- California Healthline Original Stories 3
- State Lawmakers Tackle Public Smoking And Lead Poisoning, But Punt On Single-Payer
- Trump's Deadline On 'Dreamers' Reverberates Through Health Industries
- As Care Shifts From Hospital To Home, Guarding Against Infection Falls To Families
- Public Health and Education 2
- Wanting 'Some Peace Of Mind,' Hundreds Of San Diegans Flock To Get Hep A Vaccinations
- Pediatricians Alter Guidance On Young Patients With Tattoos, Piercings
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
State Lawmakers Tackle Public Smoking And Lead Poisoning, But Punt On Single-Payer
California lawmakers adopted a drug price transparency bill and several other key health care measures as their legislative session ended last week, but they pushed off decisions on some big-name proposals such as single-payer health care. (Ana B. Ibarra and Pauline Bartolone, )
Trump's Deadline On 'Dreamers' Reverberates Through Health Industries
From medical students to home health aides, the loss of DACA could deal a blow to the health care workforce, industry leaders suggest. (Ana B. Ibarra and Carmen Heredia Rodriguez, )
As Care Shifts From Hospital To Home, Guarding Against Infection Falls To Families
Despite a lack of medical training, relatives increasingly are assigned complex, risky medical tasks at home, such as maintaining catheters. If done incorrectly, blood clots, infections, even death can result. (Melissa Bailey, )
More News From Across The State
Advocates For Safe Injection Sites Bill Don't Lose Hope Despite Defeat
The bill fell two votes shy of the 21 needed to approve the measure and a number of lawmakers were absent.
Modern Healthcare:
Safe Injection Site Bill Fails To Pass In California
The failure of a California bill to make it the first state in the country to legalize safe injection sites for drug users has not deterred proponents, which include many providers and public health experts. California bill AB 186 would have allowed Alameda, Humboldt, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Joaquin counties to approve facilities specifically designed to allow for the consumption of drugs. The bill fell two votes shy of the 21 needed to approve the measure before the end of the state's legislative session on Friday. A number of lawmakers were absent for the vote last week, giving Dr. Paula Lum, professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco hope that the issue will be revisited in the next session in January. (Johnson, 9/18)
Wanting 'Some Peace Of Mind,' Hundreds Of San Diegans Flock To Get Hep A Vaccinations
While the disease is highly contagious, experts say the general public is probably not at high right of contracting it. The majority of those who have been sickened in the San Diego outbreak have been homeless.
Los Angeles Times:
In San Diego, Hundreds Line Up For Hepatitis A Vaccinations After Deadly Outbreak May Have Hit Restaurants
After news that San Diego’s deadly hepatitis A outbreak may have infiltrated the food service industry, more than 200 people this weekend lined up for vaccinations as restaurants reinforced their health safety measures. “All eyes are on San Diego,” Steve Zolezzi, president of the Food & Beverage Assn. of San Diego, said of the outbreak, one of the nation’s largest in decades, which prompted county officials to declare a local public health emergency earlier this month. (Nikolewski, 9/18)
KPBS:
General Public Considered At Low Risk In Hepatitis A Outbreak
Sixteen deaths, 421 people infected — that is the growing toll of San Diego County’s outbreak of hepatitis A that has hit the homeless population especially hard. ... Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver disease. It is spread when someone ingests food or water that has been contaminated with the feces of an infected person. (Goldberg, 9/18)
Eater:
Diners At San Diego Restaurant Warned Of Possible Hep A Exposure
A deadly outbreak of hepatitis A in San Diego may have spread to a beachside restaurant. The county health department confirmed on Friday that an employee at World Famous restaurant (711 Pacific Beach Dr.) in the Pacific Beach neighborhood may have been exposed to hepatitis A, a contagious viral infection that causes inflammation of the liver. ...San Diego County is currently facing one of the largest outbreaks of hepatitis A in decades. Over the past 10 months, at least 421 people have been sickened and 16 killed by the infection, according to CNN. Hepatitis A is transmitted through contaminated food and water and through direct contact with an infected person. (Houck, 9/18)
Pediatricians Alter Guidance On Young Patients With Tattoos, Piercings
“Tattooing and piercing of various body parts no longer is a high-risk population phenomenon, as evidenced by growing numbers of adults and adolescents not considered at risk who have tattoos and multiple ear and body piercings,” says the new report issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Los Angeles Times:
Pediatricians May View Tattoos, Piercings As Red Flags. They Should Discuss It Instead, Report Says
Tattoos or pierced body parts have long been considered a red flag for pediatricians who found them on their patients. Physicians who came across an inked symbol or a navel ring while examining an adolescent or young adult were taught to probe for other dangerous behaviors, including drug use, weapons carrying, risky sexual activity, and self-injury. In a flood of ink both literal and figurative, that medical advice has been washed away. (Healy, 9/18)
UC Irvine Receives Record $200M Donation To Establish Health Sciences College
The college will be named after philanthropists Susan and Henry Samueli and focus on an approach that incorporates conventional medicine, complementary and alternative medicines and “self-care."
Los Angeles Times:
Corona Del Mar’s Samuelis Donate Record $200 Million To UCI To Establish Health Sciences College
UC Irvine officials Monday announced the university’s largest gift ever — a $200-million donation from Corona del Mar philanthropists Susan and Henry Samueli that will establish a health sciences college in their name. The grant is the seventh-largest gift to a single public university. The Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences will focus on integrated health, defined by university officials as a healthcare approach that incorporates conventional medicine, complementary and alternative medicines and “self-care,” which emphasizes evidence-based behavioral and nutritional approaches that promote wellness. (Zint, 9/18)
Los Angeles Times:
UC Irvine Aims To Transform Public Health With Record-Breaking $200-Million Donation
Susan Samueli caught a cold while visiting France more than three decades ago. Instead of the usual medicines, a friend suggested aconite, a homeopathic remedy derived from a plant in the buttercup family. She was cured — and became a lifelong advocate of homeopathy and other alternative healing methods to complement conventional medicine. Her husband, Henry — the billionaire co-founder of Broadcom, the Irvine semiconductor maker — says he was initially skeptical but found the integrative health approach helped him easily shake off colds and flus and kept their children healthy without antibiotics. (Watanabe, 9/18)
In other news —
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
IBM Gives UC San Diego $10 Million To Find Better Ways To Detect Memory Loss
IBM has given UC San Diego a $10 million contract to search for ways to preserve people’s ability to think and remember things clearly to help seniors live in their own homes late into life, perhaps until they die. The money is aimed at a problem that trips up many older adults — mild cognitive impairment, a condition that can make it difficult to remember simple things like a name, and how do basic tasks like balance a checkbook. (Robbins, 9/18)
Nursing Home To Close Following Allegations Of Sexual Assault Between Residents
The incident involving the two residents raises questions about what constitutes sexual abuse in a nursing home, especially among the memory-impaired – and who is responsible for sorting it out.
Sacramento Bee:
Carmichael Nursing Home Failed To Protect Alzheimer's Patient From Sexual Abuse, State Finds
California has no law that defines how or when a person with dementia can consent to sexual relations. It is certainly no crime for senior citizens to be sexually active, at home or in a skilled nursing facility. But where is the line, legally and ethically, when one party may not fully understand what is happening, and with whom? (Lundstrom, 9/18)
In other news from across the state —
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Kaiser Nurses Hold Protest Rally In Santa Rosa For More Staffing
Dozens of Kaiser nurses held a rally Monday at Kaiser Permanente’s Santa Rosa hospital as part of a one-day protest aimed at highlighting what nurses said was inadequate staffing to care for Kaiser’s patient population. The protest, organized by the California Nurses Association, was one of 21 held at Kaiser hospitals and clinics throughout Northern California. The nurses union represents 18,000 Kaiser nurses in the region and is currently negotiating a new contract with the health care giant. (Espinoza, 9/18)
Once A Long Shot, Now Last-Ditch Repeal Effort Is Gaining Traction On Hill
The measure from Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) includes deeper spending cuts and covers fewer people than the bill in July.
The New York Times:
Obamacare Repeal, Thought Dead In July, May Be Revived In Senate
Congressional efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act sprang back to life on Monday as Senate Republicans pushed for a showdown vote on new legislation that would do away with many of the health law’s requirements and bundle its funding into giant block grants to the states. (Pear and Kaplan, 9/18)
The Associated Press:
Senate GOP Musters Final Push To Erase Obama Health Care Law
Senate Republicans expressed growing hope Monday for a final push to scuttle President Barack Obama's health care law, an effort that still faces an uphill climb and just a two-week window to pass. Adding more risk, senators would be in the dark about the bill's impact on Americans, since the Congressional Budget Office says crucial estimates won't be ready in time for a vote. (Fram, 9/18)
Reuters:
Democrats Urge Full Review Before Senate Vote On Obamacare Attack
Worried Democrats seized on the statement to urge Republicans to wait for a full CBO score before holding a vote. "Have the courage and decency to wait for a CBO score," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor on Monday. (Cornwell, 9/18)
Politico:
Obamacare Repeal Plan Won’t Get Full CBO Analysis By Key Deadline
[W]ithout a CBO report, Senate Republicans may be spared damaging headlines if CBO found the bill could cause millions more to be uninsured or fuel significantly higher costs for older enrollees. (Caygle, 9/18)
The Washington Post:
The New GOP Health-Care Measure Goes Further Than The Failed One
The latest Obamacare overhaul bill gaining steam on Capitol Hill slashes health-care spending more deeply and would likely cover fewer people than a July bill that failed precisely because of such concerns. What’s different now is the sense of urgency senators are bringing to their effort to roll back the Affordable Care Act, with only a dozen days remaining before the legislative vehicle they’re using expires. (Winfield Cunningham, 9/18)
The Washington Post:
New Push To Replace Obamacare Reflects High Stakes For Republicans
The latest proposal would give states control over billions in federal health-care spending, repeal the law’s key mandates and enact deep cuts to Medicaid, the federally funded insurance program for the poor, elderly and disabled. It would slash health-care spending more deeply and would probably cover fewer people than the July bill — which failed because of concerns over those details. The appearance of a new measure reflected just how damaging Republicans consider their inability to make good on a key campaign promise of the past seven years: to repeal and replace President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement. (Sullivan and Snell, 9/18)
Politico:
Momentum Builds For Obamacare Repeal
Three “no” votes would kill the bill, but in an encouraging sign for repeal proponents, no one is stepping forward yet to deliver that final nail. Instead, wavering senators remain on the sidelines. Conservative Sen. Mike Lee of Utah is warming to the legislation, which would turn federal health care funding into block grants for states and eliminate Obamacare’s coverage mandate, while Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski is undecided. (Everett and Haberkorn, 9/18)
The Hill:
Graham: Trump Trying To Sell Governors On Latest ObamaCare Repeal Plan
President Trump is calling governors to try to get their support for a last-ditch ObamaCare repeal effort taking place in the Senate, says Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). "He’s on the phone as I speak getting governors who are a little nervous about this, saying we’re not going to let you fail, we’re going to give you the flexibility over time and we’re going to empower you unlike anything you’ve ever seen," Graham told Breitbart News over the weekend. (Hellmann, 9/18)
Politico:
Dems Rush Back To Obamacare Battle
Democrats hustled Monday to beat back the GOP’s latest Obama-care repeal push, leaning on moderate Republicans and mobilizing advocacy groups off the Hill to sound the alarm. The flurry of pressure tactics from Democrats comes as a new repeal bill remains very much alive among Senate Republicans, who have until Sept. 30 to ax former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law with a simple majority vote. (Schor, 9/18)
The Wall Street Journal:
Senate’s Three Health-Care Proposals: A Guide
Since the Republican effort to repeal and replace most of the Affordable Care Act faltered in July, three major efforts have emerged in the Senate as lawmakers seek a path forward. They include a final effort to repeal the ACA; an attempt to find a compromise that would shore up the insurance markets; and a push for a new government-run system. All of them face big political hurdles. Here are some key details of the three proposals. (Hackman, 9/19)
The Washington Post:
Would The House Pass Graham-Cassidy? It’s Not A Slam Dunk.
As Senate Republicans work feverishly to try to revive plans to replace parts of the Affordable Care Act ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline, it’s easy to forget: There’s another chamber in Congress, and it is not a potted plant. One might assume that the House, which already passed a GOP health-care bill in May, would simply rubber-stamp any Senate bill, high-five, and call it a day, but things are not quite so simple. The American Health Care Act (AHCA) passed the House 217-to-213, meaning two flipped decisions would have stopped the bill cold. (DeBonis, 9/18)