Latest California Healthline Stories
Time is Now To Reverse Hepatitis Trend, Experts Say
For years, advocates have been fighting hepatitis in relative quiet — but that may be changing, according to Rachel McLean.
“Last week the federal [Department of] Health and Human Services released its hepatitis action plan,” McLean said. “For HHS to say we’re going to do something, well, that’s a big deal.”
McLean is the hepatitis prevention coordinator for the state Department of Public Health, and she was part of a panel discussion yesterday in Sacramento. The event was part of the California Health Policy Forum, put on by the Center for Health Improvement and funded in part by the California HealthCare Foundation. CHCF is the publisher of California Healthline.
Amid Clinic Closures, One Health Care Center Keeps Expanding
State budget shortfalls, declining Medi-Cal reimbursement and recent federal cutbacks have led many community clinics in California to the financial edge. But the Sacramento Native American Health Center has bucked that trend and is expanding at a rapid rate — and it may offer a new model of care to handle the growing patient load in California.
Riverside Hopes New Policies Will Help Curb Sprawl, Obesity
Riverside County’s Public Health and Planning departments have joined forces to develop a large-scale approach that will guide future community development. The new policies set the stage for communities that will be walkable and bikeable with convenient access to nutritious food.
Physicians Scarce for Latinos in California
There are two main hurdles to getting quality health care among the Latino population, according to David Hayes-Bautista, founding director of UCLA medical school’s Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture.
Access is the No. 1 issue and linguistic competency is No. 2, Hayes-Bautista said.
Hayes-Bautista was part of a forum convened last week in Sacramento by the Latino Community Development Foundation — a forum that included Health and Human Services Secretary Diana Dooley and a number of state Senate and Assembly members.
Counties Face New, Expanded Health Care Challenges
California counties’ role in delivering health care using a patchwork of federal and state programs and funding is about to become more complex, if not more difficult, because of health care reform and budget constraints. We asked stakeholders and experts how policymakers could best navigate new waters.
Clearing a Path Through the Smog
The thumbnail summary of California’s air quality is abysmal. Los Angeles and Bakersfield have the worst air quality in the nation, according to the annual State of the Air report by the American Lung Association. On the county grading scale, 37 of California’s 58 counties get an F in air quality.
“California is unique,” Bonnie Holmes-Gen of the American Lung Association of California said, in explaining why air pollution is so bad in this state.
“Our large population, combined with our sunny days,” help foul the air, she said. “Plus you see a lot of diesel emissions at our ports, and a lot of diesel because of our agriculture. There are geographic elements, where the San Joaquin Valley is like a big bowl that holds the smog. And of course, there has been a large increase in vehicle miles traveled. People do love their cars in California.”
John Goldstein of Imprint Capital Discusses How Foundations Can Invest in Their Mission
John Goldstein, co-founder and managing director of Imprint Capital, spoke with California Healthline about how health foundations and other philanthropic institutions can leverage innovative investment strategies to advance their mission.
Series of Proposals for Community Health Improvement
When it comes to improving the health of a large pool of Californians, small steps can yield big cumulative results. That’s the idea behind a series of proposed laws that are coming before committees in the next two weeks — and part of an overarching plan to get health considerations included in land-use and other policies on the Capitol’s daily agenda, according to Ellen Wu of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network.
“The state can pass laws and [convene] task forces,” she said, “that can change all of our policies so that they incorporate health.” For instance, she said, when you’re planning some kind of development, make sure multi-lane roads don’t run alongside schools or hospitals.
A few of the bills on tap:
New Senior Home Worker Law: Protection or Intrusion?
A vast workforce in California has gone unregulated and unmonitored — and that could be a danger to the seniors they are supposed to help.
That’s the gist of a new law passed this week by the Senate Committee on Health. SB 411 by Curren Price (D-Inglewood), the Home Care Service Act of 2011, would require background checks and elementary care instruction for all workers who help out in seniors’ homes.
“Without background checks or training, anyone can be a home health worker,” Price said. “And that could leave some seniors vulnerable to fraud and abuse.”
Cash, Credits, Peer Support Incentives To Alter Bad Health Habits
Paying workers to take care of themselves could seem like an odd notion, but California businesses are funding wellness incentive programs to encourage employees to live healthier lives and in turn miss less work, be more productive and cut medical costs.