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California Healthline Original Stories
Congressional Candidates Go Head-To-Head On Health Care — Again
The California Democratic members of Congress who flipped seven Republican seats two years ago made health care a major campaign issue, criticizing their opponents for voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act. As the Democrats defend their seats in this year’s elections, they are coming back to health care — but the issues are different. (Ana B. Ibarra, )
Good morning! Here are your top California health stories for the day.
Newsom Wants To Set Aside State-Owned Properties To House The Homeless. Here’s A Look At Where They Are: Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday during his homelessness-focused State of the State address that his administration had found 286 eligible properties, including vacant lots, fairgrounds and armories. There are 148 potential shelter sites listed in the Bay Area, including 49 in Sonoma County, 36 in Alameda County and 25 in San Mateo County. They are largely empty Caltrans-managed parcels next to state highways, many of which the state has previously identified as potential properties for affordable housing development. One is in San Francisco, next to Interstate 280 near 23rd and Indiana streets. Others include the Redwood City Armory, Napa State Hospital and the Sonoma Developmental Center. Read more from Alexei Koseff of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Meanwhile, corporations that own California properties could soon be fined for keeping homes vacant for more than three months under a proposed law to give tenants, nonprofits and cities more say over what happens to empty buildings. Senate Bill 1079 would allow local officials to adopt ordinances to fine “in an unspecified amount” corporations and companies that leave residential buildings vacant for more than 90 days. Read more from Hannah Wiley of the Sacramento Bee.
And Sacramento may soon begin clearing homeless camps from sections of riverfront levees, several downtown streets and outside public facilities in what top city officials describe as an effort to protect critical infrastructure and prevent wildfires and catastrophic floods. A federal court ruling in the controversial Martin v. Boise case in September 2018 barred police in western states from issuing citations to homeless people sleeping in public places unless a shelter bed is available. However, Sacramento officials say a footnote submitted by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit allows them to bar campers from certain places in order to “protect the public health, safety and welfare,” according to a city staff report. Read more from Theresa Clift of the Sacramento Bee.
In related news:
Capital Public Radio: New Homeless Cabins Could Help House Young People In North Sacramento
PolitiFact California: Did California’s Homeless Population Decrease Since 2005? That’s What Gov. Gavin Newsom Said This Week.
Sacramento Bee: Californians Support Removing Homeless Camps — Unless Trump Does It
Sacramento Bee: Kaiser Permanente Donates $32 Million For Sacramento Homeless, Low-Income People
Sacramento Bee: Caltrans To Pay Up To $5,500 To Each Homeless Bay Area Resident Affected By Camp Cleanups
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
San Francisco Chronicle:
Hundreds In Bay Area Self-Isolating, Watching For Coronavirus Symptoms
Hundreds of people who recently traveled from China back home to the Bay Area are quarantining themselves under the watch of local public health officials in an unprecedented national effort to slow and possibly stop the spread of the new coronavirus in the United States. Authorities have asked about 6,700 people in California to isolate and monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new virus, according to the California Department of Public Health. Those individuals have been advised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stay home from work or school, avoid large crowds and limit their social interactions for 14 days — the maximum incubation period of the new virus. (Allday, Moench and Ho, 2/20)
Los Angeles Times:
Coronavirus: Second Group Of Quarantined Americans Released From Miramar
Sixty-three Americans held in quarantine at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar were released from the base Thursday morning after passing a final round of health checks. They are the second group of evacuees to leave the Miramar quarantine after the first and larger group left Tuesday. Many of those held in quarantine are from other regions in the U.S. — two busloads of previously quarantined individuals were released at San Diego International Airport on Tuesday to catch commercial flights home. (Dyer and Sisson, 2/20)
Bay Area News Group:
Coronavirus Patient In Santa Clara County Fulled Recovered
Santa Clara County’s Public Health Department said Thursday that the man who was the first confirmed local person infected with the deadly novel coronavirus has fully recovered and has been released from his self-quarantine at home. “He was never sick enough to be hospitalized,” county health spokeswoman Marianna Moles said. “He isolated at home and was monitored by public health staff for the duration of his isolation.” (Woolfolk, 2/20)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Coronavirus: 22 More Cruise Evacuees, Including 16 In Bay Area, Sent To Hospitals
At least 22 more people evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan to two U.S. air bases have either tested positive or shown symptoms of the coronavirus, including 16 who arrived at Travis Air Force Base but have now been transported to local hospitals, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told The Chronicle. At least six passengers who arrived at Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio have also been taken to hospitals for further testing, the spokesman, Scott Pauley, said. (Pender, 2/20)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Coronavirus Hits Bay Area: What Residents Need To Know
A Bay Area woman who was sick with the coronavirus, or COVID-19, made a full recovery and was released from isolation while a new case of the illness was confirmed in Humboldt County, officials announced Thursday. The Santa Clara County woman was one of five people who have been or are still being treated in the Bay Area. (Hernandez, Serrano and Allday, 2/20)
The New York Times:
Why The Coronavirus Seems To Hit Men Harder Than Women
The coronavirus that originated in China has spread fear and anxiety around the world. But while the novel virus has largely spared one vulnerable group — children — it appears to pose a particular threat to middle-aged and older adults, particularly men. This week, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention published the largest analysis of coronavirus cases to date. Although men and women have been infected in roughly equal numbers, researchers found, the death rate among men was 2.8 percent, compared with 1.7 percent among women. (Rabin, 2/20)
The New York Times:
To Prevent Next Coronavirus, Stop The Wildlife Trade, Conservationists Say
The coronavirus spreading from China has sickened at least 73,000 people and killed at least 2,000, setting in motion a global health emergency. But humans aren’t the only species infected. Coronaviruses attack a variety of birds and mammals. The new virus seems to have leapt from wildlife to humans in a seafood and meat market in Wuhan, China, where live animals were slaughtered and sold as food. (Nuwer, 2/19)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Seven Flu Deaths Reported In Kern County
There are now seven confirmed flu deaths in Kern County this season, according to the county Public Health Services Department. No further details were provided.On Tuesday, the department confirmed four flu deaths in Kern County during the 2019-20 flu season. The flu season typically lasts through the spring, and county health spokeswoman Michelle Corson said earlier this week it’s currently the thick of the season. (2/20)
CalMatters:
California Will Pay Millions To Settle Suit Claiming It Violated Children's Rights By Not Teaching Them To Read
The state of California today agreed to settle a years-long, high-profile lawsuit that accused the state of depriving low-income students of color of their constitutional right to a basic education — by failing to teach them reading skills. Under an agreement reached with plaintiffs in the complaint, Ella T. v. State of California, the state will provide $50 million specifically to improve literacy in the 75 California elementary schools with the highest concentration of third-graders scoring in the bottom tier of the state’s standardized reading exam. (Cano, 2/20)
NPR:
California Lawmakers Expected To Apologize For U.S. Internment Of Japanese Americans
It has been just over 78 years since President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order authorizing the internment of Japanese Americans. Now the California Assembly is expected to apologize for the role the state played in rounding up about 120,000 people – mainly U.S. citizens – and moving them into 10 camps, including two in California. (Wamsley, 2/20)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Oakland High School Shut Due To Cancer-Causing Chemical Found In Groundwater
A cancer-causing chemical found in groundwater has forced an Oakland school to abruptly cancel classes and close through at least next Wednesday, district officials said Thursday. The chemical trichloroethylene was found under the campus of McClymonds High School and was not in the drinking water, said spokesman John Sasaki. (Tucker, 2/20)
Los Angeles Times:
Swarm Of Up To 40,000 Bees In Pasadena Sends 5 People To The Hospital With Stings
Thousands of bees swarming near Pasadena City College sent five people to the hospital with stings and shut down Colorado Boulevard on Thursday afternoon. About 4 p.m., firefighters responded to a call of a person who was stung by a bee near Colorado Boulevard and North Sierra Bonita Avenue. Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said first responders saw a “huge influx of bees” about a block long buzzing around both sides of the street. (Cosgrove, 2/20)
USC Center For Health Journalism Collaborative:
California And The Opioid Epidemic Among The Uninsured
An innovative program to provide free treatment for opioid addiction to uninsured and underinsured patients is helping California make progress in tackling the epidemic. That’s the conclusion of health care providers who hope the effort will continue to grow and benefit from federal dollars. (Amaro, 2/20)
The New York Times:
Medicare’s Private Option Is Gaining Popularity, And Critics
When Ed Stein signed up for Medicare eight years ago, the insurance choice seemed like a no-brainer. Mr. Stein, a Denver retiree, could choose original, fee-for-service Medicare or its private managed-care alternative, Medicare Advantage. He was a healthy and active 65-year-old, and he picked Advantage for its extra benefits. “The price was the same, I liked the access to gyms, and the drug plan was very good,” he recalled. After a pause, he added: “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be facing a crisis like the one I’m having now.” (Miller, 2/21)
The Washington Post:
Here's The Medicare-For-All Study Bernie Sanders Keeps Bringing Up
A new analysis published in the journal Lancet adds some empirical heft to an argument many progressives have been making for years: A national single-payer health-care system would save tens of thousands of lives each year — and hundreds of billions of dollars. If you watched last night’s Democratic debate in Nevada you might have heard Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) cite “a major study [that] came out from Yale epidemiologist[s] in Lancet, one of the leading medical publications in the world” in support of his Medicare-for-all plan. He was talking about this study, which was just published last week. (Ingraham, 2/20)
The Wall Street Journal:
Indian Health Service Declines To Release Report On Sexual Abuse
The U.S. Indian Health Service says it can’t disclose a report that identifies the officials responsible for mishandling a government pediatrician who abused Native American boys for decades, citing a law meant to protect medical reviews. That stance has angered relatives of the pediatrician’s victims, tribal members and former agency employees who hoped the report would provide a public reckoning and greater accountability for those who didn’t do enough to protect Native American children. (Weaver and Rosch, 2/20)
The Hill:
Issues With CDC Coronavirus Test Pose Challenges For Expanded Screening
Expanded screening for the coronavirus has been postponed amid issues with a test developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although the Trump administration had planned to expand screening to various state and local public health labs, only three of more than 100 such labs nationwide have verified th e CDC’s test for use, Politico reported. (Bukryk, 2/20)
Stat:
Machine Learning Finds A Novel Antibiotic Able To Kill Superbugs
For decades, discovering novel antibiotics meant digging through the same patch of dirt. Biologists spent countless hours screening soil-dwelling microbes for properties known to kill harmful bacteria. But as superbugs resistant to existing antibiotics have spread widely, breakthroughs were becoming as rare as new places to dig. Now, artificial intelligence is giving scientists a reason to dramatically expand their search into databases of molecules that look nothing like existing antibiotics. (Ross, 2/20)
USA Today:
Alcoholic Liver Disease Rates Soar Among Younger People
Although Rachel Martin would never deny she had a drinking problem, she figured years would pass before it would take a toll on her health. After all, she had not yet hit 40 and she had managed to eke out two years of complete sobriety about a decade ago. Even when she was drinking, she would hit the bottle hard for three weeks but then go cold turkey for a week. So when Martin started feeling off about a year and a half ago, she tried to ignore the symptoms. (Rudavsky, 2/20)
Los Angeles Times:
A Tax Hike Is Inevitable To Address Homelessness In California
OK, I’m waiting to hear about the tax increase that will be needed to pay for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ambitious plan to solve homelessness. A tax hike is inevitable, but the T-word was conspicuously missing from Newsom’s frequently applauded State of the State address on Wednesday to a joint session of the California Legislature, which is tightly controlled by fellow Democrats. (George Skelton, 2/20)
Los Angeles Times:
So Trump Wants To Solve California's Homeless Crisis? Here Are Five Things He Can Do
It’s not as if there’s no room for criticism of local efforts, and I’ve leveled some myself.But this is an election year, and Trump is guaranteed to pound away at his theme that Democrats are clueless, horrible, evil people, and California is Exhibit A of the horrors visited on places that elect them.But for the sake of argument, let’s say the president really does want to help. I’m here to facilitate, and in that spirit, I have five recommendations. (Steve Lopez, 2/19)
CalMatters:
California Should Not List Acetaminophen As A Carcinogen. It's Safe
Protecting consumer safety is an important part of government oversight, but a regulatory effort currently underway in California could actually pose more harm than good. There is debate over whether acetaminophen should be added to the Proposition 65 list, which serves as a warning to the public of cancer-causing chemicals. (Dr. Shalini Shah and Dr. Edward Mariano, 2/20)
Fresno Bee:
Make Porterville CA Buildings Safe After Deadly Library Fire
There must be a time of mourning the deaths of the two Porterville firefighters who were killed when they searched for anyone trapped inside the city’s library when a roaring fire broke out. The community should honor the courage and service of Capt. Raymond Figueroa, 35, and engineer trainee Patrick Jones, 25. But once the grieving is over, city officials must face some tough questions. The firefighters’ deaths are especially tragic because Porterville leaders had known for years that the library needed to be rebuilt. (2/21)
LA Daily News:
Preventing Homelessness Key To Solving The Current Crisis
As California grapples with an unprecedented homelessness crisis, there has been much discussion about helping those currently on the streets, with far less focus on how we can prevent homelessness in the first place. Yet prevention is clearly a key piece of the puzzle, particularly as the number of Californians slipping into homelessness each year continues to outpace local efforts to provide shelter. (Jesse Gabriel, 2/19)
Los Angeles Times:
Speeding Cars Kill. Why Won't California Reform Speed Limits?
The way California cities are required to set speed limits is outdated, absurd and downright dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists — and it’s not even backed up by scientific research on safety. That’s why, at a time when many communities are seeking to slow down cars to save lives, cities are still being forced to raise speed limits as a condition of enforcing their traffic laws. It’s dangerous and counterproductive, and it’s about time state lawmakers fix the problem. They will have another chance to do so this year, and they should seize it. (2/19)
Ventura County Star:
Your Doctor’s Rx For Health: Medicare For All
California has formally begun the election process to determine who will be president come January, as absentee and vote-by-mail ballots have been distributed. There are so many critical issues we face. When it comes to the general well-being of our state and nation, no issue is more important than health and the access to medical care for everyone. About 90 million people in this country have either no insurance or who are underinsured. In Ventura County, the number of uninsured is in excess of 71,000, with the majority of those individuals ages 18-64 and underinsured many times higher than that. This is a critical problem that impacts everyone. (Robert Dodge, Leslie-Lynn Pawson and Jake Donaldson, 2/15)
Los Angeles Times:
We Don't Know Enough About Latinos And Alzheimer's, And That's A Huge Problem
The Alzheimer’s disease tsunami is coming our way, and it is being propelled by the demographics of the baby boomers — the oldest of them turned 75 in 2019. Today, there are nearly 6 million Americans with the disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Assn., a number expected to nearly triple by 2050. The significant increase in the number of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s will be a looming public health crisis as society deals with their diminished quality of life, the potentially extraordinary costs of caregiving and the economic demands made on younger generations. (Hector Gonzalez, 2/19)
CalMatters:
California Must Prepare For Rising Cases Of Autism.
In 1999, the state of California was in shock: baffling even the most seasoned of authorities, autism cases in the developmental services system had spiked from about 4,000 in 1987 to about 13,000 cases in 1998. As it turns out, that was just a hint of what lay ahead: today, the Department of Developmental Services counts nearly 10 times that, more than 122,000 autism cases. Though we hear little about autism data from our public health leaders or media, California’s autism rates continue to surge, with no plateau in sight. (Jill Escher, 2/16)
The Bakersfield Californian:
What’s The Magic Painkiller In Alcohol?
Hollywood’s usual version of a death scene differs greatly from reality. But not when, in the old western movie, a cowboy is hit by an Indian arrow. He’s immediately handed a bottle of whisky, takes a few swigs of it, and the arrow is pulled out.The use of alcohol to decrease the effects of pain is as old as the fermentation process. But what’s the magic ingredient in alcohol that works so well? I decided to try and find out from scientific sources. Read on, too, for my latest experience with medical marijuana (cannabis). (W. Gifford-Jones, 2/17)
East Bay Times:
2020 Brings New Era Of Heart Attack And Stroke Prevention
2020 is an amazing time in the history of medicine. Knowledge has now evolved to the point where the No. 1 killer and disabler in the world no longer needs to be. As we celebrate Valentine’s Day, let’s all pledge to apply our ability to prevent heart attacks and strokes starting at home. (David Maron, Stephen Shortell and Hattie Rees Hanley, 2/14)