Retiree Health Care Costs For Palm Springs Exceeds Those Of Nearby Cities
Other local stories report on growing access to e-cigarettes, medical marijuana challenges doctors face and a UC San Diego professor who planned his own colon surgery through virtual reality.
The Desert Sun:
Palm Springs Retiree Healthcare Costs Exceed All The Other Desert Cities Combined
At last year’s state of the city address, Palm Springs Mayor Rob Moon went where few politicians are willing to go. He outed the city for a growing debt, but not necessarily by choice. Moving quickly through his presentation, Moon stopped on a slide showing that over several decades the city would owe not only $110 million to pensioners but $107 million in retiree healthcare costs, an amount greater than all the other cities in Coachella Valley combined. (Marx, 3/8)
Orange County Register:
E-Cigarettes Easier To Get Than Fresh Produce In Southern California Stores
An increasing number of Southern California stores sell e-cigarettes, and shoppers are more likely to find fruit-flavored tobacco products than fresh produce on the shelves. That’s according to 2016 data released Wednesday by the statewide “Healthy Stores for a Healthy Community” campaign that analyzed advertising and merchandise from more than 7,100 stores across California. The survey included pharmacies, supermarkets, convenience stores and smoke shops. (Perkes, 3/8)
Capital Public Radio:
Challenges May Be Ahead For Physicians Who Recommend Medical Marijuana
In a single day, Dr. Binoj Matthew can see anywhere between 25 and 60 patients at Tetra Health Centers. Tucked away in the Arden-Arcade neighborhood, this clinic is one of dozens of medicinal marijuana evaluation businesses in town. Matthew is the medical director of the clinic. He determines whether patients would benefit from using medicinal marijuana. (Johnson, 3/8)
KPBS Public Media:
Why This UC San Diego Professor Planned His Surgery In Virtual Reality
In an unusual approach to this kind of operation, [Larry] Smarr and his surgeon decided to use 3D imaging in the planning and execution of his recent colon resection surgery. They say the experiment was a success. And now, the man known for evangelizing the concept of the "quantified self" is on a mission to popularize the idea of "quantified surgery." (Wagner, 3/9)