Posts Tagged: health

Opinion

Expand scope of care for nurse practitioners

A nurse with her young patient, and the patient's father. (Photo: Monkey Business Images, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: California is one of just 12 states that still excludes qualified nurse practitioners from taking a leading role in helping patients prevent and manage chronic disease like obesity, diabetes and hypertension. I believe this outdated model has deadly consequences for people in our community, where our specialized care for diabetes suffers for lack of qualified health care providers.

Opinion

Helping ER physicians help the mentally ill

Photo illustration: Stephen Finn

OPINION: California is long overdue to take steps, large and small, to address its homeless crisis. No other state has a problem of this magnitude; a problem that disproportionately affects the mentally ill. According to the office of Senate President pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, California accounts for 22 percent of the nation’s homeless total.

News

Senate eyes human egg business

A high-resolution image of human egg cells. (Jezper, via Shutterstock)

If you are interested in the buying and selling of human eggs, you might want to take in a California legislative hearing tomorrow in Sacramento. Up for action in the state Senate Health Committee is a measure that would permit paying women who provide the eggs if they do so for the purposes of research.

News

Veterans Treatment Courts play crucial role

They’re called Veterans Treatment Courts, a little-known part of the judicial system that deals specifically with military veterans crippled by stress, drugs and the memories of war. The specialized courts can be found around the country. But only 12 of California’s 58 counties have this service for veterans.

Opinion

Prevention: The best way to fight meningitis

Illustration by Tasha Tuvango, via Shutterstock

Recent cases of meningitis B on the campus of Santa Clara University have reinforced the threat of vaccine preventable illnesses and the importance of education and vaccination in the fight against meningitis B. Meningitis is a dangerous bacterial infection that can cause neurological injury, loss of limbs and even death.

News

In limbo, California’s “hidden poor” face health woes

A homeless woman sleeps on a park bench in Santa Monica. (Photo: Joseph Sohm

Stuck in the limbo above the federal poverty level yet below adequate income streams to make ends meet, these “hidden poor” are often a forgotten demographic. Why is identifying the “hidden poor” so important? On average, their health is much worse than their wealthier neighbors – and thus more expensive to treat – yet they are rarely included in health statistics.

News

November: Ballot props lining up

A California voter casts a ballot. (Photo: Vepar5)

One thing about California’s lineup of looming ballot propositions: You can’t say they aren’t interesting. From school bonds to the environment to condoms to drugs to plastic bags, and more, voters already are set to vote on seven propositions on the November ballot. And many more are in the wings.

News

Feds raised repeated concerns about O.C. jail security

Officials at the Orange County Central Men's Jail investigate the area where three inmates escaped.(Photo: Associated Press/ Nick Ut.)

Federal officials warned for years of “poor supervision” at a Southern California jail where three inmates — all charged with violent felonies — recently escaped, documents obtained by The Marshall Project show. The men’s elaborate route to freedom seemed made for the movies: They cut through layers of metal and navigated plumbing tunnels to reach the roof. They then rappelled down four stories with makeshift ropes, perhaps strung together from bedsheets or jail clothing.

News

Cryptic fragrances: Questions, legislation linger in California

A woman carries a load of cleaning supplies, a key source of common fragrances. (Photo: Bikeriderlondon, via Shutterstock)

For Joyce Miller, one sniff of scented laundry detergent can trigger an asthma attack. “What happens is I feel like someone is standing on my chest,” says the 57-year-old professor of library science in upstate New York. “It’s almost like a choking feeling – pressure and choking. And then the coughing starts,” she said.

Opinion

Costly drugs or access to health care: Should we really have to choose?

A physician flanked by the California flag. (Illustration: Niyazz, via Shutterstock).

OPINION: Prices for prescription drugs are rising precipitously, seriously threatening public and private healthcare budgets, and creating barriers preventing patients from accessing needed therapies. Pharmaceuticals now account for 19 percent of employer spending and Medicare spending on healthcare and, with a slew of approvals of new $100,000+ medications, there is no relief in sight.

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