Latest California Healthline Stories
Government Subsidies Are Making Americans Fat
The Los Angeles Times rounds up research following the holiday weekend examining how federal funding for crops is contributing to the obesity epidemic, how a tax could counter Americans’ taste for junk foods and how eating at home can help cut the risk of diabetes.
Shuttered Patterson Hospital Burns To The Ground
The interim fire chief for the Patterson and West Stanislaus Fire Department has called the fire “suspicious.”
Providence St. Joseph Health To Launch $100M Mental Health Initiative
When the state signed off on the merger between St. Joseph Health and Providence Health and Services last month, it included a condition that the new entity invest $30 million in mental health services for Californians. Providence St. Joseph Health decided to increase the funding and create a system-wide foundation.
‘Frightening’ And ‘Frustrating’: Budget Shortfalls Cripple Coroner’s Office
The problem is growing throughout the state, but the shortage of resources in the Los Angeles County Coroner-Medical Examiner’s office is particularly severe.
Newly Enacted Vaccination Law Draws Fire
The legislation “has made second class citizens out of children,” opponents say in a lawsuit seeking to overturn the measure, one of the toughest in the country.
Critics: Letting Generic Drugmaker Join PhRMA Akin To Allowing A Spy Into The Fold
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries’ request to join the powerful trade association has caused alarm in the industry. Teva and some of PhRMA’s longtime members, like Eli Lilly, are on opposite sides of court cases involving patents and other important issues for the future of brand-name drug companies.
Democrats’ Draft Platform Includes Nod To Public Option, New Abortion Goal
The Democrats, for the first time, want to attempt to repeal the Hyde amendment, a congressional mandate that cuts off federal funds for most kinds of abortion.
LA County Launches Coordinated Effort At Clinics To Curb Opioid Epidemic
As part of a countywide initiative, 80 public and private urgent care clinics will now follow guidelines — established by the American Academy of Emergency Medicine — that advise health care providers on how to address pain management without immediately turning to opioids.
Marshall Medical Center To Pay $5.5M In Medicare Fraud Settlement
The suit alleged that the defendents — Marshall Medical Center and four others — performed chemotherapy procedures without having a physician present, as required. In addition, it alleged that an oncologist improperly billed Medicare for transfusions that required a doctor to be present, even though no doctor was there.
Opponents Sue California Over Vaccination Law, Seek Temporary Injunction
Under the law, parents can no longer cite their personal beliefs as a reason not to vaccinate their children. The law does allow for medical exemptions.