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Not a subscriber? Sign up | | | | Daily Edition | | | California Tests 5 More People For Bird Flu Amid Outbreak: Five more people who presumably contracted bird flu are being tested amid outbreaks in California's dairy industry, health officials confirmed Monday. The five new possible cases are in the state's Central Valley. Read more from USA Today, the San Francisco Chronicle, and KVPR. Blue Shield Of California Planning Layoffs In December: Blue Shield of California, a nonprofit health plan provider, is set to lay off 61 employees across the state, including in Oakland, just before the holiday season, according to regulatory filings. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle. Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline's coverage. For today's national health news, read KFF Health News' Morning Briefing. More News From Across The State Becker's Hospital Review: Kaiser To Lay Off More California Workers
Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente has shared plans to lay off 20 employees across multiple California locations, effective Dec. 6, according to multiple WARN notices obtained by Becker's. The layoffs primarily affected information technology and business function positions, and did not affect direct patient care. The health system will work with the employees to transition them to other Kaiser roles or provide them, where necessary, with severance packages, outplacement services and career support, a spokesperson for Kaiser said in an Oct. 14 statement shared with Becker's. (Ashley, 10/14) Times of San Diego: Dialysis Healthcare Workers Begin Six-Day Strike Across California, Including In San Diego
Hundreds of healthcare workers are holding strikes beginning Monday to call attention to what they say are violations of their labor rights. The dialysis caregivers, who are represented by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, say that their employers are violating frontline healthcare workers' rights by retaliating against caregivers for bringing attention to poor working conditions, as well as engaging in union-busting activities. (Binkowski, 10/14) Becker's Hospital Review: Stanford Hospital Nurses Approve Labor Deal With 18% Pay Boost
Registered nurses at Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley in Pleasanton, Calif., part of Stanford Health Care, have approved a new labor contract. The agreement, approved Oct. 9, covers more than 550 nurses at the hospital, according to California Nurses Association/National Nurses United. Under the deal, nurses will see wages increase by 18% over three years, a union spokesperson told Becker's. Other provisions include workplace violence protections and meal- and break-relief for all units for the entire shift. (Gooch, 10/14) The Washington Post: Nutrition Should Play Bigger Role In Medical Training, Panel Asserts
A panel of experts identified 36 nutrition competencies for inclusion in undergraduate and graduate medical school and training in a new consensus statement in JAMA Network Open. The experts noted that diet is a strong behavioral influence on health risks and that "seven of the 10 leading causes of death in the US are directly affected by diet." Yet, they wrote, nutrition is "limited or completely absent" from most medical education programs in the United States. (McMahan, 10/14) NBC News: Why Some Doctors See A Downside To Notifying Women About Dense Breasts
Mammogram studies show that almost half of women over age 40 have dense breasts. Going forward, women with dense breasts will be encouraged to talk to their doctors and told that "other imaging tests in addition to a mammogram may help find cancers." Some health advocates argue that the notifications have oversimplified a complex issue. They argue that without clear, evidence-based instructions, women could be left scared, confused and frustrated. (Szabo, 10/12) Becker's Hospital Review: California Hospital Notifies 108,149 Patients Of Data Breach
Oceanside, Calif.-based Tri-City Medical Center is notifying 108,149 individuals that their protected health information may have been exposed in a 2023 data breach. According to a breach notification letter submitted to the Office of the Maine Attorney General on Oct. 11, Tri-City Medical Center detected unauthorized activity on its computer network on Nov. 9, 2023, prompting the hospital to take its systems offline. (Diaz, 10/14) Becker's Hospital Review: Kaweah Health Signs Medline As Prime Vendor
Medline has signed a multi-year prime vendor distribution agreement with Visalia, Calif.-based Kaweah Health, California's largest community healthcare organization which operates over 600 beds. Under the new agreement, Medline will be the exclusive provider of medical and surgical supplies for the health system, according to an Oct. 14 news release from the company. (Murphy, 10/14) VC Star: VA Town Hall Could Bring Questions On Long Wait Times At Ventura Clinic
In late August, online records showed the clinic held the longest primary care wait times of any VA clinic in a 250-mile radius. As of Aug. 30, new patients waited an average of 100 days for appointments in calculations that vary day-to-day. (Kisken, 10/15) CNBC: Walgreens Says It Will Close 1,200 Stores By 2027, As Earnings Top Estimates
Walgreens on Tuesday reported fiscal fourth-quarter sales and adjusted profit that beat Wall Street's expectations, as the company slashes costs in an attempt to steer itself out of a rough spot. The retail drugstore chain also said it plans to close roughly 1,200 stores over the next three years, which includes 500 in fiscal 2025 alone. The company said those closures will be "immediately accretive" to its adjusted earnings and free cash flow. (Constantino, 10/15) Bloomberg: CVS Exits Infusion Services, Closes Several Related Pharmacies
CVS Health Corp. is exiting its core infusion services business and plans to close or sell 29 related regional pharmacies over the coming months, a company spokesperson confirmed Friday. The company stopped taking new patients seeking antibiotics, drugs supporting muscular health, and intravenous nutrition services on Oct. 8, the spokesperson said. Core infusion services provide patients with medications that are administered intravenously. (Rutherford, 10/11) San Diego Union-Tribune: 12-Year-Old Is First Kid In SD To Delay Type 1 Diabetes With New Drug
Seventh-grader Mason Webb is the first young person in San Diego County to experience what's possible. The 12-year-old from Pacific Beach found himself at Rady Children's Hospital recently, receiving daily infusions for two weeks of Teplizumab, a new drug that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved in 2022 to delay the onset of Type 1 diabetes in children and adults. (Sisson, 10/14) San Diego Union-Tribune: Danish Pharma Giant Buys San Diego Company's Epilepsy Drug For $2.6B
Lundbeck, a global drugmaker based in Denmark, has agreed to buy La Jolla-based Longboard Pharmaceuticals for $2.6 billion to gain access to its novel epilepsy drug. (Rocha, 10/14) Modern Healthcare: Baxter Starts Importing IV Fluid To Stem Shortage
While Baxter International cleans and restores a North Carolina medical supply plant that was damaged by Hurricane Helene, the Deerfield-based company is temporarily importing products from its manufacturing facilities in other countries to help stem hospital supply shortages. Baxter today provided more details on plans to import intravenous solution and dialysis products from sites in Canada, China, Ireland and the U.K., a move the U.S. Food & Drug Administration authorized Oct. 9. (Davis, 10/14) NBC News: Compounding Pharmacies Can Resume Making Tirzepatide As FDA Reconsiders Shortage
The Food and Drug Administration said in a court filing late Friday that it would allow pharmacists to continue making compounded versions of tirzepatide — the active ingredient in Eli Lilly's diabetes and weight loss drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound — while it reconsiders its decision to remove the drug from its nationwide shortage list. The surprise move is a major victory for compounding pharmacists and patients who were furious with the FDA after its announcement on Oct. 2 that the tirzepatide shortage was resolved. (Lovelace Jr., 10/14) Fresno Bee: What's New Anti-Camping Law Impact On Fresno Homeless? Way More Arrests Than Treatment
The number of homeless people in Fresno arrested since the city implemented its new anti-camping law was 10 times greater than those who took help, according to city figures. (Miller, 10/11) Times of San Diego: City To Use $4.4M In State Grants To Transition 131 Unhoused People Out Of Encampments
The city of San Diego announced Monday it will allocate $4.4 million from the California Encampment Resolution Fund to help move at least 131 people experiencing homelessness into stable housing. The funds will be directed to the Supportive Services and Temporary Housing Financial Assistance Program through a contract with the nonprofit National Alliance on Mental Health San Diego. (Ireland, 10/15) Voice of San Diego: A Death On The Streets In Chula Vista Highlights Key Obstacle To Helping Homeless
For at least six years, Elizabeth Marie Torres used drugs and lived on the street. For just as long, she and her family tried to get help. In September, Torres died in a tent of an overdose. What went wrong? (Hinch, 10/14) Stateline: Overdose Deaths Are Down Nationally, But Up In Many Western States
Despite an encouraging national dip in the past year, overdose deaths are still on the rise in many Western states as the epicenter of the nation's continuing crisis shifts toward the Pacific Coast, where deadly fentanyl and also methamphetamine are finding more victims. Overdose deaths remain sharply higher since 2019. Many states are working on "harm reduction" strategies that stress cooperation with people who use drugs; in some cases, states are getting tougher on prosecutions, with murder charges for dealers. (Henderson, 10/14) CNN: Use Of Opioid Overdose Antidote By Laypersons Rose 43% From 2020 To 2022, Study Finds
After years of continuously rising opioid overdoses, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that overdose deaths decreased 3% in 2023, the first annual decrease since 2018. A new study shows how the increased administration of naloxone by non-medical laypersons – or bystanders with little to no medical training – could be one factor contributing to this decline. (Tupper, 10/14) San Diego Union-Tribune: Everywhere They Go, People Ask For Narcan. But Overdoses Are Increasingly Hard To Stop
Overdoses in San Diego County are both highly visible and deceptively hidden. Drug use in public, particularly among people living outside, is an obvious reminder of how the crisis intersects with homelessness. Downtown San Diego sometimes features people standing at seemingly impossible angles, knees bent and arms loose, in what one fire captain described as the "fentanyl fold." Yet that's only part of the picture. Last year, calls about more than 13,700 potential overdoses took the San Diego Fire and Rescue Department to almost every corner of the city. (Nelson, 10/13) NPR: New Rules Should Make Methadone Easier To Get, But Change Is Slow In Many Places
It should be easier to get methadone today than it has been in decades. In April, 2024, the federal government relaxed some of the rules around the treatment for opioid addiction. But many patients are still not benefitting from those changes. Kellyann Kaiser, 30, is among those in recovery who had been waiting eagerly for greater access to methadone. She said she was addicted to opioids from the age of 13 into her late 20s. She tried several different addiction medications, including buprenorphine and naltrexone. (Brown, 10/12) The Washington Post: Sacklers Lay Out Strategy For Defending Opioid-Related Lawsuits
The billionaire family that owns Purdue Pharma is signaling they intend to fight lawsuits against them by challenging the use of public nuisance laws, a legal strategy that has already led to billions of dollars in settlements between drug companies and communities ravaged by the opioid crisis. Attorneys for Sackler family members disclosed their lines of defense as part of a court filing Monday in the long-running bankruptcy saga of Purdue Pharma. Creditors are also seeking to recover billions of dollars they claim the Sacklers withdrew from the company in the years before the bankruptcy to evade future claims, an allegation the family denies. (Ovalle, 10/14) Los Angeles Times: Doctor Deems Harris In 'Excellent Health.' Her Team Aims To Contrast With Trump
Vice President Kamala Harris is in "excellent health" and "possesses the physical and mental resiliency" required to serve as president, her doctor said in a letter released Saturday that summarizes her medical history and status. Dr. Joshua Simmons, an Army colonel and physician to the vice president, wrote that Harris, 59, maintains a healthy, active lifestyle and that her most recent physical last April was "unremarkable." (Superville, 10/12) The Hill: Trump Says National Abortion Ban Is 'Off The Table,' But 'We'll See What Happens'
Former President Trump said Sunday that a national abortion ban is "off the table," but he left the door open on the conversation by saying "we'll see what happens." "Let me just tell you, I think that it's something that's off the table now, because I did something that everybody has wanted to do, I was able to get it back to the states," Trump said on Fox News's "Sunday Morning Futures." (Irwin, 10/14) The Washington Post: JD Vance's Mom Got Health Coverage Under Trump — By Using Obamacare
Donald Trump's running mate has hit on a new strategy to defend the GOP's oft-criticized health-care record: talk about his own family's experience. "Members of my family actually got private health insurance, at least, for the first time … under Donald Trump's leadership," Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) said at this month's vice-presidential debate, repeating a line he has used on the stump. ... Vance was referring to his mother, who purchased private health insurance through the Affordable Care Act's insurance marketplace run by Ohio after she overcame substance-abuse challenges, became financially stable and subsequently made too much money to remain on Medicaid, a campaign spokesman told The Washington Post. (Diamond and Stanley-Becker, 10/12) CalMatters: Democrats Count On Abortion In California Election
A campaign spot flooding TV airwaves in the Sacramento region this election season warns that the incumbent Republican Assemblymember is "backed by anti-abortion extremists" who "know he'll back their dangerous, anti-choice agenda." Residents of the northern Los Angeles suburbs might find their YouTube videos begin with an ominous pre-roll ad declaring the GOP challenger to the local Assemblymember is "too dangerous for our community" because he "would ban abortion." (Koseff, 10/15) The Washington Post: Health Issues Motivating Black Women Voters For Harris
Vice President Kamala Harris, now on the presidential campaign trail, is making inroads with a key voting bloc: Black women, who are rallying behind her because of her work on issues such as preserving abortion access, curbing gun violence and reducing maternal deaths. (Armour and Beard, 10/14) AP: Voters With Disabilities Are Feeling Ignored By Presidential Candidates
The disabled voting bloc is growing as the U.S. population ages, but voters and advocates say the hurdles that make people feel excluded from the electoral process aren't being addressed. That ranges from inaccessible campaign materials to former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris seldomly mentioning how issues like COVID-19 impact the disability community, as well as Trump making a statement at a rally last month that advocacy groups considered discriminatory. (Hunter and Alexander, 10/14) CNN: Changes In Store For Medicare Advantage As Open Enrollment Starts
Attention, Medicare Advantage enrollees: It's a good idea to review your plans during open enrollment, which begins Tuesday, so you don't get caught by surprise next year. Although the swiftly growing market remains stable overall, insurers are making a flurry of changes that could leave some senior citizens hunting for new policies, paying more out of pocket or getting skimpier supplemental benefits. (Luhby, 10/14) CNBC: Medicare Open Enrollment Lets Retirees Shop For New Health-Care Coverage
However, just 30% of people on Medicare review their options every year, according to research from KFF, a provider of health policy research. "Every year, it makes sense to compare coverage options, because people's needs change from one year to the next, and also plans make changes," said Tricia Neuman, executive director for the program on Medicare policy at KFF. "Doing these comparisons can make a big difference in terms of coverage and costs," she said. (Konish, 10/14) Modern Healthcare: How The 2025 Medicare Advantage Ratings Might Affect Enrollment
The monetary consequences of sinking Medicare Advantage star ratings are real, and insurers have taken risky steps to steady their finances by tweaking plan design for next year that may or may not pay off. Yet market leaders UnitedHealthcare and Humana are likely to remain at the top of the heap. Competitors from national carriers such as CVS Health subsidiary Aetna and Elevance Health to regional insurers such as Highmark Health and Florida Blue will split the remainder. (Tepper, 10/14) The Street: Medicare Costs For Retired Americans Soon To See Major Changes
But it's Medicare Part D — the cost of prescription medications — that will see premiums rise by significant amounts in eight states for 2025. (Quiggle, 10/14) Fortune Well: Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: Who Should And Shouldn't Sign Up
There's one question people over 65 will need to answer for the first time during Medicare Open Enrollment (Oct. 15 to Dec. 7): Should I sign up for the optional, new, and little-known Medicare Prescription Payment Plan for 2025? Like so many things about Medicare, making the decision is not simple. (Eisenberg, 10/14) Inland Empire Community Foundation: Grant Helps Desert Arc Assist Developmentally Disabled Community
More than 600 people, ages 18 and older, with diagnoses such as Down syndrome, autism, epilepsy and cerebral palsy are enrolled in the nonprofit's variety of programs. All client's services feature a "person-centered plan," which is designed for that individual's personal growth and development. (Archer, 10/11) ABC News: 1 In 5 US Adults Reports Daily Loneliness: Gallup
One in five U.S. adults reports feeling lonely on a daily basis, according to a new Gallup survey. It's the highest rate of reported loneliness in the past two years. The figure is up slightly from earlier this year, when 17% to 18% of survey respondents reported feeling a lack of social connection, but it's lower than the peak of 25% of respondents who reported feeling lonely during the three-year stretch of the COVID-19 pandemic from 2019 to 2021. (Neporent, 10/15) USA Today: Whooping Cough Cases Rise In 2024: Symptoms, Vaccine, Data
Whooping cough cases have jumped sharply year over year but remain in line with pre-pandemic numbers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday. The CDC, which tracks whooping cough cases using a national surveillance system, noted that more than five times as many whooping cough cases have been reported this year as of Oct. 5, compared to the same time frame in 2023. The CDC reported 17,579 whooping cough cases in the U.S. through the week of Oct. 5. In October last year, that number was 3,962 – an increase of just over 13,600. (Martin, 10/14) Stat: Covid In Children Is Linked To Higher Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
It may be time to add Covid-19 infection to the list of possible risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes at a young age. An observational study published Monday in JAMA Network Open found that children and adolescents were one-and-a-half times more likely to be diagnosed with the metabolic disorder in the months after having Covid-19 compared to similar kids who weathered other respiratory infections. Children with obesity were twice as likely to have new type 2 diabetes post-Covid and those who were sick enough to be hospitalized were almost three times as likely to do so. (Cooney, 10/14) Stat: Study: 130,000 U.S. Cancer Cases Went Undiagnosed In The Covid Pandemic
When the U.S. health care system pivoted to meet Covid-19 in 2020, routine health visits and screenings where many cancer cases would have been caught didn't happen. It wasn't ideal, but many health experts thought that as the country opened back up, screenings would help "catch up" to these missed cases. A new paper published Monday in JAMA Network Open suggests that didn't happen as quickly as experts had hoped. (Chen, 10/14) San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Doesn't Know What AI Programs It Is Using. That Could Change
When San Francisco Supervisor Hilary Ronen first started asking around about what artificial intelligence programs the city uses, she was surprised to find out no one person or department knew. That is why Ronen is planning to introduce legislation Tuesday at the Board of Supervisors requiring the city's Department of Technology to keep a public list of where and how AI technology is used across the city and county, and the reasons for it. "This is basically just a transparency bill," Ronen told the Chronicle. "We're not prohibiting any uses" of AI. (DiFeliciantonio, 10/14) KQED: 'Helping Them Build Resiliency': How This Bay Area Preschool Is Protecting Kids From Extreme Weather
During the early October heat wave that set records across the Bay Area, young children at Fitch Mountain Preschool in Healdsburg crammed all of their outdoor play into the morning hours before temperatures reached dangerous levels. They splashed at the water table, made watermelon juice with a hand-cranked blender, and played under a leafy willow structure. By 11, they retreated to their air-conditioned classrooms, where they stayed active by moving through an obstacle course. (Nguyen, 10/15) | | | | | |
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