Latest California Healthline Stories
San Francisco Bay Area Aims To Tackle STIs With No-Cost Home Tests for Young Women
Heidi Bauer of the state Department of Public Health, Victoria Jones of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Vivian Levy of the San Mateo County Health Department and Freya Spielberg of RTI International spoke with California Healthline about a pilot program to help young women obtain no-cost home tests for sexually transmitted infections.
Smoking In Long-Term Care Facilities Debated
California already prohibits smoking inside hospital buildings, so Assembly member Wilmer Amina Carter (D-Rialto) thought it made good sense to extend that ban to long-term nursing facilities.
The often elderly, frail population at nursing facilities might need more protection from secondhand smoke than most people, Carter said at a Senate Committee on Health meeting yesterday.
“There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke,” Carter said. “One lit cigarette inside a long-term health facility exposes non-smoking workers, non-smoking patients and those who visit these facilities to over 7,000 harmful chemicals, of which over 70 of these chemicals cause cancer.”
Scrutiny of Health Care Training Programs Increasing
The training of health care workers at private schools is coming under increasing scrutiny in California. Legislation, research projects and consumer oversight efforts are looking into the costs of education compared with graduation rates, accreditation claims and graduates’ ability to find jobs.
Creating a Culturally Competent Health Care System
Is California still leading the way toward cultural competence in health care? We asked stakeholders how California legislators, policymakers, educators and business leaders can best prepare the health care system for an increasingly diverse population.
Harold Miller of the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement Discusses Innovation
Harold Miller, president and CEO of the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement, spoke with California Healthline about the importance of pursuing innovative health care improvement strategies that are tailored to local needs.
Assembly Casts Its Vote for Vaccinations
The Assembly yesterday approved a measure to require parents to meet with a licensed medical provider if they want to exempt their children from immunizations. After consultation, practitioners would sign an exemption form for parents.
Bill author Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) said AB 2109 makes sure parents make an informed decision about vaccinations.
“So they can make an informed decision about the impact this would have, not just on their own children but on the school and in the greater community,” Pan said. “This is extremely important, to protect the public safety in our communities. Immunizations are one of the most important preventative measures, one of the most-effective measures we’ve had, to try to protect our communities from infectious diseases.”
California Sees Increase in Parents Seeking Exemptions From Vaccination Requirements
Oakland pediatrician Bruce Horwitz, Barbara Loe Fisher of the National Vaccine Information Center, John Talarico of the state Department of Public Health and a parent who plans to apply for a personal belief exemption spoke with California Healthline about the growing trend of parents seeking vaccine exemptions.
San Diego Barbershops Offer Shave, Haircut and Health Screening
Volunteers this month will descend on barbershops in Southeast San Diego to screen African-American men for diabetes and high blood pressure during a multicity event aimed at raising awareness and addressing health disparities.
Health Facilities Get Improvement Boost
The federal government yesterday issued $722 million in renovation and construction grants to community health centers, including $122 million in grants to California facilities.
Dean Germano, CEO of Shasta Community Health Center in Redding, said his center’s $5 million capital grant announced yesterday will pay for about half of a planned $10 million building addition.
“The plans are completed, and we were waiting on a decision from HHS to see if we could do this,” Germano said.
Misuse of Prescription Painkillers Becoming More Widespread Among Young Californians
Tom Lenox of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Michael Plopper of Sharp HealthCare Behavioral Health Services, Sherrie Rubin of the not-for-profit organization HOPE and Robert Wailes of the California Medical Association’s board of trustees spoke with California Healthline about prescription drug misuse.