Latest California Healthline Stories
Task Force Starts with Population Health
When you’re trying to take on reformation of the complex and arcane system of health care in California, where do you even begin?
At population health, apparently.
The state’s recently formed “Let’s Get Healthy California” task force convened yesterday for the first of four scheduled webinars. The meetings are part of the task force’s plan to eventually organize the unruly health care system in California by creating a priority list and action plan for what needs to be done, according to Diana Dooley, Secretary of Health and Human Services.
No-Cost Clinic Faces Hard Times, Uncertain Future
Al Shifa Free Clinic near San Bernardino — one of two no-cost clinics in Riverside and San Bernardino counties providing care for uninsured residents — is scraping to make ends meet and exploring ways to survive under health care reform.
What Food Issues Mean to Health Care
A new policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research found that 3.8 million Californians in 2009 had times during the year when they could not afford food.
Based on data from the California Health Interview Survey, the new study of showed a marked rise from the 2.5 million Californians with food insecurity eight years before, in 2001. That’s an increase of about half (49%), during a time period where California’s population grew by about 10%.
“The numbers are quite striking,” said UCLA researcher Gail Harrison. “We knew what the trend was going to be, but this was a much more striking increase than I thought there would be.”
Paramedics Could Lighten L.A. County’s EMS Load
Proponents of expanded roles for emergency medical personnel say a goldmine of untapped health care resources in Los Angeles County is ripe for mining. Changes brought on by health care reform could make the transition smoother.
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.”