Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
This Story Contains A Warning That Might Cause Alarm — Or Apathy
Proposition 65 requires California businesses to label products and buildings with warnings about substances the state deems as toxic, ranging from aloe vera to asbestos. A state panel plans to debate whether to add acetaminophen, the active ingredient of common over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol, to the toxics list, raising questions about the value of these ubiquitous warnings. (Anna Almendrala, )
Good morning! Here are some of your top California health stories for the week.
Weapon Used In California High School Shooting Was Untrackable 'Ghost Gun' Built From Parts Ordered Online: The gun used in last week’s shooting at Saugus High School was assembled from parts, a so-called ghost gun without a registration number, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva confirmed Thursday. Homemade ghost guns have grown in popularity in recent years and cannot be traced because they lack serial numbers. Law-enforcement officials say they appeal to people who can’t pass background checks. In 2017, a Northern California man, who was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a restraining order, killed five people using a semiautomatic rifle that he made himself. Investigators use serial numbers on guns to trace weapons used in crimes. Guns sold by gun dealers, where buyers must go through a background check, have serial numbers because federal law requires gun manufacturers to put them on the firearms that they sell. Read more from Richard Winton of the Los Angeles Times and Zusha Elinson of The Wall Street Journal.
In related news—
Los Angeles Times: After Mass Shooting, Fresno’s Hmong Community Is Left Mourning And Afraid
California Officials Say State’s Juvenile Halls Hold Only The Worst Offenders. A San Francisco Chronicle Investigation Finds That’s Not True: State law prohibits the detention of children and teenagers in juvenile halls unless they pose a danger to themselves or the community, are a flight risk or would not be safe if released. Yet probation officers and judges broadly interpret that standard, often holding young people in cells for low-level crimes, even if they pose little risk to the public. State data show that nearly a third of kids held in California’s juvenile halls in the past two years were accused of misdemeanor crimes or probation violations related to those offenses. One in 5 – roughly 550 a month – were booked solely on technical probation violations – mostly noncriminal offenses such as habitually skipping school, breaking curfew or drinking alcohol. Read more from Joaquin Palomino and Jill Tucker of The San Francisco Chronicle.
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
The San Francisco Chronicle:
Juul, Shrinking And Under Fire, May Sell SF Office Tower It Just Bought
Juul is considering selling the San Francisco office tower it bought just five months ago for nearly $400 million. (Ho and Li, 11/21)
The Associated Press:
Vape Debate: Are E-Cigarettes Wiping Out Teen Smoking?
In almost any other year it would be hailed as a public health victory: The smoking rate among U.S. high schoolers took its biggest hit ever this year, federal figures show, falling to a new low. Instead the milestone was relegated to a lone figure at the bottom of a government press release and went unremarked by anti-tobacco groups that have spent decades working to stamp out youth smoking. (11/21)
Reuters:
U.S. Vaping-Related Deaths Rise To 47, Cases Of Illness To 2,290
U.S. health officials on Thursday reported 2,290 confirmed and probable cases and 5 more deaths from a mysterious respiratory illness tied to vaping, taking the total death toll to 47 so far this year. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded 2,172 cases and 42 deaths from the illness. (11/21)
The Washington Post:
Canadian Teen May Have Suffered Popcorn Lung After Months Of E-Cigarette Use
In the two weeks since authorities accused Virginia gynecologist Javaid Perwaiz of performing unnecessary surgeries on women to collect insurance payments, hundreds of distraught former patients have contacted federal authorities, concerned they might be among the people who allegedly endured invasive procedures they did not want or need. (Shammas, 11/21)
Los Angeles Times:
Catholic Hospitals Dictate Care At UC Medical Schools
Clinical and educational training contracts with Catholic hospital chains have placed religion-based constraints on UC personnel and students at every one of UC’s six medical schools, as well as some nursing, nurse practitioner, physician assistant and pharmacy programs. The contracts remain in force at medical and professional schools at UC San Francisco, UCLA, and UC Davis, San Diego and Riverside. (Hiltzik, 11/21)
Sacramento Bee:
California Government Agencies Overpaid For Workers Comp
Ten California state agencies paid $20 million more for workers’ compensation insurance than they could have had selected a different insurer, according to a California State Auditor’s report published Thursday. While most state agencies get workers’ compensation insurance through the State Compensation Insurance Fund, 32 of them get the insurance elsewhere. (Venteicher, 11/21)
The New York Times:
As Rents Outrun Pay, California Families Live On A Knife’s Edge
When Priscilla Fregoso and her family moved into their apartment in Van Nuys, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley, three years ago, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. They had bounced from home to home in Long Beach and Orange County and then in Pacoima, long known as a diverse working-class area of the Valley. But when their rent there increased by $220 a month, they found themselves living in their car. (Cowan and Gebeloff, 11/21)
Los Angeles Times:
Foster Youth Scramble To Find Housing After County Tells Them They Must Move, Citing Youths' 'Best Interest'
Some 50 current and former foster youths are scrambling to find a new place to live after they were abruptly told this week by Los Angeles County that they could no longer participate in programs offered by a nonprofit organization. The youths, most of whom are 18 to 21 years old and still in the foster system, have been receiving housing, basic needs and job placement assistance as they transition into adulthood through David & Margaret Youth and Family Services. (Agrawal, 11/22)
Capital Public Radio:
With Cannabis Legal In California, Some Cities And Health Groups (And Neighbors) Are Asking Questions About Secondhand Smoke
Though California already forbids smoking in public places, many cities and counties are passing local ordinances to make it clear that marijuana is forbidden anywhere tobacco is. Just last week, the city of San Ramon approved a cannabis ban in all public spaces. California landlords can also prohibit marijuana use on rental properties. (Caiola, 11/20)
The Associated Press:
AG Barr To Unveil Plan On Missing, Murdered Native Americans
Attorney General William Barr will announce a nationwide plan on Friday to address the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous people as concerns mount over the level of violence they face. Barr will announce the plan, known as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Initiative, during a visit with tribal leaders and law enforcement officials on the Flathead Reservation in Montana. Native American women experience some of the nation’s highest rates of murder, sexual violence and domestic abuse. (11/22)
The Washington Post:
Trump’s EPA Scales Back Obama Era Safety Rules Adopted After Deadly Chemical Explosion In West, Texas
The Environmental Protection Agency weakened a rule Thursday governing how companies store dangerous chemicals. The standards were enacted under President Barack Obama in the wake of a 2013 explosion in West, Tex., that killed 15 people, including 12 first responders. Under the new standards, companies will not have to provide public access to information about what kinds of chemicals are stored on their sites. (Eliperin, 11/21)
The Associated Press:
EPA Prosecutions Of Polluters Approach Quarter-Century Lows
Justice Department figures show criminal prosecution and convictions of polluters have fallen to quarter-century lows under the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency. The figures Thursday from a Syracuse University records-tracking program show the Justice Department filed 75 prosecutions, and secured 60 convictions, in EPA cases in the fiscal year ended this September. They are the lowest numbers since mid-1990. (Knickmeyer, 11/21)
The Associated Press:
Medicare Drug Plan Finder Can Steer Seniors To Higher Costs
Medicare’s revamped prescription plan finder can steer unwitting seniors to coverage that costs much more than they need to pay, according to people who help with sign-ups as well as program experts. Serving some 60 million Medicare recipients, the plan finder is the most commonly used tool on Medicare.gov and just got its first major update in a decade. (11/21)
ProPublica:
Under Trump, LGBTQ Progress Is Being Reversed In Plain Sight
When he campaigned for president, Donald Trump posed with the rainbow flag and became the first GOP nominee to mention LGBTQ citizens in his convention speech. In his first month as president, he signed an executive order stating he was “determined to protect the rights of all Americans, including the LGBTQ community.” Yet since taking office, Trump’s administration has acted to dismantle federal protections and resources for LGBTQ Americans, particularly those gained under President Barack Obama. (Berg and Syed, 11/22)
Stat:
Machine Learning Will Yield New Drug Candidates Within Three Years
An explosion of biological data will lead to the first drug candidates discovered by an artificial intelligence system within the next few years, a feat that promises to change the way pharmaceutical companies conduct research. That was a consensus opinion that emerged among experts in machine learning who spoke at the STAT Summit Thursday about the use of AI in the pharmaceutical industry. (Ross, 11/21)
Reuters:
Bankrupt Insys Reaches Deal To Divvy Cash Among Opioid Victims
Drugmaker Insys Therapeutics Inc outlined a deal on Thursday to divide its dwindling cash among governments, insurers, hospitals and individuals who accused the company of fueling the U.S. opioid crisis. The company was largely adopting a plan it had filed in September, which now had the support of numerous groups that initially opposed it, said Brenda Funk, who represents the company, at Thursday's hearing before a U.S. bankruptcy judge Kevin Gross in Delaware. (11/21)
Los Angeles Times:
Californians With Health Coverage Hit With Surprise Fees
While the total number of people affected isn’t being made public, numerous Californians with both healthcare and long-term care coverage are being hit with similar charges. ...Mandell’s situation offers a teachable moment about how insurance companies look out for one another, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
If a business goes bust, other insurers will step in to make sure policyholders aren’t left out in the cold. This is done by paying fees to state entities called life and health insurance guarantee associations, which cover at least a portion of the failed company’s outstanding claims. (David Lazarus, 11/19)
The San Francisco Chronicle:
Don’t Be Fooled By Public Option For Health Care
In recent months, support for the government takeover of health insurance championed by Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren has dropped, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Voters are now split nearly down the middle. (Sally C. Pipes, 11/17)
Orange County Register:
Healthcare Policy And The Challenge Of Inertia
California’s Health Insurance Marketplace, Covered California, began its 2020 open enrollment period on October 15th and will continue through January 31st. It is an exciting year for the Marketplace. More generous subsidies are available for Californians this year, overall premiums are only increasing by 0.9%, and three insurers are expanding into new markets. However, it is not entirely clear that Covered California enrollees are enjoying the full benefits of a competitive health insurance market. Would you pay an extra 1,000 dollars per year just to keep your current healthcare plan, even if a nearly identical option was available? Odds are, if you get your insurance through your employer or privately, the answer is likely yes. (Coleman Drake, 11/21)
Ventura County Star:
Ventura County Has A Mental Health Crisis
We have a mental health crisis in Ventura County. The closure of state hospitals led to a mass de-prioritization of the needs of the seriously mentally ill so they landed untreated, warehoused in jails, emergency rooms, and on our streets.The failure of our county to see the bigger picture and prioritize their treatment continues to create havoc in the healthcare system. Instead of dealing with these problems, Ventura County looks the other way and treats the seriously mentally ill like hot potatoes, passing the responsibility from law enforcement to hospitals, to out of county facilities, back to law enforcement, to homelessness, and back to hospitals. (Mary Haffner, 11/21)
Los Angeles Times:
A New Bill Would Give Women Asylum Seekers A Chance
Every day, courageous women and girls arrive at our southern border seeking refuge from unimaginable violence. Under our laws, they have the right to apply for asylum and have their cases heard. But rather than offering protection, the Trump administration is determined to send them back to the countries they have fought so hard to escape. On Thursday, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) introduced the Refugee Protection Act. (Karen Musalo, 11/22)
The San Francisco Chronicle:
I Lost My Breasts, But An Early Test Saved My Life
Cancer is a raw reality of life for my family, which meant that I, too, was put at great risk from an early age. For me, it was the risk of getting breast cancer. Fortunately, when it came to knowing my options for risk, detection and mitigation, I’m one of the lucky ones, as 1 in 3 women in the United States today don’t know their treatment options. (Sarafina Nance, 11/21)
Los Angeles Times:
The 2017 Las Vegas Massacre May Have Claimed Another Victim
The dead, of course, get the headlines. Four killed in Fresno, five in San Diego, two in Santa Clarita, all within the past week. Each loss is a tragedy that we try to salve with memorials, grief counselors, criminal trials of the perpetrators, all by now part of our rituals in processing what has become the inevitable: acts of gun violence. And none of those steps quite do the trick because grief is not something you heal, it is something you endure. (Scott Martelle, 11/19)
Los Angeles Times:
California's San Onofre Nuclear Plant Is A Chernobyl In Waiting
Nuclear accidents often aren’t surprises. Whistleblowers had warned of the dangers before such disasters occurred in 1986 in Chernobyl, Ukraine, and 25 years later in Fukushima, Japan. As one of the world’s wealthiest and most technologically advanced nations, the U.S. may be no better prepared. Many U.S. states have aging nuclear power plants brimming with four decades of self-heating, highly corrosive and toxic radioactive waste. (Kate Brown, 11/19)
Los Angeles Times:
Measles Outbreaks No Big Deal? Talk To My Patient Jim
It is one of the most effective ways to protect our health: herd immunity. By vaccinating the vast majority of people in a population, we can guard against the spread of potentially deadly infections. When we allow this collective immunity to dissipate, the results can be devastating — sometimes even for people who have been vaccinated. Just ask my patient J.J.’s ordeal began with a routine dinner at an Italian restaurant in Culver City in October. A few days later, his wife called me with the news of a possible measles case at the restaurant the same day. (Daniel J. Stone, 11/19)