Health
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued 12 penalties to California hospitals along with fines totaling $785,000 after investigations found the facilities’ noncompliance with licensing requirements caused, or was likely to cause, serious injury or death to patients.
The following hospitals received penalties:
– Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Oakland/ Richmond, Oakland, Alameda County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow manufacturer’s instructions for the use of a particular medical device. The penalty is $100,000. This is the hospital’s third administrative penalty.
– Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego, San Diego, San Diego County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow established surgical policies and procedures. The penalty is $75,000. This is the hospital’s second administrative penalty.
– Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Rafael, San Rafael, Marin County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow surgical policies and procedures. The penalty is $50,000. This is the hospital’s first administrative penalty.
– Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South Bay, Harbor City, Los Angeles County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow established policies and procedures for safe distribution and administration of medication. The penalty is $50,000. This is the hospital’s first administrative penalty.
– Kaweah Delta Medical Center, Visalia, Tulare County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow established maternity care policies and procedures. The penalty is $50,000. This is the hospital’s first administrative penalty.
– Kaweah Delta Medical Center, Visalia, Tulare County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow established policies and procedures related to patient assessment. The penalty is $75,000. This is the hospital’s second administrative penalty.
– Methodist Hospital of Southern California, Arcadia, Los Angeles County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow surgical policies and procedures. This resulted in a patient having to undergo a second surgery to remove a retained foreign object. The penalty is $50,000. This is the hospital’s first administrative penalty.
– Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center, Mission Viejo, Orange County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow surgical policies and procedures. This resulted in a patient having to undergo a second surgery to remove a retained foreign object. The penalty is $100,000. This is the hospital’s fifth administrative penalty.
– Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center, Mission Viejo, Orange County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow surgical policies and procedures. This resulted in the patient undergoing a second surgery. The penalty is $100,000. This is the hospital’s sixth administrative penalty.
– Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center, Fountain Valley, Orange County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not follow surgical policies and procedures. This resulted in a patient having to undergo a second surgery to remove a retained foreign object. The penalty is $50,000. This is the hospital’s first administrative penalty.
– Sutter Coast Hospital, Crescent City, Del Norte County: The hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient when it did not develop, maintain and implement a fire prevention policy and procedure. The penalty is $10,000. This is the hospital’s first administrative penalty.
– 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 established policies and procedures for safe distribution and administration of medication. The penalty is $75,000. This is the hospital’s sixth administrative penalty.
Administrative penalties are issued under authority granted by Health and Safety Code section 1280.1. Incidents that occurred prior to 2009 carry a fine of $25,000.
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 by the licensee.
Incidents that occurred prior to 2009 are not counted when determining the fine amounts. CDPH also has the authority to reduce the amount of a penalty issued to a rural hospital.
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 ten calendar days of notification.
If a hearing is requested and the penalty upheld following an appeal, the penalties must be paid.
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.
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UKIAH, Calif. – Known for being both far out and nearby, Ukiah is attracting the attention of those looking for solace and alternative lifestyle.
That’s precisely the reason Jessica Rene Hutchins, M.D., obstetrician and gynecologist, is choosing to move from Georgia and take root in Northern California.
“I set out to find the idyllic town that welcomed a healthy way of living,” said Dr. Hutchins.
Two of Dr. Hutchins’ children have a gluten allergy.
“Our family tries to eat gluten free and organic and live as much as possible in a non-toxic environment, which wasn’t always easy with rich southern food readily available,” she said. “In fact during our first visit to Ukiah while staying at the Stanford House Inn, the owners had prepared an all gluten free breakfast for my family. I knew this was the place for us.”
According to Ukiah Valley Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Gwen Matthews, Dr. Hutchins nicely rounds out what is becoming a boutique Women’s Health Center which focuses on the complete lifecycle of women’s health.
Dr. Hutchins received her medical degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She then completed her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at the University Hospitals of Cleveland.
“I enjoy working with expectant mothers and helping to bring new life into our world,” said Hutchines. “I’m also extremely interested in treating women with chronic gynecological diseases such as endometriosis, interstitial cystitis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, dysmenorrhea, infertility and chronic pelvic pain, just to name a few.”
Dr. Hutchins shared her passion for patient care. “It’s amazing how our bodies can heal themselves if nourished properly – I feel that it’s my job to educate women, and support them through every stage of their lives.”
In addition to relocating to Ukiah, Dr. Hutchins will be joined by her husband Michael, and five children: Emily, Joshua, Michael, Victoria and Gabriel.
She will be seeing patients at the Women’s Health Center located at 1050 N. State St. in Ukiah.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Hutchins call 707-462-2945.
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Low-income teenagers who have supportive role models and engage in adaptive strategies have lower levels of a marker for cardiovascular risk than low-income teens without such resources, according to a new study.
The study, by researchers at Northwestern University and the University of British Columbia, is published in the journal Child Development.
“Low socioeconomic status is one of the strongest determinants of chronic disease in developed countries,” notes Edith Chen, professor of psychology and faculty fellow at the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University, who led the study. “This study suggests that teaching low-income youths strategies to reframe stressful events more positively and view the future optimistically, known as shift-and-persist strategies, and encouraging them to connect with supportive role models may help reduce the physiological burden of growing up in poor neighborhoods.”
The study looked at 163 healthy Canadian teens ages 13 to 16 from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds.
Researchers asked the youths about their role models, had them complete questionnaires about their coping strategies and their thoughts about the future, and drew blood to assess inflammatory markers that predict cardiovascular risk.
Adolescents from low-income families who had supportive role models had lower levels of the inflammatory marker interleukin-6 than those who didn’t have such models in their lives.
Low-income teens who engaged in shift-and-persist coping strategies also showed lower levels of interleukin-6.
These patterns were not seen in youths from high-income families or in youths from low-income families who didn’t have these resources.
“This suggests that supportive role models promote shift-and-persist strategies and have physiological benefits specifically in low-income youth,” according to Chen.
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California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director Dr. Ron Chapman warned consumers Wednesday not to eat True Taste brand smoked fish products because they may have been improperly produced, making them susceptible to contamination with Clostridium botulinum.
Ingestion of botulism toxin from improperly processed jarred and canned foods may lead to serious illness and death. No illnesses have been linked to any of the affected products.
True Taste LLC of Kenosha, Wis., is voluntarily recalling all production dates beginning Jan. 1, 2012, of the following varieties of True Taste brand smoked fish: Hot Smoked Rainbow Trout, Hot Smoked Whitefish, Hot Smoked Herring, Hot Smoked Mackerel, Hot Smoked Salmon Steak, Cold Smoked Mackerel and Cold Smoked Whitefish.
The product labels contain a white sticker with two sets of numbers. The first number indicates the processing date; for example, “110512” (Photo of Product Labels and Date Coding).
CDPH is working with the manufacturer and distributors to identify the specific distribution of the recalled fish; however, CDPH has been able to confirm that some of the product was offered for sale through Southern California Albertson’s stores.
Consumers in possession of the recalled products should discard them in the trash.
Botulism toxin is odorless and colorless. 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.
Consumers with any of these symptoms should contact their health care provider.
For more information, visit http://www.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/discond/Pages/Botulism.aspx .
Consumers who observe the product being offered for sale are encouraged to report their findings to the CDPH toll-free complaint line at 800-495-3232.
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