Illustration of the coronavirus impact on California. (Image: bekulnis, via Shutterstock)Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday estimated that more than half of California’s 40 million people will be infected by the coronavirus during the next two months. “We project that roughly 56 percent of our population … will be infected with the virus over an eight-week period,” Newsom wrote in a letter to President Donald Trump.
Cell research in a laboratory. (Photo: SBshot87, via Shutterstock)President Trump has sharply cut back on federal funding for fetal tissue research in a move denounced as both politically motivated and destructive of the hopes of millions of Americans suffering from life-threatening diseases.
An illustration of a couple considering in-vitro fertilization, or IVF. (Image: Prazis Images, via Shutterstock)OPINION: For many families, the joys of parenthood are elusive. Infertility affects hundreds of thousands of women in California and millions more across the country.
A dialysis patient during treatment. (Photo: Picsfive, via Shutterstock)OPINION: I am the CEO of the National Kidney Foundation. I am a believer in this nearly 70-year-old organization that was started at the kitchen table of a mother desperately trying to save her child’s life. I 100 percent buy into our mission to be an advocate for all kidney patients and relentlessly fight for their quality of life, their treatments and their cure.
A pair of dogs in a cage,
awaiting freedom.(Photo: Kitsananan, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Bringing a new puppy or kitten home should be a wonderful and rewarding experience, but consumers who purchase their new family member from a pet shop may not be getting the dog or cat they’ve been promised. Despite enticing claims that they only source from humane, small-scale breeders, pet stores across the country supply unsuspecting consumers with animals from puppy and kitten “mills.”
A man's body seen from behind with dermatitis on the neck. (Photo: Naeblys, via Shutterstock)OPINION: For the millions of Californians living with chronic health conditions like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, asthma and arthritis, securing adequate and affordable health care coverage can be a challenging feat.
A vaccination in progress. (Photo: Komsan Loonprom)OPINION: Before graduation, teens need to know what vaccine preventable diseases exist and the vaccines that protect them. Teens need to know their personal vaccination status and if they are up to date on recommended vaccines.
A liquid nitrogen bank containing a suspension of stem cells. (Photo: Elena Pavlovich)An eminent Harvard stem cell researcher who is searching for a cure for an affliction that plagues 29 million Americans stood on a San Francisco stage this week and spoke of “things we don’t understand.” The scientist is Doug Melton, who is on a deeply personal quest for a cure for diabetes. Both of his children have the disease. And the state of California is helping out on his search with $5 million.
In 2015, California’s push to expand health care coverage continues at a rapid pace. Consider this statistic: 12 million of our residents are enrolled in Medi-Cal – nearly one in three Californians. This greater demand is creating new challenges for California’s hospitals, both inside and outside of their walls.
A youngster on his visit to the dentist. (Photo: Wavebreakmedia, via Shutterstock)It is not often that dental professionals, health care providers, advocates, and legislators from both sides of the aisle all agree on an issue, but that is precisely what happened at a hearing this week on the state’s dental program for low-income children. Testimony and discussion honed in on the sobering results of a December 2014 state audit, which found that millions of children enrolled in Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program) were not getting the dental care they need.