01/05/2009
HHS has awarded a $2.2 million grant to the Substance Abuse Foundation of Long Beach to expand HIV/AIDS services to blacks and Hispanics. The grant will run for five years. Long Beach Press-Telegram.
01/05/2009
On Jan. 1, various health care-related laws took effect in California. For example, new laws aim to establish a new state privacy office and require physicians to provide terminally ill patients with information about end-of-life care options. Los Angeles Times et al.
01/05/2009
State Sen. Elaine Alquist and Kathleen Billingsley, deputy director of the state Department of Public Health's Center for Health Care Quality, talked with California Healthline about two new laws aimed at curbing hospital-acquired infections.
12/19/2008
On Thursday, KQED's "California Report" examined the potentially harmful chemicals in holiday gifts. California and the federal government have passed new laws banning certain chemicals, but the laws do not go into effect until next year. KQED's "California Report."
12/18/2008
El Dorado County approved staffing cuts to its health services department, and Fresno County signed off on a trial for a needle-exchange program. Meanwhile, Sonoma County OK'd a plan to require a law enforcement union to pay more toward health benefits. Sacramento Bee et al.
12/18/2008
Kaiser Permanente has received an $8.6 million Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant to create a biobank of genetic, environmental and health data that could be used to study genetic and environmental factors in certain diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer's and heart disease. The database could store up to 500,000 DNA samples by 2012. San Francisco Business Times, Contra Costa Times.
12/17/2008
A 1991 California law requires pregnant women whose incomes exceed Medi-Cal eligibility rules to live in the state for six months before they can qualify for a program that provides pre- and post-natal health care. A San Francisco Superior Court judge overturned the law Tuesday. San Francisco Chronicle.
12/17/2008
On Tuesday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed key principles for a new state effort aimed at increasing oversight of products that include toxic chemicals that could affect human health. Sacramento Bee et al.
12/17/2008
The transition team for President-elect Barack Obama is studying ways to reverse a Bush administration rule that would let health care personnel refuse to participate in abortions or other medical procedures that they object to on moral grounds. The Bush administration is expected to finalize the rule this week. Wall Street Journal.
12/12/2008
A yearlong study released yesterday found that where people live in Los Angeles is a big predictor of their health. The "South LA Health Equity Scorecard" compares the west and the south regions of Los Angeles on 50 environmental factors known to affect health. Contra Costa Times.
12/10/2008
Advocacy groups are calling on President-elect Barack Obama to fully fund CDC, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and other federal agencies that have a hand in regulating matters that affect public health. San Francisco Chronicle.
12/10/2008
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is calling for the city health department to increase revenue by more than $8 million this budget year and cut about $8.5 million in services. A San Francisco supervisor is pushing for cuts to other agencies to preserve health care services. San Francisco Chronicle.
12/09/2008
A study by the United Health Foundation ranked California the 24th healthiest state in the nation, despite having a higher-than-average percentage of uninsured residents. The study found that California's obesity rate has more than doubled since 1990. Sacramento Business Journal.
12/05/2008
A survey released Thursday by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found that the strong Democratic tilt of the California electorate was responsible for the defeat of Proposition 4, a measure that would have required parental notification of minors seeking an abortion. According to the survey, 66% of Republicans supported the measure, while 65% of Democrats opposed it. Ventura County Star.
12/05/2008
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled that California's Department of Health Care Services did not take the steps spelled out in a 2002 state law aimed at providing Medi-Cal benefits to HIV-positive Californians. People whose conditions have progressed to AIDS are eligible for Medi-Cal benefits. Los Angeles Times.