- California Healthline Original Stories 1
- ‘Scary’ Lung Disease Now Afflicts More Women Than Men In U.S.
- Marketplace 1
- SEIU Poised To Push Ballot Initiative Effecting Reimbursement Caps For Dialysis Clinics
- Public Health and Education 2
- Frustrated Trauma Surgeons Beginning To Speak Out Against Gun Violence
- Drawn-Out, Nasty Flu Season Continues To Plague Ventura County
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
‘Scary’ Lung Disease Now Afflicts More Women Than Men In U.S.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), linked to long-term smoking, has traditionally been considered a men’s disease. But data show it is now more prevalent among women — in large part because they embraced smoking much later than men did. (Anna Gorman, )
More News From Across The State
SEIU Poised To Push Ballot Initiative Effecting Reimbursement Caps For Dialysis Clinics
The Service Employees International Union–United Healthcare Workers West says the proposal would pressure clinics to improve care for dialysis patients by reinvesting extra revenue into staffing and other efforts to raise standards in order to bump up the cost of care.
Modern Healthcare:
Dialysis Industry On Alert As Calif. Union Pushes For Reimbursement Cap
A California fight between dialysis clinics and a major hospital workers' union has healthcare industry investors and stakeholders jittery as the union gets ready to push a ballot initiative to cap private insurance reimbursements for dialysis.
The Service Employees International Union–United Healthcare Workers West, one of the country's largest hospital workers' unions, has gathered more than 600,000 voter signatures for a statewide ballot measure to cut off dialysis clinics' commercial insurance reimbursement at 115% of care costs, which would slash their current rates. (Luthi, 4/4)
Frustrated Trauma Surgeons Beginning To Speak Out Against Gun Violence
“In the past, physicians have been reluctant to jump into the fray. Even after Sandy Hook there was a reluctance to take a public stand,” said Dr. David Spain, chief of trauma surgery at Stanford Health Care. “But people are getting too frustrated and too tired. We are starting to voice our outrage. And we’re still not as vocal as we should be.”
San Francisco Chronicle:
Growing Voice Against Gun Violence: Trauma Surgeons
Less than two hours after Tuesday’s shooting rampage at YouTube’s San Bruno campus left three people wounded and the shooter dead, Dr. Andre Campbell walked out of the emergency room at San Francisco General Hospital, looking weary and ill-tempered. The shooting victims, a man and two women, had arrived at his hospital, the closest trauma center, within an hour of the attack. (Allday, 4/4)
In other public health news —
Los Angeles Times:
This Retinal Implant May One Day Cure Blindness Caused By Macular Degeneration
For many of the 10 million Americans who are losing their vision to a thievish eye condition with no treatment, help may be on its way. In a very early clinical trial, researchers have implanted a stem cell "patch" to repair failing retinal cells in four patients with a condition called "dry" macular degeneration. Three of the four patients who got the bioengineered implant — all of whom had lost their central field of vision and were legally blind — reported some lightening in the previously dark center of their visual field, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The three also saw some improvement in their ability to see shapes and focus on letters or other objects directly in front of them. (Healy, 4/4)
Drawn-Out, Nasty Flu Season Continues To Plague Ventura County
“I’ve never seen this before,” said Dr. Robert Levin of the longer season, calling it the worst in his 20 years as health officer.
Ventura County Star:
Parts Of Ventura County Still Ache From Flu Wave
The worst flu season in recent history isn’t history yet. Some but not all doctors in Ventura County say they’re still dealing with flu more than three months after the first illnesses in a season that has contributed to at least 49 local deaths. The county death tally is more than three times higher than the 15 deaths in the 2009-2010 flu season, the previous high mark for the past decade. (Kisken, 4/4)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Weekly Flu Update: 247 More Cases, 7 Deaths
Though still elevated compared to previous years, San Diego’s flu season appears to be losing steam. The county Health and Human Services Agency announced seven more flu-related deaths Wednesday, bringing the season total to 326. Only one of those deaths occurred last week with two more in the third week of March and the remaining four tracking back to February. (Sisson, 4/4)
Jury Awards California Family $1.6M In Bed Bug Case Against Apartment Company
The family claimed they made numerous complaints before the management company removed the carpeting in the apartment, which finally helped end the infestation.
The New York Times:
California Family Gets $1.6 Million After 3-Year-Old Was Scarred By Bedbugs
A family in California whose son was permanently scarred by bedbug bites has been awarded nearly $1.6 million by a civil jury. It was the highest amount ever paid to a single family in a bedbug case in the United States, according to the family’s lawyer. (Caron, 4/4)
In other news from across the state —
The Bakersfield Californian:
Candidates Talk Social Security, Health Care At Town Hall
Local seniors got to hear from several of the candidates running for the 23rd Congressional District in a town hall on Wednesday. ...One of the other major topics that was discussed was health care, including Medicare and Medicaid. “Our health care system is a fiasco,” [Democratic candidate Wendy] Reed said. “We need to get corporate control out of our government. We need to get the insurance companies out. We need to expand Medicare and get better hospital support. Health care is a human right.” Reed said that while she supports the Affordable Care Act, she believes that universal health care is what is really needed. The other candidates said they were also in support of some kind of universal health care. (Luiz, 4/5)
KPCC:
As OC Scrambles To Address Homeless Crisis, Here's What You Need To Know
The 2-mile long collection of tents and makeshift shelters had become an eyesore, a public health hazard and, in the eyes of some, the epitome of public neglect in one of the nation's wealthiest communities. The mass eviction of some 700 people captured headlines across the country, as did a massive citizen protest last week against a plan to set up emergency homeless shelters in three OC communities to accommodate the displaced. (Replogle, 4/4)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
VA To Break Ground On New Chula Vista Clinic On Thursday
The U.S. Department of Veterans affairs will break ground Thursday morning on a new $27 million clinic in Chula Vista. ...Architects have planned a two-story, 31,000-square-foot facility, three times as large as the current clinic. The new complex will feature 236 parking spaces, but the but the high-tech building is designed to be more friendly to the environment. Natural lighting and sky lights, plus LED bulbs in all new offices, promise to slash energy usage. Builders also plan on installing highly efficient glasswork and insulation along with better heating and air conditioning systems, officials said. (Prine, 4/4)
Permit Allowing Marijuana Dispensary In Same Complex As Children's Clinic Being Appealed
“Given the services we provide, to very at-risk and vulnerable youths, working with them in schools and at the clinic as an after-school service, for them to be exposed to marijuana dispensaries creates a tremendous risk," said Moises Baron, the CEO of a La Mesa clinic.
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
County-Contracted Clinic Concerned With Coming Medical Cannabis Shop In La Mesa
The CEO of a La Mesa mental health clinic for children says he was stunned to learn last week that the city’s Planning Commission had given approval to a medical marijuana dispensary to open in the same complex. Moises Baron, who runs the San Diego Center for Children, says his agency was never contacted by the city nor was it given notice of a public hearing on the dispensary’s application. Instead, he found out about the Planning Commission’s decision from an article in the The San Diego Union-Tribune. (Pearlman, 4/4)
In other news from across the state —
Sacramento Bee:
Federal Agents Are Seizing About 100 Homes They Say Are Used To Grow Pot For A Chinese Crime Syndicate
In the largest operation of its kind, federal agents swept across the Sacramento region Tuesday and Wednesday targeting about 75 homes serving as suspected marijuana growing sites that authorities say are operated by a Chinese organized crime syndicate. (Stanton and Kasler, 4/4)
Capital Public Radio:
Most Sacramento Employers Say Recreational Pot Not A Workplace Issue
It looks like relatively few Sacramento area companies have had to deal with legalized recreational pot in the workplace. A survey of the Sacramento region's top employers asked if recreational marijuana use in the first three months of 2018 resulted in any workplace issues. (Milne, 4/4)
FDA Chief: Big Players In 'Internet Ecosystem' Need To Do More To Curb Illegal Online Opioid Sales
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb plans to host a summit with tech CEOs and others in the industry to discuss solutions, like altering search algorithms and posting information about the fatal risks associated with the illegal drugs.
The Washington Post:
FDA Commissioner Calls On Internet Providers To Help Police Opioid Offerings
The head of the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday called on Internet providers to help rid the Web of illegal offers of prescription opioids and illicit drugs such as fentanyl that have contributed to the nation's drug crisis. And on Thursday, the surgeon general is scheduled to recommend that more people keep on hand an antidote for overdoses — the latest examples of public health officials scrambling to respond to the opioid crisis. (Bernstein and Dwoskin, 4/5)
Stat:
Gottlieb: Facebook, Other Tech Firms Must Do More To Stop Illicit Opioid Sales
Gottlieb and other Trump administration officials have long made preventing the sale and importation of illicit fentanyl a focus of their efforts to address the opioid crisis. But the comments thrust Gottlieb into a broader fight that has lately consumed Washington — one that is much more squarely focused on scrutinizing major technology companies and their responsibility for what happens on their platforms. (Mershon and Facher, 4/4)
In other news on the opioid crisis —
The Associated Press:
Surgeon General Urges Americans To Carry Overdose Antidote
The nation's chief doctor wants more Americans to start carrying the overdose antidote naloxone in an effort to combat the nation's opioid crisis. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams is expected to speak on the new public health advisory Thursday morning at the National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit in Atlanta. (Rico, 4/5)
The Hill:
Senate Health Committee Releases Draft Of Bipartisan Opioid Bill
Senate Health Committee leaders released Wednesday a bipartisan discussion draft of a bill aimed at combating the opioid epidemic, legislation that's the result of six hearings over the past six months. The panel will hold a hearing next week on the draft aimed at stemming the crisis killing thousands of people each year. It includes measures attempting to make it easier to prescribe smaller packs of opioids for limited durations, spur the development of nonaddictive painkillers and bolster the detection of illegal drugs at the border. (Roubein, 4/4)
Stat:
Is Drug Industry Friend Or Foe? In Addiction Policy Circles, Depends Who You Ask
Increased attention to the epidemic, however, has created an undeniable business opportunity for many drug companies. A spending bill passed earlier this year added $3 billion in funding for initiatives specific to the opioid crisis. Budget caps allow for many more billions to be spent in 2020 — a significant chunk of which is destined to fund medications used to treat opioid use disorder. The bills Nickel testified about before the Energy and Commerce Committee are likely to authorize much of this spending. (Facher, 4/5)
The Associated Press:
Opioid Addiction Costs Employers $2.6B A Year For Care
A new report shows large employers spent $2.6 billion to treat opioid addiction and overdoses in 2016, an eightfold increase since 2004. More than half went to treat employees' children. The analysis released Thursday by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation finds such spending cost companies and workers about $26 per enrollee in 2016. Employers have been limiting insurance coverage of opioids because of concerns about addiction. The report finds spending on opioid prescriptions falling 27 percent from a peak in 2009. (4/5)
Advocates 'Concerned' China Tariffs Will Cause Already Rising Drug Prices To Increase Even More
Experts are trying to unpack the implications of placing tariffs on the world's largest supplier of active pharmaceutical ingredients will have on U.S. drug prices. While there are many layers to take into account, some worry it will exacerbate an already daunting problem.
Stat:
Will The Trump Tariffs On China Raise Drug Prices For Americans?
Now that the Trump administration has proposed 25 percent tariffs on thousands of Chinese-made products, including raw ingredients for a slew of medicines, there are concerns that prices for these products may rise, although experts caution the long-term impact remains unclear. Among the medicines that could be affected are insulin, epinephrine, heparin, antibiotics, antidepressants, tranquilizers, and vaccines, according to the list released by the U.S. trade representative. However, the agency cautioned that the list, which also includes numerous raw ingredients, is incomplete and not intended to “delimit, in any way, the scope of the proposed action.” (Silverman, 4/4)
In other national health care news —
The Hill:
AMA: Mattis Memo Distorted Medical Evidence On Transgender Troops
The country’s largest medical organization Wednesday told Defense Secretary James Mattis that it believes his recommendations on excluding most transgender people from military service “mischaracterized and rejected” evidence on treatment for gender dysphoria. “We believe there is no medically valid reason — including a diagnosis of gender dysphoria — to exclude transgender individuals from military service,” American Medical Association (AMA) CEO James Madara wrote in a letter to Mattis. “Transgender individuals have served, and continue to serve, our country with honor, and we believe they should be allowed to continue doing so.” (Kheel, 4/4)
The Washington Post:
People Can’t Be Educated Into Vaccinations, But Behavioral Nudges Help, Study Finds
Vaccines were one of the great inventions of modern history. They helped stop America’s polio epidemic in the 1950s, when it was paralyzing thousands and killing at least 3,000 a year. They have prevented the deaths of millions worldwide from diseases such as diphtheria, smallpox, measles and tetanus. And yet many people are reluctant to get their shots or vaccinate their children. (Wan, 4/4)
Stat:
Drug Makers Still Have A Bad Reputation Among Patient Groups
Just 45 percent of patient groups thought the pharmaceutical industry had an “excellent” or “good” reputation last year. Despite the poor showing, however, this is still an improvement — albeit, a modest one — from the 38 percent of patient groups that offered the same assessment in 2016, according to PatientView, a research firm that canvassed more than 1,300 patient groups from 95 countries. (Silverman, 4/5)