Latest California Healthline Stories
UCLA Researchers Creating Mobile, Web App Program To Help Individuals Dealing With Addiction
UCLA researchers are developing a program that uses mobile applications to help patients better manage and deal with addictions and allows their therapists to track their progress via a Web application. The researchers say the program will start with gambling addiction and later will expand to include other addictions and behavioral health conditions, such as depression. Health Data Management.
On Tuesday, Thousand Oaks-based biologic drugmaker Amgen announced plans to let go 12% to 15% of its workforce, or 2,400 to 2,900 employees. The company said savings from the layoffs will be used to expand its operations in San Francisco and Cambridge, Mass. AP/Contra Costa Times.
L.A. Supervisors Delay Measure To Allot $20M for Programs To Keep Mentally Ill From Being Jailed
On Tuesday, Los Angeles County Supervisors delayed a proposal to allocate $20 million for programs to keep more individuals with mental illnesses from being incarcerated. They postponed action on the measure until Sept. 30 so that a plan for how the money would be spent can be developed. Los Angeles Times.
Court Upholds Florida Law Discouraging Doctors From Asking Patients About Gun Ownership
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta has upheld a Florida law that discourages physicians from discussing gun ownership with patients. According to the court, the law does not prohibit asking patients about guns, but only cautions not to do so when it “would be irrelevant to patients’ medical care.” Wall Street Journal.
Mobile App To Connect Individuals Trained in CPR, Cardiac Arrest Patients Unveiled in San Diego
On Monday, the PulsePoint unveiled a mobile application in San Diego that will alert individuals trained in CPR when a nearby app user experiences sudden cardiac arrest. Among emergency calls related to cardiac arrest in the city last year, only 8% of individuals who did not receive early intervention survived. U-T San Diego.
Five Health Care Certificate Programs Across California Shut Down
Five health care career schools across California closed on Friday after the company that owned them filed for bankruptcy. The campuses offered training for biotechnology and pharmacy technicians, dental assistants, medical assistants and medical insurance billing and coding. AP/KSBY et al.
Report: Medicare Solvency Extended by Four Years, Bolstered by ACA
A new Medicare trustees report predicts that Medicare’s trust fund will remain solvent until 2030, four years longer than the trustees predicted last year. The report says that the Affordable Care Act and other cost-controlling measures have helped strengthen Medicare’s trust fund but that more reform is needed to ensure long-term sustainability. Washington Post et al.
Lawmakers Unveil VA Wait-Time Bill, Passage Expected This Week
Yesterday, House and Senate negotiators released legislation to address long wait times for care at Department of Veterans Affairs health centers. Negotiators say they expect both chambers to approve the legislation, which is expected to cost about $17 billion, by the end of the week. New York Times et al.
Analysts Say Covered California Premium Increases Unlikely
Covered California is set this week to unveil health plan premium rates and details for the next open enrollment period. Health care analysts say that insurers’ comments and other factors indicate that exchange plan premiums are likely to remain steady for coverage beginning Jan. 1, 2015. Orange County Register.
Mental Health Crisis Training for Police Varies Across California
California law enforcement officers undergo six hours of basic mental health crisis training at the police academy, but additional training varies widely by local agency. For example, Orange County offers a 16-hour Crisis Intervention Training program, while San Diego offers a 24-hour Psychiatric Emergency Response Team training program. KQED’s “State of Health.”