Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Newsom: California Leads On Prescription Drugs
A leader but not the leader. (Samantha Young, )
Good morning! There’s a lot of California health news for you today, so let’s get right to it!
UCLA Students, Staff Quarantined Following Potential Exposure To Measles Amid Ever-Worsening National Outbreak: More than 200 students and employees at UCLA and California State University, Los Angeles, were given quarantine orders this week on fears that they were exposed to someone with measles. Quarantine orders can last up to 21 days from the date of possible exposure. "One person with a confirmed measles case can expose thousands of people to measles," Los Angeles’ public health department Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said Thursday. A small outbreak of measles has broken out in Los Angeles County involving five confirmed cases linked to overseas travel. The state recorded 38 measles cases as of Thursday; there were 11 around the same time last year, said Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health. Amid the national outbreak, public health officials have been worried about universities as potential breeding grounds for the disease. Read more from The New York Times, The Associated Press, The Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, the East Bay Times and the Sacramento Bee.
USC Medical Program Is Stripped Of National Accreditation Following Sexual Assault Scandal: The University of Southern California, which has been dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct,is losing its national accreditation for the cardiovascular training program. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education gave no public reason for its decision, but USC's medical school dean, Dr. Laura Mosqueda, announced the decision Thursday in a faculty memo that said it was based on concerns about "resident safety and wellness processes." The school and the county were sued in 2017 by Dr. Meena Zareh, who alleged while she was a resident she was groped by a fellow in the program, Dr. Guillermo Cortes, and that the incident was never properly investigated. Two other women later came forward with similar assault allegations. Read more from The Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times.
Only 22% Of California Towns Have Strong Wildfire Evacuation Plans: When it comes to out-of-control blazes like the Camp Fire that consumed Paradise, a robust evacuation plan can be the difference between life and death. But an analysis finds that only 22% of towns in California have such a comprehensive plan, despite the frequency with which fires strike. California does not require communities to plan for wildfire evacuations. And while experts recommend cities and counties develop evacuation plans, there is disagreement over what should be included in those plans. "I don't know that you could ever prepare for something like what happened here. It was just so fast," said Paradise Mayor Jody Jones. "But we were not caught flat-footed. We did know what to do. Our people knew what to do, and it did save lives." Read more from The Associated Press.
Below, check out the full round-up of California Healthline original stories, state coverage and the best of the rest of the national news for the day. And have a healthy weekend.
More News From Across The State
The Desert Sun:
Coachella Herpes 'Spike' Reported By TMZ; Local Officials Haven't Seen It
While performers crooned about sex at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, some attendees were reportedly searching for treatment for herpes. HerpAlert, a health app that provides diagnosis and treatment of genital herpes and cold sores, has received 1,105 requests for electronic consultations since the music festival kicked off April 12, according to Dr. Lynn Marie Morski, the company's medical director. The requests came from people in the Coachella Valley, as well as Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego, she said. Morski could not say how many of those consultations led to positive herpes diagnoses, explaining that some people got treatment for cold sores or genital herpes, while other inquiries were for preventative treatment. (Plevin, 4/25)
Ventura County Star:
Calls To The Oxnard VA Clinic Land In Call Center Hell, Vets Complain
Waiting weeks, or months, for a care appointment. Driving an hour for a mammogram. Tripping over red tape. The issue that evoked the most frustration at a VA town hall meeting this week in Oxnard so packed vets lined up against the walls was the phones. Veterans young and old, in the meeting and outside of it, complained of trying to call the Oxnard Veterans Affairs clinic and landing in call center hell. (Kisken, 4/25)
Modern Healthcare:
CommonSpirit Health May Refinance Billions In Debt
Newly-formed CommonSpirit Health is gearing up to make a big splash in bond markets, preparing to restructure or refinance billions in debt.In the more than two years Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health worked to cement their merger to form the new Chicago-based health system, both systems avoided public debt markets. This week, CommonSpirit announced that it may restructure or refinance its roughly $13.7 billion in outstanding debt as it moves to merge into a single credit group. (Bannow, 4/25)
Los Angeles Times:
After Inmate Dies Of Legionnaires', Stockton Prison Works To Kill Bacteria
California state officials have initiated a chlorine water treatment to clear out deadly bacteria that are the source of Legionnaires’ disease from several facilities in the Central Valley. The measure is part of a larger investigation into the source of two confirmed cases of the disease at a Stockton facility, one of which resulted in the death of an inmate in March. The treatment, which began Wednesday morning, came after environmental testing showed Legionella bacteria were present at the California Health Care Facility and the Northern California Youth Correctional Center, the state corrections department said in a news release. The process aims to disinfect water systems in about 115 buildings. (Diaz, 4/25)
The Associated Press:
California Prison Escapes Double With New Community Programs
California's attempt to ease inmates back into the community is coming at a price: more prisoners, some with violent convictions, walking away before their time is up. Fifty of the state's more than 126,000 prisoners absconded last year, almost half of them from a program that allows male inmates to serve the final year of their sentences in community centers to get help with substance abuse, mental and other health issues, jobs, education, housing, family reunification and social support. (4/26)
The New York Times:
Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Rule On Abortion Referrals
A federal judge on Thursday issued a nationwide injunction temporarily blocking a controversial Trump administration rule that would bar organizations that provide abortion referrals from receiving federal family planning money. Judge Stanley A. Bastian of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington State said in his order that the rule would cause family planning clinics “to face a Hobson’s choice that harms patients as well as the providers.” (Belluck, 4/25)
Politico:
Judge Freezes Trump Abortion Rule
U.S. District Court Judge Stanley Bastian, an Obama appointee, issued a nationwide injunction staying the changes from taking effect while several other legal challenges proceed. Bastian heard several hours of arguments Thursday from Washington state and the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association challenging the administration's Title X funding rule and arguments from the Justice Department defending the changes. (Ollstein, 4/25)
The Washington Post:
Trump Abortion ‘Gag’ Rule Blocked By Federal Judge
Groups receiving money under the Title X program, roughly $286 million annually, were already prohibited from performing abortions with those funds. But under the new rule, they could no longer refer a patient for an abortion and would also have to maintain a”clear physical and financial separation” between services funded by the government and abortion services or referrals. (Barbash, 4/25)
The Hill:
Biden To Face Pressure On Medicare For All
Former Vice President Joe Biden’s entry into the 2020 race is putting a renewed focus on the sharp divide between Democratic candidates who want to strengthen ObamaCare and those who prefer to make the leap to “Medicare for All.” For Biden, questions will center on whether he sticks exclusively with ObamaCare and his promise to improve on it or if he gives in to pressure from the left and gravitates toward Medicare for All, the progressive proposal backed by many of his opponents. (Hellmann, 4/26)
The Hill:
Warren Unveils Plan To Reward Hospitals That Make Childbirth Safer For Black Women
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Wednesday proposed a plan to tackle high childbirth mortality rates among black women while speaking at a forum hosted by an advocacy organization for women of color. Warren, who is running for president, proposed giving bonuses to hospitals who lower maternal mortality rates and taking money away from hospitals who do not. (Frazin, 4/25)
The New York Times:
Judge Gives U.S. 6 Months To Account For Thousands More Separated Migrant Families
A federal judge on Thursday gave the Trump administration six months to locate thousands more children and parents who were potentially separated at the southern border under a policy intended to deter illegal immigration. Early this year, it came to light that many more children most likely had been forcibly separated from their parents even before a border-enforcement policy known as zero tolerance was officially unveiled in the spring of 2018. Under the policy, nearly all adults who entered the country illegally faced criminal prosecution, and any children accompanying them were placed in shelters or foster care. They often ended up hundreds or thousands of miles apart for weeks or longer. (Jordan, 4/25)
Modern Healthcare:
Cornyn To Launch Bill Against 'Patent Thickets'
A Republican senator wants to clamp down on drug companies that use multiple patents to extend their monopolies, colloquially known as "patent thickets. "Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) plans to introduce a bill soon that would give the Federal Trade Commission authority to sue drugmakers that game the patent system or "product hop" by making minor formula adjustments to prevent generic substitutions. (Luthi, 4/25)
Los Angeles Times:
California Still Has A Vaccination Loophole. Close It
After a measles outbreak at Disneyland in 2014, the California Legislature eliminated the religious and “personal belief” exemptions that allowed parents to easily opt their kids out of the standard course of immunizations required to attend public school. It was a wake-up call, highlighting for those who hadn’t been paying attention how the anti-vaccination movement had been slowly eroding confidence in childhood immunizations by scaring parents with discredited science and dubious data. (4/25)
Sacramento Bee:
California Health Insurance Should Cover Fertility Treatments
In my early 30s, I was head down, working 100-hour weeks to help reelect President Obama. Nevertheless, I visited a fertility doctor to understand my options and got the news – my follicle count was low for my age and I was diagnosed with “ovarian dysfunction.” Knowing that I was years away from wanting to start a family, my doctor recommended freezing my eggs. Because I was living in Illinois, my insurance was required to cover this and I underwent three cycles. I was lucky. Not so for California. For thousands of Californians who suffer from infertility, options are limited or extremely expensive. I aim to change that. (Buffy Wicks, 4/23)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno CA Assemblyman In A Difficult Spot
If nothing else, this refutes the claim (made by Arambula himself) that the charges against him may be politically motivated. Not when his daughter shows up to school with a bruise on her head and tells everyone who asks that her dad caused it. Seeing and hearing that, how could the police simply look the other way? (Joaquin Arambula, 4/24)
The New York Times:
Don’t Forget About Paradise, Or All Those Beside It
One evening, here in the college town of Chico, as I was pulling weeds from the vegetable beds in my front yard, I looked up to find an elderly woman watching me, her little dog tugging at her. “I miss my garden,” she hollered from the sidewalk. I nodded, after pausing, half-expecting her say more. “I’m from Paradise,” she continued. “Oh,” I said, the only utterance of condolence I could muster before she went on her away. A shorthand that surely sounds familiar to those who’ve lived near disaster — in Tornado Alley, or along the Gulf Coast — “I’m from Paradise,” has come to mean, “I’ve lost everything.” (Sarah Pape, 4/24)
Sacramento Bee:
Senate Bill 11 Requires Health Insurers To Cover Medication-Assisted Treatment
Substance abuse disorders impact the hospitality industry more than any other. In fact, according to a 2015 report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, we rank first for illicit drug use and third for heavy alcohol use. This will surprise no one who works in restaurants. In my many years in the industry, I’ve seen colleagues tragically succumb to addiction and drug abuse, leaving behind family members, loved ones and children. (Patrick Mulvaney, 4/24)
Sacramento Bee:
California Health Insurance Should Cover Fertility Treatments
Yes, infertility is a medical disease. It’s recognized as such by the American Medical Association, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the World Health Organization. But the insurance industry doesn’t see it that way, choosing to view childbearing as elective. (Buffy Wicks, 4/23)
Los Angeles Times:
One Year Ago, Mayor Garcetti Proposed Building Emergency Homeless Shelters. We're Still Waiting
Finding permanent housing for more than 30,000 homeless people in Los Angeles is going to be even more time-consuming and expensive than anyone expected. Even as the city gears up to spend the $1.2 billion raised under 2016’s Proposition HHH, homeless encampments are proliferating. So it made sense that Mayor Eric Garcetti launched, a year ago, a plan that would serve as an interim solution. Under the program known as A Bridge Home, each City Council district would erect one bridge shelter, if not more, to offer several months of housing, storage and intensive support services to 100 homeless people at a time while caseworkers sought to place them in permanent housing. (4/26)