Visit www.findrehabnow.com/drug-rehab-program/index.php to find listings in your local area, or call 888-629-0333 to speak to a counselor.
The following hospitals received penalties:
– Alameda Hospital, Alameda, Alameda County: The hospital failed to develop and implement written policies and procedures to ensure the safe and effective administration of medication. This is the first administrative penalty issued to this hospital. The penalty is $50,000.
– Brotman Medical Center, Culver City, Los Angeles County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it failed to follow its policies and procedures for fall prevention. This is the second administrative penalty issued to this hospital. The penalty is $50,000.
– California Men’s Colony, San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County: The hospital failed to implement written policies and procedures to ensure the safe and effective administration of medication. This is the first administrative penalty issued to this hospital. The penalty is $50,000.
– Dominican Hospital, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County: The hospital failed to develop and implement written policies and procedures to ensure the safe and effective administration of medication. This is the third administrative penalty issued to this hospital. The penalty is $75,000.
– Emanuel Medical Center, Turlock, Stanislaus County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow its surgical policies and procedures. This is the second administrative penalty issued to this hospital. The penalty is $75,000.
– Kaiser Foundation Hospital & Rehabilitation Center – Vallejo, Vallejo, Solano County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow its surgical policies and procedures. This is the second administrative penalty issued to this hospital. The penalty is $50,000.
– LAC+USC Medical Center, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it failed to implement written policies and procedures to ensure the safe and effective administration of medication. This is the fourth administrative penalty issued to this hospital. The penalty is $50,000.
– Riverside Community Hospital, Riverside, Riverside County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow its surgical policies and procedures. This is the first administrative penalty issued to this hospital. The penalty is $50,000.
– Stanislaus Surgical Hospital, Modesto, Stanislaus County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow its surgical policies and procedures. This is the first administrative penalty issued to this hospital. The penalty is $50,000.
– Sutter Delta Medical Center, Antioch, Contra Costa County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of its patient when it failed to follow its policies and procedures related to ongoing patient monitoring and assessment and provision of patient care. This is the first administrative penalty issued to this hospital. The penalty is $50,000.
– Torrance Memorial Medical Center, Torrance, Los Angeles County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow its surgical policies and procedures. This is the first administrative penalty issued to this hospital. The penalty is $50,000.
– UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco, San Francisco County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow its surgical policies and procedures. This is the fifth administrative penalty issued to this hospital. The penalty is $50,000.
Administrative penalties are issued under authority granted by Health and Safety Code section 1280.1.
New legislation took effect Jan. 1, 2009, that increased fines for incidents that occurred in 2009 or later.
Under the new provisions, an administrative penalty carries a fine of $50,000 for the first violation, $75,000 for the second, and $100,000 for the third or subsequent violation at the same hospital. Incidents that occurred prior to 2009 carry a fine of $25,000 and are not counted in this total.
When hospitals receive their survey findings, they are required to provide CDPH with a plan of correction to prevent future incidents.
Hospitals can appeal an administrative penalty by requesting a hearing within 10 calendar days of notification. If a hearing is requested, the penalties must be paid if upheld following an appeal.
All hospitals in California are required to be in compliance with applicable state and federal laws and regulations governing general acute care hospitals, acute psychiatric hospitals, and special hospitals. The hospitals are required to comply with these standards to ensure quality of care.
Awarded in nearly every state, this funding will improve the delivery of necessary public health services in communities, cities and states across the country.
“These funds will help health departments around the country maximize the impact of the essential services they provide every day, and build the public health workforce to ensure we’re ready to meet the public health challenges of tomorrow,” said Secretary Sebelius. “Strengthening our nation’s public health system is critical to protecting the health of all Americans.”
The grants, supported through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will fund key State and local public health programs at the Los Angeles County Public Health Department, the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, and the California Department of Public Health. Most of these grant dollars come from the Prevention and Public Health Fund created by the Affordable Care Act.
This is the second year of CDC’s five-year program known as the National Public Health Improvement Initiative (NPHII) Strengthening Public Health Infrastructure for Improved Health Outcomes grant program.
Over 100 people across the country have already been hired through the NPHII and additional positions are expected to be filled through today’s awards.
The NPHII funding allows health departments to improve the delivery and impact of the public health services they provide by improving how they track the performance of their programs; fostering the identification, dissemination and adoption of public health’s best and most promising practices; building a network of performance improvement managers across the country that share strategies for improving the public health system; and maximizing cohesion across states’ and communities’ public health systems to ensure seamless and coordinated services for residents.
“A strong, efficient, and effective public health system is critical for building a healthy society,” said CDC Director, Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “Investing in preventive services, system improvement and comprehensive interventions is essential to reducing the burden of health care costs in the future.”
A committee was formed by the Board and, with the assistance of the Lake County Tobacco Education Program, a program of Lake Family Resource Center, all County Fairgrounds located in California were surveyed to determine current policies regarding smoking.
Currently, there are 11 county fairs located in California that have smoke-free policies: Del Norte, Humboldt, Marin, Butte, San Mateo, Siskiyou, Sonoma, El Dorado, San Diego, Amador and Lassen. Most are completely smoke-free, while a few have designated smoking areas.
In adopting the smoke-free policy, the Lake County Fair Board of Directors stated that it is becoming increasingly important to protect the health of fairgoers, especially children.
As more research is released showing the danger of exposure to second- and third-hand smoke, the board felt that adopting the policy was a logical first step to show that protecting Lake County residents is a community effort.
New signage, provided by the Lake County Tobacco Education Program, through funds received from the California Department of Health, Proposition 99 will be posted to show those areas designated smoke-free.
The new policy states that no smoking areas/zones are designated as follows:
All fair entrances.
Kiddie carnival area.
Covered grandstands.
Livestock barns and surrounding barn and show ring areas.
Within 20 feet of all buildings.
Within 20 feet of Gazebo Stage area.
Within 20 feet of food and drink vendors.
Entire walkway between Gazebo Stage to the end of the Flower Building.
During the 2011 Lake County Fair, taking place Sept. 1-4, Lake County Tobacco Education Program staff and volunteers will be at the fair to answer questions and distribute postcards, in English and Spanish, to explain the new policy.
In addition, they will have a booth in front of the Theater Building with resources and information about quitting smoking.
For further information regarding the smoke-free policy, call Lake Family Resource Center, Tobacco Education Program at 707-262-1379, Extension 112 or email
For information regarding quitting smoking, including free Nicotine Replacement Therapy (patches), call the California Smokers HelpLine at 1.800.NO.BUTTS.