Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Centene Showers Politicians With Millions as It Courts Contracts and Settles Overbilling Allegations
Centene, the largest Medicaid managed-care company in the U.S., has thrown more than $26.9 million at political campaigns across the country since 2015, especially focused on states where it is wooing Medicaid contracts and settling accusations that it overbilled taxpayers. Among its tactics: Centene is skirting contribution limits by giving to candidates through its many subsidiaries. (Samantha Young and Andy Miller and Rebecca Grapevine, )
Newsom Issues Harsh Rebuke Of Plans For Homeless: Gov. Gavin Newsom has issued a blanket rejection of local California governments’ plans to curb homelessness, putting on hold hundreds of millions of dollars in aid. Read more from Politico, CapRadio, Voice of San Diego, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Keep scrolling for more on the housing crisis.
Biden Describes Stutter During Unscripted Moment In Oceanside: During a speech at MiraCosta College gym on Thursday, President Joe Biden went on a three-minute detour after a teenager in the audience held up a sign that read, “Thank you for having a stutter.” Biden went on to describe his stutter as a “really debilitating thing” and even demonstrated what his stutter used to sound like. Read more from Times of San Diego.
Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage. For today's national health news, read KHN's Morning Briefing.
More News From Across The State
Times Of San Diego:
UCSD Scientists Find COVID Damages Brain Cell Synapses, But Propose Treatment
An international team of researchers led by scientists at UC San Diego School of Medicine have shown that the virus which causes COVID-19 can damage brain cell synapses, according to a report published Thursday. By using tiny, self-organized, three-dimensional tissue cultures derived from stem cells called organoids, the scientists found that the SARS- CoV-2 virus infects cortical neurons to damage and destroy the synapses — the connections between brain cells that allow them to communicate with each other. (Sklar, 11/3)
CNN:
Pfizer/BioNTech Say Updated Covid-19 Booster Generates 'Substantially Higher' Protection Against Omicron Subvariants Than Original Vaccine
Pfizer and BioNTech said Friday that the immune responses against Omicron BA.4/BA.5 subvariants were “substantially higher” in people who got its new bivalent booster compared with people who received the companies’ original Covid-19 vaccine. (Christensen, 11/4)
The New York Times:
Study Shows New Covid Booster Improves Protection For Older People, Pfizer Says
The companies said that one month after getting the new booster, clinical trial participants over 55 had antibody levels that were 3.8 times as high as those who received the original booster. The number of participants in the study was small, with 36 people receiving the new booster and 40 receiving the old one. The control group included only older adults, and the findings so far are limited to one month after the shot. Results from a similar clinical trial by Moderna are expected soon. (LaFraniere, 11/4)
CapRadio:
What Public Health Experts Expect For COVID-19 In California This Winter
Two California public health experts said a surge of COVID-19 could be coming soon and pleaded with all Californians to get vaccinated, including older adults and young children under 5. At a virtual town hall hosted by state Senator Nancy Skinner on Tuesday night, UC San Francisco Department of Medicine Chair Dr. Robert Wachter and California State Epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan addressed the current moment in the pandemic and what might be coming up in California. (Wolffe, 11/3)
CNBC:
Fauci: U.S. At Covid Pandemic Crossroads As Omicron Subvariants Emerge
Fauci, in a radio interview Thursday, said the pandemic has clearly eased since last winter, but deaths, which average more than 2,600 per week, remain far too high. At the same time, the new omicron variants are knocking out key tools used to protect the most vulnerable. (Kimball, 11/3)
Marin Independent Journal:
Marin Gets First Cases Of Highly Contagious Bird Flu
The first cases of a highly infectious strain of bird flu that has killed millions of birds in the United States this year have been detected in Marin County. (Houston, 11/4)
ABC News:
Pfizer, BioNTech Launch Phase 1 Trial On Combined COVID-19 And Flu Vaccine
Pfizer and BioNTech have launched a clinical trial on a vaccine targeting both COVID-19 and influenza, the companies announced Thursday. The phase 1 trial is being done in the United States with 180 participants between the ages of 18 and 64, with the first participant dosed this week, the companies said. The follow-up period for each participant will be six months. (Deliso, 11/3)
The Washington Post:
Abortion Rights Key Issue With Latino Voters, Polls Say
For decades, Democrats and Republicans trying to attract Latino voters have been guided by widespread assumptions that the generally Democratic Latino electorate is conservative on the issue of abortion. But recent polls have debunked those long-held beliefs, finding most Latinos say abortion should be legal, often on par with White voters though trailing Black voters in support. (Foster-Frau and Sotomayor, 11/3)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California’s Proposed Flavored Tobacco Ban Gives Hookahs A Pass
In 2019, local business owners began gathering regularly at Arnie Abramyan’s hookah lounge on the outskirts of Los Angeles to fight a proposed statewide prohibition on the sale of flavored tobacco. From the heavily Armenian neighborhood of Tujunga in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, Abramyan and other hookah shop and cafe owners began spreading the word that the ban, prompted by a burgeoning epidemic of e-cigarette use among teens, could put them out of business and extinguish a beloved social ritual that many feel is part of their heritage. (Scheier, 11/3)
Los Angeles Times:
Your Guide To Prop. 29 On California Kidney Dialysis Centers
If approved, Proposition 29 would require dialysis clinics to have a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant on premises during treatment hours. The ballot measure would also require clinics to disclose if a physician has ownership interests in the facility and to report patient infection data. (11/3)
The Washington Post:
CDC Releases New, More Flexible Guidelines For Prescribing Opioids
Responding to a backlash from pain patients, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated guidelines Thursday that offer clinicians more flexibility in the way they prescribe opioids for short- and long-term pain. The new recommendations eliminate numerical dose limits and caps on length of treatment for chronic pain patients that had been suggested in the landmark 2016 version of the agency’s advice, which was aimed at curbing the liberal use of the medication and controlling a rampaging opioid epidemic. Those guidelines cautioned doctors that commencing opioid therapy was a momentous decision for patients. (Bernstein, 11/3)
USA Today:
Amid Backlash, CDC's New Opioid Guidance Aims To Curb Addiction And Treat Patients
The new guidance avoids strict figures on dosage and length of opioid prescriptions, recommends how and when to prescribe opioids, and describes harms and benefits. But the CDC emphasized the recommendations are voluntary and flexible and should not be used to support a one-size-fits-all policy. (Alltucker, 11/3)
AP:
US Agency Softens Opioid Prescribing Guidelines For Doctors
A draft released in February received 5,500 public comments. Some modifications were made, but several main changes stayed in place, including: The CDC no longer suggests trying to limit opioid treatment for acute pain to three days; The agency is dropping the specific recommendation that doctors avoid increasing dosage to a level equivalent to 90 milligrams of morphine per day. (Stobbe, 11/3)
NPR:
CDC Issues New Opioid Prescribing Guidance, Giving Doctors More Leeway To Treat Pain
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new guidance for clinicians on how and when to prescribe opioids for pain. Released Thursday, this revamps the agency's 2016 recommendations which some doctors and patients have criticized for promoting a culture of austerity around opioids. (Stone and Huang, 11/3)
San Gabriel Valley Tribune:
Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Employees To Stage Picket
Nurses and other workers at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center plan to picket the hospital Friday, Nov. 4, claiming they’re understaffed and mired in a toxic work environment rife with bullying and sexual harassment. (Smith, 11/3)
Oaklandside:
One Of Fruitvale’s Only Optometry Practices Faithfully Serves Its Patients
Fruitvale Optometry was one of the first small businesses to open in the Fruitvale Transit Village 18 years ago but the shop is still going strong all these years later serving locals in East Oakland. Most of their clients are Latinos who have come to rely on the bilingual staff. “I definitely feel like I’m a part of the community, and I feel a connection to the people I serve“, said Dr. Payam Zarehbin Irani, the practice’s founder and lead optometrist. (Rodas, 11/3)
Los Angeles Times:
Paul Pelosi Released From Hospital After Skull Fracture From Hammer Attack
Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was released from the hospital Thursday, six days after he was severely beaten by an intruder inside the couple’s San Francisco home. In a statement, Speaker Pelosi said her husband “remains under doctors’ care as he continues to progress on a long recovery process and convalescence.” (Winton and Aleaziz, 11/3)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Lucy Has A Rare Genetic Disorder. Two Doctors Are Leading The Desperate Hunt For A Cure: Her Parents
Geri and Zach Landman have filled their phones with videos of baby Lucy, the youngest of their three girls: Lucy flapping her hand for a high-five, Lucy pulling herself to her feet and taking a single wobbly step, Lucy babbling “dada.” Someday they may look back on the footage with the sweet nostalgia of any parent. But they know the videos could instead become artifacts of a child they met only fleetingly, before an extremely rare neurological disorder stole her fledgling gestures, her mobility, her voice. (Allday, 11/3)
The Coast News:
Interfaith Opens New Post-Hospitalization Center For Homeless
A former motel has been transformed into a 106-bed center offering post-hospitalization and recuperative care for homeless individuals. Interfaith Community Services recently unveiled the new Abraham and Lillian Turk Recuperative Care Center, which will provide care for veterans and civilians leaving hospitals who have recuperative care needs and are struggling with homelessness. (Nelson, 11/3)
Los Angeles Times:
New To L.A.'s Winter Shelter Program: Motel Vouchers
In the past, when the weather turned cold and wet, people living on the street had two choices: hunker down or get to one of the winter shelters spread across Los Angeles County. This year, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority is offering a third choice: a motel voucher. Anyone who can’t get to one of the shelters that opened Nov. 1 or can’t tolerate the shelter environment can get a motel room for the night. (Smith, 11/4)
Los Angeles Times:
Inside San Diego's Surprising Success Housing Homeless People
In most cities, Jonathan Tisnado would be unlikely to secure a roof over his head. The 30-year-old was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer in January 2020. Then, he lost his job, because he was too ill to go. Soon after, he lost his apartment, because he couldn’t pay rent. With nowhere to turn, he began living out of his car, a banged-up white Ford Focus. (Kaur, 11/4)
Los Angeles Times:
RSV Is Packing Hospitals With Sick Kids, But It Can Be Contained
Masking to prevent RSV offers an opportunity to reverse another COVID-era mistake: treating behavioral responses to viruses as all-or-nothing. The wisest mask guidelines for RSV reflect a middle ground, a principle that will be useful for battling future outbreaks that hit specific populations hardest. Rather than call for everyone to wear masks all the time, officials can more narrowly recommend that those in high-risk situations for RSV — such as parents of young infants and older individuals — wear high-quality masks (e.g. N95, KN95 or, at least, surgical masks) while RSV transmission is high. (Saad B. Omar, 11/4)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat:
It’s Time To Enroll In California’s Health Insurance Program
More than a million uninsured Californians are eligible for low- or no-cost coverage through Covered California or Medi-Cal. (11/4)
CalMatters:
How California Can Add Black Doctors To Health Care System
A recent study found that many Black Californians have been treated unfairly or felt disrespected by a health provider because of their race. (Wynton Sims, 11/1)
Capitol Weekly:
Congenital Syphilis, Although 100% Preventable, Is A Health Crisis
The U.S. is currently facing a public health crisis — one that is on the rise at an alarming rate, has devastating consequences, and is 100% preventable. And that’s congenital syphilis (CS). Mothers with syphilis can transmit it to their babies during pregnancy or at birth. Approximately 40% of babies born to patients with untreated syphilis are stillborn or die from the infection as a newborn. (Mimi Hall, 11/3)
Los Angeles Daily News:
Microloans Are A Clever Way To Help The Homeless, Prevent Homelessness
The homelessness crisis is leading to frustration among residents and municipalities, which must deal with sprawling tent cities and growing disorder. (10/29)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Twitter Is A Cesspool. The Public Doesn't Get Enough Blame For It
When we see hate speech, we tend to react to it by calling it out or retweeting it with our own criticism attached. But those actions only elevate the hate speech, making it seen by more people. It also gives malevolent users the attention they crave. Instead, why not simply report it and move on? Social media platforms can always add more resources to moderation, but they are never going to be able to create a button that magically gets rid of hate speech. Users have to stop giving awful sentiments an additional audience. (Justin Ray, 11/3)