Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
California Health Care Providers Will Soon Have To Inform Patients If They're On Probation For Serious Misconduct
Sacramento Bee: Larry Nassar Survivors ‘Elated’ Over California Law
California resident and former standout softball player Tiffany Thomas Lopez said she was elated Thursday morning after hearing Gov. Jerry Brown had signed Senate Bill 1448 requiring physicians, chiropractors and other practitioners notify patients if they are on probation for serious misconduct such as sexual abuse. Lopez, now 38, said she was just 17 and 18 years of age when Michigan State University team doctor Larry Nassar molested her. Nassar, who also treated many of the nation’s foremost gymnasts, was sentenced earlier this year to up to 175 years in prison for decades of sexual abuse. Lopez said she came to Sacramento twice to testify in support of SB 1448. (Anderson, 9/20)
The Associated Press: California Makes People Ask For Straws, Sodas With Kid Meals
If you want a straw with your drink or a soda with a kids' meal at a California restaurant, you'll need to ask for them starting next year. A law signed Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown makes California the first state to bar full-service restaurants from automatically giving out single-use plastic straws. Another law he approved requires milk or water to be the default drink sold with kids' meals at fast-food and full-service restaurants. (Bollag, 9/20)
Los Angeles Times: Milk And Water Will Be Default Drink Options For California Kids' Meals Starting In 2019
“Our state is in the midst of a public health crisis where rates of preventable health conditions like obesity and Type-2 Diabetes are skyrocketing, due in large part to increased consumption of sugary beverages,” state Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel), the law’s author, said in a written statement. “This bill is an important part of a statewide public health strategy that will better inform consumers about the unique impacts that sugary beverages have on their health and that of their children.” (Myers, 9/20)
Los Angeles Times: California Gov. Jerry Brown Rejects Bill To Prohibit Schools From Starting Before 8:30 A.M.
Under Senate Bill 328, public and charter schools would have had to adhere to the start time rule by Jan. 1, 2021, a change researchers believe would have decreased students’ risk of depression, suicide and car accidents while increasing their attendance rates, grade-point averages and test scores. “This is a one-size-fits-all approach that is opposed by teachers and school boards,” Brown said in a veto message. “Several schools have already moved to later start times. Others prefer beginning the school day earlier. These are the types of decisions best handled in the local community.” (Racker, 9/20)
San Francisco Chronicle: Gov. Brown Nixes California Mandate For Later School Start Time
Set the alarm clock. Teens will not be sleeping in, after Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill Thursday that would have barred middle schools and high schools from starting before 8:30 a.m. (Gutierrez and McBride, 9/20)
