- California Healthline Original Stories 1
- Medicare Eases Readmission Penalties Against Safety-Net Hospitals
- Elections 1
- Newsom's Wide Lead Has Some Worried That Californians Won't Know Where He Stands Before Election Day
- Women's Health 1
- Administration To Audit All Federally Funded Research Using Fetal Tissue, Reigniting Decades-Long Controversy
- Hospital Roundup 1
- Picket Planned As Psychiatric Hospital Fined For Attack That Nurse Blames On Staffing Shortage
- Public Health and Education 1
- To Help Heal A Community That Has Known Too Much Trauma, New Center Aims To Tackle Root Of Violence
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Medicare Eases Readmission Penalties Against Safety-Net Hospitals
In California, Medicare penalized about three-quarters of the 292 hospitals it evaluated. But many that serve a large share of low-income patients will lose less money than they did in previous years. (Jordan Rau, )
More News From Across The State
Newsom's Wide Lead Has Some Worried That Californians Won't Know Where He Stands Before Election Day
Gubernatorial front-runner Gavin Newsom is comfortable enough with his chances that he can be vague on his stances. Newsom did come out in favor of instituting a single-payer system during the primary, but later warned it would be unlikely for him accomplish it during his first term as governor.
The New York Times:
For Gavin Newsom, A Stealth Run For California Governor
He may seem hesitant to say it, but Gavin Newsom wants your vote for governor of California. Really. Mr. Newsom took the stage to cheers in the hot afternoon sun in Orange County the other day. For 20 minutes, he talked about the Democratic candidates for Congress and the California Legislature. He talked about President Trump. He talked about poverty, homelessness, immigration and global warming. (Nagourney and Arango, 9/26)
Following the news that HHS would terminate a small contract with a California biosciences firm came a larger announcement that the agency is going to launch a comprehensive review of all government-funded research that uses fetal tissue. Biomedical scientists were alarmed that the audit could lead to restrictions, saying fetal tissue has been vital in testing vaccines, exploring Parkinson’s disease treatments and understanding the transmission of HIV.
The Washington Post:
Trump Administration Launches Review Of Government-Funded Fetal Tissue Research
The Trump administration has launched a review of all federally funded research that uses fetal tissue and has canceled one contract for such material, stepping into a decades-old controversy that has been a sidelight to the ideological war over abortion. Federal health officials dispatched a letter Monday ending a contract with a California-based nonprofit group targeted by social conservatives in Congress and a coalition of antiabortion and faith-based groups. In July, the Food and Drug Administration had agreed to pay the organization, Advanced Bioscience Resources, nearly $16,000 for fetal tissue that was to be implanted into mice for research into immune responses to drugs. (Goldstein, Cha and McGinley, 9/25)
Stat:
Trump Administration Launches Review Of Scientific Research Involving Fetal Tissue
The announcement follows the release of a letter sent earlier this month by 45 anti-abortion leaders to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, expressing outrage about the Food and Drug Administration’s contract and urging him to end government funding for fetal tissue research. In 2017, the National Institutes of Health spent roughly $98 million on the research. “The use of fetal tissue is important or even necessary for some kinds of work,” said Alta Charo, a bioethics professor from the University of Wisconsin who has defended fetal tissue research before Congress. Charo noted that research using fetal tissue led to the development of key vaccines and is now crucial to research on understanding how exposure to Zika virus during pregnancy causes birth defects. (Thielking, 9/25)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration Cancels Research Contract For Fetal Tissue
The action rekindles a longstanding and emotional debate over the use of fetal tissue in research. Conservative evangelical voters, who are among the GOP’s strongest supporters, strongly oppose the use of such tissue when it comes from abortions. Research groups, however, say the use of fetal tissue is vital to medical advances because it has qualities that adult tissue doesn’t have.The debate over abortion, they add, should be kept separate from the question of whether such tissue should be used. (Armour and Burton, 9/25)
Picket Planned As Psychiatric Hospital Fined For Attack That Nurse Blames On Staffing Shortage
Officials at John George Psychiatric Hospital, where the incident occurred, have emphasized that the facility correctly followed protocol before, during and after the attack.
KQED:
State Fines Psychiatric Hospital In Attack On Nurse Amid Renewed Staffing Concerns
Now, dozens of Service Employees International Union Local 1021 members plan to hold an informational picket in Oakland on Tuesday afternoon to draw attention to staffing issues there and two other Alameda County medical facilities. (Goldberg, 9/25)
In other hospital news —
Capital Public Radio:
California Hospitals Confront Growing Wildfire Danger At Disaster Planning Event
At the Disaster Planning Conference for California Hospitals in Sacramento, Shaw warned hospital representatives from across the state that practice and preparedness are crucial, especially as wildfire seasons grow more extreme. ...Even when hospitals aren’t near the fire, there’s also the added risk of electrical failure, which can wreak havoc on medical equipment. (Caiola, 9/25)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Palomar Finalizes Contract With New CEO, Sets Base Salary At $800K
Palomar Health has inked a two-year contract with its newly-hired chief executive officer that pays $800,000 per year in base salary and the opportunity to earn up to a 25 percent performance-based bonus. The public health care district’s board of directors approved the contract with Diane Hansen, Palomar’s chief executive, on Sept. 10. The district provided a copy of the pact to The San Diego Union-Tribune on Friday, Sept. 21. (Sisson, 9/25)
To Help Heal A Community That Has Known Too Much Trauma, New Center Aims To Tackle Root Of Violence
The new Community Healing and Trauma Prevention Center will give South Los Angeles residents access to counseling, support groups, healing-focused workshops and exercise classes. “People all across the country are going to be taking note of what we’re doing," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas of the model.
The California Health Report:
South Los Angeles Looks To End Cycle Of Violence By Addressing Trauma
This month, [Kevin] Orange, who is now a community activist, attended the unveiling of what he hopes will help bring an end to the cycle of violence and trauma that has plagued many areas of South Los Angeles for decades. On Sept. 5, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health unveiled its new Community Healing and Trauma Prevention Center. The center is designed to be a therapeutic gathering spot where community members will have access to counseling, support groups, healing-focused workshops and exercise classes. The hope is that participants will help advocate for positive change in the areas where they live. The center demonstrates a new approach “to how we do violence prevention in the context of a community that has known too much violence,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas at the opening ceremony. (Boyd-Barrett, 9/25)
Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare Health Plan Nabs Praise From National Quality Assurance Group
Only 14 health plans in the country, or about 1 percent, were rated 5 out of 5, and Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare health plan in Northern California was one of them.
Vellejo Times-Herald:
Northern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Plans Ranked Highest By National Organization
Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare health plan in Northern California received the highest rating from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, a national group that rates health plans for consumer experience, prevention and treatment, a Kaiser spokeswoman announced. Kaiser Permanente’s Medicare health plan in Northern California was rated 5 out of 5, according to the announcement, and Kaiser Permanente’s commercial health plans in Northern and Southern California were ratedf 4.5. No other California commercial health plan is rated higher, spokeswoman Deniene Erickson said. (9/25)
Key Republican Senator Urges Colleagues To Take Kavanaugh Accusations Seriously As Hearing Nears
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who is eyed as a swing vote on the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, issued a warning that senators should not prejudge the allegations of Professor Christine Blasey Ford. Meanwhile, the battle heated up as President Donald Trump tried to discredit the second woman who spoke out against his nominee. And Republicans have obtained the services of outside counsel to aid in questioning Ford during Thursday's hearing.
The New York Times:
Trump Unleashes On Kavanaugh Accuser As Key Republican Wavers
President Trump assailed the latest woman to accuse Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, saying on Tuesday that she “has nothing” because she was “messed up” at the time, even as a key Republican senator urged colleagues to take the accusations seriously. With pressure rising in advance of a make-or-break hearing on Thursday, Mr. Trump lashed out in a more vociferous way than he has since his nominee came under fire for allegations of sexual assault, blaming Democrats for orchestrating a “con game” and targeting one of Judge Kavanaugh’s accusers in scathing, personal terms. (Baker and Fandos, 9/25)
The Washington Post:
‘Back In The Foxhole Together’: Conservatives Rally Around Kavanaugh Amid Accusations
The powerful and well-funded conservative movement has launched into overdrive to rescue the Supreme Court nomination of Brett M. Kavanaugh, decrying the sexual assault allegations against him as unfounded and warning Republicans that buckling to Democratic pressure would undermine voter enthusiasm weeks before the midterm elections. (Costa, 9/25)
Politico:
Democrats In The Dark On Eve Of Historic Kavanaugh Hearing
Tens of millions of people will be watching Christine Blasey Ford when she appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a potentially history-shaping hearing on Thursday. Yet Ford has had no apparent contact with the people who could help her most through the ordeal: Senate Democrats. (Schor and Bade, 9/26)
Politico:
Red-State Democrats Refuse To Come Out Against Kavanaugh
Democrats have all the cover they need to vote in lockstep against Brett Kavanaugh. But a half-dozen of them have refused to go there, even after the pair of sexual assault allegations against the Supreme Court nominee. Democratic insiders are feeling more bullish than ever that the party’s 49 caucus members ultimately will oppose Kavanaugh. Yet the undeclared bloc of Democratic senators could be a problem for Democratic leaders, who want to put the weight of the nomination entirely on a handful of holdout Republicans. (Everett and Schor, 9/25)
The New York Times:
They Say Sexual Assault, Kavanaugh Says It Never Happened: Sifting Truth From Memory
When Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford present their vastly different recollections to the Senate on Thursday, the quality and reliability of memory itself will be on trial. Judge Kavanaugh has emphatically denied allegations from Dr. Blasey that he tried to rape her when they were teenagers or ever committed sexual assault against anyone. Dr. Blasey and another accuser, Deborah Ramirez, have recounted their alleged incidents with both precise detail and gaping holes. (Carey and Hoffman, 9/25)
Los Angeles Times:
Kavanaugh Vs. Kavanaugh: Supreme Court Nominee Has Offered Conflicting Accounts Of His Teenage Drinking
The toughest challenge facing Judge Brett Kavanaugh when he appears at a Senate hearing Thursday about allegations of a decades-old sexual assault may be reconciling the two starkly different depictions circulating about his high school and college years. Unfortunately for Kavanaugh, both versions — one of a hard-partying, heavy-drinking frat boy and the other of a church-going athlete known from age 14 for respecting women’s dignity — come from Kavanaugh’s own words. (Savage, 9/25)
Politico:
Senate Panel Schedules Kavanaugh Vote For Friday
The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court on Friday morning, less than 24 hours after Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford appear before the panel to discuss Ford's allegation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her more than 30 years ago. (Schor, Bresnahan and Everett, 9/25)
Negotiators for the House and Senate smoothed out the differences between their two versions on the massive opioid package that lawmakers are banking on as a winning talking point before the midterms. Not included in the final version of the agreement was pharma's push to use the legislation to roll back a provision that puts them on the hook for covering more drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries.
The Hill:
Lawmakers Unveil Massive Bipartisan Bill Aimed At Fighting Opioid Crisis
Aside from opioid policy, drug companies also failed in an intense lobbying push to attach a provision to the bill easing their costs in Medicare. The change would have rolled back a provision from February’s budget deal that raised drugmakers costs in Medicare’s coverage gap, known as the donut hole. Drug pricing groups and some Democrats came out strongly against including the provision in the opioids bill, saying it was a “handout” to Pharma. (Sullivan, 9/25)
Politico Pro:
Congress Reaches Final Deal To Address Opioid Crisis
House and Senate negotiators late Tuesday reached a final agreement on a bill addressing the opioid crisis following weeks of talks and a failed bid to include $4 billion worth of unrelated policy changes favorable to the pharmaceutical industry. The bipartisan bill, H.R. 6 (115), attempts to address nearly every aspect of the public health epidemic, from expanding access to addiction treatment and prevention programs to beefing up law enforcement efforts to curtail the trafficking of illegal drugs. (Ehley, Karlin-Smith and Tahir, 9/25)
In other national health care news —
The New York Times:
E.P.A. Places The Head Of Its Office Of Children’s Health On Leave
The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday placed the head of its Office of Children’s Health Protection on administrative leave, in an unusual move that several observers said appeared to reflect an effort to minimize the role of the office. Dr. Ruth Etzel, a pediatrician and epidemiologist who has been a leader in children’s environmental health for 30 years, joined the E.P.A. in 2015, after having served as a senior officer for environmental health research at the World Health Organization. (Davenport and Rabin, 9/26)
The New York Times/ProPublica:
Cancer Center Switches Focus On Fund-Raising As Problems Mount
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has abruptly changed the focus of an annual fund-raising campaign amid a widening crisis that has already led to the resignation of its chief medical officer and a sweeping re-examination of its policies. The campaign, initially titled “Harnessing Big Data,” was to have focused on the cancer center’s research into the use of artificial intelligence in cancer treatment, according to a brochure on Memorial Sloan Kettering’s website. (Thomas and Ornstein, 9/25)
US News & World Report:
The Burden Of Race On Community Health In America
A decade and a half ago, a landmark study explored how racial and ethnic minorities face disparities in health care quality, even after accounting for socioeconomic differences. Such trends have persisted for decades, with deadly effects: Another study using 2002 data found there were 229 excess deaths daily that could be avoided by closing the mortality gap between blacks and whites. That's like a Boeing 767 with all black passengers crashing every day, as David Williams of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health points out. (McPhillips, 9/25)
The New York Times:
Shingles Vaccine Shortages Result From High Demand
Shingrix, the vaccine approved last year to prevent shingles, has proved so popular that its maker, GlaxoSmithKline, has not been able to produce it quickly enough to keep up with the demand. The vaccine is recommended for most people over 50. But many are having trouble getting it. The company says there are no manufacturing problems — it just didn’t expect so many consumers to want the vaccine. (Grady, 9/25)