Latest California Healthline Stories
Report: Four Calif. Cities Among 10 Healthiest Metro Areas in U.S.
A report by the American Fitness Index finds that four of the 10 healthiest cities in the U.S. are located in California. Cities were ranked on 32 metrics, such as levels of physical activity and percentage of the population with unhealthy weight. Time, AFI report.
Calif. Court Case Argues That ‘Complex Trauma’ Qualifies as Disability
A lawsuit against the Compton Unified School District alleges that the school district has failed to provide appropriate mental health care and other services to students who have experienced “complex trauma.” The lawsuit challenges whether such trauma qualifies as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Los Angeles Times‘ “L.A. Now,” AP/U-T San Diego.
Group Files Lawsuit To Allow Assisted Suicide in California
A group lobbying for “right-to-die” legislation in California has filed a lawsuit arguing that California’s ban on assisted suicide violates the state constitution. Meanwhile, the Assembly has passed a bill to give patients with terminal illnesses greater access to experimental medications. KPCC’s “KPCC News,” AP/Sacramento Bee.
San Bernardino Officials Approve Bankruptcy Exit Plan
On Monday, the San Bernardino City Council voted 6-1 to approve a bankruptcy exit plan that would cut retirees’ health care coverage and contract with outside agencies for certain services, such as firefighters. Under the plan, the city would pay back the nearly $50 million it owes to CalPERS, but would repay just 1% of the money owed to some bondholders. The plan must be approved by a federal judge before it can be implemented. AP/Sacramento Bee, Los Angeles Times.
California Residents Offered Training Class for Opioid, Heroin Overdose Antidote
California and a handful of other states are working to make naloxone — a medication that reverses the effects of opioid or heroin overdoses — available to the public. The effort includes a training class in which California residents are taught how to recognize signs of a life-threatening overdose. At the end of the class participants can leave with two vials of the drug. AP/KRON 4 News.
A coalition of more than 100 local officials, including mayors and city council members, have sent a letter to Gov. Brown urging him to stop fracking to protect the water supply during the current drought. The letter warns that fracking can “exacerbate many of our environmental threats, particularly local air and water pollution and climate disruption.” Wisconsin Gazette.
Hepatitis C, HIV Outbreaks Bring Needle Exchange Programs Back Into Spotlight
A ban on federal funding for needle exchange programs is once again gaining attention amid HIV and hepatitis C outbreaks across the country. Congress in 1988 passed legislation banning the federal government from funding such initiatives, even though they have been proven to help curb the spread of HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Recently, state governments have been adopting needle exchange programs to address disease outbreaks spurred by injection drug use in Indiana, Kentucky and West Virginia. New York Times.
Eli Lilly, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute Partner To Develop New Disease Therapies
The Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in La Jolla has announced a new partnership with Eli Lilly and Company to find new therapies for diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease and lupus. Thomas Bumol, senior vice president of biotechnology and immunology research at Eli Lilly, and Carl Ware, director of Sanford-Burnham’s Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases Center, will lead the partnership. U-T San Diego.
States Being Made To Absorb Part of ACA Insurer Fee
A fee intended for insurers to help fund the Affordable Care Act is being passed on to states because insurers are increasing prices for Medicaid programs. For example, a 2014 Milliman report shows that California is projected to pay up to $798 million over a decade to Medicaid managed care companies. AP/New York Times.
Soaring Medicaid Enrollment Cited as Argument Against Expansion
Citing higher-than-expected Medicaid enrollment in states that expanded their programs, Affordable Care Act opponents say Medicaid expansion is too costly for states. However, supporters of the expansion say the additional costs are more than offset by health and economic gains. Politico.