- KFF Health News Original Stories 1
- From Syria To Southern California: Refugees Seek Care For Wounds Of War
- Health Care Personnel 1
- Nurses' Tentative New Contract With University Of California Would Boost Pay By 15 Percent Over 5 Years
- The Opioid Crisis 1
- In Midst Of Opioid Epidemic, New California Law Targets 'Doctor Shopping' Issue Using Online Database
- Public Health and Education 2
- Missed Prescriptions, Cuts In Dirty Water, Rotten Food: How Public Health Threats Go Beyond Wind And Rain During Storms
- Stanford Health Care Professionals Call For Gun Violence To Be Treated As Public Health Crisis
- National Roundup 3
- Republican Senator Urges Delay On Kavanaugh Vote After Woman Accusing Nominee Of Sexual Assault Goes Public
- Industry, Advocacy Groups Sue Administration Over Short-Term Plans They Say Will Lead To Unfair Competition
- Republicans Shy Away From ACA Messaging In Campaign Ads As Dems Focus On Preexisting Conditions Protections
Latest From California Healthline:
KFF Health News Original Stories
From Syria To Southern California: Refugees Seek Care For Wounds Of War
A clinic in El Cajon, Calif., treats patients recovering from anything from gunshot wounds to PTSD and anxiety about family left behind. (Eryn Brown, 9/17)
More News From Across The State
If approved by California Nurses Association members, the new contract would cover 14,000 registered nurses working at five UC medical centers, 10 student health centers and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory through October 2020.
Sacramento Bee:
UC, Nurses’ Union Have Tentative Deal
After almost two years of negotiations, the California Nurses Association announced Saturday that it has a tentative contract agreement with the University of California that would boost pay 15 percent over five years. ... CNA touted that a “host of improvements and protections for both patients and nurses” are included in the agreement. Language in the contract would include workplace violence and sexual harassment protections and infectious disease protections. (Dickman, 9/15)
In other news —
Capital Public Radio:
California Janitors March From San Francisco To Sacramento, Urging Governor To Sign Sexual Harassment Bill
A group of around 100 janitors finished a nearly 100-mile trek on from San Francisco to Sacramento Friday, pressuring Gov. Jerry Brown to sign a bill they say will help protect them against sexual assault while working at night. The bill builds upon prior legislation that requires janitorial employers to undergo sexual harassment and assault training, among other measures. (Sebai, 9/14)
Physicians will be required to consult a prescription history database when doling out opioids. Meanwhile, officials in Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach are warning about fentanyl-laced cocaine that has been linked to at least three deaths.
Los Angeles Times:
As Opioid Death Toll Worsens, California Doctors Will Soon Be Required To Perform Database Checks
By the time the 59-year-old woman overdosed in the late summer of 2013, she’d been given 75 prescriptions by three primary care doctors, a psychiatrist and a pain specialist in one year. Her deadly cocktail: an opioid painkiller, a sleeping aid and anti-anxiety medication. Had any of the five physicians treating her been aware she’d been “shopping” around for prescriptions? Had they warned her of the dangerous combinations? Had anyone tried to intervene? (Davis, 9/16)
KPBS:
County Officials Warn Of Fentanyl Deaths In Ocean Beach And Pacific Beach
County law enforcement and health officials warned residents Friday of three deaths this past weekend caused by fentanyl-laced cocaine in Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach. ...In addition to the three deaths, two others overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine and survived. (Murphy, 9/14)
CDC emergency response teams know what patterns to look for, but it's still a monumental task keeping those in the path of a hurricane healthy. Meanwhile, the death toll from Hurricane Florence continues to climb.
Los Angeles Times:
How The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Responds To A Hurricane Like Florence
For all the political chatter about the human toll of hurricanes, one lesson of past monster storms is clear and increasingly urgent: Hurricanes claim lives and erode health before, during and after the water, wind and rain hit. To reduce the short-term and long-term health consequences of these ever more frequent storms, emergency planners need to anticipate how the threats unfold — and get ahead of them. They may even use such disasters as opportunities to boost communities’ health after a storm has passed. (Healy, 9/14)
The Associated Press:
Florence Death Toll At 17, Including 3-Month-Old
The death toll attributed to Florence stands at 17, including 11 in North Carolina and six in South Carolina. (9/16)
Stanford Health Care Professionals Call For Gun Violence To Be Treated As Public Health Crisis
“If this were any other public health problem, we wouldn’t stand for it,” said Dr. David Spain, chief of trauma at Stanford Health Care. “But it’s such a hot button political topic that we lose the ability to talk about it.”
The Mercury News:
Stanford Doctors Lead National Effort For Gun Safety
On Monday, angry and frustrated by gun violence, health care professionals at Stanford Medical Center and 40 other leading medical centers will hold simultaneous rallies to treat firearm violence as a public health crisis. It’s a non-partisan action co-founded by Stanford’s Professor of Medicine Dr. Dean Winslow and fourth year medical student Sarabeth Spitzer. (Krieger, 9/15)
In other public health news —
San Francisco Chronicle:
UCSF Gets $20 Million To Research Health Effects Of E-Cigarettes, Other Products
UCSF has won a $20 million federal grant to fund research into the health effects of new tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes, the use of which, especially among teenagers, is raising alarm among public health experts. The grant, which comes from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, is the second round of federal funding that UCSF has received for this kind of research. (Allday, 9/17)
The Mercury News:
Children’s Hospital Oakland At Forefront Of Sickle Cell Treatment, Research
The Oakland hospital’s Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center offers inpatient and outpatient services and a 20-bed infusion center hospital, where patients come in for transfusions, infusions and other treatments for the day. It treats 250 children and 250 adults a year with sickle cell disease and provides screening and treatment for stroke risk, hypertension and pulmonary and neurovascular disease. (Kawamoto, 9/17)
As Summer Fades, Kern County Begins To Brace For Flu Season
Experts say the best way to prevent the flu is to get an annual vaccine. The Kern County Public Health Services Department will be holding two free vaccination clinics in October, as well as getting the word out through billboards and other campaigns.
The Bakersfield Californian:
County, Businesses Gearing Up For Start Of Flu Season
Fall is almost upon us, but along with cooler weather it brings a less welcome element: the start of flu season. Flu season typically kicks off in October, but pharmacies and other businesses have already begun offering flu shots, often at no cost to those who have health insurance. The Kern County Public Health Services Department will begin offering flu shots in early October once their vaccines arrive. ...[Michelle Corson, public relations officer for KCPH] said the department will be holding two free vaccination clinics in October to try to get more people to get a flu shot, which typically costs $9. The department will also be getting the word out starting next month with billboards, public safety announcements and other efforts. (Luiz, 9/15)
In other news across the state —
Ventura County Star:
Dignity Merger Angst To Be Vented In Oxnard Hearing
Worries about job security, hospital closures and Catholic views on reproductive services will likely be aired in an Oxnard public meeting on a planned merger involving the parent company of two local hospitals. Dignity Health, which operates 39 hospitals, including St. John’s in Oxnard and Camarillo, is planning to merge with Catholic Health Initiatives. That Colorado-based company owns 101 hospitals in 18 states. Officials from the California Attorney General’s Office will hold a public meeting to hear comments on the merger at 1 p.m. Thursday at Oxnard College’s Performing Arts Center. Similar meetings are being held across the state as part of a process leading to a decision by the attorney general on whether to OK the plan. (Kisken, 9/16)
Capital Public Radio:
Videos Show Sacramento Police Fatally Shoot Darell Richards, But Key Details Still Unclear
The Sacramento Police Department has released video of the officers who fatally shot Darell Richards, a black-Hmong 19-year-old, in the backyard of a Curtis Park home on the morning of September 6. The footage culminates when a police dog locates Richards hiding underneath a staircase. (Zentner, Hagan and Miller, 9/14)
Professor Christine Blasey Ford spoke out over the weekend about her allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, which involve an incident that allegedly occurred when they were in high school. Following the revelation, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who sits on the Judiciary Committee and is crucial to moving Kavanaugh's nomination to the full floor, said he's not comfortable voting "yes" until lawmakers hear from Ford. Other Republican senators also echoed the sentiment.
The Washington Post:
California Professor Christine Blasey Ford, Writer Of Confidential Brett Kavanaugh Letter, Speaks Out About Sexual Assault Allegation
Earlier this summer, Christine Blasey Ford wrote a confidential letter to a senior Democratic lawmaker alleging that Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her more than three decades ago, when they were high school students in suburban Maryland. Since Wednesday, she has watched as that bare-bones version of her story became public without her name or her consent, drawing a blanket denial from Kavanaugh and roiling a nomination that just days ago seemed all but certain to succeed. Now, Ford has decided that if her story is going to be told, she wants to be the one to tell it. (Brown, 9/16)
Los Angeles Times:
Kavanaugh Nomination Faces Delay After Sex Assault Accuser Comes Forward
Kavanaugh, 53, issued a brief statement last week when the allegations came to light, without the accuser’s name attached. “I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time,” he said. At about the same time, the White House released a testimonial letter from 65 women who knew Kavanaugh as a teenager saying that in their experience, he had always treated women with respect. (King, 9/16)
The New York Times:
Brett Kavanaugh’s Confirmation In Turmoil As Accuser Comes Forward
Ms. Ford’s decision to put her name behind accusations that began to circulate late last week — a choice made after weeks of reluctance — appeared to open a door to a delay in a Senate committee vote on the nomination scheduled for Thursday. The disclosure also injected a volatile #MeToo element into the confirmation debate, one that is playing out in the overwhelmingly male Republican-led Senate during a midterm election that has energized Democratic women. (Stolberg, 9/16)
The Washington Post:
GOP Senator: Hold Off On Kavanaugh Vote Until Accuser Is Heard
The White House on Sunday stood by Brett M. Kavanaugh after a woman publicly accused him of sexual assault decades ago, an allegation that triggered the most concrete signs yet of Republican resistance to President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee. With the nomination suddenly in doubt, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) was working to arrange follow-up calls with Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who said he assaulted her when the two were in high school. (Sullivan, Kim and Sonmez, 9/16)
Politico:
'I Do Not Know This Woman': Trump Allies Rally To Kavanaugh's Defense
More than half a dozen current and former White House officials or people close to the president said that Trump will continue to stand behind Kavanaugh, even as they were increasingly resigned to the likelihood that the Senate Judiciary Committee will be compelled to examine the allegations in detail. “Of course we’re not going to pull the nomination,” said one White House official involved in the confirmation process after retiring Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, a member of the Judiciary Committee, told POLITICO that he wasn’t comfortable moving ahead on the original timetable. (Gerstein, Restuccia and Lippman, 9/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
Brett Kavanaugh Accuser Comes Forward About Alleged Sexual Assault
Sen. Jeff Flake (R., Ariz.), who sits on the committee, said he wouldn’t vote for Judge Kavanaugh to advance to the full Senate until the committee had heard from Mrs. Ford. “I would not vote yes until we hear more from the woman who’s come forward,” Mr. Flake said in an interview. With Republicans holding just a one-vote majority on the committee, a defection by Mr. Flake would prevent the panel from favorably advancing Judge Kavanaugh to the full Senate, where the GOP has a 51-49 majority. Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.) told Politico he also supported delaying the vote to hear from Mrs. Ford, while Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine) told CNN she was discussing the matter with colleagues. (Peterson and Gurman, 9/16)
Politico:
Flake Opposes Quick Vote On Kavanaugh, Putting Confirmation In Doubt
Later Sunday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), a moderate who had yet to say how she will vote, echoed the notion that the vote might need to be delayed. “If there is real substance to this, it demands a response,” she told CNN. (Everett, 9/16)
The plans will have much lower premiums than health law-compliant ones because they can turn away customers due to preexisting conditions or charge more based on age, health status and gender, with no out-of-pocket caps, among other things.
Modern Healthcare:
Healthcare Groups Sue To Block Trump's Expansion Of Short-Term Plans
Seven healthcare industry and advocacy groups sued the Trump administration Friday to block a new rule expanding the availability of short-term health plans that don't comply with Affordable Care Act consumer protection rules for the individual market. The Association for Community Affiliated Plans, the American Psychiatric Association and several other groups alleged that the rule flies in the face of the intent of the ACA to make low-cost comprehensive insurance available to Americans and it cannot move forward. (Meyer, 9/14)
The Wall Street Journal:
Lawsuit Seeks To Block Trump Health-Insurance Effort
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, takes aim at one of the central planks of the administration’s plan to roll back the Obama-era health law, after Congress failed to repeal it last year. It sets the stage for a legal standoff that could affect coverage and premiums for millions of Americans in 2019. The Trump administration rule finalized in August loosens restrictions on a type of coverage known as short-term medical insurance—low-cost plans that cover a limited period with less-expansive benefit offerings, which are subject to fewer consumer protection regulations. The plans don’t have to cover people with pre-existing conditions, and insurers can charge higher premiums based on a consumer’s health status. (Armour, 9/14)
Health care is a hot topic during the final stretch before the midterm elections. In a shift from years past, Democrats are trying to use the health law as a weapon against Republicans. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, is promising to protect Medicare -- just like he did when campaigning for 2016. But this time around he has a record showing that he supports cuts to Medicare and other safety net programs.
The New York Times:
No. 1 Aim Of Democratic Campaign Ads: Protect Pre-Existing Conditions
In years past, Obamacare was the stuff of Republican attack ads. No more.This cycle, even Democrats running in red states are unapologetically putting health care at the center of their campaign messages. There’s a reason: Republican efforts to overhaul the health care system last year were deeply unpopular. (Sanger-Katz, 9/17)
The New York Times:
Taking Page From 2016, Trump Claims Democrats Will Destroy Safety Net
President Trump had a blunt message for Montana voters last week, an unapologetic reprise of the promise to protect Medicare and Social Security that he used during the 2016 presidential campaign to successfully appeal to older, blue-collar voters. “They’re going to hurt your Social Security so badly, and they’re killing you on Medicare. Just remember that. I’m going to protect your Social Security,” Mr. Trump said at a campaign rally in Billings on behalf of Matt Rosendale, a Republican Senate candidate. (Shear, 9/14)
In other national health care news —
The Associated Press:
Few Safeguards For Foster Kids On Psych Drugs
Thousands of children in foster care may be getting powerful psychiatric drugs prescribed to them without basic safeguards, according to a federal watchdog's investigation that finds a failure to care for youngsters whose lives have already been disrupted. The report due Monday from the Health and Human Services inspector general's office found that about 1 in 3 foster kids from a sample of states were prescribed psychiatric drugs without treatment plans or follow-up, which are considered standard for sound medical care. (9/17)
Stat:
Gottlieb Pitches 'Subscriptions' To Encourage Pharma To Make New Antibiotics
The Food and Drug Administration is talking with other federal agencies and even the private Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation about new ways to encourage drug makers to develop more antibiotics, agency Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a speech Friday. The problem Gottlieb wants to address is twofold. First, as bacteria become immune to the current arsenal of antibiotic medicines, more than 20,000 Americans are dying each year from these hard-to-treat infections. Drug companies, however, have few financial incentives to develop better drugs. (Swetlitz, 9/14)
CNBC:
HHS Supports FDA's Proposed E-Cigarette Crackdown, HHS Chief Azar Says
Regulators aren't going to allow what they're calling an epidemic of e-cigarette use among teens become a "pathway to nicotine dependency," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told CNBC on Friday. The e-cigarette craze has driven what's arguably the largest uptick in teen nicotine use in decades after years of driving cigarette smoking rates to record lows. Teens who would have never smoked cigarettes are happily inhaling fruity flavors, sometimes without realizing it is packed with nicotine, an addictive substance. (LaVito, 9/14)
The New York Times:
Don’t Use Infant Walkers
More than 230,000 children younger than 15 months were treated in emergency rooms for injuries incurred while using infant walkers from 1990 to 2014. An analysis published in Pediatrics has found that 6,539 of them had skull fractures, 91 percent of them from falling down stairs. The devices are banned in Canada, and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that they be banned in the United States as well. (Bakalar, 9/17)
Stat:
Addiction Doctors Try To Bring Care To Patients, Rather Than Vice Versa
The San Francisco program, run by the city’s public health department, is one of a handful of novel programs around the country that are taking the unusual step of delivering comprehensive treatment to people with addiction — wherever they are. These programs aim to help patients who can’t or won’t jump through the hoops of health care bureaucracy — appointments, referrals, paperwork, even obtaining a photo ID. It is one of the rare policy ideas that is giving health officials hope for reducing overdose deaths, even as Congress nibbles around the edges of the crisis and the Trump administration grows increasingly hostile to some harm-reduction initiatives. (Facher, 9/17)
The New York Times:
Low-Dose Aspirin Late In Life? Healthy People May Not Need It
Should older people in good health start taking aspirin to prevent heart attacks, strokes, dementia and cancer? No, according to a study of more than 19,000 people, including whites 70 and older, and blacks and Hispanics 65 and older. They took low-dose aspirin — 100 milligrams — or a placebo every day for a median of 4.7 years. Aspirin did not help them — and may have done harm. (Grady, 9/16)