Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
The Real-Life Conversion Of A Former Anti-Vaxxer
Kelley Watson Snyder, a mother who for years opposed mandatory childhood vaccinations and joined with like-minded parents who espoused similar views, today runs a pro-vaccination Facebook page. What changed? (John M. Glionna, )
Good morning! Here are your top California health stories of the day.
Criticism Escalates Over LA’s Homeless Crisis, But Elsewhere City Is Held Up As Model For Rest Of Country: At last week’s National Conference on Ending Homelessness in Washington, D.C., attendees repeatedly touted LA as a potential model for how other states and cities should operate when tackling the homeless crisis. In Seattle, for example, officials are looking to replicate the city-county set up of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority as they contemplate how to cooperate across jurisdictions. “I think there’s actually incredibly strong things happening across California,” said Matthew Doherty, executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. “In Los Angeles, there are some of the best permanent supportive housing providers in the country, with some of the most innovative projects, engagement of the public health system directly in the work of homelessness, the city-county partnership... There’s a lot that’s going on there.” But despite the progress so many communities across the country are making, the scale of the challenge in California is still viewed with trepidation. Read more from Benjamin Oreskes of the Los Angeles Times.
In related news, San Francisco is finding success with its portable toilet initiative. Read more from Janie Har of The Associated Press.
‘Leave. Paradise Is On Fire. Leave!!’: From the start, the Camp Fire "was driven by an almost vengeful-seeming confluence of circumstances, many of which had been nudged into alignment by climate change," writes Jon Mooallem of New York Times Magazine. "Paradise had prepared for disasters. But it had prepared merely for disasters, and this was something else. In a matter of hours, the town’s roads were swamped, its emergency plans outstripped. Nine of every 10 homes were destroyed and at least 85 people were dead. Many were elderly, some were incinerated in their cars while trying to flee and others apparently never made it that far. By way of analogy, Paradise’s emergency-operations coordinator, Jim Broshears, later described giving fire-safety tutorials at elementary schools, back when he was the town’s fire chief, teaching second and third graders that if there’s fire at their bedroom door, they should go out the window, and vice versa. “Inevitably,” Broshears told me, “there’s the kid who goes, ‘What if there’s fire at the door and the window?’ ” And no matter what alternative Broshears provided, the kid could always push the story line one step further. “At some point, they’ve painted you into a corner and, well, do I tell an 8-year-old kid, ‘In that case, you’re going to die?’ Do you tell a community, ‘If this particular scenario hits, a bunch of you are going to die?’ Is that appropriate? I don’t know the answer.” He added, “I think that people are going to conclude that now.”
Meanwhile, survivors of California’s wildfires are grappling with the trauma years later. “I consider me leaving California a medical emergency,” said Robert “Priest” Morgan, a Tubbs Fire survivor. Read more from Panchalay Chalermkraivuth of the Sacramento Bee.
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.
More News From Across The State
Los Angeles Times:
After Boy's Death, Family Sues L.A. County’s Child Welfare Agency For $50 Million
[Maria] Barron spoke up Thursday to support a new lawsuit by other relatives of Anthony’s against the county, the DCFS and one of its contractors, alleging that social workers willfully disregarded concerns about abuse and failed to protect Anthony. They are seeking $50 million in damages. (Stiles, 8/1)
Los Angeles Times:
Cedars-Sinai Division Director And UCLA Instructor Pleads Not Guilty To Felony Child Porn Charges
A UCLA instructor and division director at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of distributing and possessing child pornography. Guido Germano of Santa Monica is charged with one felony count each of distribution of obscene matter and possession of child or youth pornography, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said in a release. Germano, 59, is suspected of distributing child pornography videos using peer-to-peer software and downloading them onto his personal computer at his home. (Diaz, 8/1)
KPBS:
California Hospices Unite Into State Network
There are more than 4,300 hospice providers nationwide, and the Centers for Disease Control numbers show that a little less than 40% of those are non-profit. Here in California, the nonprofit hospice providers plan to join forces. Jan Jones of The Elizabeth Hospice in San Diego spoke with KPBS Evening Edition anchor Ebone Monet to discuss the California Hospice Network. (Monet, 8/1)
KPBS:
Most Mentally Ill Defendants Not Diverted To Treatment In San Diego County
One year ago, the California Legislature passed a law allowing mentally ill defendants facing criminal charges to be diverted into treatment, rather than jail. In San Diego County, just 20 of the 80 defendants who have requested diversion have been granted that option. (Cavanaugh and Finn, 8/1)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sonoma County Health Department Slashes Mental Health Crisis Center Services
Although mental health emergency calls to law enforcement have been surging, the county’s health department is cutting beds available in its mental health crisis center to half of what was available just two years ago. The cutback to 12 beds has alarmed law enforcement agencies that rely on the center as the preferred place to take people who seek urgent help with behavioral health issues. ...Health experts and law enforcement officials say there is no other place in the county to take people to assist them during a mental health crisis, except for hospital emergency rooms. That option is costly for patients and time consuming for police officers and sheriff’s deputies. (Bordas, 8/1)
Ventura County Star:
Ventura County Pharmacies Received Millions Of Opioids In 7 Years
About 4.5 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pain pills were delivered to a family-owned Simi Valley pharmacy from 2006 to 2012 — nearly 1 million more than any other drug store in Ventura County, according to federal data. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration records released by The Washington Post in July track the flow of the two powerful and addictive opioids nationwide into counties fighting a nationwide epidemic. It shows 158.4 million pills flowed into Ventura County over seven years — a rate of close to 28 pills for each of the county's more than 800,000 residents. (Kisken, 8/1)
KQED:
West Oakland Advocates Unhappy With EPA, City Agreement On Dirty Air
After negotiating for two years, federal environmental officials reached a voluntary settlement with the city and Port of Oakland over a discrimination complaint related to West Oakland's dirty air.The settlement outlines a series of goals to improve communication between the community, the city and the port. But Oakland and the port did not agree to any new substantive actions to reduce pollution, according to Earthjustice, which filed the complaint on behalf of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project. (Stark, 8/1)
LAist:
After The Mayor Visited Their Homeless Encampment, They Lost All Their Belongings
How the City of Los Angeles "cleans up" its hundreds of homeless encampments is the subject of much controversy. The city gets thousands of complaints monthly from residents and businesses who want encampments cleared. And there's no doubt the encampments are a health and safety disaster.But during the cleanups — the so-called "sweeps," which the city carries out daily — homeless people regularly lose belongings integral to survival. Things like medicine and ID. (Tinoco, 8/2)
LAist:
Protesters Killed A Plan For A Koreatown Homeless Shelter. But That's Just The Beginning Of The Story
Today, nearly 600 people live on Koreatown’s streets, according to the latest homeless count — up about 86% over last year, a bigger jump than in Hollywood or Venice with their high concentrations of encampments. Even as new luxury apartments sprout along Koreatown’s boulevards at a breakneck pace, more and more people were being priced out or evicted, ending up homeless. Still, hundreds protested the shelter, mostly first-generation immigrants from Korea. (Huang, 8/1)
KQED:
Will The Rest Of California Follow East Palo Alto With 'Safe Parking' For Residents Living In Their RVs?
AB 891, by Assemblywoman Autumn Burke, D-El Segundo, would require any city or county with more than 330,000 people establish “safe parking” for those living in their vehicles by June 1, 2022. It’s a concept that’s met with success, albeit on a small scale, around the state already — like in East Palo Alto. (Myrow, 8/2)
Los Angeles Times:
This California Town Wants To Be A 2nd Amendment 'Sanctuary City' For Guns And Ammo
The blistering sun hung high above the barren landscape, 118 degrees of scatter-the-critters hot, as Tim Terral loaded a magazine into his 9-millimeter pistol. He narrowed his eyes, fixing his gaze on a target before a succession of pops cut through the silence. Bull’s-eye. Satisfied, Terral wiped a bead of sweat off his brow and cocked his head to the side, a coy smile spreading across his slender face. “I don’t miss much,” he crowed. (Fry, 8/1)
KQED:
How Gilroy Festival Victims Can Get Medical Compensation, Emotional Support And Property Recovery
Local officials are encouraging anyone who witnessed the mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival on Sunday to drop by a temporary resource center in town to receive help — ranging from counseling referrals and filing victims' compensation claims to finding information about recovering property left at the scene. The Victim Services Unit of the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, in partnership with the county’s Behavioral Health Services, the American Red Cross and several agencies from neighboring counties, is operating a temporary Family Assistance Center (FAC) at Rucker Elementary School in Gilroy to assist anyone affected by the shootings at the Gilroy Garlic Festival. (Green and Hall, 8/1)
The Associated Press:
Health Care Comes In Focus, This Time As Risk For Democrats
With health care at the center of presidential politics, Democrats are split over eliminating employer-provided health insurance under "Medicare for All." The risk is that history has shown voters are wary of disruptions to job-based insurance, the mainstay of coverage for Americans over three generations. Divisions were on display in the two Democratic debates this week, with Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren calling for a complete switch to government-run health insurance for all. (8/1)
The Hill:
Schumer Warns Democrats Against 'Circular Firing Squad' On Health Care
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Thursday warned Democratic presidential candidates not to become so focused on the internal differences over health care that they lose sight of fighting against President Trump. ..."If we get all focused on the differences between, say Bernie [Sanders] and Cory [Booker] and Mayor Pete [Buttigieg] and [John] Hickenlooper, we'll lose sight of the fact that it's Donald Trump who's now trying to reduce health care, destroy health care, get rid of it for everybody," Schumer said. (Weixel, 8/1)
Politico:
Warren Has Lots Of Plans. But Not On Health Care.
Elizabeth Warren boasts she has a plan for everything, but there’s one glaring omission: health care. Warren, who has recently leaped into the top tier of a crowded primary field as she rolled out detailed policies for seemingly everything — from climate change to the opioid crisis to breaking up tech giants — has instead embraced “Medicare for All” legislation from Sen. Bernie Sanders, her foremost progressive rival. And for many single-payer activists thrilled the once-fringe issue has entered the party’s mainstream, that’s good enough. (Ollstein, 8/2)
The Washington Post:
Democrats' Failure To Talk About Drug Prices Was 'A Missed Opportunity'
The soaring cost of prescription drugs is among voters’ greatest concerns, but the issue drew little attention from the Democratic candidates during this week’s presidential debates. The low wattage trained on the issue during nearly six hours of debate Tuesday and Wednesday contrasts with the attention President Trump and his top aides are showering on the issue. That partisan gap poses risks for Democrats who might forfeit the advantage they have long held when voters are asked which party they trust to fix health-care problems, according to health policy analysts and pollsters. (Goldstein, 8/1)
The Washington Post:
Black Voters Hear Little In Debate To Excite Them
Some who watched said they were disappointed that in a debate held in Detroit, which is 79 percent black, there was only a passing discussion of the social and economic disparities between blacks and whites that have increased as the region recovers from the automotive industry crisis. And in Flint, which grabbed headlines five years ago when it was discovered that local officials had made decisions that resulted in lead and other toxins contaminating the water supply, those attending watch parties were disappointed that some candidates said nothing about their ongoing challenge to get safe drinking water. (Williams, 8/1)
The New York Times:
Trump Treats Rally In Cincinnati As Rebuttal To Democratic Debates
After imbibing days of wall-to-wall news coverage of the 2020 Democratic debates, President Trump seemed to feel a little left out. “The Democrats spent more time attacking Barack Obama than they did attacking me, practically,” he marveled. ... Delivering a reliably red-meat, 80-minute speech, Mr. Trump singled out former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and he seized on some of the more liberal proposals advanced by Democrats, including eliminating private health insurance in favor of a government-run system and providing health care coverage even to illegal immigrants. (Baker and Rogers, 8/1)
The Associated Press:
Canadians Worried By Plan To Let Americans Import Drugs
A Trump administration plan to let Americans legally import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada is causing concern among Canadians who that fear it could cause shortages of some medications — as well as surprise by officials who say they weren't consulted about a possible influx of U.S. drug-buyers. The plan is a "clear and present danger" to the health and well-being of Canadians who need prescription medications, said John Adams, the volunteer chairman of the Best Medicines Coalition, a non-profit organization representing 28 national patient organizations. (8/1)
Reuters:
Congress Approves Trump-Backed Two-Year Spending, Debt Limit Deal
The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed and sent to President Donald Trump a two-year budget deal that would increase federal spending on defense and an array of other domestic programs, significantly adding to rapidly escalating government debt. By a vote of 67-28, the Senate ignored late-hour appeals from some conservative Republicans who support bigger military expenditures and tax cuts that constrain revenues but were angered over more spending for non-defense domestic programs. (8/1)
The Associated Press:
Cities Now See More Overdose Deaths Than Rural Areas
U.S. drug overdose deaths, which have been concentrated in Appalachia and other rural areas for more than a dozen years, are back to being most common in big cities again, according to a government report issued Friday. The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the urban overdose death rate surpassed the rural rate in 2016 and 2017. Rates for last year and this year are not yet available. But experts, citing available data, say the urban rate is likely to stay higher in the near future. (8/2)
The New York Times:
A Blood Test For Alzheimer’s? It’s Coming, Scientists Report
For decades, researchers have sought a blood test for beta amyloid, the protein that is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Several groups and companies have made progress, and on Thursday, scientists at Washington University in St. Louis reported that they had devised the most sensitive blood test yet. The test will not be available for clinical use for years, and in any event, amyloid is not a perfect predictor of Alzheimer’s disease: Most symptomless older people with amyloid deposits in their brains will not develop dementia. (Kolata, 8/1)
Los Angeles Times:
These Six Things Can Stave Off Weight Gain, Even If Your Genes Boost Your Risk Of Obesity
You can run away from your fat genes, and you can waltz right on by a hereditary risk of gaining weight. But it’s a little less clear that mimicking funky moves in front of a video game console will protect you from a genetic vulnerability to becoming obese. So finds a new study that identifies six ways people with unlucky bits of DNA can stave off the accumulation of excess pounds. (Healy, 8/1)
Los Angeles Times:
How Do We Reduce Gun Violence? By Treating It Like A Disease
To truly address gun violence, we need to view it through a public health lens — one that reframes the issue as a preventable disease that can be cured with the help of all community members.This disease-control approach to gun violence is an effective one. Cure Violence, for example, a Chicago-based NGO, uses a public health perspective to help cities around the world reduce their gun violence levels. Under its model, outbreaks of violent behavior are responded to with three common epidemic-control methods: interrupting transmission, containing the risk and changing community norms. Cities that have applied these methods have seen as much as 73% drops in shootings and killings. (Michelle A. Williams and Mary T. Bassett, 7/29)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento County’s Worked Hard To Improve Health Care Access
A report released in June by the advocacy group Health Access California criticized Sacramento County for providing inadequate access to health care for its low-income residents and claims that the county has historically lagged in providing safety net services for its vulnerable populations. However, Sacramento County has recently launched several major efforts to enhance and improve health services and programs for vulnerable individuals and families. (Peter Beilenson, 7/31)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Growing Homeless Crisis Could Spur Awareness Needed To Solve It
No corner of San Francisco is free from the sight of sprawled bodies, makeshift camps, or tin cup panhandlers. Homelessness is a shared worry, and that should be a starting point for serious work.This week The Chronicle will explore the changes, both positive and negative, in life on the streets. The series will offer a close look at the mix of people mired in homelessness, answer questions on the topic and offer ways for readers to help. (7/27)
San Francisco Chronicle:
More And More Californians Are Old, Sick And On The Streets. Here’s How We Can Fight Senior Homelessness.
With rising housing costs, fewer pensions, and a fraying safety net, many older adults are one crisis away from losing the roof over their head. This is particularly true for black Americans, who are at three to four times the risk of homelessness nationally. In San Francisco, the disparity is worse: while fewer than 6% of San Franciscans are black, 37% of those who experience homelessness are. (Margot Kushel and Kevin Prindiville, 7/28)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Why Doesn’t SF Treat Homelessness Like The Crisis It Is?
With about $10 million annually in city funding, the nonprofit — until recently known as Community Assessment and Treatment Services — runs services for homeless people including supportive housing, a drop-in center and a shelter. I spent time with Zordel the other day at the nonprofit’s medical respite and sobering facility on Mission Street. The former can accommodate 78 people suffering physical distress; diabetes, dementia, cancer and kidney disease are common among the street population. (Heather Knight, 8/2)
Los Angeles Times:
Trump Comes To His Senses On Prescription Drug Imports
President Trump would prefer that you think he’s working tirelessly to protect Americans from soaring drug prices. His administration announced this week it wants to create a system that allows people to legally access lower-cost prescription meds from Canada. “For too long American patients have been paying exorbitantly high prices for prescription drugs that are made available to other countries at lower prices,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. (David Lazarus, 8/1)
Los Angeles Times:
Kamala Harris Joins The Club With A Solid 'Medicare For All' Proposal
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), an aspirant for the presidential nomination, jumped with both feet into the healthcare reform pool Monday with a proposal to cover all Americans via an expansion of Medicare. Harris’ plan is effectively a series of tweaks to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare for all” proposal, which she earlier had endorsed. More on that in a moment. The tweaks are important, in part because they may simplify the political messaging to build support for universal healthcare. And in this electoral season, political messaging is the ball game. (Michael Hiltzik, 7/29)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Health Care Moves To The Fore In 2020 Election — While Legal Uncertainty Looms
As a political matter, the challenge will be to assure Americans who, time and again, have proved apprehensive about any change to their health care coverage — however flawed or expensive. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Poll found that just 51% of the public now say they favor Medicare for All. What is telling about that number is it is down from 56% in April. (8/1)
Sacramento Bee:
ICE Detention Facilities Need To Be Held Accountable
Little to no contact with loved ones. Lack of access to basic health care. Barriers to adequate legal counsel. Lockdowns that last up to 22 hours a day. These are just some of the reported abuses that jeopardize the fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, and brothers and sisters who have been taken from their families and detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in California. (Rhonda Rios Kravitz and Kalin Kipling-Mojaddedi, 7/30)
CalMatters:
Let’s Be Blunt: Cannabis Consumers Need Protection
California boasts the strongest “lemon laws” in the country. Another law helps Californians make decisions about avoiding chemicals that could cause cancer or birth defects. A third law requires manufacturers of cleaning products to disclose ingredients. Now the California Legislature should get serious about protecting cannabis consumers from potentially serious public safety and public health risks of the underground cannabis market. Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 97 giving state agencies an enforcement tool to impose civil fines for illegal commercial cannabis activity. (Ruben Honig, 8/1)