Viewpoints: Orange County’s High Overdose Rates Call For Re-Evaluation Of Efforts To Curb Drug Abuse
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
Orange County Register:
Address Drug Abuse
With fatal drug overdoses at a 10-year high in O.C., it is important to take the time to reevaluate our approach to drug abuse and tackle the harms of such abuse through evidence-based practices proven to save lives. According to reporting by the Register, at least 400 people lost their lives last year due to drug overdoses. More than two-thirds of the overdoses last year were tied to opioids. Given the tremendous stigma around drug use and abuse, it is often too difficult for people with substance abuse problems to reach out for help. Ingrained and institutionalized attitudes against drug use have in turn left few resources beyond the criminal justice system to actually assist those in need. (7/17)
The Sacramento Bee:
We’ve Missed Chances To Boost Mental Health
California has not solved the mental health crisis; neither has Congress. We see the reality of the crisis every day in every community. We have made progress, but we have missed opportunities that could have helped more people, more families. Take the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act (HR 2646) that was passed by the U.S. House on July 6. Assuming it becomes law, it will fund programs for people in psychiatric hospitals and those in crisis. (Carmela Castellano-Garcia, 7/20)
Los Angeles Times:
Starbucks Unveils A Private Health Insurance Exchange. Is That A Good Thing?
To hear Starbucks tell it, the company’s introduction this week of expanded insurance choices for workers represents a major advance in health coverage. ... By switching to a plan “that better meets their individual needs,” the company said, employees could save as much as $800 a year. The savings for those with family plans could reach $2,600 annually, it said. ... The danger for the U.S. healthcare system is that this can result in higher costs for people desiring, or requiring, stronger coverage. This is known in insurance circles as “adverse selection,” or higher costs for the sick because they’re no longer pooling risk with the healthy. (David Lazarus, 7/22)
Los Angeles Times:
Obama Is Not A Scientist. JAMA Shouldn't Pretend He Is
The Journal of the American Medical Assn. recently published a very unusual article: a scientific study authored by a sitting president of the United States. That’s never happened before. In a sense, it’s cool that President Obama cares enough about science to want to publish a paper in one of the world’s leading medical journals. But JAMA has set a bad precedent. The article, on healthcare reform in the United States, is problematic not only in its content but in the threat it poses to the integrity of scientific publishing. (Alex Berezow and Tom Hartsfield, 7/18)
The Sacramento Bee:
Foster Youth Deserve Good Health Care, Wherever They Are
I’ve been caring for at-risk children for three decades. Children enter foster care having already experienced abuse, neglect and other traumas, such as exposure to domestic violence. These accumulated traumas can leave them with extensive behavioral and mental health needs. To heal, these children need regular and quality health care services. (Moira Szilagyi, 7/19)
The Fresno Bee:
Black Babies Matter, Too: We Must Not Rest Until We’re The Best
Just a year ago this month, our county was forced to confront a sad and sobering reality. Research showed that our black infants were three times more likely to die in their first year of life than white and Hispanic infants. Hold on to your politics. These are babies. They have done nothing but bring joy into the world. Yet in Fresno County, a shameful number of them never lived to their first birthday. (7/15)
Los Angeles Times:
Forget Melania Trump. The Republican Party Platform Is The Circus We Need To Watch.
Because here’s what the official document — a document that, unlike Melania Trump, addresses numerous important national issues — says the Republican Party aims to do. I want to directly quote the platform’s language without interpretation, so that I can’t be accused of sensationalizing or misstating it. ... On abortion, the platform states: “We assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to children before birth.” This is an argument to amend the constitution in order to make abortion illegal. (Melissa Batchelor Warnke, 7/19)
Oakland Tribune:
Caregivers Vital In Hospital Readmission Fix
Each year, taxpayers and hospitals across the U.S. spend billions of dollars to treat patients, many of them seniors, who have been readmitted to a hospital within 30 days of their previous discharge. But many of these readmissions are actually avoidable if proper discharge planning and care coordination are put into place before a patient leaves the hospital. One of the leading causes of hospital readmission is the lack of proper support following a hospital discharge. (Francesca Vogel, 7/21)
Oakland Tribune:
Oakland Must Stop Deceptive Abortion Advertisements
Misleading or lying to pregnant women who are seeking time-sensitive medical care can be extremely harmful. Last month, we introduced the Pregnancy Information Disclosure and Protection Ordinance in Oakland to call attention to this fraud and to send a clear message to those responsible: Our city will not stand for intentional deception of patients seeking health care. On July 5, the Oakland City Council approved the ordinance, which is cosponsored by Councilman Abel Guillén and Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan. (Annie Campbell Washington and Barbara J. Parker, 7/18)
Los Angeles Times:
In Herbalife Ruling, FTC Helps Draw The Line Between Legit Methods And Pyramid Schemes
One of the basic tenets of consumer goods is that companies live or die based on the demand for their products. But some companies have charted a path to prosperity by selling something else: the lure of riches hidden in their products’ sales chain. That’s been one of the keys to success for Los Angeles-based Herbalife, which sells nutrition and personal care products through a global network of ordinary people who act as distributors. But like many other companies of its ilk, Herbalife has been dogged by accusations that its distributors are actually victims of a scam designed to enrich the company and a few people at the top of the distribution chain. (7/20)
The Sacramento Bee:
Requiring Labels For GMO Foods Makes No Sense At All
The bill that passed Congress last week requiring labeling of genetically engineered foods is a step toward better consumer information. Or it’s a gift to the food industry because it does not require clear information on the label. Food companies could use icons or a barcode that would require scanning to get the information. In truth, though, neither of those views makes sense because the whole idea of labeling GMO foods is simply illogical, unless and until information comes to light that indicates the food is in any way dangerous to human health. (Karin Klein, 7/18)