Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Photographer’s 12-Year Quest to Document Her Life Produces a Rich Portrait of Aging
Twelve years ago, Marna Clarke was seized by a desire to examine what she looked like at age 70 — and to document the results. This creative project has sustained and engaged her since. (Judith Graham, )
‘This Bureaucracy Has Really Tested My Patience,’ Breed Says: San Francisco Mayor London Breed pledged Wednesday to crack down on drug dealing and “unacceptable” public drug use. Breed also said San Francisco needs the ability to more easily place residents with mental illness in restrictive conservatorships, with less red tape, to ease its homelessness crisis. Read more from KQED and the San Francisco Chronicle.
In related news —
S.F. Rehab Programs On Brink Of Closing: Some of San Francisco’s sorely needed residential treatment programs for people with substance abuse disorder could soon close because of financial turmoil at the organization that runs them. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
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
San Francisco Chronicle:
New COVID Variants Could Fuel California Winter Surge, Experts Say
With the arrival of the fall and winter seasons, experts are keeping a close eye on emerging coronavirus variants and their potential to cause a new COVID-19 surge. Two of the pandemic’s worst surges to date — in January 2021 from the delta variant and January this year from the original omicron variant — occurred as the weather cooled, and many people traveled and gathered indoors for the holidays. (Hwang, 10/5)
Orange County Register:
Coronavirus: L.A. County Reported 1,058 More Cases And 10 New Deaths, Oct. 5
Los Angeles County public health officials reported 1,058 more cases of the coronavirus since Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases to 3,461,037 as of Wednesday, Oct. 5. (Goertzen, 10/5)
East Bay Times:
El Cerrito Ending State Of Emergency Over COVID-19 By 2023
On Sept. 20, 2022 the City Council passed a resolution to end its local state of emergency as of Dec. 31. (10/5)
San Francisco Chronicle:
U.S. Death Toll Approaches Combined Total Of Civil War, WW2 And Korea
The U.S. has recorded 1,060,408 deaths due to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to data published Wednesday by Johns Hopkins University, almost matching the combined toll of three major wars. (Vaziri, 10/5)
Axios:
COVID Boosters Could Save 90,000 Lives, $56.5 Billion
About 90,000 lives would be saved and more than 936,000 hospitalizations could be prevented if 80% of Americans eligible for the latest COVID-19 boosters get vaccinated by year's end, according to a new paper from The Commonwealth Fund and Yale School of Public Health. (Reed, 10/5)
San Francisco Chronicle:
More Than 86% Of U.S. Children Infected To Date, CDC Reports
Approximately 86.3% of children in the U.S. have antibodies from surviving a prior COVID-19 infection as of Aug. 20, according to updated seroprevalence estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Vaziri, 10/5)
Stat:
How The Splintering Of Omicron Could Shape Covid's Next Phase
The United States is in a (relative) Covid-19 lull, with cases and hospitalizations falling as the wave driven by the BA.5 lineage of the Omicron variant recedes. But as if we needed a portent of an anticipated fall and winter wave, Covid is on the rise in some European countries. (Joseph, 10/6)
Axios:
Long COVID Is Still Disabling Millions Of Americans, CDC Reports
Of the nearly 24 million adults in the U.S. who currently have long COVID, more than 80% are having some trouble carrying out daily activities, according to CDC data released Wednesday. (Moreno, 10/6)
ABC News:
4 Out Of 5 People With Long COVID Have Trouble Performing Day-To-Day Activities: CDC
As of Sept. 26, 81% of adults with ongoing symptoms of COVID lasting three months or longer -- or four out of five adults -- are experiencing limitations in their daily activities compared to before they had the virus. (Kekatos, 10/6)
Politico:
Biden's Operation Warp Speed Revival Stumbles Out Of The Gate
As Covid’s Omicron wave ebbed earlier this year, top Biden administration health officials began developing a plan to fortify the nation’s defenses against the next potentially dangerous coronavirus strain. The initiative was envisioned as a revival of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump-era program that paired federal dollars with private sector know-how to deliver the first vaccines in record time. By replicating the formula with a range of new candidates, officials planned to churn out increasingly advanced vaccines and treatments just as fast — and ahead of other nations. They even had a name for the effort: Project Covid Shield. But months later, it’s barely taken off — stymied by fading political interest in prolonging a war against a pandemic that even the president has declared “over.” (Cancryn and Banco, 10/5)
Bay Area Reporter:
SF MPX Cases Declining
Both locally and nationally, health care and medical officials are allowing themselves to feel something they haven't enjoyed in a while: cautious optimism. Monkeypox infection rates are declining across the country and, after weeks of steady progress in administering vaccinations to more than 800,000 people nationwide, including more than 30,000 in San Francisco, officials are cautiously optimistic that the vaccinations are working. (Burkett, 10/5)
Palm Springs Desert Sun:
Monkeypox Vaccine Clinic Planned At LGBTQ Community Center On Thursday
Riverside County Public Health will host a monkeypox vaccine clinic from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at the LGBTQ Community Center. (Sasic, 10/5)
The Washington Post:
Intradermal Monkeypox Vaccine Causing Scars, Discoloration For Some
The outbreak appears to be waning and monkeypox vaccine appointments are more plentiful in many parts of the country than earlier in the summer, when obtaining a shot was like “winning the sweepstakes or getting concert tickets,” one recipient said. However, the makeshift vaccination plan has not been without its downsides. The intradermal injection can leave a painful, itchy red mark for weeks, potentially worsening the stigma of an outbreak mostly affecting gay men, and it can cause long-term discoloration or scarring. (Pietsch, 10/6)
Sacramento Bee:
California GOP Won’t Talk Abortion During Midterm Election
California Republicans are heading into the midterm elections with messages for voters on everything from inflation to crime and education to homelessness. But you’re less likely to hear anything about abortion. (Holden, 10/6)
Voice Of San Diego:
Abortion Rights Proposition Is Heating Up North County Politics
In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, abortion rights have emerged as a central issue in North County races, even at the city council level. In the race for state Senate District 38, the divergent views on abortion from Democratic Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear and Republican small business owner Matt Gunderson. are increasingly swamping issues like housing affordability and homelessness, which both candidates say are their top priorities. (Layne, 10/5)
Los Angeles Times:
Voters Support Newsom's Mental Health Plan And Back Mandatory Kindergarten, Poll Shows
California voters strongly support Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to set up a new court system for people struggling with a combination of severe mental illness, homelessness and substance use, but split with the governor on requiring children to attend kindergarten, a new poll shows. Newsom introduced his sweeping Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Court proposal earlier this year amid increasing concern over the number of people living in crisis on California’s streets. Legislation to codify CARE Court, Senate Bill 1338, easily passed the Legislature with bipartisan support, and Newsom signed the measure into law last month. (Wiley and Willon, 10/6)
CalMatters:
Health Care Workers Wages: Voters To Decide Increases
California’s largest health care workers union is no stranger to taking its fights to the ballot — both statewide and locally. In the past five years, it has pitched to voters initiatives on issues ranging from staffing at dialysis clinics to price caps for specific health care providers. This election season, Service Employees International Union-United Health Workers West is targeting the cities of Duarte and Inglewood, where on Nov. 8 voters will decide whether to set a minimum wage requirement of $25 per hour for some of the lowest paid workers at private hospitals, integrated health systems and dialysis clinics. These workers include patient care technicians, janitorial staff, food service workers and aides, among others. (Ibarra, 10/5)
Stat:
Under New Rules, Patients Can Now Access All Their Health Records Digitally
The American Revolution had July 4. The allies had D-Day. And now U.S. patients, held down for decades by information hoarders, can rally around a new turning point, October 6, 2022 — the day they got their health data back. (Ross, 10/6)
Axios:
How Racism Affects Health Care For Black Patients In California
Nearly a third of Black Californians reported being treated unfairly in the health care system because of their race, according to a report from the California Health Care Foundation. (Moreno, 10/5)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat:
Providence Begins Issuing Refunds To Medicaid Hospital Patients Wrongly Billed
Providence, one of the country’s largest nonprofit hospital operators, has begun refunding medical payments made by hundreds of low-income patients who should have received the care for free. (Espinoza, 10/5)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
'Everything About It Told Me That I Had To Pay': After Complaints, Falck Changes Its Ambulance Paperwork
Complaints that San Diego’s new ambulance provider, Falck USA, has been sending some patients mailings that look like bills have prompted Falck to add cover letters to the mailings this week that aim to reduce confusion. (Garrick, 10/6)
Fierce Healthcare:
Gallup Poll: 75% Of Americans Grade Healthcare Costs As D Or F
Three-quarters of Americans give U.S. healthcare affordability a D or F rating, according to a new poll from Gallup and West Health. More than 5,000 Americans were asked to grade the U.S. healthcare system overall and regarding affordability, equity, accessibility and quality. Overall, 44% of Americans gave the entire system a poor or failing grade. One in three said healthcare affordability deserved an F. (Burky, 10/6)
Bloomberg:
Get Ready For US Health Insurers To Raise Prices Next Year
Benefits brokers expect rate increases of 6% to 12%, according to a survey conducted by BofA Global Research. Increases for employers will be higher than usual as inflation and labor expenses get priced into insurance premiums, analysts wrote. (Tozzi, 10/5)
Axios:
Hospitals Still Aren't Complying With Transparency Rules
Almost two years after a Trump-era cost transparency rule took effect, many hospitals are flouting a requirement that they post the prices for common goods and services online — with little risk of facing penalties. (Knight, 10/6)
Indianapolis Star:
Marion County Agency Wants SCOTUS To Strip Protections For Millions Of Vulnerable Americans
Marion County's public health agency is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to strip legal protections for millions of Americans in a monumental case that experts say could dramatically weaken federal benefit programs. The Health & Hospital Corp. of Marion County wants the nation's high court to throw out a lawsuit over poor care at one of its nursing homes in a case that could also bar beneficiaries of safety net programs like Medicaid from suing if their rights are violated. (Cook and Magdaleno, 10/6)
Becker's Payer Issues:
Majority Of Americans Have Favorable Opinion Of Medicaid: Survey
Most Americans have a favorable opinion of Medicaid, a survey from Morning Consult and the Modern Medicaid Alliance found. The survey included 10,026 registered voters, and results were weighted by gender, age, educational attainment, race, marital status, home ownership, race by educational attainment, 2020 presidential vote and region. The poll was conducted from Aug. 8 to 14, and the Modern Medicaid Alliance released the results Oct. 3. (Wilson, 10/5)
Mississippi Today:
Medicaid: Proposed Pay Increase Could Help In-Home Nurses
After three months and nearly losing her job, Shavondra Smalley of Natchez is hopeful her 8-year-old daughter can now get the medical care she needs so the mother can get back to work. Smalley, who struggled to find nurses to care for her bed-bound daughter, is hopeful the situation will improve thanks to a proposed increase in pay from Medicaid for private duty nurses and rewritten doctor’s orders that specifically allow for the use of licensed practical nurses when registered nurses aren’t available. (Royals, 10/5)
Keloland.com:
Medicaid And Braces: A Gap In Care
While braces may be a right of passage for many teens, it’s a much more difficult appointment to make for kids entering state custody. “Because if you’re in foster care, you’re on Medicaid. And Medicaid doesn’t cover braces or anything that it deems unnecessary that seems really wild to me,” Francis Abbot, foster parent, said. “It’s such a huge need and the fact that it’s not included right now kind of blows my mind, I didn’t expect that at all.” (Bennett, 10/4)
Palm Springs Desert Sun:
'London Patient' Adam Castillejo, Second Person Cured Of HIV, To Speak At Palm Springs Symposium
Castillejo will share his story with community members and join researchers at the Timothy Ray Brown Community HIV Cure Symposium from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Hyatt Palm Springs, at 285 N. Palm Canyon Drive, as well as on Zoom. (Sasic, 10/5)
SF Gate:
Multiple Fentanyl Overdoses In Same SF Neighborhood In One Night
San Francisco firefighters and medics responded to a report of four adults who overdosed on Monday night at 24th and Mission streets near the BART station, officials said. (Graff, 10/5)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Twelve Alameda County Sheriff’s Deputies Who Failed Psychological Exams Return To Full Duty
Twelve Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies have returned to work after retaking a psychological exam that they had previously failed, officials said Wednesday. The sheriff’s department had stripped the 47 deputies of their arresting powers and firearms in the wake of an audit that found they shouldn’t have been hired in the first place. (Ravani, 10/5)
Fierce Healthcare:
JAMA Study Finds Medical Debt A Predictor Of Housing And Food Insecurity
A new study has found a link between patients' medical debt and a higher risk of experiencing housing and food insecurity. Of the 142,000 adults surveyed, 18% held medical debt. Such debt was found to be a predictor of worsening social determinants of health, a recent JAMA study found. Decreases in health status and coverage loss left those surveyed with a 1.7-fold to 3.1-fold higher risk of worsening housing and food security. (Burky, 10/5)
CalMatters:
California Homeless Crisis Grew Steadily Over Pandemic
The first statewide snapshot of California’s homelessness crisis since the pandemic hit reveals that the number of people without a stable place to call home increased by at least 22,500 over the past three years, to 173,800. That’s based on a CalMatters analysis of the federal government’s point-in-time count, a biennial headcount of people sleeping on the streets and in shelters tallied by California cities and counties earlier this year for the first time since 2019. (Tobias, 10/6)
CapRadio:
Black Residents In Sacramento Are Most Concerned About Region’s High Cost Of Housing, New Poll Finds
Nearly nine of every 10 Black residents are concerned about the cost of housing in the Sacramento region, a level higher than any other racial or ethnic group, according to a survey published this week. (Nichols, 10/5)
FiercePharma:
Sign Of The Times? US Stocks Up On Amgen's Radiation Sickness Drug Nplate
In what could be a troubling sign of the times, the United States is stocking up on radiation sickness drugs. Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said it’s throwing down $290 million to lock up an undisclosed amount of Amgen’s blood disorder med Nplate, which is approved to treat blood cell injuries linked to acute radiation syndrome (ARS) in kids and adults. (Kansteiner, 10/5)
Press Association:
Air Pollution Particles Found In Babies In Womb For First Time, Study Finds
Air pollution particles can reach babies in the womb, a new study suggests. Researchers found that soot nanoparticles can cross the placenta and get into organs of fetuses. (Pickover, 10/5)
The New York Times:
Medical Care Alone Won’t Halt The Spread Of Diabetes, Scientists Say
Researchers who study Type 2 diabetes have reached a stark conclusion: There is no device, no drug powerful enough to counter the effects of poverty, pollution, stress, a broken food system, cities that are hard to navigate on foot and inequitable access to health care, particularly in minority communities. “Our entire society is perfectly designed to create Type 2 diabetes,” said Dr. Dean Schillinger, a professor of medicine at University of California, San Francisco. “We have to disrupt that.” (Rabin, 10/5)