health committee yesterday proposed a plan that would “bee[f] up” the amount of information gene therapy researchers would have to submit to the NIH, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Female Business Owners Value Health Benefits, Survey Says
Nearly three-quarters of female business owners in California consider health coverage to be “the most important benefit employers can provide their workers,” according to a new survey from the Los Angeles chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners and WellPoint Health Networks.
Substance Abuse isTop Health Care Problem, Report Finds
With an economic cost of more than $414 billion a year, substance abuse is the nation’s leading health problem, “causing more deaths, illness and disabilities than any other preventable health problem today,” according to a new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.