Viewpoints: We’re Flying Blind On Gun Violence — And That Needs To Change
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
Los Angeles Times:
The NRA Has Blocked Gun Violence Research For 20 Years. It's Time To End Its Stranglehold.
The Orlando massacre reminds us that there’s an enormous amount we don’t know about gun violence — what causes it, what its consequences are for surviving families, how to stop it. You can blame our ignorance on the National Rifle Assn. – and on the federal officials the NRA has intimidated away from this crucial field of public health for 20 years. (Michael Hiltzik, 6/14)
The Modesto Bee:
Who Bans Research To Holster Gun Violence? Not The Good Guys
In the stunned aftermath of the Orlando, Fla., shootings, the American Educational Research Association made the point that schools have a pivotal role in preparing children to live in a diverse world. And then the statement by AERA Director Felice Levine said this: “We also call on Congress to lift restrictions that prohibit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other Department of Health and Human Services agencies from conducting gun violence research. These restrictions have stymied the development and implementation of evidence-based policies and programs that foster gun safety.” Even the most fervent gun supporters I know want to keep kids safe around them. Creating a law to keep anyone from looking for ways to do that is outrageous. (Nan Austin, 6/14)
The Sacramento Bee:
Mental Health Key To Slowing Gun Deaths
Human rights advocates blame homophobia for the weekend tragedy. "Build the wall" advocates blame immigration. Candidates and President Barack Obama debate terms like "radical Islam." Gun control advocates - and I am one - call for banning assault-style weapons.
But the tragedy in Florida isn't only about hot-button issues. It's also about mental health. (David Whiting, 6/15)
The Los Angeles Times:
A Sane Approach To Dealing With Mentally Ill Death Row Inmates
California’s death penalty system has been broken for so long, you could forgive people for thinking that it no longer exists. The last person executed at San Quentin was Clarence Ray Allen, who arranged the murders of three people in Fresno — one who revealed details of a burglary Allen had planned, and two others who testified against him. His January 2006 execution came 23 years after his conviction. (6/11)
San Jose Mercury News:
Nix The Anthem-Cigna Merger
California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones is opposing the mega-insurer Anthem Blue Cross' proposed takeover of Cigna, saying it isn't in the interests of California consumers. ... The merger would lead to reduced competition, increased prices and poorer quality of a product from an insurer with a shameful history of responding to consumer grievances. We see nothing good in it. Unfortunately, Jones doesn't have the final say. The U.S. Department of Justice will decide whether the $54 billion merger impacting 53 million policyholders goes through. (6/16)
Los Angeles Times:
A Warning On Hospital Mergers: After California Allowed Big Chains To Grow, Prices Soared
The debate over hospital mergers traditionally has focused on whether allowing hospitals within a local community to merge drives up prices in that community. A new study from the University of Southern California sounds a much louder alarm. The study found that the domination of the state’s hospital segment by two big systems, Sutter Health and Dignity Health, not only drove up prices everywhere their institutions were located but allowed even nonaffiliated hospitals to charge more. That’s a warning for policymakers at the federal level and in many states, where hospital mergers are on the rise. (Michael Hiltzik, 6/13)
The Los Angeles Times:
The Right Way To Repeal And Replace Obamacare
More than six years after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, Republicans are still trying to craft a workable plan to repeal and replace it. The latest attempt was unveiled in May by Rep. Pete Sessions from Texas and Sen. Bill Cassidy from Louisiana. It would provide every American adult with $2,500 to buy health insurance while abandoning Obamacare’s top-down, regulation-driven approach. (Joel L. Strom, 6/13)
The Fresno Bee:
Achieving Consensus On Changes To Obamacare Will Not Be Easy
The Urban Institute recently reported that some 18 million Americans have gained insurance coverage under the individual mandate, employer mandate and Medicaid expansion of Obamacare, which falls well short of the expectation in 2010 that the gain would be 30 million of the 45 million then uninsured. (Daniel O. Jamison, 6/12)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Facebook's Suicide Prevention Tools: Invasive Or Essential?
Facebook now offers resources for users who perceive a friend's posts as suicidal, allowing them to flag a post for review by a team at the company. Users can click a drop-down menu within the post in question that allows them to specify their concerns to Facebook’s global community operations team. These reports are directed to employees trained to evaluate suicidal content. (Lydia Belanger, 6/16)
Los Angeles Times:
How To Help Stop Opioid Abusers From 'Doctor Shopping' For Prescription Drugs
Like 48 other states, California has an online database that records all the prescriptions issued for potentially habit-forming or abuseable drugs, such as OxyContin and Ritalin. The hope is that the system will deter patients from “doctor shopping” to obtain excess quantities of a drug, and help authorities crack down on healthcare professionals who negligently — or cynically — prescribe pills on demand. (6/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Fentanyl: Widely Used, Deadly When Abused
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid narcotic about 100 times as potent as morphine, continues to be in the news, as deaths from fentanyl overdose continue to rise and even more potent nonpharmaceutical forms become available on the street. It was the drug in Prince’s body and the cause of his death by overdose. The Centers for Disease Control has issued a health advisory to warn of its dangers, as deaths from synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl, rose to 5,500 in 2014. (David A. Edwards, 6/16)
Bakersfield Californian:
Opioid Epidemic Facing Our State Is Critically Grim
The opioid epidemic facing our state is one of the worst healthcare crises California has ever seen. This may be a national epidemic, but it’s hitting home hard.
Currently, California hospitals treat roughly one overdose every 45 minutes due to heroin or prescription painkillers such as OxyContin, Vicodin and Percocet. In 2014, California had the largest number of overdose deaths of any state in the country: 4,521 of our sons, daughters, and loved ones lost.
In Kern County, between 2011 and 2013, 131 people have died of opioid overdoses. Another 1,112 ended up in hospital emergency rooms for opioid overdoses and opioid-related emergencies. (Jonathan Fielding, 6/13)
Orange County Register:
After Critical Grand Jury Report, Orange County Police Boost Training To Handle Mentally Ill
A year after the Orange County grand jury concluded that nearly every local police agency was inadequately trained to handle the mentally ill, a review has found dramatic changes, with law enforcement better prepared than ever. Last year, the grand jury said none of the 22 law enforcement agencies in Orange County was qualified to handle the county’s newly adopted Laura’s Law, and few departments were adequately equipped to deal with mentally ill people in any way. (David Whiting, 6/17)
Orange County Register:
Nurse Practitioners Provide Quality Health Care With Positive Outcomes
As a nurse practitioner on the front lines, there is one thing I know: We need more trained health care professionals providing quality health care. Senate Bill 323 would allow the almost 20,000 nurse practitioners practicing across California to help in solving this problem by granting nurse practitioners full practice authority. Basically, this would allow California nurse practitioners to do what we do every day – providing patients with quality care. (Theresa Ullrich, 6/16)
The Desert Sun:
Clear Up The Mystery At Desert Healthcare District
The Desert Healthcare District and its Chief Executive Officer Kathy Greco parted ways recently. Residents within the district’s boundaries – who fund its activities with their taxes – likely would appreciate some clarity on what spurred the move.
For their part, neither the district’s board nor Greco are saying much. (6/11)