State Highlights: Calif. University Receives Record $200M Donation For Health Sciences College; Childhood Hunger Skyrockets In Pa.
Media outlets report on news from California, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon, Maryland, Iowa and New Hampshire.
Los Angeles Times:
Corona Del Mar’s Samuelis Donate Record $200 Million To UCI To Establish Health Sciences College
UC Irvine officials Monday announced the university’s largest gift ever — a $200-million donation from Corona del Mar philanthropists Susan and Henry Samueli that will establish a health sciences college in their name.The grant is the seventh-largest gift to a single public university. The Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences will focus on integrated health, defined by university officials as a healthcare approach that incorporates conventional medicine, complementary and alternative medicines and “self-care,” which emphasizes evidence-based behavioral and nutritional approaches that promote wellness. (Zint, 9/18)
Los Angeles Times:
UC Irvine Aims To Transform Public Health With Record-Breaking $200-Million Donation
Susan Samueli caught a cold while visiting France more than three decades ago. Instead of the usual medicines, a friend suggested aconite, a homeopathic remedy derived from a plant in the buttercup family. She was cured — and became a lifelong advocate of homeopathy and other alternative healing methods to complement conventional medicine. Her husband, Henry — the billionaire co-founder of Broadcom, the Irvine semiconductor maker — says he was initially skeptical but found the integrative health approach helped him easily shake off colds and flus and kept their children healthy without antibiotics. (Watanabe, 9/18)
The Philadelphia Inquirer/Philly.com:
Childhood Hunger In North Philadelphia More Than Triples
Between 2006 and 2016, childhood hunger in North Philadelphia has more than tripled among families where parents work 20 or more hours a week, according to Chilton’s research at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, part of Children’s HealthWatch, a national research network that investigates the impact of public assistance programs on children’s health. Chilton said her findings in North Philadelphia likely resemble rates of childhood hunger throughout the city. (Lubrano, 9/18)
The Associated Press:
Indiana Nursing Home Company Sues Former Executives
A nursing home management firm in Indiana has sued several former executives who are already criminally charged with embezzling more than $16 million from the company. American Senior Communities filed the lawsuit Friday against several individuals, including former CEO James Burkhart, and 16 shell companies, The Indianapolis Star reported. (9/18)
Los Angeles Times:
In San Diego, Hundreds Line Up For Hepatitis A Vaccinations After Deadly Outbreak May Have Hit Restaurants
After news that San Diego’s deadly hepatitis A outbreak may have infiltrated the food service industry, more than 200 people this weekend lined up for vaccinations as restaurants reinforced their health safety measures. “All eyes are on San Diego,” Steve Zolezzi, president of the Food & Beverage Assn. of San Diego, said of the outbreak, one of the nation’s largest in decades, which prompted county officials to declare a local public health emergency earlier this month. (Nikolewski, 9/18)
Denver Post:
Clear Creek County Will Ask Voters To Raise Its Sales Tax To Pay For Expected Record-Breaking EMS Year
Clear Creek County will ask voters in November to raise the countywide sales tax by 0.65 percent — or nearly $1 million a year — in order to offset the projected growing costs of providing emergency medical services. Ambulance service provided by Clear Creek EMS is now subsidized by the county to the tune of $800,000 a year. (Paul, 9/18)
California Healthline:
State Lawmakers Tackle Public Smoking And Lead Poisoning, But Punt On Single-Payer
California lawmakers approved several key health care proposals — and stalled on others — in their mad dash toward last Friday’s do-or-die legislative deadline. They adopted a bill that would require drugmakers to give 60 days’ notice on big price hikes, but pushed off a decision on single-payer health care. They banned smoking at state parks and beaches, but delayed a proposal that would have established staffing requirements for dialysis clinics. (Ibarra and Bartolone, 9/18)
Sacramento Bee:
Carmichael Nursing Home Failed To Protect Alzheimer's Patient From Sexual Abuse, State Finds
California has no law that defines how or when a person with dementia can consent to sexual relations. It is certainly no crime for senior citizens to be sexually active, at home or in a skilled nursing facility. But where is the line, legally and ethically, when one party may not fully understand what is happening, and with whom? (Lundstrom, 9/18)
Minnesota Public Radio:
Nurses Union Exec Suggests U.S. Asks: Is Health Care A Right Or A Privilege?
MPR host Tom Weber spoke to Rose Roach, executive director of the Minnesota Nurses Association, about the impact of health insurance on patient care. As a critic of the health insurance system Roach, believes that asking whether health care is a right or privilege will provide the foundations of health care reform. (Weber, 9/18)
The Oregonian:
Former Oregon Health Officials Skip Hearing Into Smear Plan
Lawmakers in Salem held a hearing on Monday into the Oregon Health Authority's internal public relations plan to smear a Portland health provider. But despite Republicans' requests for the former officials involved to testify, none of them showed up. Instead, lawmakers heard from the agency's new acting director, Patrick Allen. Former director Lynne Saxton resigned in early August at the request of Gov. Kate Brown, soon after the plan became public. She had apologized and said the agency never implemented the plan. (Borrud, 9/18)
The Baltimore Sun:
'DNA Day' Planned For Ravens' Game Undergoes Federal And State Scrutiny
A Massachusetts biotech firm still intends to give away DNA test kits to fans at a Ravens game this season, according to the team, but the promotion first must undergo scrutiny from a federal agency and the state. The “DNA Day” event, scheduled for last Sunday’s Ravens-Cleveland Browns game at M&T Bank Stadium, was postponed after the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services raised questions with the state about approvals, state and federal officials said. (Barker, 9/18)
Iowa Public Radio:
One Of America's Biggest Food Banks Just Cut Junk Food By 84 Percent In A Year
A year ago, Washington D.C.'s Capital Area Food Bank — one of the largest in the country — decided to turn away junk food, joining a growing trend of food banks that are trying to offer healthier options to low-income Americans. ... While some critics have argued that the poor are too often told what to eat, as if they can't make responsible decisions for themselves, Salmon says the goal of the program isn't to be the food police. (Johnson, 9/18)
New Hampshire Public Radio:
N.H.'s Marijuana Decriminalization Law Now In Effect, But Do People Know Pot's Still Illegal?
A new state law loosening the penalties on marijuana possession officially took effect this weekend. Police departments around the state are worried some residents may not fully understand what the change means. (Sutherland, 9/18)