Health
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- Written by: California Department of Public Health
Ingestion of botulism toxin from improperly processed jarred and canned foods may lead to serious illness and death.
The following varieties of Shemshad Food jarred products should not be consumed:
Litteh Pickle
Pickled Diced Vegetables (all lot codes except SD31123125)
Pickled Eggplants (all lot codes)
Pickled Garlic (all lot codes except SG31223125)
Pickled HaftBijar (all lot codes)
The food products were sold at grocery stores in southern California including Woodland Hills Market in Woodland Hills, Q Market in Van Nuys, and Wholesome Choice Market in Irvine. Consumers that observe the product being offered for sale are encouraged to report the activity to the CDPH toll free complaint line at (800) 495-3232.
CDPH issued a notice of violation to Shemshad in January 2024 and the result of the ongoing investigation may subject the firm to further action up to and including license revocation.
At this time, Shemshad, based in Los Angeles, is voluntarily recalling its Litteh Pickle and Pickeled Diced Vegetables, Eggplant, Garlic, and HaftBijar products. These products are under the Shemshad brand name in 16 ounce glass jars with screw-on metal lids.
Botulism toxin is odorless and colorless, so consumers will be unable to determine if their product is affected. Consumers who have any of this product or any foods made with this product should discard them immediately.
Double bag the jars in plastic bags that are tightly closed then place in a trash receptacle for non-recyclable trash outside of the home.
Consumers should wear rubber or latex gloves if possible, when handling these products or wash your hands with soap and running water for at least two minutes after handling any food or containers that may be contaminated.
Botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The initial symptoms frequently experienced are double or blurred vision, drooping eyelids, and dry or sore throat. Progressive descending paralysis, usually symmetrical, may follow.
Additional symptoms may include slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, inability of the neck muscles to support the head, paralysis of the extremities and respiratory muscles may occur. Infants with botulism appear lethargic, feed poorly, are constipated, have a weak cry, and poor muscle tone.
CDPH recommends consumers experiencing any ill effects after consuming these products should consult their health care provider.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Younger health care workers and health care workers of color were more likely than their older or white counterparts to say they witnessed discrimination.
The report, Revealing Disparities: Health Care Workers’ Observations of Discrimination Against Patients, is based on findings from a nationwide survey of more than 3,000 health care workers aimed at understanding the impact discrimination and racism have on health care professionals and patients.
“The study shines a light on the discrimination and racism health care workers observe and the implications for negative health outcomes of patients in many communities,” said Henry Fernandez, CEO of AARC and the report’s lead author. “Understanding this connection at a national level is critical to measuring and addressing discrimination in the health care system to mitigate harm to patients and produce better health outcomes overall.”
Other key report findings include:
• Patients are treated differently based on their race and ethnicity. More than half of health care workers (57%) witnessed discrimination against patients who predominantly speak a language other than English. About half (48%) stated that medical providers are more accepting when white patients self-advocate than when Black patients do so.
• Discrimination creates stress for health care workers. Just under half (47%) of all health care workers indicated that dealing with discrimination at work causes them stress.
• Health care workers at facilities with more patients of color are more likely to witness discrimination. Seventy percent of workers at facilities with predominantly Black patients and 61 percent of those working in facilities with mostly Latino patients witnessed discrimination compared with only 43 percent at facilities with mostly white patients.
While the report focuses on the impact of discrimination on patients, the full survey examined racism and discrimination in health care settings more broadly, including discrimination toward health care professionals, as well as employers’ role in addressing these issues.
Notable findings from the larger survey include:
• Workplace racism is prevalent in health care.
• Forty-four percent of all health care workers have observed coworkers subjected to racism in the workplace. When provided with examples of potential workplace discrimination, two-thirds indicate they have seen at least one of the examples.
• A majority of Black health care workers (58%) and more than four of 10 Latino (49%) and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI, 44%) health care workers indicate they have been discriminated against in their workplaces because of their race or ethnicity.
• Health care workers fear retaliation. While majorities of health care workers see positive efforts from employers to address discrimination, a majority of Black, Latino, and AAPI health care workers worry about retaliation if they raise discrimination concerns.
When asked about potential solutions, more than two-thirds of health care workers thought the following steps could help:
• Providing an easy way to anonymously report situations involving racism or discrimination.
• Creating opportunities to listen to patients of color and health care professionals of color.
• Examining treatment of non-English-speaking patients.
• Training at professional schools or health care staff to spot discrimination.
“If we are going to build truly equitable health care systems, we have to start by listening to voices of those on the front lines,” said Dr. Laurie Zephyrin, M.D., Senior Vice President for Advancing Health Equity at The Commonwealth Fund and report co-author. “Understanding what health care workers are experiencing, and what they want and need from their employers and colleagues to address discrimination, is critical to successful and sustainable change.”
The full report can be found here.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
As part of the settlement, Quest Diagnostics will be required to pay nearly $5 million for penalties, costs and supplemental environmental projects and make significant changes to its operations and practices at its California facilities.
Attorney General Bonta is joined by the district attorneys of Alameda, Los Angeles, Monterey, Orange, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Ventura and Yolo counties in the settlement.
“Quest Diagnostics’ illegal disposal of hazardous and medical waste and patient information put families and communities at risk and endangered our environment,” Bonta said Wednesday. “Let today’s settlement send a clear message that my office will hold corporations, including medical services providers, accountable for violations of state environmental and privacy laws. I appreciate the partnership of the district attorneys’ offices across our state that led to this critical settlement.”
“This settlement demonstrates the commitment of my Consumer Justice Bureau to protect the residents of Alameda County against identity theft and ensure that such violations do not occur again,” said Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. “Our continued ability to collaborate with the Attorney General and other District Attorney’s offices to protect public safety for all California residents is a testament to our team and the progress under my administration.”
“This settlement will help ensure that patients’ personally identifiable and private health information is protected and will protect worker safety and human health by ensuring that hazardous and medical wastes are properly managed and disposed of,” said Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni.
“We will not allow the public’s health to be jeopardized by laboratories who prioritized cutting corners over protecting the health of the very people they were supposed to be caring for,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “This was not an isolated incident by a single Quest Diagnostics testing facility; this was Quest Diagnostics laboratories and testing facilities across the state skirting California’s hazardous waste laws while ignoring the very real environmental and health impacts of these illegal actions. I want to thank Attorney General Rob Bonta and the San Joaquin District Attorney’s Office for their leadership in this collaborative effort to hold companies accountable for violating our environmental laws and endangering the safety of Californians.”
"This settlement is the result of a successful collaboration between District Attorney’s Offices and the state Attorney General's Office to protect California's environment and its health consumers," said Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho. "Thanks to the joint efforts of our Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit and prosecutors across the state, the financial penalty and permanent injunction will deter Quest Diagnostics from violating hazardous waste, medical waste and protected health information laws. Sacramento County will receive a total of $259,440 from the settlement, which will reimburse the cost of prosecuting this case and increase the enforcement of consumer and environmental protection laws."
“We take very seriously violations regarding medical waste, hazardous waste, and patient confidentiality,” said San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson. “We are thankful for the cooperation of Quest, and the diligent work of our Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit in securing this settlement. With judgments like these, we can ensure proper disposal of medical and hazardous waste which protects the public and the environment, while safeguarding the privacy of San Bernardino County residents.”
"Through our meticulous waste audits, it came to light that Quest Diagnostics may have encountered challenges in properly managing confidential patient data, medical waste, and hazardous materials. Our initial inquiry in San Joaquin County prompted us to engage with the Attorney General's office and other relevant parties,” said San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas. “Subsequent audits conducted at Quest's laboratories shed further light on potential mismanagement issues. This underscores the significance of maintaining robust waste management practices in healthcare to uphold patient confidentiality and ensure public safety."
“The Simi Valley Landfill & Recycling Center and Ventura County residents were negatively impacted by Quest’s illegal disposal of hazardous waste, medical waste, and protected patient information,” said Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. “Thanks to the hard work of the California Attorney General’s office, the District Attorney’s offices and our partner agencies, this settlement will ensure that Quest complies with the law and implements strong measures to protect the health, safety, and privacy of our residents.”
The settlement is the result of over 30 inspections conducted by the district attorneys' offices at Quest Diagnostics laboratories and Patient Service Centers statewide.
During those inspections, the district attorneys' offices reviewed the contents of Quest Diagnostics’ compactors and dumpsters and found hundreds of containers of chemicals, as well as bleach, reagents, batteries, and electronic waste; unredacted medical information; medical waste such as used specimen containers for blood and urine; and hazardous waste such as used batteries, solvents, and flammable liquids.
The unlawful disposals are alleged to violate the Hazardous Waste Control Law, Medical Waste Management Act, Unfair Competition Law, and civil laws prohibiting the unauthorized disclosure of personal health information.
After being notified of the investigations, Quest Diagnostics implemented numerous changes to bring its facilities into compliance with California law, including hiring an independent environmental auditor to review the disposal of waste at its facilities and modifying its operating and training procedures to improve its handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste, medical waste, and personal health information at all four laboratories and over 600 PSCs in California.
The settlement resolves the allegations above and requires Quest Diagnostics to pay $3,999,500 in civil penalties, $700,000 in costs, and $300,000 for a Supplemental Environmental Project to support environmental training and enforcement in California.
The settlement also imposes injunctive terms, including requirements that Quest Diagnostics maintain an environmental compliance program, including hiring a third-party waste auditor, and report annually on its progress.
- Details
- Written by: COVERED CALIFORNIA
“We’ve seen record-breaking enrollment nationally, and Covered California is surging with heightened demand,” said Covered California Executive Director Jessica Altman. “We want any Californian who needs health insurance to have the opportunity to get covered for the rest of 2024, and extending the open-enrollment period will ensure they have the time they need.”
In addition to the increased demand, consumers looking to enroll in recent days may have encountered challenges reaching Covered California representatives over the phone, and many this week have experienced longer than expected wait times. This was due in part to a disruption to Covered California’s service center, which was temporarily taken offline in immediate response to a cybersecurity incident affecting a third-party vendor that supports its phone lines.
This incident was limited to Covered California’s telephone systems, and enrollment and eligibility systems were unaffected. At this time, there is no indication that any personal information was compromised.
The deadline extension will give consumers who are trying to sign up for coverage the time and assistance they need.
Consumers will have until midnight on Friday, Feb. 9, to apply for coverage that would be effective Feb. 1.
They can visit CoveredCA.com and get free and confidential help from one of the more than 14,000 certified enrollers throughout the state who can help them sign up, including individuals who can assist in other languages.
In addition, consumers can reach the Covered California service center at 800-300-1506.
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