Health
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- Written by: California Department of Public Health
The statewide program is offered to all pregnant women in California to detect potential genetic conditions and birth defects in their developing fetus. California is the only state providing voluntary, standard-of-care prenatal screening to all individuals.
Medi-Cal and private insurance generally cover all program fees and covered families do not have any out-of-pocket costs.
“All pregnant women in California deserve access to the highest-quality prenatal screening and we’re excited to be able to offer more information about the health of their pregnancy,” said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragón. “We are committed to working with our partners to ensure follow-up services are available at no additional cost to participants.”
The program currently screens for genetic conditions including Down syndrome, Trisomy 18 and 13, and neural tube defects, such as spina bifida.
Due to patient demand and new clinical practice guidelines, beginning April 1, additions to the state cell-free DNA screening panel will include sex chromosome aneuploidies (SCAs) – also referred to as X and Y chromosome variations.
These include:
• Turner syndrome (only one X chromosome);
• Klinefelter syndrome (extra X chromosome);
• XYY (extra Y chromosome);
• Trisomy X (three X chromosomes).
As with all screening programs, follow up confirmatory tests would be needed for pregnant women who screen positive for SCAs.
The CA PNS Program will provide genetic counseling and authorized follow-up services for participants at no additional cost.
The expansion of California’s Prenatal Screening Program helps protect and promote the health of Californians and is just one of many efforts the state and Gov. Gavin Newsom are undertaking to address affordability and improve health outcomes for all Californians.
Additional initiatives include the Governor’s Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health, the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, launching the Office of Health Care Affordability, expanding access to Medi-Cal, and transforming Medi-Cal through CalAIM, among others.
For additional information on the Prenatal Screening Program, visit www.cdph.ca.gov.
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- Written by: Blue Zones Project
Blue Zones Project — Lake County has announced that Adventist Health Clear Lake has achieved Blue Zones Project Approved worksite status.
Additionally, their Mountain View Café has also been approved as a Blue Zones Project restaurant.
Blue Zones Project is a community-led well-being improvement initiative focused on changing the built environment to address social determinants of health while making healthy choices easier, and helping people live longer, healthier and happier lives. Employers are in a powerful position to help individuals move more, eat better, and connect.
Adventist Health Clear Lake has earned approved worksite status by adopting employee well-being improvement initiatives to address these and other areas of opportunity.
“This accomplishment is a testament to our commitment to creating a workplace that puts the well-being of our employees first. I am grateful to our team for their dedication in reaching this milestone, and I am excited to see the positive impact it will have on our organization and the lives we touch," said Colleen Assavapisitkul, president of Adventist Health Clear Lake.
“This is such a great accomplishment on our way to completing full Blue Zones worksite certification. Using the Blues Zones best practices in the workplace is helping us achieve our goal of empowering our associates to find purpose and joy in their work as well as thrive in areas of well-being " said Don Smith, director of well-being at Adventist Health Clear Lake.
“Adventist Health’s Blue Zones Project Approvals are yet another testament to their commitment to the health and well-being of our community,” said Blue Zones Project — Lake County Executive Director Jamey Gill. “We are so happy to partner with them and look forward to the future as we continue making Lake County an even healthier, happier place to live, work, and play.”
To celebrate these significant milestones, Adventist Health Clear Lake invites the community to a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26, at the hospital's main entrance.
To learn more about the Blue Zones Project, visit https://lakecounty.bluezonesproject.com/.
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- Written by: California Department of Public Health
“With more people living longer lives, the number of Californians living with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias is projected to double over the next 20 years, even as the percent of older adults with dementia declines,” said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer, Dr. Tomás J. Aragón. “This campaign will empower our diverse communities to support brain health, better understand the difference between signs of aging and symptoms of dementia, and encourage individuals to have important conversations with their loved ones and health care providers."
Many Californians avoid seeking help for Alzheimer’s due to unawareness, fear, and stigma.
Take On Alzheimer’s will counter hesitation and delays by increasing education and encouraging conversations across all communities. It educates diverse communities about signs, risk factors, and ways to promote brain health.
The primary risk factor for Alzheimer’s is age, and California is home to more adults aged 65 and older than any other state.
While the majority of older adults will never experience dementia, 11% of the nation’s Alzheimer’s cases reside in California and that number is projected to double between 2019 and 2040, highlighting the need for awareness, education, and preparation.
Declining rates of dementia, and emerging treatments, provide hope.
“California’s Master Plan for Aging has included ‘Dementia in Focus’ as part of Goal Two: Health Reimagined since its launch in 2021. It’s critical to build dementia expertise into programs and services supporting our state’s increasingly diverse older adult population, including family caregivers and our workforce,” said Susan DeMarois, Director of the California Department of Aging. “Widespread prevention, screening and detection will enable more families to make important social, medical, financial, and personal decisions and we want our aging network to be well equipped to meet their needs.”
Women are especially impacted by the disease, making up nearly two-thirds of diagnosed Americans.
Other disproportionately impacted groups include older Black Americans, who are two times more likely to develop the disease, and Latinos, who are one-and-a-half times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than white older adults.
California is one of the most diverse states in the nation, with six counties ranking in the top 20 most racially and ethnically diverse counties in the nation, further emphasizing the need for continued ADRD prevention efforts.
The Take on Alzheimer’s campaign will:
Reach diverse communities like those mentioned above through multilingual and multicultural advertising, partnerships with community-based organizations and engaging trusted ethnic media journalists.
Educate these communities about brain health, the signs of aging, and the symptoms of ADRD to be able to make a positive difference for them and their loved ones when it comes to fostering brain health and benefiting from early detection and diagnosis.
Start a conversation. Honest and empathetic conversations with friends, loved ones or a healthcare provider can be critical to improving outcomes and combating fear and stigma associated with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias, or ADRD.
Steer the community to learn more at TakeonALZ.com to understand ways they can help reduce their risk and take charge of their brain health before or after an ADRD diagnosis.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Credit reports are meant to gauge an individual’s ability to repay future debt. Medical debt is often unforeseen and not a reliable indicator of financial risk, yet it can unfairly prevent consumers from getting loans, renting an apartment, or getting a job.
“California families should not need to suffer from the harmful and unnecessary impacts resulting from having their credit damaged by medical debt. We have a straightforward solution and need to implement it here in California, just as we have seen some of our sister states do successfully,” said Bonta. “There is no need for medical debt to appear on credit reports and we can stop the harmful spiral where people have unforeseen, catastrophic medical debt and become unhoused, unemployed, or without a vehicle to get to work. To reduce homelessness, to reduce food insecurity, and to address many of California’s other systemic issues, we must utilize upstream interventions that get to the crux of these problems. This is exactly what SB 1061 does.”
“Today a staggering 1 in 5 Californians has reported having medical debt with a disproportionate impact on women and mothers. This debt negatively impacts Californians credit history making it harder to secure a loan, buy a house, or be approved for a credit card,” said Sen. Limón. “Without a robust health care system that covers necessary and often lifesaving medical expenses in a timely, accurate and comprehensive manner, medical debt should not be included on consumer's credit reports.”
“We’ve known for years that medical debt doesn’t predict credit defaults, nor does it accurately predict a person’s desire and willingness to pay off loans,” said Jenn Engstrom, state director of CALPIRG. “We’re hopeful that the legislation introduced by Senator Limón and sponsored by Attorney General Bonta will help create a fair credit system that doesn’t penalize people for life events they can’t control like getting sick.”
"Frontline nurses know that patients with medical debt, especially low-income Californians, delay or avoid medical care because they worry about the impact on their credit reports," said California Nurses Association President Cathy Kennedy, RN. "SB 1061 will help to ensure patients will get the care they need by removing medical debt from credit reports. Then we will have a fair credit system that will not penalize patients when they get the care they need and deserve."
“People can’t control when they will get sick or hurt, and they can’t control when billing disputes and insurance problems will cause debts for expensive medical care to end up in collections,” said Chi Chi Wu, senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center. “This law is necessary to protect consumers from unmanageable and unpredictable medical debts and to address the disparate impact of medical debt on Black households.”
"Getting hit with medical debt isn't like taking out a loan," noted Ted Mermin, director of the California Low-Income Consumer Coalition. "It's not voluntary, it doesn't predict how creditworthy you are, and all too often the amount you're charged is something the healthcare provider basically made up. But there's nothing fictional about the serious negative impact medical debt can have on consumers' credit reports."
"The Consumer Federation of California is pleased to be a co-sponsor of SB 1061 and work with Senator Limón, Attorney General Bonta and all the other fine groups working to enhance consumer protection when it comes to medical debt," said Robert Herrell, Executive Director of the Consumer Federation of California. "Simply put, California is falling behind in consumer protection in this area. States like New York and Colorado are leading the way. Those states have realized that medical debt shouldn't be an anchor dragging consumers down, both personally and via their credit worthiness. California must do better for consumers and this bill is an important step in that direction. This bill will put California back at the front of the line when it comes to consumer protection against medical debt ruining their lives."
"Health care costs are rising, forcing more and more Californians to delay or skip care in fear of getting an expensive medical bill that can lead to debt,” said Katie Van Deynze, policy and legislative advocate for Health Access California, a co-sponsor of the bill. "Black, Latino and low-income Californians disproportionately have medical debt, and counting it against credit exacerbates inequities in health, housing, employment and more. SB 1061 will give all Californians more peace of mind to seek the care they need knowing it will not negatively affect their credit and their future."
The bill sponsored by Attorney General Rob Bonta, the National Consumer Law Center, the CA Nurses Association, Health Access CA, Consumer Federation of CA, CA Low Income Consumer Coalition, Cal-PIRG, and authored by Senator Limón states that:
• Health care providers should not provide information regarding a patient’s medical debt to a credit reporting agency.
• Health care providers should include a provision in any contract entered into with a collection agency that prohibits the reporting of any information regarding a patient’s medical debt to a consumer credit reporting agency.
• Credit reporting agencies should not accept, store, or disclose any information concerning a medical debt.
• Medical debt continues to increase and is a barrier to employment, housing, and the promotion of health care access and equity. The Urban Institute reported 7.8% of California consumers with a credit report had a medical debt listed on it, increasing to 8.5% for Black Californians.
• People with medical debt are more likely to say debt has caused them to be turned down for a rental or a mortgage than people with student loans or credit card debt, increasing their risk of homelessness or being forced to live in substandard housing. Debt can also create barriers for finding employment as employers often use credit reports as a basis for hiring decisions, which in turn, makes it even more difficult to pay off medical debt. Both Colorado and New York have passed laws that prohibit medical debt from appearing on credit reports. In September 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced a rulemaking process to remove medical bills from consumers' credit reports.
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