Near Incineration Of Psychiatric Hospital Highlights Gaping Need For More Beds
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
Fire almost destroyed one of two acute care facilities in Ventura County — wiping out most of the region’s inpatient capacity. In California and nationally, such hospitals are strained by demand — and disasters.
States Strive To Curb Costs For A Crucial — But Exorbitant — Hemophilia Treatment
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
Photos by Heidi de Marco
Saving the lives of people with the bleeding disorder can require high doses of expensive blood-clotting factor. Taxpayers foot much of the bill as manufacturers profit enormously.
Fires Prey On Frail Residents Living On Their Own
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
The ferocious fires in Northern California underscore the vulnerability of seniors and disabled people whose mobility is limited. Experts recommend basic precautions.
Hospital Honchos Hone New Message In Wake Of Opioid Crisis: Expect Pain
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
“We really do have a lot of responsibility and culpability,” says one hospital official who is part of a working group trying to address the opioid epidemic. Patients have to expect more pain after surgery and understand the risk of addiction, says another doctor.
Podcast: ‘What The Health?’ We Have Numbers!
In this episode of “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Sarah Kliff of Vox.com, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo discuss the first days of open enrollment for 2018 individual health insurance plans and whether the Democratic gains in Tuesday’s off-off-year elections will have any impact on health care policy in Washington, D.C.
Federal Audit Gives California Poor Marks On Monitoring The Welfare Of Foster Children
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
The report says state officials failed to follow up properly or promptly on complaints of neglect and sexual abuse. But changes are underway, it says, and one child welfare advocate says she’s already seen a “significant turnaround.”
With CHIP In Limbo, Here Are 5 Takeaways On The Congressional Impasse
By Phil Galewitz
The sticking point is not whether to keep the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program running but how best to raise the cash. California, which leads the nation in CHIP enrollment, will run out of money within weeks.
Largest Assisted Living Chain In U.S. Sued For Poor Care Of Elderly
By Barbara Feder Ostrov
A class-action complaint filed in a federal court in Northern California alleges that insufficient staffing and poor worker training has had “devastating” consequences for residents in the assisted living homes of Tennessee-based Brookdale Senior Living.
