- Women's Health 1
- Justice Department Appeals Calif. Judge's Decision To Block Rollback Of Birth Control Coverage
- Hospital Roundup 1
- Community Health Centers, Hospitals Increasingly Battling Over Same Patient Population
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
New UC-Irvine Center To Study The Highs And Lows of Pot
The center, driven by California’s legalization of marijuana, will study the medical, social and economic impacts of making pot widely accessible. Two top concerns: investigating marijuana as a potential substitute for opioids and providing the nascent cannabis industry with signposts for responsible behavior. (Eryn Brown, )
More News From Across The State
How Single-Payer Advocates Are Playing The Long Game In California
For now, the push for single-payer may well be less a realistic policy blueprint than an organizing tool.
San Francisco Chronicle:
Single-Payer Health Care In California Dormant, But Not For Long
A bill that would replace the existing health care system with a new one run by a single payer — specifically, the state government — and paid for with taxpayer money remains parked in the Assembly, with no sign of moving ahead. ... But even if single-payer is a lost cause in the short term, advocates are playing a long game. (Rosenhall, 2/16)
In other news from Sacramento —
KPCC:
Bill Aims To Make It Easier For Community Clinics To Help Disaster Victims
Currently, community health centers can’t bill Medi-Cal for services they provide outside of their brick-and-mortar clinics. AB 2576 would change that anytime the governor declares an emergency. (Faust, 2/19)
San Jose Mercury News:
A Bay Area Lawmaker's Crusade To Require Public Charter Schools To Provide Free Lunch
While Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation in 1975 during his first term in office, requiring public schools to serve free and reduced-cost meals each school day, charter schools are not included in the law. ... Statewide, charter schools enroll over 630,000 students, and close to 60 percent of them would qualify for free and reduced-price meals, based on family income, according to the California Charter School Association, which represents the schools. (Kritz, 2/18)
Justice Department Appeals Calif. Judge's Decision To Block Rollback Of Birth Control Coverage
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra sued the Trump administration in October challenging the new rules, saying the policy discriminated against women.
The Associated Press:
Trump Appeals California Judge's Curb On Birth Control Rules
The U.S. Department of Justice is appealing a California judge's decision to temporarily block new Trump administration rules allowing more employers to opt out of providing no-cost birth control to women. Lawyers filed the notice of appeal to the 9th District Court of Appeals on Friday, nearly two months after Oakland-based U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam blocked the changes to President Barack Obama's health care law. (2/16)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Feds To Appeal Ruling Blocking Trump Order On Birth Control Coverage
The Trump administration is appealing federal court rulings in the Bay Area and Pennsylvania that have blocked President’s Trump’s order to let private employers deny birth control coverage to women for religious or moral reasons. The Justice Department said Friday that it will appeal the December ruling by U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam of Oakland to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. (Egelko, 2/16)
Community Health Centers, Hospitals Increasingly Battling Over Same Patient Population
Federally qualified health centers, like Southern California's AltaMed, have become sleeping giants in the health care industry. Meanwhile, workers plan a protest ahead of a merger between Mercy Hospital Southwest Tuesday and Bakersfield Memorial Hospital.
Modern Healthcare:
Collide Or Collaborate? Community Health Centers And Hospitals Work Through Their Overlap
AltaMed, a Southern California health system, has a storied beginning. In the 1960s, volunteer physicians and nurses served patients out of an East Los Angeles barrio clinic, where they kept a 5-gallon water jug to collect any spare money people could offer."We've come a long way from a free clinic in the 1960s, then to a clinic of last resort, to where we are today—a provider of choice," said Cástulo de la Rocha, AltaMed's CEO. (Luthi, 2/17)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Healthcare Workers To Protest Dignity Mega-Merger Tuesday At Mercy Hospital Southwest
Hundreds of union healthcare workers plan to protest outside of two local hospitals this month as they demand better wages, benefits and pathways to improving patient care ahead of a merger between two healthcare giants that would be worth billions. The protests taking place outside of Mercy Hospital Southwest Tuesday and Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Feb. 28 are part of a statewide demonstration this week, with employees at 27 hospitals taking part. (Pierce, 2/19)
And in other hospital and health system news —
Los Angeles Times:
Dignity Health Glendale Crowns A ‘Royal Court’ Of Heart Patients
For 23 years, Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Hospital has recognized patients in its care who've shown a commitment to changing their lifestyle after experiencing a major cardiac condition. On Thursday, five patients chosen by the hospital's cardiac fitness staff earned the title of King or Queen of Hearts for their continued lifestyle changes as part of their cardiac recovery efforts, such as years of sticking to a specific diet and exercise. (Landa, 2/16)
The Desert Sun:
District Expansion Expected To Improve Healthcare Access In The East Valley
A planned expansion of the Desert Healthcare District is expected to improve health care access for east valley residents. About 30 percent of patients at Desert Regional Hospital are residents of the east valley, Herb Schultz, CEO of the Desert Healthcare District, said. Resources that their western neighbors take for granted can be hard to come by on the valley's other end. (Maschke, 2/19)
Thomas Fire Triggered Wave Of Valley Fever Cases
The disease was on the rise before the December fire, but January’s tally is on a pace that dwarfs the 231 cases reported in all of 2017.
Ventura County Star:
Doctors Link Valley Fever Wave To Thomas Fire
The Thomas Fire that burned 282,000 acres and replaced brush-covered hillsides with blackened, barren vistas is likely contributing to growing waves of valley fever disease in Ventura County, said area lung and infectious disease specialists. In January alone, 55 possible cases of the fungal disease with symptoms that can mimic the flu were reported in Ventura County, according to provisional data from the California Department of Public Health. (Kisken, 2/16)
In other news from across the state —
Capital Public Radio:
California’s Mental Health Physician Shortage Is Bad, And Getting Worse, Study Finds
A new report from UC San Francisco backs up what Currier is seeing on the ground. Researchers found that, if current trends continue, there will be 41 percent fewer psychiatrists than needed in California by 2028. (Caiola, 2/16)
Orange County Register:
County Scrambles To Place Homeless People In Motel Rooms In Deal To Resume Clearing Of Riverbed Encampments
Orange County outreach workers scrambled over the weekend to find enough motel rooms to house hundreds of homeless people set to be dislodged from their tent encampments at the Santa Ana River Trail as soon as Tuesday, Feb. 20. As of the weekend, at least 116 homeless people had been relocated from the riverbed to numerous local motels, according to court documents. (Walker and Graham, 2/19)
KPBS:
NRC Petitioned To Require Stronger Canisters To Store Nuclear Waste Indefinitely
A public watchdog group wants the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to require stronger canisters for storing spent nuclear fuel on site indefinitely. The petition comes as Southern California Edison moves spent fuel from the now decommissioned San Onofre nuclear power plant into storage next to the ocean. (St John, 2/19)
UC San Diego Health Not Seeing An Uptick In Marijuana-Related Cases Since It Was Legalized
Officials say that could change over time, though, especially as it involves impaired driving.
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Sale Of Recreational Marijuana Doesn't Lead To Spike In Patients At UC San Diego Health
UC San Diego Health has not experienced a spike in marijuana-related cases since recreational cannabis went on sale in California on January 1st. “We were prepared in case there was change, but things have stayed about the same,” said Dr. Richard Clark, director of the Division of Medical Toxicology. (Robbins, 2/19)
In other news —
California Healthline:
New UC-Irvine Center To Study The Highs And Lows of Pot
Jody Jacobson Wedret rolled her eyes after listening to scientists, policy wonks and marijuana advocates expound on pot’s potential to ease the opioid crisis. Without more evidence, she wasn’t buying it. “Some people are pushing cannabis so hard,” complained Wedret, a professor of pharmacy at the University of California-Irvine. “Had the advocates we heard from been from pharma, they would have been kicked out of the room.” (Brown, 2/16)
Capital Public Radio:
Bill Would Boost Privacy For California Marijuana Customers
California’s recreational marijuana customers would gain a measure of privacy under a new bill introduced at the state Capitol. Assembly Bill 2402 would ban retail marijuana shops from selling customer data to third-party vendors without the customer’s consent. (Nichols, 2/19)
The Cannifornian:
Why California’s Cannabis Growers Are Staying In The Shadows
Fewer than one percent of the state’s 68,120 cannabis cultivators have been licensed, according to a new report published on Monday by the California Growers Association, the state’s largest association of cannabis businesses. Growers can’t meet the cost of complying with regulations, or are prohibited from growing due to local land-use policies, according to the report, “An Emerging Crisis: Barriers To Entry In California Cannabis.” (Krieger, 2/19)
Under Immense Pressure Following Shooting, GOP And Trump Open To 'Small Steps' On Gun Control
President Donald Trump signaled some support for legislation that would strengthen background checks for guns, but the proposed measure wouldn't have stopped the Florida shooting as the gunman had no criminal record. Media outlets also take a look at what states have done in tightening restrictions and where they've had success.
The Associated Press:
Trump Offers Support For Background Checks On Gun Buys
From the confines of his golf club, President Donald Trump offered support for a limited strengthening of federal background checks on gun purchases Monday while staying largely mum in the last few days about the victims of the Florida school massacre and the escalating debate about controls on weapons. (2/20)
The New York Times:
Checking Facts And Falsehoods About Gun Violence And Mental Illness After Parkland Shooting
A heavily armed young man is accused of killing 17 people after opening fire on terrified students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Wednesday. It was the third mass shooting in the past four months in the United States. Nikolas Cruz, who has been linked to a history of mental illness, is believed to have used a legally obtained AR-15 in the shooting. The attack has led to widespread conversations about links between gun violence and mental illness, and how lawmakers and interest groups are debating potential policy responses. (Qiu and Bank, 2/16)
The Hill:
Dems Say GOP Focus On Mental Health Is Redirection From Gun Control
The Florida school shooting that left 17 people dead has reopened a debate about whether a focus on mental health is the answer to gun violence. Both President Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) pointed to mental health reforms as a solution following the shooting. “We are committed to working with state and local leaders to help secure our schools, and tackle the difficult issue of mental health,” Trump said in his first public comments about the latest mass shooting in the United States. (Sullivan, 2/17)
The Hill:
Florida Shooting Reopens CDC Gun Research Debate
A mass shooting at a Florida high school that left 17 people dead has reopened a debate in Congress about loosening long-standing restrictions on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) research into gun violence. Democrats have frequently railed against the restrictions, which were enacted in 1996 after fierce lobbying by outside groups like the National Rifle Association. But Republicans have been able to beat back Democratic attempts to restore the flow of federal research dollars to gun violence research. (Weixel, 2/19)
The Wall Street Journal:
Florida School Shooting Renews Debate Over Gun Access And Mental Health
The Florida school shooting rampage by a former student with a troubled past has put a new focus on the vexing debate over what can be done to keep firearms away from people prone to violence. In the wake of Wednesday’s shooting in Broward County that left 17 dead, President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Rick Scott each called for greater gun restrictions for those with mental-health problems. (Gerhsam, 2/16)
The Washington Post:
Most Americans Say Trump, Congress Not Doing Enough To Stop Mass Shootings, Post-ABC Poll Finds
More than 6 in 10 Americans fault Congress and President Trump for not doing enough to prevent mass shootings, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, with most Americans continuing to say these incidents are more reflective of problems identifying and addressing mental health issues than inadequate gun laws. (Clement and Guskin, 2/20)
The New York Times:
In Wake Of Florida Massacre, Gun Control Advocates Look To Connecticut
In the aftermath of the rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, where 20 children and six educators were killed in 2012, state lawmakers in Connecticut set out to draft some of the toughest gun measures in the country. They largely succeeded — significantly expanding an existing ban on the sale of assault weapons, prohibiting the sale of magazines with more than 10 rounds and requiring the registration of existing assault rifles and higher-capacity magazines. The state also required background checks for all firearms sales and created a registry of weapons offenders, including those accused of illegally possessing a firearm. (Foderaro and Hussey, 2/17)
The Washington Post:
Five States Allow Guns To Be Seized Before Someone Can Commit Violence
In the wake of massacres similar to Wednesday’s school shooting in Parkland, Fla., a small number of states have passed “red flag laws” that allow the seizure of guns before people can commit acts of violence. California, Washington, Oregon, Indiana and Connecticut have statutes that can be used to temporarily take guns away from people a judge deems a threat to themselves or others. Lawmakers in 18 other states — including Florida — plus the District of Columbia have proposed similar measures. (Bernstein, 2/16)
The New York Times:
Treating The Victims, And The Teenager Accused Of Gunning Them Down
In the intense aftermath of the school shooting last week, Dr. Igor Nichiporenko pronounced a wounded teacher dead on arrival and massaged the bullet-shredded heart of a student, trying in vain to restart it. He and his colleagues also treated six other teenagers, some of whom were in the emergency room and others who were rolled off to operating theaters. Then, about an hour after the victims began pouring into Broward Health North hospital, word came that another patient was about to arrive. With distraught relatives and journalists converging on the hospital in Deerfield Beach, Fla., the medical staff now faced the challenge of treating the man accused of causing all the carnage. (Fink, 2/20)
HHS Has Been Quietly Reversing Strides Made In Fostering, Protecting LGBT Heath Care
The LGBT population can be vulnerable to discrimination in health care settings, but the Trump administration says the changes within HHS are part of an approach to include LGBT health as part of its broader strategy.
Politico:
Trump Administration Dismantles LGBT-Friendly Policies
The nation's health department is taking steps to dismantle LGBT health initiatives, as political appointees have halted or rolled back regulations intended to protect LGBT workers and patients, removed LGBT-friendly language from documents and reassigned the senior adviser dedicated to LGBT health. The sharp reversal from Obama-era policies carries implications for a population that's been historically vulnerable to discrimination in health care settings, say LGBT health advocates. A Health Affairs study last year found that many LGBT individuals have less access to care than heterosexuals; in a Harvard-Robert Wood Johnson-NPR survey one in six LGBT individuals reported experiencing discrimination from doctors or at a clinic. (Diamond, 2/19)
In other national health care news —
The New York Times:
As Some Got Free Health Care, Gwen Got Squeezed: An Obamacare Dilemma
Gwen Hurd got the letter just before her shift at the outlet mall. Her health insurance company informed her that coverage for her family of three, purchased through the Affordable Care Act marketplace, would cost almost 60 percent more this year — $1,200 a month. She and her husband, a contractor, found a less expensive plan, but at $928 a month, it meant giving up date nights and saving for their future. Worse, the new policy required them to spend more than $6,000 per person before it covered much of anything. (Goodnough, 2/19)
Politico:
Spending Deals Signal End Of Unpopular Obamacare Cost Checks
Republicans and Democrats finally found something they can agree on about Obamacare: killing unpopular policies that were supposed to pay for the law or reduce health costs. The recent congressional spending deals repealed or delayed several Obamacare taxes, as well as a Medicare cost-cutting board. Removing those powerful levers, which terrified health providers and unions, is not a good omen for efforts to control health spending, which is expected to surge in the next few years. (Haberkorn, 2/19)
Stat:
This Year's Awful Flu Season May Have Just Hit A Plateau
It’s too soon to say the flu season has peaked, but it’s at least possible it may have plateaued. The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released Friday, show the percentage of people going to a doctor for an influenza-like illness (most of which is likely flu during peak flu season) was 7.5 percent, just under the rate of 7.7 percent for the week ending Feb. 3. It marks the first week-by-week decline since the flu season began. (Branswell, 2/16)
CNN:
Flu Now Blamed For 84 Child Deaths, CDC Says
The deaths of 22 more children from flu-related causes were reported Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in its weekly surveillance report. Those deaths bring the total number of children reported to have died to 84 since October, when the current flu season began. Three out of four children who died from the flu had not gotten a flu vaccine, the acting director of the CDC said in a Thursday news conference. (Scutti, 2/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
In Hospitals, Pneumonia Is A Lethal Enemy
At a time when the public is concerned with drug-resistant superbugs, researchers have identified another danger of going to the hospital: contracting pneumonia. Hospital-acquired pneumonia is more pervasive and urgent than most people realize, a new study warns, and hospitals in America aren’t adequately addressing prevention. “Given the mortality, hospitals should be doing a lot more,” says Dian Baker, lead author of the study, which was published in January in the American Journal of Infection Control. (Lagnado, 2/17)
Stat:
FDA Is Offering A New Approach For Developing Alzheimer's Drugs. What Could That Mean?
In an effort to ease drug development for Alzheimer’s disease, the Food and Drug Administration is endorsing a new approach that would rely on biomarkers to approve medicines before patients show any signs of the illness, instead of demonstrating a drug alleviates symptoms. (Silverman, 2/16)