Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Keeping Kids Healthy And Sane In A Digital World
Children are spending more time on their devices than ever before, despite evidence that excessive screen time puts their minds and bodies at risk. Parents should set limits and stick to them — and also change their own online behavior, experts say. (Bernard J. Wolfson, )
Good morning! There was a lot of movement in local governments this week, including a vote on mental health services, as well as a whole-sale tobacco ban. More on those developments below, but first here are some of your other California health stories for the day.
Bipartisan Group Of Lawmakers Seek To Expand Oversight Of Wild, Unregulated Addiction Treatment Industry: The Legislature’s new working group was formed follow scathing reporting on the state of the addiction treatment industry in California. The investigation found that dozens of people have died for want of proper medical care in California’s non-medical treatment centers — facilities that would not be allowed to open in many other states. And young drug users continue to be lured to the state with free plane tickets, rehab “scholarships” and cash payments. They are signed up for PPO health insurance on the Covered California exchange, with rehabs paying premiums until benefits max out. And then some addicts are given drugs — often heroin — so they test “dirty” and the whole insurance billing cycle can begin anew. “It’s a cycle that far too often ends in patient death,” said the group’s organizer, Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach). “And it’s a cycle that’s only possible because of the virtual lack of any regulation or oversight here in California. For years — for years — attempts to address this atrocity have failed. And, in the meantime, far too many people are dying.” Read more from Teri Sforza of the Orange County Register.
Oakland Becomes Second City In Country To Legalize Psychedelic Mushrooms: The Oakland City Council has passed a resolution that instructs law enforcement to stop investigating and prosecuting people using the drugs. The resolution is a step toward legitimizing use of the plants for medicinal purposes, said its author Councilman Noel Gallo. Councilman Loren Taylor added an amendment that stated the approved resolution does not authorize commercial sales or manufacturing of the plants, possessing or distributing in schools or driving under the influence. The amendment also clarifies that people dealing with depression or post-traumatic stress disorder should first see a doctor. It also stated that the use of natural psychedelics should be used in small doses for inexperienced users and “don’t go solo.” Read more from Sarah Ravani of The San Francisco Chronicle and Samantha Maldonado of The Associated Press.
Despite LA Homeless Services Authority’s Quick Pace In Getting People Off Streets, City’s Homelessness Rate Has Jumped 12 Percent: The number of homeless people counted across Los Angeles County jumped 12% over the past year to nearly 59,000, with more young and old residents and families on the streets, officials said Tuesday. The county's Homeless Services Authority said it helped 21,631 people move into permanent housing during 2018 — a pace that would have helped rapidly end homelessness if economic pressures had not simultaneously pushed thousands more out of their homes. About a quarter of those counted became homeless for the first time in 2018, and about half of those cited economic hardship as the primary cause. County Supervisor Janice Hahn called the increase in homeless population "disheartening." "Even though our data shows we are housing more people than ever, it is hard to be optimistic when that progress is overwhelmed by the number of people falling into homelessness," Hahn said. Read more from The Associated Press.
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.
More News From Across The State
San Francisco Chronicle:
SF Supervisors Tepidly Support Tiny Expansion Of Forced Treatment For Mentally Ill
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a controversial law Tuesday that will allow the city to force about five people who are severely mentally ill and addicted to drugs into inpatient treatment. After months of intense debate in City Hall, the board voted 10-1, with Supervisor Shamann Walton dissenting, to adopt state law SB 1045. (Thadani, 6/4)
The Associated Press:
San Francisco To Force Treatment On Mentally Ill Drug Users
Several members of the Board of Supervisors voiced deep concerns Tuesday about the possibility of taking away a person’s civil liberties, but the proposal for a pilot program passed 10-1. Mayor London Breed and other supporters say the move — known as conservatorship — is necessary to help people who are often homeless, addicted to drugs and have a mental illness, making them a danger to themselves. “Allowing people to continue to suffer on our streets is not acceptable or humane, and I am glad the Board of Supervisors supported our approach to finally make a change,” Breed said in a statement after the vote. (Har, 6/4)
The Associated Press:
Beverly Hills Becomes The First U.S. City To End Most Tobacco Sales
Beverly Hills has become the first U.S. city to end most tobacco sales. The City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to snuff out sales of cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes and other tobacco products beginning in 2021. The ban covers sales at gas stations and pharmacies as well as convenience and grocery stores. But it exempts hotels and three plush cigar lounges in the wealthy and glamorous Los Angeles suburb. (6/4)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento County Releases 2019-20 Recommended Budget
Improvements to Sacramento County jails stemming from a lawsuit alleging “inhumane” solitary confinement conditions made up the bulk of new spending recommended to the Board of Supervisors for the county’s 2019-20 budget. Released Tuesday, the $4.4 billion spending plan is a 2.4 percent increase from last year’s budget, with county departments angling to get about $33.1 million for new or improved programs. The staff budget also recommends about $43 million in cuts, mostly by eliminating vacant positions. (Yoon-Hendricks, 6/4)
The New York Times:
‘Swinging At Every Pitch’: California’s Governor Has Big Plans. Critics See Big Risks.
Amid the swirl of big name presidential candidates who descended on San Francisco recently for the Democratic Party’s state convention, Gov. Gavin Newsom made sure there was a place in the spotlight for him. When he wasn’t schmoozing in the hallways with delegates, or hosting a fund-raiser for his favored candidate, Sen. Kamala Harris, at the home of billionaires Gordon and Ann Getty, he took to the podium and urged his fellow Democrats to “take a look around” at his defiantly progressive agenda as they prepare to take on President Trump. “We are nothing less than a progressive answer to a transgressive president,” he said. (Arango, 6/5)
CALmatters:
Commutes, Jobs At Stake In California’s Clean Air Battle With Trump
Unrelenting commutes. Lost construction jobs. A statewide economic shudder. Prepare for all three if California loses its clean air battle with the Trump administration. That’s the warning from state transportation planning agency officials, who say the ongoing fight over passenger vehicle standards might cause collateral damage to road and public transit projects. That could affect air quality, construction jobs, the economy and, as projects designed to improve flow are delayed, ensure Californians stay stuck in traffic. (Becker, 5/31)
The California Health Report (healthycal.org):
Food Aid Expansion Expected To Help Low-Income Seniors Improve Their Health
The 72-year-old, who said she has pre-diabetes, knows she needs to eat nutritious food and keep the weight off. But after paying her utilities, car insurance and other bills each month, [Dorothy] Lowery barely has enough money left over to buy cheap food at the dollar store, let alone the fruits, vegetables and protein needed for a balanced diet. That changed on June 1, when Lowery and about 500,000 other seniors and disabled people in California who receive SSI became newly eligible for food aid through the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as CalFresh. The benefits expansion follows passage of a state law last year that reversed a 1970’s-era policy of excluding recipients of SSI and a state supplementary payment called SSP from the food stamps program. (Boyd-Barrett, 6/4)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Young People Suing Government Over Climate Change Try To Move Suit Forward
A federal appeals court appeared torn Tuesday over a lawsuit by 21 young people demanding government action against climate change — unmoved by Trump administration arguments that the case was a fabrication, but uncertain about judicial authority to chart a new course. The issue before a panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, meeting in Portland, was whether to allow the youths and their environmental supporters to go to trial on claims that their constitutional rights to life and liberty are being violated by government-sanctioned oil, coal and gas development. (Egelko, 6/4)
Orange County Register:
O.C. Grand Jury, Sheriff Spar Over Health Screenings For Jail Inmates
The Orange County Grand Jury issued a report Tuesday, June 4, faulting the Sheriff’s Department for not taking vital signs of every inmate admitted to its jails to reduce deaths related to hypertension, but Sheriff Don Barnes fired back, saying that’s not his job.The grand jury report noted 28 custodial deaths from Jan. 23, 2016, through May 2, 2018, with 15 inmates showing evidence of prior cardiovascular history. ...The inmates are “screened two at a time with no privacy,” the grand jury report says. “The Orange County Sheriff’s Department and Correctional Health Services have been discussing improvements in this area. These include allowing for three screenings at a time, increasing inmate privacy, and improving safety for the nurses while allowing better access to the inmates. (6/4)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County To Pay $3 Million To Family Who Says Failed 911 Calls Led To Girl's Death
Ashley Flores was at home on Christmas Eve 2017, anticipating the gifts she and her siblings would soon open, when she began having difficulty breathing. The 11-year-old’s older sister dialed 911 and was put on hold by a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, her relatives said. The next four times her sister and other family members called, the same deputy failed to properly transfer the emergency calls and eventually routed them to an empty fire station where no one picked up, the family alleged in a lawsuit. (Lau, 6/4)
Ventura County Star:
Health Care Agency Chief Calls For Staff Cutbacks To Stem $47M Deficit
The new director of Ventura County’s public medical system presented a turnaround plan Tuesday to fix a deficit he said would top $47 million in the next fiscal year unless basic improvements are made. Health Care Agency Director Bill Foley projected that more than half of that can be saved with staffing cutbacks affecting 275 workers and by boosting productivity and cutting costs in outpatient medical clinics. A total of 79 full-time employees are due to be laid off, while 93 employees are being moved to other positions. The agency also plans to suspend work schedules for 103 per diem employees, most of them nurses, but Foley said he is re-evaluating that number. (Wilson, 6/4)
Ventura County Star:
VCMC Employees Say Layoffs Will Jeopardize Patient Safety And Care
Dozens of hospital employees, some carrying signs, all worrying about layoffs they say will jeopardize patients, crowded into a Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday and asked for a reprieve. Wearing union T-shirts and red nursing uniforms, they filled seats and leaned against walls to protest last week’s announcement that job cuts at Ventura County Medical Center, Santa Paula Hospital and elsewhere in the Ventura County Health Care Agency will affect 275 workers. Agency leaders said a projected budget loss of nearly $20 million this fiscal year in the VCMC system means 79 full-time employees — ranging from phlebotomists to therapists — will be laid off July 1, with other people being transferred or demoted. About 103 per diem and temporary workers, many of them nurses, have been told their jobs are set to be suspended. (Kisken, 6/4)
The Hill:
'Medicare For All' Gets New Boost From High-Ranking House Dem
Assistant House Speaker Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) on Tuesday announced his support for "Medicare for All" legislation, becoming the highest-ranking Democrat to co-sponsor the bill. The bill from Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) now has 112 co-sponsors in the House. (Weixel, 6/4)
The Hill:
House Panel Sets Medicare For All Hearing For Next Week
The House Ways & Means Committee will hold a hearing next week on "Medicare for all," the proposal that would shift the U.S. to a single-payer health care system. The June 12 hearing will mark the first time the proposal is considered by a committee that has jurisdiction over health care issues.A spokeswoman for committee Democrats said the hearing would cover Medicare for all and "other potential pathways to universal coverage." (Hellmann, 6/4)
The Hill:
Democrats, Republicans In Congress Spar Over State Abortion Laws
The fight over state abortion bans moved to Congress on Tuesday with Democrats holding a hearing to declare an ongoing “crisis” in states across the country. “This country has reached a crisis point for women’s constitutional rights to control their own bodies and their own reproductive choices,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said at a hearing Tuesday. (Hellmann, 6/4)
NPR:
Ban On Genetically Modified Babies Upheld By Congressional Committee
A congressional committee voted Tuesday to continue a federal ban on creating genetically modified babies in the United States. The House Appropriations Committee voted to retain the ban after the prohibition had been lifted last month by a subcommittee. The vote was part of debate over routine funding legislation for the Food and Drug Administration. "This is a prohibition that is accepted by nearly every nation in the world due to the unknown risks," said Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., during a hearing where the ban was restored. "The risks of harm are real." (Stein, 6/4)
The Washington Post:
Why Pfizer Didn’t Report That Its Rheumatoid Arthritis Medication Might Prevent Alzheimer’s
A team of researchers inside Pfizer made a startling find in 2015: The company’s blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis therapy Enbrel, a powerful anti-inflammatory drug, appeared to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 64 percent. The results were from an analysis of hundreds of thousands of insurance claims. Verifying that the drug would actually have that effect in people would require a costly clinical trial — and after several years of internal discussion, Pfizer opted against further investigation and chose not to make the data public, the company confirmed. (Rowland, 6/4)
Reuters:
CVS To Expand Health Hubs To 1,500 Stores By End Of 2021
CVS Health Corp said it would offer expanded health services such as nutrition counseling and blood pressure screenings in 1,500 stores by the end of 2021, following through on plans announced during the pharmacy chain's 2018 acquisition of health insurer Aetna. The company plans to convert a total of 50 stores this year in Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Tampa, representing about 15% of the stores in each of the markets, it said ahead of a meeting on Tuesday with Wall Street analysts and investors in New York. The bulk of the expansion will be split between 2020 and 2021. (6/4)
The Associated Press:
Immigration Official Looks To Step Up Family Deportations
The new top immigration official signaled Tuesday his agency is looking to step up deportations of families who are in the United States illegally, actions that would likely run into logistical hurdles and face strong public opposition. Mark Morgan, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the agency would continue to prioritize deportations of people who have criminal histories, but that no one should be exempt from enforcement. (6/4)
The Associated Press:
Former Head Of The CDC Pleads Guilty To Violation
The former head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct violation related to his arrest last year for alleged sexual misconduct. Dr. Thomas Frieden appeared Tuesday in Brooklyn Criminal Court. Frieden is also a former New York City health commissioner. Frieden was arrested in August. (6/4)
The New York Times:
Who Can Adopt These Navajo Children? A Tale Of Two Mothers And A Bitter Constitutional Fight
The 3-year-old boy who could upend a 40-year-old law aimed at protecting Native American children barreled into the suburban living room, merrily defying his parents’ prediction that he might be shy. He had a thatch of night-black hair and dark eyes that glowed with mischievous curiosity. As he pumped a stranger’s hand and scampered off to bounce on an indoor trampoline, his Superman cape floated behind him, as if trying to catch up. Zachary, or A.L.M. as he is called in legal papers, has a Navajo birth mother, a Cherokee birth father and adoptive parents, Jennifer and Chad Brackeen, neither of whom is Native American. (Hoffman, 6/5)