- California Healthline Original Stories 2
- Latino Youth In California See Significant Rise In Psychiatric Hospitalizations
- Covered California Takes Aim At System Gamers
- Public Health and Education 5
- Porter Ranch Gas Leak Sealed After 16 Weeks
- Health Safety Board Votes Down Regulations On Porn Performers
- Pesticide Mixes Likely Increase Health Risks To Farm Workers, Students: UCLA Study
- Panel: Linking Mental Illness, Violence Only Increases Stigma
- Pope Condones Contraception To Avoid Zika Complications, Maintains Abortion Is 'Absolute Evil'
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Latino Youth In California See Significant Rise In Psychiatric Hospitalizations
Some experts say the 86 percent increase in psychiatric hospitalizations since 2007 means preventive care is seriously lacking; others believe reduced stigma has led more kids to accept help. (Jocelyn Wiener, )
Covered California Takes Aim At System Gamers
Proposal would tighten requirements for midyear sign-ups, to deter people who don't enroll until they get sick. (Emily Bazar, )
More News From Across The State
GOP Lawmakers Sketch Out Wish List For Funds Generated From Health Plan Tax
The Republicans want to direct the spending toward services for the developmentally disabled, reimbursements for certain skilled nursing facilities and paying off state debts. In other news, California voters will decide on legalizing marijuana in November, but the next president could shut it down.
Los Angeles Times:
Here's What The Assembly GOP Wants In Negotiations For Healthcare-Plans Tax
Assembly Republicans are bellying up to the bargaining table over Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed tax package for healthcare plans, signaling a new phase in the negotiations that have slogged on for more than a year. A document obtained by The Times lays out the political and policy wish list for the Assembly GOP caucus. Most significantly, they want to direct more than $800 million in spending made possible by the new tax. (Mason, 2/18)
McClatchy:
Will California Pot Legalization Survive The Presidential Election?
Californians will vote this fall on legalizing marijuana for recreation but whether Golden State residents can break out the bongs could depend on what happens at the top of the ballot. The next president has the power to shut down marijuana sales in the states that have legalized it, and two of the candidates, Republicans Marco Rubio and Ben Carson, have suggested they would. While marijuana remains forbidden under federal law, President Barack Obama has allowed pot sales in states such as Colorado, Oregon and Washington that have legalized recreational marijuana under state law. (Cockerham, 2/18)
Covered California & The Health Law
Covered California Selects VSP As Vision Care Provider
Vision insurance is not eligible for subsidies under the health law, but consumers will be provided a link to VSP Vision Care through the exchange. Meanwhile, auditors issue a report about the financial solvency of Covered California. And in other Affordable Care Act news, small businesses surveyed say the law has hurt them.
The Sacramento Business Journal:
Why This Move By Covered California Could Mean Big Business For VSP
Covered California on Wednesday announced it selected VSP Vision Care as its vision insurance provider for adults statewide. Unlike other health coverage offered through the state's health insurance exchange, the vision insurance is not eligible for subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. But the move opens a potentially big market for the company because consumers will be able to buy VSP’s insurance via a link from the Covered California website. (Anderson, 2/18)
Payers & Providers:
Covered California Audit Raises Worries
A new report by the California Auditor has concluded that the state's health insurance exchange has to take more aggressive steps to ensure its financial solvency over the long-term and eschew the awarding of no-bid contracts. The report, issued earlier this week, concluded that Covered California's relative youth may be a strike against it. It noted that its revenue projections are based on enrollment forecasts, which vary based on several scenarios. (2/18)
The San Francisco Business Times:
Most Small Businesses Down On Obamacare, See Health Care As Big Election Issue
Most small business owners think the Affordable Care Act has hurt them, not helped them, and many want presidential candidates to pay more attention to health care in their campaigns. That’s according to a survey conducted by Wakefield Research for TriNet, a cloud-based provider of human resources services for small businesses. This survey was similar to other surveys in that it found that small business owners don’t think presidential candidates have a good understanding of small business. But this survey asked more questions about specific issues, and some of the answers may surprise you. (Hoover, 2/18)
Porter Ranch Gas Leak Sealed After 16 Weeks
Health officials say it is now safe for residents -- who had been driven from the area by foul air -- to return home.
Los Angeles Times:
Porter Ranch Gas Leak Permanently Capped, Officials Say
State officials on Thursday announced that the leaking natural gas well in Porter Ranch that spewed plumes of methane and other compounds into the atmosphere has been sealed. "We have good news. The Division of Oil and Gas has confirmed that the leak in the Aliso Canyon storage field is permanently sealed," Jason Marshall, chief deputy director of the state Department of Conservation, said at a press conference in Chatsworth. The news put an end to four months of foul air that sickened many residents and forced thousands of people to relocate to temporary housing far from the leaking well. Gas crews reached the leak last week and injected heavy fluids and then cement to seal it. (Walton, Sahagun and Branson-Potts, 2/18)
The Los Angeles Times:
State Officially Declares Porter Ranch-Area Gas Leak Capped, But Uncertainty Remains
Residents who moved out of their homes were notified by phone, text and email Thursday morning that they had eight days to vacate temporary housing that Southern California Gas Co. has been paying for. By early Thursday, residents of 1,800 households had returned to their homes, said Gillian Wright, vice president of customer service for the utility; 5,774 households remain in temporary housing. Some residents have said they are glad to return home; others worry about the long-term safety of their San Fernando Valley neighborhood if the Aliso Canyon facility remains in operation. (Walton, Branson-Potts and Sahagun, 2/18)
KPCC:
Did The Porter Ranch Gas Leak Cause Long-Term Health Damage?
With the leak now apparently contained, the big question for [residents] is whether the ongoing exposure to an assortment of chemicals has permanently damaged their health. Experts say answering that question won’t be easy. In part, that's because there really hasn’t been any other known natural gas leak of this magnitude and duration that's exposed a large suburban population to an invisible, mostly-methane stew of chemicals - benzene included. (O'Neill, 2/18)
The Associated Press:
California Declares Massive Gas Leak Sealed After 16 Weeks
A blowout at a natural gas well that spewed massive amounts of climate-changing methane for nearly four months and drove thousands of Los Angeles families from their homes has been permanently sealed, state officials declared Thursday. The announcement certifying that the ruptured well had been plugged with cement brought a point of closure in the long-running drama that has disrupted life in the Porter Ranch community and drawn attention to a massive underground storage facility owned by Southern California Gas Co. (2/18)
Los Angeles Daily News:
Well Responsible For Porter Ranch Gas Leak Officially ‘Killed’
The well is dead. Official word the methane-spewing well -- otherwise known as Standard Sesnon 25 -- in Southern California Gas Co.’s Aliso Canyon storage facility above Porter Ranch is sealed came Thursday morning from the California Department of Conservation’s Department of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources on the 118th day of the massive natural gas leak – called the largest in U.S. history. (Wilcox, 2/18)
KTLA:
SoCal Gas Has Permanently Stopped Leak In Gas Well Above Porter Ranch, State Confirms
Five separate tests were completed to determine the integrity of the cement seal, and air quality regulators also confirmed that gas emissions were controlled, said Jason Marshall of the California Department of Conservation. Now that the leak is sealed, the company must inspect and test every single well at Aliso Canyon before beginning to return gas to the massive underground storage reservoir, Marshall said. (Pamer, 2/18)
NBC:
Porter Ranch Gas Leak Permanently Sealed: Officials
Mayor Eric Garcetti said the city's Emergency Management Department will open an office in the Porter Ranch area after the state officially declares the leak stopped. "Stopping the leak is only the first stage of recovery,'' Garcetti said. "Thousands of lives were upended by this disaster -- and the city of Los Angeles is here to help people return to their homes, start doing business again and get back to normal as quickly as possible.'' (2/18)
Health Safety Board Votes Down Regulations On Porn Performers
Many in the industry turned out to ask the Division of Occupational Safety and Health's Standard Board to reject the safety measure that could require the actors to wear condoms, goggles, face shields and gloves.
Los Angeles Daily News:
Porn Industry Wins Battle Against California Regulators Over Condoms, Eyewear On Film Shoots
The adult-film industry claimed victory Thursday after California regulators voted against passing a set of standards that would have mandated condoms and eye protection as well as other protective barriers during all porn production across the state. About 100 adult-film performers spoke during a nearly six-hour hearing held by the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board in Oakland, each one testifying they were against the proposed regulations because they went too far. The regulations, many performers said, would force the adult film industry out of California, where it is made legally, and into other states, where no laws exist. In addition, performers said regulations such as the use of “personal protective equipment” for eyes, for example, would ruin the aesthetics and fantasy of pornographic films. (Abram, 2/18)
The Associated Press:
Calif. Board Rejects Measure Specifying Condom Use In Porn
[Division of Occupational Safety and Health’s Standards Board] members appeared influenced by the large number of industry representatives, ranging from actors to writers to directors, who argued forcefully but politely during five hours of testimony. If the proposed regulations didn’t destroy their multibillion-dollar industry, they said, they would likely force it underground. Doing that, they added, could be even worse for performers by eliminating existing safeguards such as the industry’s requirement that actors be tested every 14 days for sexually transmitted diseases. “I ask you not to approve this policy that will endanger me and my colleagues,” said porn actress Maxine Holloway. (Rogers, 2/19)
Contra Costa Times:
Porn Stars Applaud Failed VOte On Tighter Rules
More than 100 adult film workers at a packed auditorium erupted in cheers Thursday afternoon after a state workplace protection board shot down proposed regulations that some predicted would have spelled the end of California's legal porn industry. After hours of emotional testimony at the Elihu M. Harris State Building by porn actors, producers, agents and couples who broadcast sex through a webcam in their own home, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards board fell one vote short of approving new rules requiring the performers to use condoms, goggles, gloves and other fluid barriers, while recording sex acts. The board voted 3-2 in favor of the regulations, but a fourth vote was needed for approval. (Gafni, 2/19)
KQED:
Should Porn Stars Use Condoms? California Grapples With Regulation
California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health rejected proposed regulations Thursday that would have required actors in all pornography films statewide to use condoms. Cal/OSHA's Standards Board voted 3-2 to accept the new regulations, but needed four "yes" votes to pass them. (Dembosky, 2/18)
Pesticide Mixes Likely Increase Health Risks To Farm Workers, Students: UCLA Study
The report says the California Department of Pesticide Regulation should better regulate pesticide mixtures and place buffer zones around schools.
Capital Public Radio:
Report: Pesticide Mixtures May Increase Health Risks But Are Unregulated
A new UCLA report says the California Department of Pesticide Regulation fails to regulate pesticide mixtures adequately. As Amy Quinton reports from Sacramento, the study finds the mixtures may increase health risks. The study looked at three fumigants commonly applied together in California. It found a "reasonable likelihood" the three can interact to increase health risks to farm workers and people who live near fields or orchards. (Quinton, 2/18)
The Ventura County Star:
Advocates Urge State To Impose Pesticide Buffer Around Schools
Advocates for farmworkers, students and families in Oxnard are calling on state regulators to ban the use of pesticides within one mile of schools in light of a new study released by UCLA. On Thursday, members of local farmworker advocacy organizations, a youth group representative, and a Ventura County Medical Center doctor gathered outside Rio Mesa High School. They demanded that California's Department of Pesticide Regulation consider the health consequences of exposure to multiple pesticides as it drafts new rules for use of chemicals close to schools. (Boyd-Barrett, 2/18)
Panel: Linking Mental Illness, Violence Only Increases Stigma
A Coachella Valley high school organized a panel of local and federal law enforcement and mental health workers to talk about mass shootings and their link to mental health. In other public health news, women in LA County jail will now be able to provide their breast milk to be picked up for their children under a new program, a study looks at demographics' role in dementia and a Silicon Valley woman shares how addiction affected her family.
The Desert Sun:
Panel Weighs In On Gun Violence And Mental Health
Prompted by a series of well-publicized mass shootings, including this past December’s terrorist attack in San Bernardino that killed 14 people and injured nearly two dozen others, many local high school students have wondered why such incidents occur and whether mental health issues are to blame. (Newkirk, 2/18)
KPCC:
Los Angeles Jail Moms Can Provide Breast Milk For Their Kids In Lactation Pilot Program
Women held in the Los Angeles County Jail who are mothers of newborn infants will be allowed to lactate and provide their breast milk that can be picked up and given to their child outside the jail, under a new pilot program initiated by the Sheriff's Department. The first woman to participate in the program gave birth to a son while in the jail on Valentine's Day, said Nicole Nishida, a Sheriff's Department spokeswoman. (2/18)
Payers & Providers:
A Delve Into Dementia Demographics
A new study by researchers at UC San Francisco and Kaiser Permanente has concluded that age-related dementia is more prevalent among African-Americans and Native Americans than whites and other ethnicities. Both organizations claim that the study is the most comprehensive on how dementia impacts Americans after the age of 65 based on racial background. (Shinkman, 2/18)
Contra Costa Times:
Memoir: When Drug Addiction Hits Home
D'Anne Burwell didn't see it coming. She and her husband, Bruce, were raising their two smart, athletic children in a cozy, three-bedroom ranch house on a quiet Silicon Valley street, feeling that their kids were well on their way to winning what a friend of Burwell's calls the "Bay Area lottery": good grades leading to good colleges and happy, successful lives. In elementary school, her son Jake constantly received praise from teachers for being precocious and kindhearted, Burwell recounts in her memoir "Saving Jake: When Addiction Hits Home." As he started high school, he took AP classes, played soccer and wasn't running with a partying crowd. (Ross, 2/18)
Pope Condones Contraception To Avoid Zika Complications, Maintains Abortion Is 'Absolute Evil'
The pontiff cited a decision by one of his predecessors, Pope Paul VI, to allow nuns in the Belgian Congo in 1960s to use contraception because they were in danger of pregnancy from rape. However, under no circumstances, Francis said, should abortion be considered a "lesser evil," and he said the procedure should be avoided at all cost. “It is a crime, [killing] one person to save another,” he said. "That is something that the Mafia does ... an absolute evil." It is unclear what affect his statements will have on the heavily Catholic countries hit hardest by the outbreak.
The New York Times:
Francis Says Contraception Can Be Used To Slow Zika
USA Today:
Pope Suggests Contraception Can Be Condoned In Zika Crisis
Los Angeles Times:
Pope Opens The Door To Contraception In Averting Harmful Effects Of Zika Virus
The Washington Post:
Pope: Contraceptives Could Be Morally Permissible In Avoiding Spread Of Zika
The Associated Press:
Pope Suggests Contraception Can Be Condoned In Zika Crisis
Zenefits' 'New' Executive Team's Roster Filled With Its Current Executives
All but one are current leaders at the troubled startup.
The San Francisco Business Times:
Troubled Zenefits Names 'New' Executive Team, With Many Familiar Faces
Meet the new boss — same as the old boss? David Sacks, the newly appointed CEO at troubled unicorn Zenefits, named what he called "the new Zenefits executive team" early Thursday, but all of the 14 members of the team appear to be current leaders at the San Francisco HR and health insurance brokerage startup. (Rauber, 2/18)
'Ransomware' Hack On Hospital Raises Red Flags For Cybersecurity Specialists
As Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center goes public with the news that it paid out $17,000 to recover its locked electronic records, industry experts warn that such cyberattacks could escalate.
The Associated Press:
Los Angeles Hsopital Attack Concerns Cybersecurity Experts
Cybersecurity experts worry that the $17,000 a Los Angeles hospital paid hackers to regain control of its computers could signal a troubling escalation of the growing "ransomware" threat. Though patient care was not "compromised in any way," Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center paid the bounty "in the best interest of restoring normal operations," President Allen Stefanek said in a written statement. (Pritchard, 2/18)
Reuters:
California Hospital Makes Rare Admission Of Hack, Ransom Payment
While it was not the first hacked organization to acquiesce to attackers' demands, the California hospital that paid $17,000 in ransom to hackers to regain control of its computer system was unusual in one notable way: It went public with the news. Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center relented to the demands, President Allen Stefanek said, because he believed it was the "quickest and most efficient way" to free the Los Angeles hospital's network, which was paralyzed for about 10 days.(Finkle, 2/18)
Los Angeles Times:
Hollywood Hospital Pays $17,000 In Bitcoin To Hackers; FBI Investigating
The hospital said it alerted authorities and was able to regain control of all its computer systems by Monday, with the assistance of technology experts. [Chief Executive Allen] Stefanek said patient care was never compromised, nor were hospital records. (Winton, 2/18)
Hospital Workers To Air Wage, Benefits Demands At Public Forum in Santa Rosa
Labor negotiations are ongoing for personnel of Santa Rosa Memorial and Petaluma Valley hospitals with hospital operator St. Joseph Health. In other regional hospital news, Tehachapi voters will get a say on hospital management and a Newport Beach hospital uses virtual reality in surgery.
The Press Democrat:
Santa Rosa Memorial, Petaluma Valley Hospital Workers Will Meet St. Joseph Health In Public Forum
Amid ongoing labor talks, workers at Santa Rosa Memorial and Petaluma Valley hospitals are set to air their differences with hospital operator St. Joseph Health at a public forum in Santa Rosa this weekend. Hosted by the fair wage advocates North Bay Jobs with Justice, hospital employees represented by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, or NUHW, are expected to discuss what they claim is problematic understaffing at the two hospitals, noncompetitive wages and threats to their health care and retirement benefits. (Espinoza, 2/18)
Tehachapi News:
Tehachapi's Health Care District Approves Resolution For Adventist Health Affiliation
It's taken years to accomplish, but the people of greater Tehachapi may finally have the hospital they've always wanted. The Tehachapi Valley Healthcare District approved a resolution that puts to a public vote the possible affiliation with Adventist Health to basically run the district. (Barnes, 2/19)
The Orange County Register:
Hoag Uses Virtual Reality To Take Surgery Into A New Dimension
Marcus Barnes couldn’t have envisioned what he was about to see. One month after successful brain surgery, the Irvine resident sat in an operating room at Hoag Hospital Newport Beach and was handed a pair of virtual reality goggles. (Nicolai, 2/19)
Janis Sherwood's efforts have led Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell to notify a government panel that adrenoleukodystrophy, or ALD, will be added to the nation’s list of recommended routine screenings for newborns. In other local news, an East Contra Costa County school adopts standing desks and a nursing school at UC Davis has begun a nurse-practitioner partnership with Sacramento.
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Vista Mom's Quest Leads To Rare Federal Victory
When a rare but treatable disease took her 8-year-old son in 2003, Janis Sherwood vowed she would fight for better routine testing that would give other boys a fighting chance. This week, Sherwood opened an email that gave her monumental proof that more than a decade of personal campaigning — including 44,000 miles spent traversing the country in an RV — had finally paid off. (Sisson, 2/18)
Contra Costa Times:
Antioch School Becomes First In Region To Adopt Standing Desks
The 29 fifth-graders in James Andrews' class rarely sit down, and that's just the way he likes it. The Belshaw Elementary teacher introduced what's known as standing desks to his classroom last fall, earning the Antioch school the distinction of being the only one in East Contra Costa County -- and possibly the entire county -- that has children doing all their lessons on their feet. (Coetsee, 2/18)
The Sacramento Business Journal:
UC Davis Nurse-Practitioner Program Partners With Sacramento County Clinic
The nursing school at UC Davis has begun a nurse-practitioner partnership with the Sacramento County Health Department to help both students and underserved communities. The program helps nursing students understand the role of a nurse practitioner as a primary care provider, said Jenny Carrick, a spokeswoman for the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at the University of California Davis. (Anderson, 2/17)
Viewpoints: Abortion is 'Crude Response' To Microcephaly; Seniors Paying Price For Health Law Fraud
A selection of opinions on health care from around the state.
The LA Times:
Is The Call For Zika Virus Abortions The New Eugenics?
When the World Health Organization declared the Zika virus a global emergency, it also claimed that the disease was tied to increased cases of microcephaly in babies. A day later, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, which actively promotes the view that “access to abortion is a matter of human rights,” was putting pressure on countries in Central and South America to change laws that protect prenatal children from violence. (Charles Camosy, 2/18)
The Orange County Register:
Seniors Paying Price For Obamacare Fraud
Fewer seniors are re-entering the hospital after an initial stay, according to recent data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The Obama administration says that we have Obamacare to thank for this “positive transformative change.” But the only thing that’s “changed” is how hospitals fill out the government’s forms. Many are choosing to record hospital stays under Medicare, the federal government’s health care program for seniors, as outpatient “medical observation” rather than formal readmission. That classification can present patients with huge bills and limited options for follow-up care. (Sally Pipes, 2/18)
The Orange County Register:
A Terrible Idea For Cutting Medicare Drug Costs
Congress recently sent the 6.2 million Californians on Medicare a welcome message: The doctor will see you now. After years of patchwork fixes, Congress finally got rid of a Medicare reimbursement formula that paid doctors so poorly for their services, including administering cancer drugs, that many of them would’ve likely abandoned their Medicare patients all together. (Gary Feldman, 2/18)
The Los Angeles Times:
More Signs That 'Gaming' By The Sick Is Not A Problem In Obamacare
The one common element in assertions that thousands of Americans are "gaming" Obamacare by not signing up for health insurance until they get sick, thereby sticking beleaguered insurance companies with a big bill, is that none of these assertions come attached to any hard numbers. (Michael Hiltzik, 2/17)
The Los Angeles Times:
Dirty Little Secret: Insurers Actually Are Making A Mint From Obamacare
For months now, headlines about the Affordable Care Act have focused on complaints from big insurers that they haven't been making money from individual insurance plans mandated by the act. (Michael Hiltzik, 2/16)
The Sacramento Bee:
On Health Care, Sanders And Trump Sound A Lot Alike
In the days before last month’s Iowa caucuses, the Washington Times quoted a stay-at-home mom from Dubuque who wasn’t yet sure how she was going to vote. But she had narrowed her choice to a final two: Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders. How could she be torn between the only billionaire in the race and the man who says over and over that billionaires are the root of all of our country’s problems? (Daniel Weintraub, 2/15)
The Los Angeles Times:
Obama's Budget Plan Would Allow Greater Scrutiny Of High Drug Prices
Buried deep within President Obama's $4-trillion budget plan are a couple of healthcare proposals that could change everything for U.S. consumers. (David Lazarus, 2/16)
Ventura County Star:
Congress Must Act To Stop Female Veteran Suicide
Congress worked to address the veteran suicide rate by passing legislation last year that improved access to mental health and suicide prevention programs. I had the opportunity to be at the White House while President Obama signed the Clay Hunt SAV Act that Congress passed in 2015. It mandates for the first time that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) conduct annual evaluations on the effectiveness of its mental health and suicide prevention programs. Last June, VA researchers discovered that women who have served in the military are nearly six times as likely as non-veteran women to commit suicide. And, for women veterans ages 18-29, that number is even higher — they are nearly 12 times as likely to commit suicide. (Rep. Julia Brownley, 2/13)
Los Angeles Daily News:
Why Flushing Medicine Should Be Banned In L.A. County
Preventing prescription drug abuse and protecting water quality are two issues on the minds of Los Angeles County residents, but there may be only one policy approach that can address both at the same time: ensuring safe medicine collection opportunities are available, free and convenient throughout the county. When people cannot find a convenient place to bring unwanted medications for disposal, they often flush them. (Heidi Sanborn, 2/18)
The Sacramento Bee:
Drug Disposal Bins Welcome Tool In Opioid Fight
It’s one of the least talked about contributors to the nation’s opioid epidemic. The millions of bottles of highly addictive painkillers that are sitting in people’s medicine cabinets, collecting dust. It’s hard to get rid of the pills safely, even though the glut leads to tens of thousands of deaths each year. Meanwhile, doctors are writing three times as many prescriptions for opioids as they did in the 1990s. It’s a lopsided equation of supply and demand. We applaud Walgreens for being among the first corporations to step up and, at least, try to solve the problem. (2/11)
The Fresno Bee:
Pro-Life Or Pro-Choice? Most Are In The Mushy Middle
“Are you anti-abortion?” That question, from a colleague, caught me by surprise. “I know you’re pro-choice,” she added, reading my mind. “But I was wondering if you’re anti-abortion.” Still, her question intrigued me because it suggested a seldom-heard perspective, a third way, if you will, in the eternal battle between pro-choice and pro-life. We are taught that there are those two ways only. But it seems ever clearer to me that it’s a false dichotomy, a narrative of hard, diametrical opposition that, while it makes for great headlines, fails to acknowledge the mushy middle ground where many, if not most of us, reside. “Are you anti-abortion?” (Leonard Pitts Jr., 2/17)
The Press Democrat:
Close To Home: Shedding Lights, Camera And Action On Mental Health
Recently, a friend told me that 30 years ago his cousin’s 18-year-old son committed suicide. He was a popular kid from a middle-class family. No one including his family had a clue. Nine years ago, a 21-year-old youth working in a local theater in Sonoma County committed suicide. Some of us knew and tried to help. He sent a very upbeat email three days before. Incredibly heart breaking and chilling to read. (Paolo Breschi, 2/18)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Crowded E.R. Is A Happy Nightmare
How to title a recent visit to an emergency room in Riverside County? A Long Day’s Journey into Night of the Living Dead. And yet, to be fair, we drove away from the Eisenhower Medical Center grateful for gold-plated service. More than six hours languishing in a pestilent circle of hell and we’re … happy? Call it the E.R. paradox. The five-star godsend from Hades. (Jenkins, 2/16)
Los Angeles Times:
With No Reproductive Rights, Many Latin American Women Could Be At The Mercy Of The Zika Virus
Now that researchers have identified a tangible link between the Zika virus and fetal brain deformation, pregnant women and those of childbearing age in the Latin American countries hardest hit by the mosquito-borne virus will have to make tough decisions about their reproductive future. Use birth control? Abstain? Abort if there's evidence of potentially lethal birth defects? Or at least that's how it ought to go. (2/17)