How To Fight ‘Scary’ Superbugs? Cooperation — And A Special Soap

KFF Health News Original

Hospitals and nursing homes in California and Illinois hope that regional cooperation — and a special soap — will help them gain the upper hand against deadly antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

Heavy Rains, End Of Drought Could Help Keep West Nile Virus Subdued — For Now

KFF Health News Original

Scientists say drought can spur transmission of the disease and that wetter winters since 2015 have helped reduce the number of infections in California. In the long term, however, climate change could mean more drought — and more infections.

Big Soda Pours Big Bucks Into California’s Capitol

KFF Health News Original

The soda industry spent $11.8 million to influence policy statewide in 2017 and 2018. As politicians once again consider bills that would tax and label sugary drinks, more big money is expected to flow.

Crece la preocupación por posible vínculo entre popular herbicida y el cáncer

KFF Health News Original

El glifosato es el herbicida más utilizado en los Estados Unidos, y probablemente en todo el mundo. Se usa en casi cada acre de maíz, algodón y soya cultivados en el país. La marca más popular es Roundup.

Popular Weed Killer’s Alleged Link To Cancer Spreads Concern

KFF Health News Original

The main ingredient in numerous popular herbicides has been implicated by two juries in the cancers of frequent users, but major public health agencies disagree over whether it is a carcinogen. Can you use it safely in your garden? Here are some answers to questions you may have about the weed killer glyphosate.

Finding Homeless Patients A Place To Heal

KFF Health News Original

California hospitals must comply with a new state law that requires them to try to find a safe place for homeless patients upon discharge. But hospitals say doing so isn’t as easy as calling a shelter and securing a cot.

California Hospitals See Massive Surge In Homeless Patients

KFF Health News Original

Homeless patients accounted for about 100,000 visits to California hospitals in 2017, marking a 28% increase from just two years earlier. Health officials attribute the surge to the overall rise in California’s homeless numbers and the large proportion of people living on the streets with mental illness.

States Push For Caregiver Tax Credits

KFF Health News Original

Families often spend thousands of dollars caring for ailing loved ones at home. Lawmakers in California and at least seven other states want to provide some financial relief with state income tax credits.

She Was Dancing On The Roof And Talking Gibberish. A Special Kind Of ER Helped Her.

KFF Health News Original

With mental health beds in short supply, emergency rooms increasingly have become the care of first and last resort for people in the grips of a psychiatric episode. Now, hospitals around the country are opening emergency units that calmly cater to patients with mental health needs.

¿Tiene sentido atrasar las vacunas de los niños?

KFF Health News Original

Muchos pediatras dirán que es mejor un enfoque más gradual de las vacunas que no recibir ninguna, pero ofrecerán algunos consejos difíciles para los padres que lo estén considerando.

Does It Make Sense To Delay Children’s Vaccines?

KFF Health News Original

The renewed squabble over vaccinations obscures a large group of parents who aren’t anti-vaxxers but spread out their children’s vaccines at a more gradual pace than doctors recommend. Pediatricians warn that could leave small children vulnerable to disease.

‘Medieval’ Diseases Flare As Unsanitary Living Conditions Proliferate

KFF Health News Original

Outbreaks of infectious diseases such as typhus and hepatitis A are resurging in California and around the country, particularly among homeless populations. Public health officials warn that such diseases could spread broadly.

California busca liderar movimiento para descifrar los traumas infantiles

KFF Health News Original

La doctora Nadine Burke Harris, flamante cirujana general de California, lidera un movimiento para comprender cómo las experiencias traumáticas infantiles generan enfermedades físicas y mentales graves.

California Looks To Lead Nation In Unraveling Childhood Trauma

KFF Health News Original

The Golden State, in a movement spearheaded by its first-ever surgeon general, stands to become a vanguard for the nation in tracing adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, to the onset of physical and mental illness. But what can a pediatrician, with her 15-minute time slots and extensive to-do list, do about the ills of an absent parent or a neighborhood riddled with gun violence?

Detention Centers In California Lack Oversight And Proper Care, Reports Find

KFF Health News Original

Health and safety problems at immigration detention facilities throughout California pose a serious risk to detainees, according to two reports released Tuesday. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra and California State Auditor Elaine Howle concluded that federal and local governments are failing to adequately oversee the facilities, allowing the problems to persist.