Latest California Healthline Stories
4 Vital Health Issues — Not Tied to Covid — That Congress Addressed in Massive Spending Bill
Lawmakers answered pleas from strained health facilities in rural areas, agreed to cover the cost of training more new doctors, sought to strengthen efforts to equalize mental health coverage with that of physical medicine and instructed the federal government to collect data that could be used to rein in high medical bills.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: On Capitol Hill, Actions Have Consequences
Several large business groups, including health industry organizations, are cutting off contributions to Republicans who voted against the certification of Joe Biden’s election even after riots shut down the Capitol on Jan. 6. Meanwhile, the outgoing Trump administration not only approved a Medicaid block grant for Tennessee, but also made it difficult for the incoming Biden administration to undo. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN’s Victoria Knight about the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode.
‘Peer Respites’ Provide an Alternative to Psychiatric Wards During Pandemic
A growing number of “peer respites,” nonclinical settings for psychiatric recovery, can help people in distress who mainly need to talk to people who understand their problems.
Health Officials Fear Pandemic-Related Suicide Spike Among Native Youth
Recent deaths on a small Native American reservation in Montana have underlined the heightened risks for Indigenous youths and how suicide prevention programs are struggling to operate during the pandemic.
‘Nine Months Into It, the Adrenaline Is Gone and It’s Just Exhausting’
A UCSF emergency room physician reflects on California’s response to COVID-19 and on lessons learned — or not — as the coronavirus makes its second devastating surge.
Alzheimer’s Inc.: Colleagues Question Scientist’s Pricey Recipe Against Memory Loss
Dr. Dale Bredesen is a well-known, well-respected neurologist. But his colleagues think the comprehensive Alzheimer’s program he’s marketing through a private company is a mixture of free-for-the-asking common sense and unproven interventions.
I Found My Secret to Feeling Younger and Stronger. The Pandemic Stole It Away.
What’s a 67-year-old to do when COVID-19 shuts down the volunteering gigs that were his personal fountain of youth?
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Amid COVID and Racial Unrest, Black Churches Put Faith in Mental Health Care
Black Americans are less likely to receive mental health treatment than the overall population. But as needs soar this year, faith leaders are tapping health professionals to share coping skills churchgoers and the community can use immediately.
New Legal Push Aims to Speed Magic Mushrooms to Dying Patients
A proposal in Washington state would use right-to-try laws to allow terminally ill patients access to psilocybin — the famed magic mushrooms of America’s psychedelic ’60s — to ease depression and anxiety.