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Health & Medicine

Capitol Alert

Will California fail financially without single-payer health care? Candidates for governor disagree

Single-payer health care can stave off a future California budget crisis, says Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, as he's attacked by Antonio Villaraigosa for selling 'snake oil.'

Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, during session in the Senate chamber on Monday, March 11, 2013.

Capitol Alert

California doctors fight bill requiring disclosure of probation

California Senate Bill 1448, introduced by Sen. Jerry Hill, to require doctors to tell patients about their probation status faces heavy opposition from the California Medical Association.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra declined the hospitals' request to be freed from charity obligations required under state law. The hospitals argued that millions more people have health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, and don’t need as much help to pay medical bills.

Kaiser Permanente's south Sacramento hospital.

Health & Medicine

Kaiser nurses in Sacramento gain double-digit raises over 5 years

Nurses in Northern and Central California voted overwhelmingly to approve a contract with Kaiser Permanente after an intense nine months of negotiations. They say terms will ensure staffing levels needed to protect patient care.

Education

Sacramento State had lead and chemical safety problems. Does CSU have systemwide issues?

A chemical spill and lead exposure at Sacramento State are expected to face scrutiny in a state audit scheduled for release Tuesday, April 24, 2018 examining whether the California State University system has health and safety deficiencies.

Simone Gregston, sits with her children Thomas Gregston-Hernandez, 8, and Alexis Gregston-Hernandez at a point in Discovery Park at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers near Tiscornia Beach. Water at Tiscornia regularly records E. coli levels far higher than what federal regulators recommend as safe for recreational use.

Health & Medicine

E. coli levels drop at popular Sacramento beach

Tiscornia Beach, near Discovery Park where the American and Sacramento rivers flow together, recorded the lowest levels of E. coli in the water all year on Thursday, April 19, 2018.

Medical students at the University of California Davis' School of Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, participated in a

Crime - Sacto 911

UC Davis med students hold 'die-in' for Stephon Clark, call for equity in healthcare

Medical students at the University of California Davis' School of Medicine participated in a "die-in" protest Tuesday afternoon, urging healthcare providers to do more to help people experiencing trauma after police incidents.

Health & Medicine

See where the American River has the most contamination from human or animal waste

Many sites on the American River exceeded the EPA’s limit for safe levels of E. coli bacteria in 2015 and 2016. The bacteria comes from human and animal waste, and its presence indicates an increased likelihood of disease-causing organisms.

Health & Medicine

Levels of E. coli are spiking at this Sacramento beach

Tiscornia Beach, at the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers, recorded E. coli levels in February that were seven times the threshold set by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to new weekly testing by Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. The water board examines water at nine sites on the lower American River and two sites on Steelhead Creek.

Health & Medicine

Staying alive: How to fight an opioid addiction

More than 42,200 Americans died from opioid overdoses in 2016, victims of a crisis that’s being fueled by the rise of a powerful synthetic opioid called fentanyl.

This screenshot of Faith Linthicum's GoFundMe shows the funds raised have exceeded her goal.

Business & Real Estate

Venting on social media? Yes, you can, but the First Amendment won't save your job

The recent firing of a Sacramento-area nurse, who posted that Stephon Clark "deserved it," is one in a long line of cases where employees have jeopardized their jobs with social media posts.

About two dozen adults demonstrate for a pro-life viewpoint on the sidewalk in front of Rocklin High School in Rocklin. Rocklin High was the epicenter of a national school pro-life walkout.

Education

Rocklin High pro-life walkout tests school bias

Rocklin High School junior Brandon Gillespie wanted to see if schools would punish anti-abortion protesters for leaving classes for 17 minutes, the same amount of time that students taking part in the National School Walkout.

A woman preparing a salad as two other women sit along the other side of the table.

Health & Medicine

Medicare Advantage Plans cleared to go beyond medical coverage – even groceries

CMS expanded its definition of “primarily health-related” benefits, on Monday, April 2, 2018, allowing insurers to address patients' needs outside of the hospital or doctor's office.

California Weed

How the brain responds to marijuana

Learn about the brain reward system and the biochemical processes that occur during marijuana use.

Health & Medicine

Fired after Stephon Clark comment, ex-Kaiser nurse raises $25,000 on GoFundMe

Supporters of a former Kaiser Permanente nurse help her surpass her fundraising goal of $25,000 in less than a week. Faith Linthicum incited a social media firestorm with a Facebook comment that Stephon Clark "deserved it."

On a GoFundMe.com page, nurse Faith Linthicum said she's a person of faith and a nurse who loves all people and treats everyone equally.

Health & Medicine

Fired after Stephon Clark comment, Kaiser nurse starts GoFundMe page to help pay bills

A former Kaiser Permanente nurse incited a social media firestorm with a Facebook comment that Stephon Clark "deserved it." Her crowdfunding campaign seeks to raise $25,000. See how close she is to that goal.

Nirva (left), a Haitian immigrant living in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status, has helped care for 96-year-old Isolina Dicenso since 2011. (Melissa Bailey/KHN)

Health & Medicine

Elderly brace to lose caregivers as immigration policy shifts

About 59,000 Haitians living in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The Trump administration decided to end TPS for Haitians, giving them until July 22, 2019, to leave the country or face deportation.

Health & Medicine

Thousands mistakenly enrolled during California’s medicaid expansion, feds find

In a Feb. 21 report, the HHS’ inspector general estimated that California spent $738.2 million on 366,078 expansion beneficiaries who were ineligible. It spent an additional $416.5 million for 79,055 expansion enrollees who were “potentially” ineligible, auditors found.

Boston Marathon bombing victim, Jessica Kensky, and her service dog Rescue are photographed in Medford, MA. in 2013.

Health & Medicine

Sacramento native, her husband survived Boston Marathon bombing. Their children's book about four-legged friend tells how.

Jessica Kensky and her husband Patrick Downes will release a children’s book Tuesday April 3, 2018 and will visit Sacramento in April as part of a national book tour for "Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship."

Sacramento activist Christina Arechiga, who gave birth at a Kaiser facility, created a flyers with information on Faith Linthicum and shared it with her followers and with Kaiser Permanente.

Health & Medicine

Stephon Clark 'deserved it,' nurse wrote on Facebook. Now she's no longer working for Kaiser.

Kaiser Permanente has parted ways with a nurse whose Facebook comments about Stephon Clark, the unarmed black man killed by Sacramento police on March 18, incited a social media firestorm. Social media posts that draw ire of others are an emerging workplace issue.

Health & Medicine

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