Latest California Healthline Stories
Hospital Infection Rates Are On The Downslide (With One Troubling Exception)
Intestine invader “C. diff” proves tough to kill.
Marijuana Is a Public Health Risk: UCSF Analysis
A new analysis from UCSF warns that pot smoke is a danger to human health – but the California Medical Association has just endorsed a proposal to legalize it.
Reforming Federal Oversight Of Medical Devices Won’t Be Easy
Despite dozens of infections from medical scopes, an agreement on how to fix the FDA’s flawed regulation of the device industry remains elusive.
A Closer Look At The Senate’s Investigation Of Tainted Medical Scopes
A Senate investigation recently found that 16 hospitals around the U.S. failed to file mandatory paperwork with the federal government after patients at their hospitals became infected or died from the use of tainted medical scopes. KHN’s Chad Terhune, who reported on the story for the Los Angeles Times, spoke with Madeline Brand on KCRW’s Press Play about the investigation and steps the scope maker is taking to stop the infections.
California’s Community Health Initiative Website Ready for Launch
The state’s three-year-old Let’s Get Healthy California initiative will launch a website next week aimed at helping communities make and measure progress in specific health care areas.
El sitio Infórmate ofrece recursos e información para ayudar a erradicar mitos culturales que hacen que los latinos no se conviertan en donantes vivos de riñón.
Telenovelas, Spanish Website Seek To Inform Hispanics About Kidney Donations
The website Infórmate offers resources and information to help dispel cultural myths that may keep Latinos from becoming live kidney donors.
Heavy Use Of CT Scans Raises Concerns About Patients’ Exposure To Radiation
CT scans, which are administered more than 85 million times a year, are an important diagnostic tool, but just one can be equivalent to 200 X-rays. Some doctors warn that health providers are not considering possible consequences when ordering the tests.
Polio-Like Illness Identified in California; Cause Remains Mystery, Reports Says
A mysterious polio-like illness has struck 59 people, mostly children, in California over the past three years. The cause of the illness remains unknown, according to a report today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Study Examines HIV-Related Offenses
Most of those jailed for HIV-related crimes in California are people of color, say UCLA researchers in a new study released this week.