- California Healthline Original Stories 1
- With Hospitalization Losing Favor, Judges Order Outpatient Mental Health Treatment
- Public Health and Education 2
- As Camp Fire Survivors Begin To Return Home, Many Are Plagued With Anxiety About Finding Nothing There
- A New Way To Treat Diabetes And High Cholesterol? Look No Further Than Medical Cannabis, Researcher Says
- Courts 1
- Orange County Health Official Testifies That Disneyland Cooling Tower Was Likely Source Of All Legionnaires' Cases
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
With Hospitalization Losing Favor, Judges Order Outpatient Mental Health Treatment
Nearly every state in the country allows courts to force people with severe mental illnesses into treatment against their will. But critics argue these controversial intervention programs fail to address underlying problems in behavioral health services. In California, only one-third of counties have such programs, but they account for nearly two-thirds of the state's population. (Carmen Heredia Rodriguez, )
More News From Across The State
The Butte County Sheriff’s Office last week said it completed its search for human remains and will this week allow survivors to visit what’s left of their homes, a wait that has been unusually long, which local officials attribute to the scale of the devastation.
The Wall Street Journal:
California Fire Survivors Begin Returning To Homes That No Longer Exist
Nearly a month after the Camp Fire destroyed the town of Paradise and surrounding communities, some residents are beginning to see what is left. Authorities gave residents of Magalia, Calif., just north of Paradise, 12 hours on Sunday to look through what remained of their homes. “It really looks like a bomb went off,” Manny Carrasco, 46, said after briefly visiting what was once a two-bedroom home surrounded by pine trees in Magalia. “All the houses in the neighborhood were leveled. It was total devastation.” (Carlton, 12/5)
Los Angeles Times:
How Northern California's Destructive Wildfires Could Exacerbate The State's Housing Crisis
Northern California’s recent wildfires have burned homes at a greater pace than developers are building them, deepening a housing shortage that already has left millions struggling to find affordable places to live. Five large wildfires over the past 14 months, with November’s Camp fire the most devastating, have destroyed nearly 21,000 homes across six counties. That total is equivalent to more than 85% of all the new housing built in those counties over the past decade, according to Construction Industry Research Board building permit statistics. (Dillon, 12/5)
Los Angeles Times:
Should Tejon Ranch Project Be Approved? L.A. County To Vote On Building A New City Where Fire Hazard Is High
A long-debated development in a remote, uninhabited part of Los Angeles County could be vulnerable to dangerous wildfires of the type California has seen in recent months, prompting concerns about the safety of building there. The Centennial development at Tejon Ranch would sit squarely within “high” and “very high” fire hazard severity zones as defined by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. (Agrawal, 12/4)
Dr. Michael Moskowitz, of San Rafael, president of the Bay Area Pain Medical Associates and a local psychiatrist, is touting the benefits of the cannabinoid known as THCV. “It’s anti-nausea and vomiting. It helps with bone health and bone formation, it’s sleep-promoting, it’s anti-epileptic, it’s anti-anxiety. It’s a major anti-psychotic. And it helps with appetite suppression, it’s anti-diabetic and it’s anti-cholesterol," he says.
The Mercury News:
Bay Area Cannabis Researchers Claim Breakthrough Against Chronic Diseases
A Marin County medical cannabis and pharmaceutical coalition says it has found a way to ramp up production of one of the rarest compounds produced by marijuana flowers that early studies have shown could be a way to treat diabetes, lower cholesterol and provide other health benefits. This cannabinoid known as THCV, or tetrahydrocannabivarin, is considered one of the rarest cannabinoids and is only found in trace amounts in most strains of the plant. (Houston, 12/4)
In other public health news —
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Study: These Common Personal Care Products Can Speed Puberty In Girls
Chemicals commonly found in personal care products could cause girls to reach puberty early, according to a new report. Researchers from the University of California at Berkeley recently conducted a trial, published in the Human Reproductive journal, to determine how early environmental exposures affect childhood development. (Parker, 12/4)
In the face of fines, Disneyland has disputed that its towers were responsible for the outbreak last year, saying that the source has never been "scientifically determined."
Los Angeles Times:
Disneyland Cooling Tower Was Likely Source Of All 22 Legionnaires' Cases, Official Testifies
A cooling tower at Disneyland was the likely source for all 22 cases in a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak last year near the theme park, an Orange County health official testified Tuesday. Most of those who fell ill visited the park in the fall of 2017. Disneyland has denied it was the source, pointing to three infected people who had been in Anaheim but not at Disneyland. One of them died. (Karlamangla, 12/4)
Fox News:
Disneyland Cooling Towers Shut Down After Cases Of Legionnaires' Disease
There haven’t been any new cases linked to Anaheim since September, the agency said. “There is no known ongoing risk associated with this outbreak,” the agency said. Legionnaires’ disease can be spread through inhaling droplets from contaminated water sources. While many people have no symptoms, it can cause serious pneumonia and prove dangerous to those with lung or immune system problems. (12/4)
Teens' Wisdom Teeth Removal Surgery Can Often Open The Door To Opioid Addiction
In the year following the surgery, close to 6 percent of patients who left their dentist’s office with a prescription for opioids had a “health care encounter” in which a diagnosis of opioid abuse was documented. That’s well over 10 times the rate at which a comparison group.
Los Angeles Times:
Surgery To Remove Wisdom Teeth Puts Some Teens And Young Adults On A Path To Opioid Abuse
For older teens and young adults, the extraction of so-called wisdom teeth is a painful rite of passage. A new study suggests it’s likely made more perilous by the package of narcotic pain pills that patients frequently carry home after undergoing the common surgical procedure. The study offers fresh evidence of how readily — and innocently — a potentially fatal addiction to opioids can take hold. It also underscores how important it is that dentists rethink their approach to treating their patients’ postoperative discomfort. (Healy, 12/4)
In other news on the crisis —
East Bay Times:
East Bay Makes Some Progress On Opioid Epidemic
The opioid epidemic continues to ravage communities across the nation. According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, prescription and illicitly obtained opioids killed more than 49,000 people in 2017, more than any year on record. Behind these numbers are countless family members, friends and neighbors devastated by the loss of a loved one and those patients still struggling with opioid-use disorders. As physicians, we recognize the role that the health care industry has played in contributing to the opioid epidemic. (Sugarman and Clanon, 12/4)
“People in psychiatric crisis don’t have the appropriate care available to them when they need it,” said Bill Carter, who is taking the reins at Sonoma County’s behavioral health division. Carter's 30 years of experience in mental health and social services was touted by Sonoma officials.
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sonoma County Taps Napa County Mental Health Director To Head Behavioral Health Services
Former Napa County mental health director Bill Carter has been tapped to run Sonoma County’s behavioral health division, a nearly $100 million agency that was rocked by labor strife and the April resignation of its former director. Carter, chosen following a competitive recruitment process, directed mental health programs in Napa County for the past four years. Prior to that, he was the agency’s compliance officer. (Espinoza, 12/4)
In other news from across the state —
San Francisco Chronicle:
No Date To Fix SF Transit Terminal As Clipper Kiosks Return To Temporary Site
A radioactive deck marker from an old ship that was uncovered near a new residential development at the old Hunters Point Shipyard didn’t pose a health hazard to residents — or anyone else, according to a new state inspection report. ... The discovery of the radioactive material heightened residents’ concerns about the quality of the Navy’s cleanup of the site. (Matier & Ross, 12/5)
ABC 23 Bakersfield:
Kern County Public Health Investigating Undetermined Illness At Bakersfield Assisted Living Facility
Kern County Public Health says they are investigating two separate reports of an undetermined illness at a Bakersfield assisted living facility that sickened 32 residents. Officials say they received a report from Brookdale Senior Living on Friday, November 30, that 32 residents at their facility on Calloway Drive - Brookdale Riverwalk- had become symptomatic with vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. Six of those residents had to be taken to the hospital for treatment. Public Health says a second report was received from someone unrelated to the facility regarding the same symptoms. (Dattage and Navarro, 12/4)
KPBS:
Caravan Migrants Settle Into New Shelter In Tijuana
The new shelter for migrants in the caravan is an abandoned concert hall called Barretal with a capacity for 7,500 people, in eastern Tijuana. ...Migrants say it’s better than the previous facility, an overcrowded municipal sports facility. It's spacious, with a parking lot where people can bring donated clothing and food, and closed areas that provide shelter from the rain. But there’s a downside: the facility is a 30-minute drive from the San Ysidro Port of Entry, where people who want to request asylum in the U.S. must put their names on a waitlist, and check in periodically to see if it’s their turn. (Guerrero, 12/4)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
County Brings Variety Of Services To Oceanside In Live Well Center
Mental health and recovery services, veteran benefits, homeless outreach and workforce training are just some of the offerings available under a single roof in Oceanside as part of San Diego County’s effort to provide a holistic approach to healthy living. ...The county introduced the concept of providing one-stop shops for integrated care about 10 years ago and has opened Live Well Centers in Escondido, National City and Chula Vista. Another is planned for southeast San Diego, and a 100,000-square-foot building for family services is planned for inland Oceanside. (Warth, 12/4)
Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) will be the top Republican and Democrat on the influential Senate Finance Committee next year. Their bipartisan bill would give HHS more power to recoup the full amount lost if companies misclassify their drugs under the Medicaid program. Experts watching Congress have predicted that drug prices might be a problem where the parties will work together.
The Hill:
Bipartisan Senators Introduce New Drug Pricing Bill
A bill introduced by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) will seek to crack down on the tactics used by drug companies like Mylan to overcharge taxpayers for Medicaid rebates. The bipartisan bill from the incoming chairman and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee could be a sign the two will seek common ground on drug prices. (Weixel, 12/4)
In other national health care news —
The Associated Press:
Freshman Democrats In Congress Ready To Use New-Won Power
Incoming members of the Democratic Party's new U.S. House majority say they're ready to turn the energy of their campaigns into real power on Capitol Hill. Rep.-elects Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and a handful of other liberal-leaning incoming Democrats used an orientation event for freshman lawmakers Tuesday sponsored by the Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics to stake out some of their top issues — from gun violence to health care to climate change. (12/4)
CQ:
Pro-Choice Caucus Preps For Democratic Majority
An influential House caucus hopes to use the Democrats’ majority next year to counteract Republican efforts to restrict abortion and family planning, although the group still faces an uphill battle against a Republican Senate and administration with strong ties to the anti-abortion lobby. The Pro-Choice Caucus has been recently overshadowed by its conservative rival, the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, which counts Republican leadership and lawmakers from the influential Freedom Caucus among its members. (Raman, 12/5)
The Washington Post:
Trump Administration Threatens Future Of HIV Research Hub
The Trump administration has thrown into doubt a multimillion-dollar research contract to test new treatments for HIV that relies on fetal tissue — work targeted by antiabortion lawmakers and social conservatives aligned with the president. The turmoil over the National Institutes of Health contract with the University of California at San Francisco is part of a building battle between conservatives opposed to research using fetal tissue and scientists who say the material is vital to developing new therapies for diseases from AIDS to Parkinson’s. (Goldstein, 12/4)
Stat:
'CRISPR Babies' Experiment More Flawed Than Scientists First Realized
When He Jiankui unveiled data last week on the two baby girls born from embryos whose genes he had edited with CRISPR-Cas9 — the world’s first “CRISPR babies” — his 59 slides flew by in a 20-minute blur, leaving scientists in the audience of the International Summit on Human Genome Editing desperately taking iPhone pictures for later scrutiny. Now many of them, as well as researchers who watched the webcast of the Hong Kong summit, have had time to analyze the data. The verdict: What He did is way worse than initially realized. (Begley, 12/5)
The Associated Press:
More US Beef Being Recalled Over Salmonella Fears
An Arizona company is expanding the scope of its recall of raw beef that could be contaminated with salmonella, federal officials said Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a news release that a unit of Brazil's JBS is now recalling a total of more than 12 million pounds (5.44 million kilograms) of raw beef that was shipped around the U.S. According to officials, information obtained in three additional cases of sickened patients led to the identification of other ground beef products that weren't part of the initial recall. (12/4)