Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
California Tries Again To Make Medication Abortions Available At Its Colleges
A proposed state law would require on-campus health centers to provide students with the medicines that allow them to end an unwanted pregnancy. Former Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a similar bill last year, but Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he would sign it. (April Dembosky, KQED, )
Good morning! Two of the hundreds of cases across the country of a mysterious disease seemingly linked to vaping come from Ventura County, officials confirm. Read more on that below, but first here are your top California stories of the day.
Want To Find Out How A ‘Public Option’ Would Play Out? No Need To Look Further Than LA County: L.A. Care Health Plan, the nation’s largest public health-insurance company, was launched in 1997 by the state to manage the health care of Los Angeles County participants in Medi-Cal. But since 2013, it has also sold insurance to the general public through the state insurance exchange established under the Affordable Care Act. In the process, L.A. Care has directly competed with private health insurers for customers, exactly as many Democrats want a “public option” to do nationwide. The experience of L.A. Care shows the possibility of the public option to leverage change, but also the tough choices that loom in implementing the idea. The plan has created a sturdy competitor to private insurers, but it hasn’t had a transformative effect on cost. L.A. Care “ended up being a good and lower-cost option, but it’s not the revolution,” Anthony Wright, the executive director of Health Access California, a consumer-advocacy organization, told me. “It shows both the potential and the limits of a public option.” Laurel Lucia, the health-care program director at UC Berkeley’s Labor Center, said the plan has demonstrated that a public option can effectively coexist and compete with private insurers. But, like Wright, she notes that the plan’s effect on medical costs has been evolutionary, not revolutionary. Read more from Ronald Brownstein of The Atlantic.
Blue Shield Of California Partners With California Medical Association To Help Doctors Offer Value Based Care: Blue Shield of California unveiled new details on Thursday about the technology and services company it is launching to help physician practices remain independent while giving them tools needed to succeed in value-based care arrangements. A week after Blue Shield christened the new company Altais — named after a giant star — it announced Altais is partnering with the California Medical Association and Aledade, a Bethesda, Md.-based company that helps physicians launch accountable care organizations; the company and its partners will offer independent doctors and practices tools to improve patient health outcomes while making it easier for them to focus on care instead of administrative tasks. Blue Shield also said it plans to support physicians in moving toward value-based care by investing in their practices. Read more from Shelby Livingston of Modern Healthcare.
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
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento Expands Medi-Cal Access To Alcohol And Drug Treatment
Nearly 3 million Californians over the age of 12 have had a substance abuse disorder in the past year according to statewide estimates. Yet, figures show that just 5 percent of them got treatment. In 2016, that was just 118,000 of 2.8 million people. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says the lack of resources and limited treatment services offered to residents enrolled in the public insurance program Medi-Cal is driving them away from the help they need. (Ghisolfi, 8/30)
Ventura County Star:
Two Suspected Vaping Injury Cases Reported In County; THC Involved
Two Ventura County residents were hospitalized and later released for acute lung disease in illnesses suspected to be linked to vaping, local public health officials reported Thursday. Both people vaped tetrahydrocannabinol or a related ingredient, said Ventura County Public Health Officer Dr. Robert Levin. THC is the active ingredient in marijuana. (Kisken, 8/29)
The Associated Press:
THC Found In Wisconsin Vaping Cases That Led To Illnesses
Nearly nine out of 10 cases where vaping led to people developing a severe lung disease in Wisconsin involved the use of THC products, such as waxes or oils, Wisconsin's Department of Health Services said Thursday. Health officials said that 89% of the 27 people they interviewed who became sick reported using e-cigarettes or other vaping devices to inhale THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana. (8/29)
Los Angeles Times:
Planned Parenthood Medical Director, A Former Fighter Pilot, Began Flying Through Gender Barriers As A Girl
Despite a cacophony of naysayers, rigid social conventions and legal hurdles, Dr. Janet Jacobson often took the road less traveled — from fighter pilot to physician to recently-named medical director of the Planned Parenthood chapter of Orange and San Bernardino counties. (Brazil, 8/29)
San Jose Mercury News:
Opioid Deaths Soar In Contra Costa As Prescriptions For The Drugs Decline
As many as 81 people in Contra Costa County died from opioids last year — up 56 percent from 52 in 2017 — and authorities fear many of them had obtained the addictive drugs off the streets. The rise in deaths happened even though prescriptions for opioid use have mostly declined in the county, according to data from the California Department of Public Health. (Sciacca, 8/29)
Los Angeles Times:
Huntington Harbour Sewage Spill Could Be Less Than 60,000 Gallons
After a day of taking samples and cleaning, officials think a sewage spill in Huntington Harbour on Thursday might have been less extensive than previously believed. An estimated 60,000 gallons of sewage was the original estimate. But Anthony Martinez, water quality program manager with the Orange County Health Care Agency, said the actual amount spilled might have been less. (Shalby and Cosgrove, 8/29)
Los Angeles Times:
Many UC Berkeley Buildings Pose Deadly Risk In A Major Earthquake, Report Says
Dozens of buildings at UCLA and UC Berkeley pose a serious risk to life in a strong earthquake, with at least 68 seismically deficient structures at UC Berkeley and 18 at UCLA, according to new university studies. Although no campus buildings were deemed to be in the worst category, “dangerous,” six at UC Berkeley and three at UCLA were found to have a “severe” risk to life. The remaining 62 at UC Berkeley and 15 at UCLA were said to have a “serious” risk to life, according to the first reports released this week in response to a UC Board of Regents 2017 directive calling on every campus to undertake a seismic risk assessment. (Lin and Reyes-Velarde, 8/29)
Sacramento Bee:
Mosquito That Causes Zika Virus Detected In Sacramento County
For the first time, the aggressive day-biting mosquito that can transmit the Zika virus has been discovered in Sacramento County, according to the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District. “Now that we have found these invasive mosquitoes in our area, the goal is to control and limit their expansion,” said Sacramento-Yolo District Manager Gary Goodman. “We are mobilizing and responding quickly in order to protect the residents we serve.” (Anderson, 8/29)
Ventura County Star:
Doctor Taking Over As Head Of Ventura County Clinics Division
Management of the clinics division of the Ventura County Health Care Agency has been reorganized. Dr. Theresa Cho, who has worked in the county health system as a physician and medical director since 1999, was named as CEO and medical director of ambulatory care. She is assuming the newly created position Sept. 1 at a base salary of $340,000, which is in line with what she makes now, agency Director Bill Foley said. (Wilson, 8/29)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Sex Ed Curriculum Goes Too Far, Rocklin Group Tells Town Hall
A Rocklin-based organization is mobilizing Sacramento-area parents, hosting an event Wednesday night to share material they say indicates California’s comprehensive sex education curriculum goes far beyond what students need. More than 300 people attended a town hall meeting at William Jessup University, a Christian liberal arts school in Rocklin. Informed Parents of Rocklin placed state approved books on display, saying they hope parents will be better informed about the new curriculum. (Morrar, 8/29)
Sacramento Bee:
How To Prepare If You Live In CA’s High-Risk Wildfire Zones
I stuffed a few extra shirts and socks in my “go bag” when I saw this week’s forecast. Temperatures could reach as high as 110 throughout much of Northern California early this week, with the possibility of dry lightning Wednesday in the Sierra. The north state is again primed to burn. (Sabalow, 8/26)
KQED:
California's Section 8 Renters Face A Severe Housing Shortage. Can Lawmakers Help?
As California struggles with a crisis in affordable housing, state lawmakers are trying to improve a severe shortage of housing available to renters who have federal Section 8 vouchers. The vouchers allow tenants to pay only 30% of their income toward rent with federal assistance to pay the rest. But most landlords do not accept tenants who pay with vouchers, saying they are too burdensome. (Tobias and Botts, 8/30)
Los Angeles Times:
O.C. Extends Contract With Embattled Homeless Shelter Operator
The Orange County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a $1.7 million contract extension through June 2020 with Midnight Mission to operate an emergency homeless shelter in the former Santa Ana bus terminal. The supervisors also approved a contract extension of more than $240,000 for City Net to continue providing outreach and case management services for 50 residents of the shelter, known as the Courtyard. City Net connects Courtyard residents with social and health services agencies and helps them secure more-permanent housing. (Langhorne, 8/29)
Los Angeles Times:
California Housing Crisis Traps Seniors With High Rents, Evictions
Mario Canel met his wife inside the apartment where he’s lived for the last 33 years. Canel, a house painter, was at the Silver Lake complex off of Sunset Boulevard on a job, but he and his customer quickly connected over their shared Guatemalan roots. It wasn’t long before Mario and Sabina married, and her home became his. For years, they basked in such comforts as plucking chayote from a vine outside their front window. (Khouri and Shalby, 8/29)
Modesto Bee:
What’s In SEIU Local 1000’s First Contract With Gavin Newsom
The state’s largest union has reached a tentative contract agreement with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s bargaining team that provides a 7 percent raise over three years and boosts take-home compensation with perks that include new or increased stipends for health care, commuting and bilingual speakers. SEIU Local 1000’s proposed contract would give $260 per month to workers with CalPERS health plans to go toward their insurance premiums, according to a summary of the agreement the union posted to its website Thursday. (Venteicher, 8/29)
The New York Times:
Surgeon General Warns Pregnant Women And Teenagers Not To Smoke Or Vape Marijuana
The United States surgeon general on Thursday issued a public warning that smoking or vaping marijuana is dangerous for pregnant women and their developing babies. At a news conference with other top Trump administration health officials, the surgeon general, Dr. Jerome Adams, said he was concerned that pregnant women, teenagers and others were unaware of the health hazards posed by new, professionally grown marijuana crops. (Kaplan, 8/29)
The New York Times:
Trump Administration Barring Tours Of Migrant Detention Centers, Democrats Say
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday said the Trump administration is blocking investigators from touring immigrant detention facilities nationwide after recent visits revealed what they called “serious ongoing problems” concerning how detainees are being treated. Representative Elijah Cummings, chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, said committee staff were barred from visiting 11 U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities days after previous inspections found conditions that threatened the health and safety of the adult and child migrants being held, writing in a letter to Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary for the Department of Homeland Security. (8/29)
The Associated Press:
Mumps Sickens Hundreds Of Detained Migrants In 19 States
Mumps has swept through 57 immigration detention facilities in 19 states since September, according to the first U.S. government report on the outbreaks in the overloaded immigration system. The virus sickened 898 adult migrants and 33 detention center staffers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in its report Thursday. New cases continue as migrants are taken into custody or transferred between facilities, the report said. As of last week, outbreaks were happening in 15 facilities in seven states. (8/29)
The Associated Press:
Trump Eyes Mental Institutions As Answer To Gun Violence
When shots rang out last year at a high school in Parkland, Florida, leaving 17 people dead, President Donald Trump quickly turned his thoughts to creating more mental institutions. When back-to-back mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, jolted the nation earlier this month, Trump again spoke of "building new facilities" for the mentally ill as a way to reduce mass shootings. (8/30)
The New York Times:
Many Genes Influence Same-Sex Sexuality, Not A Single ‘Gay Gene’
How do genes influence our sexuality? The question has long been fraught with controversy. An ambitious new study — the largest ever to analyze the genetics of same-sex sexual behavior — found that genetics does play a role, responsible for perhaps a third of the influence on whether someone has same-sex sex. The influence comes not from one gene but many, each with a tiny effect — and the rest of the explanation includes social or environmental factors — making it impossible to use genes to predict someone’s sexuality. (Belluck, 8/29)
The Associated Press:
Report: US Native American Health Agency At Crossroads
Emergency rooms shut down for months. Hospitals put patients at risk for opioid abuse and overdoses. A longtime pediatrician was charged with sexually abusing children. The federal agency that administers health care for more than 2.5 million Native Americans has long been plagued with problems that have kept it from improving health care delivery. Money, staffing, infrastructure, health disparities and a general lack of accountability all have played a part. (8/29)
The Washington Post:
Where Did The Sacklers Move Cash From Their Opioid Maker?
Ninety minutes outside London, a turn down a narrow lane leads past fields of grazing cattle to a sign warning “Private Keep Off.” Around an elbow bend, a great stone manor, its formal gardens and tennis court hidden behind thick hedges, commands a 5,000-acre estate. The estate is a pastoral prize — proof of the great wealth belonging to the family accused of playing a key role in triggering the U.S. opioid epidemic. But there’s little evidence of that connection. On paper, the land is owned by a handful of companies, most based in distant Bermuda, all controlled by an offshore trust. (Geller, 8/30)
The New York Times:
Hospitals Should Replace Infection-Prone Scopes With Safer Models, F.D.A. Says
Companies that make reusable, snakelike cameras to examine patients internally should begin making disposable versions, because the current models cannot be properly sterilized and have spread infections from one patient to another, the Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday. In the meantime, hospitals that use the instruments, called duodenoscopes, should start to transition to models with disposable components to reduce the risk of infection to patients, the agency said. (Rabin, 8/29)
San Francisco Chronicle:
AB824 Is Supposed To Make Medications More Affordable To Californians. It Won’t.
AB824 is legislation that would bar companies from settling patent disputes for generic medicines by using economic “pay-for-delay” agreements with the proprietary drug’s manufacturer. These agreements are between drug makers and generic companies, and they extend the amount of time the drug maker has to provide the sole offering of a drug on the marketplace. (Wendye Robbins, 8/29)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Everyone Pays For Dialysis Clinics’ Pricing Scheme
The companies that provide dialysis services in California are using underhanded tactics to make a lot of money, and everyone who pays a health insurance premium is paying the price. Those companies aren’t about to stop maximizing profits, so the Legislature must pass Assembly Bill 290 to stop providers from gaming the system. One of the most complicated things about health care isn’t the actual medicine. Don’t get us wrong. The medicine is complicated. Doctors don’t spend so many years in training for nothing. But few people — doctors or otherwise — train to understand the complexities of insurance reimbursement rates. Master that system, and wealth can be yours. (8/28)
Sacramento Bee:
The Second Amendment Does Not Bar Gun Control
The Second Amendment is no obstacle to effective gun control. The issue is not about the U.S. Constitution, but about whether there is the political will to take the actions necessary to decrease gun violence. The Second Amendment states: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” From 1791, when this was adopted, until June 2008, not one federal, state, or local law was found to violate the Second Amendment. (Chemerinsky, 8/24)
Los Angeles Times:
How Republicans Can 'own The Libs' On Gun Control
When Congress reconvenes in September, President Trump has a golden opportunity to “own the libs,” as the conservative kids online say. The Democrats, helped by the media, have spent August taunting the president and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), claiming they don’t have the guts to buck the National Rifle Assn. and put a gun reform package on the floor. Republicans have a golden opportunity to refute the claim and show suburban America — which, according to the latest polls and focus groups have gone south on the GOP — that they are listening when it comes to this tragic American problem. (Scott Jennings, 8/28)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Why California Needs More Internationally Educated Doctors
California’s doctor shortage is acute. More than 7.7 million Californians live in federally designated “primary care health professional shortage areas.” Only about 40% of the state’s primary care needs are currently being met. (Dr. G. Richard Olds, 8/30)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento City Council Shows Courage In Homeless Votes
A majority of the Sacramento City Council showed real courage when they voted on Tuesday to approve Mayor Darrell Steinberg’s proposal for a 100-bed shelter for women in children in Meadowview. The 6-3 vote overrode the objections of Councilman Larry Carr, who represents Meadowview. Councilwoman Angelique Ashby and Councilman Allen Warren joined Carr in voting against the shelter for women and children. (8/29)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento CA Homeless Issue Needs Solutions, Not Complaints
If all you are doing about homelessness is complaining about it, then you are part of the problem. And I write this as someone who used to be part of the problem. Raging about homelessness accomplishes nothing.It really doesn’t. Law enforcement can’t clean up this problem for us. We can’t deploy a fleet of buses to ship homeless folks out of town. We can’t scream about “finding a solution” while opposing every one offered. We can’t continue to decry a lack of action on homelessness when there is action. (Breton, 8/29)