Health
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
With the goal of enhancing patient safety in hospitals, Senate Bill 227 would require the California Department of Public Health, or CDPH, to conduct unannounced visits to hospitals to inspect for compliance with nurse staffing requirements.
The measure empowers CDPH to enforce the nurse staffing ratios by fining hospitals that repeatedly create unsafe conditions for patient care.
In 1999, Gov. Gray Davis signed into law Assembly Bill 394, the nation’s first law mandating nurse-to-patient ratios in California.
In 2004, regulations implementing AB 394 went into effect, which set the minimum ratio of nurses to patient by unit, including one-to-one in operating rooms and one-to-five in general medical-surgical units.
Enforced by CDPH, these ratios are outlined in Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations. Though these ratios are mandated by law, some hospitals repeatedly violate staffing requirements. From 2008 to 2017, there were 634 out-of-ratio deficiencies reported to CDPH.
“When hospitals do not follow nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, patients can be seriously injured or even die,” Sen. Leyva said. “SB 227 will help to ensure that hospitals meet the letter of the law and prioritize patient safety at all times. When hospitals repeatedly ignore nurse staffing ratios, CDPH should have the ability to fine those facilities so that they do not continue to jeopardize the safety of patients.”
Now advancing to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration, SB 227 is jointly sponsored by SEIU California, SEIU Local 121RN and United Nurses Associations of California / Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC / UHCP).
It is also supported by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, California Labor Federation, California Nurses Association/ National Nurses United, California Professional Firefighters, California School Employees Association, California School Nurses Organization, California Teamsters Public Affairs Council, Congress of California Seniors, Consumer Attorneys of California, Engineers and Scientists of California Local 20, International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 13 and San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
This bipartisan legislation is a combination of bills intended to promote and expand transparency in drug pricing, including requirements that manufacturers justify large, rapid price increases.
“For far too long, people in our district and across our nation have faced spiking costs for prescription drugs. The system is so opaque that patients don’t even know where their money is going,” Thompson said. “Today I voted to advance bipartisan legislation to help fix this issue and give patients the transparency they deserve. We have seen that when hospital prices are more transparent, those entities are held more accountable for their costs and this legislation will do the same with drug prices. I will continue fighting to lower the costs of prescription drugs and ensure health care is more affordable and more accessible for everyone.”
The STAR Act combines language from three pieces of drug pricing legislation, including:
– Requiring drug manufacturers to make public and justify large spikes in the prices of their products, and justify costly initial prices of newly-launched drugs;
– Requiring manufacturers to disclose the aggregate value and quantity of free samples provided to physicians;
– Requiring pharmacy benefit managers to publicly and more broadly report the rebates and other discounts they provide to health plans or providers;
– Requiring all drug manufacturers to submit average sales price data for physician-administered drugs under Part B of Medicare; and
– Requiring the HHS Secretary to do a report analyzing drug use, costs, spending, and patient health outcomes.
Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties. He is a senior member of the House Committee on Ways and Means where he chairs the Subcommittee on Tax Policy. Rep. Thompson is Chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. He is also co-chair of the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus and a member of the fiscally-conservative Blue Dog Coalition.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
"As California's first Surgeon General, one of my top priorities is to raise awareness that Adverse Childhood Experiences, like emotional abuse or witnessing domestic violence, can increase the risk of major health problems like asthma, diabetes and heart disease. But adversity is not destiny," said Surgeon General Dr. Burke Harris. "The science is clear: early intervention improves outcomes."
Dr. Burke Harris will travel the state to listen to the unique challenges that communities in each region face when addressing the root causes of serious health conditions and health disparities. Bringing together community members, healthcare providers, and leaders to roundtables across the state, Dr. Burke Harris will hear how the Office of the Surgeon General can support communities with prevention and treatment.
The Surgeon General’s listening tour will include stops in Alameda County, Butte County, Fresno County, Kern County, Los Angeles County, Orange County, and San Diego County.
In Sacramento, joined by First 5 Sacramento leadership, Dr. Burke Harris visited FRCC’s campus and brought together educators, service providers, and community members to discuss the community’s healthcare priorities and challenges.
Dr. Burke Harris visited organizations in the FRCC including Pivot, PRO Youth and Families, Black Mothers United and the River Oaks Family Resource Center to learn about their work to provide access to healthcare services and resources for their communities.
“One of First 5 Sacramento’s priority areas is focused on an alarming statistic: African American children in Sacramento are dying at two to three times the rate of all others,” said First 5 Sacramento Executive Director Julie Gallelo. “These causes of death are linked to multi-generational trauma and systems that haven’t supported our black community. We are changing that in Sacramento through meaningful collaborations, significant financial investments and aligned efforts with a single goal and we welcome the Surgeon General’s partnership.”
“Sacramento Building Healthy Communities is focused on equity and committed to working in collaboration with other community partners dedicated to improving health outcomes for everyone, especially those in most in need,” said Kim Williams, hub director of Sacramento Building Healthy Communities. "We are excited for the Surgeon General's leadership and her work to address toxic stress in our communities."
“PRO Youth and Families is pleased to be part of the collective trauma informed work being provided at the Fruit Ridge Community Collaborative,” said Staci Anderson, president and CEO of PRO Youth and Families. “We welcome collaboration with the new Surgeon General and appreciate her coming to learn about the work we’re doing in the community.”
Dr. Burke Harris also discussed the work that the State is doing to ensure better health outcomes with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s early childhood budget proposals that are focused on developmental screenings, support for home-visiting initiatives and improving infant and maternal health. These programs total more than $200 million in the governor’s 2019-2020 budget proposal.
Gov. Newsom appointed Dr. Burke Harris as California’s first surgeon general on Jan. 21.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
“Lured by fruit, candy and other kid-friendly flavors, high school and middle school students throughout the U.S. are vaping in record numbers,” said Senator Hill. “We must stop the appalling epidemic of e-cigarette use among youth.”
“We know that stopping young people from ever picking up a tobacco product is the most effective way to keep them from smoking or vaping later in life,” McGuire said. “It’s crystal clear flavored tobacco products are marketed directly to young people and we’re proud to partner with Senator Hill to pass this critical legislation that will help keep generations of California kids healthy.”
Senate Bill 38, which will prohibit retail stores and vending machines in California from selling flavored tobacco products, will combat the alarming rise of e-cigarette use by teens and other minors as reported by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The report released in November showed that more than 3.6 million middle and high school students are using e-cigarettes – that’s an increase of 1.5 million since 2017 and almost 13 times higher than the number of teens and other young people using e-cigarettes in 2011.
The stunning growth between 2017 and 2018 amounted to a 78 percent increase in e-cigarette use by high school students and a 48 percent increase by middle school students.
The lure of flavored tobacco products for youth is well-documented. 80 percent of young people who have ever used tobacco started with a flavored product, according to figures compiled by the California Department of Public Health. 70 percent of youth who reported current use of a tobacco product said that they use a flavored product, according to the CDC.
In addition to Senators McGuire and Hill, Joint Authors of the bill are: Senators Steve Glazer, D-Orinda and Anthony Portantino, D-Cañada Flintridge. Assemblymembers Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, and Jim Wood, D-Santa Rosa, are principal coauthors. The other coauthors of the bill are Senators Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, Jim Beall, D-San Jose, Connie M. Leyva, D-Chino, Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, and Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, and Assemblymembers Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica, Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens, Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, Patrick O’Donnell, D-Long Beach, Mark Stone, D-Monterey Bay, and Phil Ting, D-San Francisco.
SB 38 was approved in the Senate Health committee Wednesday afternoon. It will be heard next in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
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