April Dembosky, KQED

@adembosky

Adolescentes podrían ir al psicólogo sin tener el permiso de sus padres

KFF Health News Original

Según la nueva ley en California, los jóvenes podrán hablar con un terapeuta sobre la identidad de género sin el consentimiento de sus padres. Pero no podrán recibir tratamiento residencial, medicación o cirugía de afirmación de género sin el visto bueno de sus padres, como han sugerido algunos opositores.

California Is Expanding Insurance Access for Teenagers Seeking Therapy on Their Own

KFF Health News Original

A California law that takes effect this summer will grant minors on public insurance the ability to get mental health treatment without their parents’ consent, a privilege that their peers with private insurance have had for years. But the law has become a flashpoint in the state’s culture wars.

Needle Pain Is a Big Problem for Kids. One California Doctor Has a Plan.

KFF Health News Original

The pain and trauma from repeated needle sticks leads some kids to hold on to needle phobia into adulthood. Research shows the biggest source of pain for children in the health care system is needles. But one doctor thinks he has a solution and is putting it into practice at two children’s hospitals in Northern California.

A New $16,000 Postpartum Depression Drug Is Here. How Will Insurers Handle It?

KFF Health News Original

A pill form of an effective drug for postpartum depression hit the market in December, but most insurers do not yet have a policy on when or whether they will pay for it. The hurdles to obtain its predecessor medication have advocates worried.

Californians Headed to HBCUs in the South Prepare for College Under Abortion Bans

KFF Health News Original

As high school graduates prepare to leave states like California that protect abortion rights for historically Black colleges in states where abortion is banned, they’re getting ready to safeguard their reproductive health during college.

An Abortion Rights Question on the California Ballot Revives the Debate Over ‘Viability’

KFF Health News Original

California voters will decide in November whether to amend the state constitution to explicitly protect abortion rights. But there is disagreement over whether the proposal, Proposition 1, would merely enshrine existing rights or expand them.

It’s Not Just Physicians and Nurses. Veterinarians Are Burning Out, Too.

KFF Health News Original

Empathy overload and compassion fatigue contribute to the mental health woes of veterinarians, who are more likely than other Americans to attempt suicide. And with 23 million families adopting pets during the pandemic, vets’ stress burden is no doubt heavier now.

Covid and Schizophrenia: Why This Deadly Mix Can Deepen Knowledge of the Brain Disease

KFF Health News Original

Recent studies from around the world have found that people with schizophrenia are as much as five times as likely to die from covid-19 as the general population. Scientists think the findings suggest schizophrenia is not just a disease of the brain, but also a disease of the immune system.

California Joins States Trying to Shorten Wait Times for Mental Health Care

KFF Health News Original

In California, health insurers blame long waits for therapy appointments on workforce shortages, but state lawmakers say that’s an excuse. A new law requires insurers to reduce wait times for mental health appointments to no more than 10 business days.

Listen: California Banks on a Bold Treatment: Pay Drug Users to Stop Using

KFF Health News Original

As the pandemic has raged so has the country’s drug epidemic. California is looking to a controversial solution for certain drug users, but despite its effectiveness, critics have scoffed at the idea calling it unethical or a bribe.

Women Say California Insurer Makes It Too Hard to Get Drug for Postpartum Depression

KFF Health News Original

Brexanolone is a promising new treatment for postpartum depression. But one insurer’s requirement that women try four other drugs and electroconvulsive therapy before the infusion means it is out-of-reach for millions of women.

Syphilis Cases in California Drive a Record-Setting Year for STDs Nationwide

KFF Health News Original

New data released Tuesday from the CDC shows sexually transmitted infections reached an all-time high in 2019. The biggest spike was in syphilis cases, which rose 74% between 2015 and 2019. Leading the country in syphilis is California, where men who have sex with men make up half the cases.

Stop Blaming Tuskegee, Critics Say. It’s Not an ‘Excuse’ for Current Medical Racism.

KFF Health News Original

The Tuskegee syphilis study is often cited as a reason Black Americans might hesitate to take the covid-19 vaccine. But many people say that current racism in health care and lack of access deserve more attention to move more Black Americans toward vaccine protection.

California Is Overriding Its Limits on Nurse Workloads as Covid Surges

KFF Health News Original

As covid patients flood California emergency rooms, hospitals are increasingly desperate to find enough staffers to care for them all. But some nurses worry hospitals will use the pandemic as an excuse to permanently roll back their hard-won nurse-patient ratios.