Latest California Healthline Stories
California Lobbies CMS Over Changes in Family Planning Program
Family planning advocates say federally ordered changes in California’s Family Planning, Access, Care and Treatment program will harm patients and cost the state and federal governments more money in the process.
Campaigns Launched To Move Californians From Fat to Fit
Even before a statewide survey confirmed this month that Californians are overweight, out of shape and getting that way earlier in life, health and government officials were responding with an array of programs and legislation to combat obesity.
California Researchers Find Health Effects of Air Pollution Higher Than Previously Thought
Dmitri Stanich of the California Air Resources Board, cardiologist Gerald Pohost and USC epidemiologist Jim Gauderman discussed the health care implications of small particle air pollution in California.
Tobacco Foes in California Think Globally, Act Locally
At a smoking cessation forum last week in San Francisco, tobacco foes argued for stronger anti-smoking policies, and two large California employers announced new programs to help their workers quit the habit.
San Diego Opts for Fluoridation in Water Supply, But California Still Lags in National Rankings
Don Lyman of the Department of Public Health, Jon Roth of the California Dental Association Foundation and Brad Sherwood of the Sonoma County Water Agency discussed efforts to add fluoride to the water supply.
Abortion Notification, Kids’ Hospitals Return to Ballot
Of the eight propositions so far to qualify for California’s November ballot, two deal with health care — a measure seeking to prohibit abortions for minors without family notification and a bond measure for children’s hospitals. Both might look familiar to Californians who voted in recent elections.
Budget Cuts Could Lead To Slower Results on Tuberculosis Test for Drug-Resistant Strains
State and county public health experts spoke with California Healthline about the effects of state budget cuts on efforts to control tuberculosis in the Bay Area, which accounts for nearly one-fourth of TB cases in the state.
State’s New Catastrophe Response Plan Leaves Nurses Skeptical
Presented as the first of its kind in the nation, California’s comprehensive plan for delivering health care in the event of a major disaster leaves front-line providers — nurses — less than impressed.
Ballot Initiative Filed To Expand Kids’ Coverage
Only weeks after a health care reform plan backed by Gov. Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez was rejected, children’s health care advocates have resurrected an effort to increase the state tobacco tax to help pay for children’s health coverage.
Telemedicine Efforts Target Uninsured, Rural Hispanics
Use of telemedicine is becoming a more common way to treat chronic diseases among specific underserved populations, such as Hispanics. Two programs in the state have had early success using the technology to stave off development of more serious and costly conditions among people with diabetes.