Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Lethal Plans: When Seniors Turn To Suicide In Long-Term Care
In a nation where the suicide rate continues to climb, such deaths among older adults are often overlooked. A six-month investigation by KHN and PBS NewsHour finds that older Americans are quietly killing themselves in nursing homes, assisted living centers and adult care homes. (Melissa Bailey and JoNel Aleccia, )
Good morning! PBM executives emerged largely unscathed from a high-profile hearing about their role in spiking drug costs. More on that below, but first, here are your top California health stories of the day.
California Public Health Officials ‘Very Concerned’ With Number Of Measles Cases In State: There were a total of 21 confirmed cases of measles in California over the whole of 2018, according to the state Department of Public Health, and as of April 5, there have already been 19 in 2019. Most of the reported measles illnesses in California in 2019 are in young children. Meanwhile, San Francisco public health officials are warning residents about a Santa Clara County resident infected with the measles who visited several locations in San Francisco last week. The San Francisco Department of Public Health said the risk to others was small, and that there has not been an outbreak, but said that anyone who has not been vaccinated and was in one of the locations should be aware of the risk. Read more from Capital Public Radio and The Mercury News.
Thousands Of Workers Strike Over What They Say Are Unfair Labor Practices At University of California Hospitals: The workers allege that the University of California hospitals are engaging in practices designed to discourage labor participation and mute protesters. “As UC’s employees have worked to voice concerns over outsourcing and income inequality over the last several months, the University of California has worked even harder to unlawfully silence those voices,” said Kathryn Lybarger, the president of AFSCME Local 3299. “Through illegal actions, UC has trampled state law and created an unwelcoming workplace that undermines workers’ ability to exercise their rights.” University of California spokeswoman Claire Doan released a statement saying that the AFSCME’s charges are merely a blatant attempt to justify yet another strike, the union’s fourth job action in the last 12 months. Read more from the Sacramento Bee.
Massive Drop-Off In Health Care Deals Effects Amount Of Money Flowing Into San Diego From Venture Capitalists: The quarter saw a total of $206 million in venture capital deals, the lowest the region has seen since 2009 when it comes to first quarter data. Although health care deals are usually the star players in the San Diego venture capital world, they dropped sharply from $336 million to $42 million in the same period as last year. Jay Lichter, a longtime biotech investor and executive in San Diego, said the government shutdown in early 2019 could have impacted health-care deal totals in the first quarter. “If I had to point to one thing, I think that stopped a lot of companies from going public as planned in Q1,” Lichter said. Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Below, check out the full round-up of California Healthline original stories, state coverage and the best of the rest of the national news for the day.