Latest California Healthline Stories
Fentanyl Claims Another Victim In Wave Of Overdoses In Sacramento County
Jerome Butler was taken off life support Wednesday. “This is a real public safety issue. We have lost so many of our kids behind this pill,” his mother, Natasha Butler, said. “All the parents that [have] lost their kids behind this, we have to stand together. We have to get it stopped.”
Waiting Periods For Abortions Do Little To Deter Women, Study Finds
UCSF researchers found that, though the law created financial and emotional hardships for women, those seeking the abortions had made up their mind and were not swayed during the waiting period. In other news, Alaska passes a bill that focuses on the viability of a fetus, but Planned Parenthood says the terminology in the legislation is confusing.
Camarillo Surgical Center Gets $5M Donation From Former Patient
The private donation is the largest in St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital’s history and will help fund an addition.
Nursing Home Safety To Be Policed By New Task Forces In California, Nine Other States
One of the regional task forces will be located in the Northern District of California and will include representatives from U.S. attorneys’ offices, state Medicaid Fraud Control Units, state and local prosecutors’ offices and HHS, among others.
Experts Say Health Care Companies Are Tantalizing Targets For Cyberattackers
A recent cyberattack against hospital chain MedStar was just the latest in a series of strikes against health care companies, which included another hospital in Los Angeles. Experts warn that because the information the organizations have is more valuable on the black market than even credit card numbers, and their security measures tend to lag behind other sectors, they are particularly vulnerable.
State To Use Blood Tests To Refine Lead Cleanup Efforts, Following Pushback From Lawmakers
After the Los Angeles Times published an article on the failure of California to use children’s blood tests to focus lead-contamination response, a common practice in other states, community groups and legislators reacted in force.
Zenefits’ Value Drops Nearly $3 Billion In Less Than A Year
Since the startup’s high point, founder and CEO Parker Conrad has been ousted, former COO David Sacks took over, 250 staffers were laid off and the company has been investigated by state insurance regulators in Washington, California and reportedly other states.
House Panel Investigating Fetal Tissue Research Issues Subpoenas
The congressional committee subpoenaed eight medical organizations — including San Diego-based Biomed IRB and San Leandro-based Ganogen Inc. — as part of a probe instigated by videos that purported to capture Planned Parenthood officials trying to profit illegally from the sale of such tissue. Since then, the videographers have been indicted and 20 states have cleared Planned Parenthood or decided not to investigate, but Republican House members have continued with their efforts.
California’s Workers’ Compensation System Rife With Fraud, Investigation Finds
Injured workers seeking medical care are vulnerable to unchecked profiteering that can put their health and lives at risk, according to a probe by The Center for Investigative Reporting.
Obama: Opioid Epidemic A Public Health Problem, Not A Criminal Issue
The president spoke about the national crisis at a summit in Atlanta, announcing an array of new measures such as expanding drug treatment centers and increasing the use of drugs, like naloxone. However, he said that “this is still an area that’s grossly under-resourced.”