Since the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the U.S., Sara Houze
has been on the road — going from one hospital to another to care
for COVID-19 patients on the brink of death.
Hospitals in coronavirus hot spots throughout the United States
are seeing a surge in Covid-19 hospitalizations, which is
straining their ICU capacity.
Hospitals in the Valley region have started administering the
COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer Inc. Dignity Health –
Northridge Hospital Medical Center received its first doses last
week, according to Blair Galbreath, director of pharmacy for the
hospital. Dr. Imran Sharief was the first to be vaccinated at the
Northridge facility, hospital staff said on social media.
A strike involving nurses and other health care workers at three
Southern California hospitals was barely avoided on Saturday when
the management company that operates their union and facility
reached a provisional collective bargaining agreement.
When Gov. Gavin Newsom provided a dire view of California’s
out-of-control surge of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations
this week, he referred to projection models of future death and
misery that he said were becoming “alarmingly” more accurate.
Lawmakers are poised to soon pass a massive end-of-year
legislative package that includes many healthcare industry
priorities such as a ban on surprise medical bills, money for
vaccine distribution and COVID-19 testing and more funding and
flexibility for provider grants, among other provisions.
A doctor at an L.A. County public hospital said the number of
COVID-19 patients is “increasing exponentially, without an end in
sight.” Many parts of that hospital are being converted to
COVID-19 wards, and ICU teams are being staffed up with workers
from other departments that are temporarily halting services.
Congressional leaders on Sunday clinched a Covid stimulus deal
after days of hard-fought negotiations — but Americans will have
to wait at least a little longer to get much needed relief.
Sunday’s vote by the panel was who should be next in line, and by
a vote of 13-1, it decided that it should be people 75 and older,
who number about 20 million, as well as certain front-line
workers, who total about 30 million.
Get a flu shot. It’s important. With more than 15 million cases
and more than 290,000 confirmed deaths, the COVID-19 pandemic is
escalating in the U.S., stressing hospitals and communities
nationwide. Meanwhile, while seasonal influenza activity is lower
so far this year, it’s beginning to grow as well, threatening a
so-called twindemic.
Federal advisers on Thursday overwhelmingly recommended an
emergency clearance for Moderna Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine,
while noting concerns about potential allergic reactions and the
challenges of continued testing of this medicine.
On Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom said California is now
looking to other countries to potentially fill staffing shortages
at hospitals, as COVID-19 cases continue to surge.
California is opening temporary field hospitals to help with
overflow patients as COVID-19 surges fill intensive care units
across the state. The field hospitals will care for non-ICU
patients in places such as Costa Mesa, Porterville, Sacramento
and Imperial; other facilities are on standby status in
Riverside, Richmond, Fresno, San Diego and San Francisco.
Los Angeles County continues to break its own COVID-19 records,
as officials today reported both the highest single-day number of
new deaths — and the highest number of new cases over the past 24
hours.
US pharmacists found a pleasant surprise in their vaccine
shipments this week: Though each vial of Pfizer’s newly
authorized coronavirus vaccine was supposed to contain five
doses, some discovered they could squeeze out six or seven.
With intensive care units in Southern California and the Central
Valley lurching perilously close to full capacity Tuesday,
officials are turning to increasingly desperate measures to
prevent the state’s coronavirus surge from killing more patients.
California stands to receive at least 1 million more doses of
COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the month, an influx that will
help arm the state’s healthcare workforce against the most
intense and severe wave of the disease yet.
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday has found the
COVID-19 vaccine from drugmaker Moderna safe and 95% effective,
moving it closer to federal approval for distribution.
Healthcare organizations will continue to refine their use of
digital tools to coordinate patient care, reduce administrative
burden and improve supply chain operations, according a new PwC
report.
Riverside County’s intensive care unit capacity fell to
almost zero on Monday, the public health department said,
while the larger Southern California region designated by the
state under COVID-19 protocols fell to 2.7% ICU capacity.
Gov. Gavin Newsom visited L.A. County’s Kaiser Permanente Los
Angeles Medical Center, which administered some of the first
doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to health care workers. Five
health care workers were vaccinated there today. Newsom was also
joined by L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and L.A. County Supervisor
Hilda Solis.
The staff of the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday endorsed
the emergency use of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine, a critical
step forward in winning formal clearance to be administered to
the public as early as next week.
“This weekend’s confirmation by the Western States Scientific
Safety Review Workgroup of the safety and effectiveness of
Pfizer’s groundbreaking COVID-19 vaccine marks an important step
forward in California’s fight against this devastating
virus,” said Carmela Coyle, President & CEO of the
California Hospital Association.
The US Food and Drug Administration has granted an emergency use
authorization for the first non-prescription, over-the-counter
Covid-19 test kit for at-home use.
The first of many freezer-packed COVID-19 vaccine vials made
their way to distribution sites across the United States on
Sunday, as the nation’s pandemic deaths approached the horrifying
new milestone of 300,000.
Los Angeles County reported 12,731 new cases of COVID-19 and 29
additional deaths today, as the number of county residents
hospitalized with the coronavirus surpassed 4,000 for
the first time.
About 4 million Californians had signed up for the state’s
smartphone-based COVID-19 notification system as of Friday
afternoon, according to the California Department of Public
Health.
President-elect Joe Biden formally announced several members of
his healthcare team on Tuesday, calling them “a team of
world-class experts at the top of their field.”
Health care officials are hoping Californians will adhere to
new regional stay-at-home orders that they say will
help alleviate stress on intensive care units across the state.
Los Angeles County hit another COVID-19 hospitalization record on
Monday, which officials said is contributing to a spike in
healthcare worker infections that is putting staffing pressure on
medical centers already struggling to manage the spike in
patients.
While California Attorney General Xavier Becerra—reportedly
President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to head the Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)—is best known on the national landscape
for his work defending the Affordable Care Act (ACA), health
industry leaders say he’ll have to prioritize the pandemic above
all else in the role.
Gov. Newsom said that Apple and Google have joined forces to help
provide exposure notifications, which Newsom noted isn’t the same
as contact tracing. The state is releasing an app, “CA Notify,”
which allows you to opt-in to notifications of potential COVID-19
exposure.
Experts in public health offered quick praise for President-elect
Joe Biden’s choice of a noted HIV expert to lead the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, describing this as a key post in
addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the United States faces a worsening surge of SARS-CoV-2
infections, hospitalizations, and deaths, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) has, for the first time during the
almost year-long pandemic, urged Americans to wear face masks
universally.
With California health care systems straining under the worst
surge of COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, the
state is bringing in additional workers to help staff surge beds.
Black and Latino COVID-19 patients’ worse outcomes stem largely
from not being able to access care quickly enough, rather than
any underlying health conditions, according to a new study.
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles will be among the
first hospitals across California to store and distribute
COVID-19 vaccines once one is approved.
The numbers grow scarier each day. Over the past week,
California has topped more than 20,000 new cases of COVID-19 in a
single day, with more than 8,000 people hospitalized due to the
virus.
California announced on Thursday a new regional stay-at-home
order based on capacity at hospital intensive care units.
While no regions currently meet the criteria to trigger the
order, Gov. Gavin Newsom said some could fall under the
restrictions in the coming days or weeks.
In the face of a “surge on top of a surge,” Gov. Gavin Newsom
announced today the strictest measure in months for a regional
stay-at-home order tied to the number of intensive care beds as
hospitals near their capacity in the face of a statewide
coronavirus surge.
The Trump administration on Thursday increased access to COVID-19
telehealth services and made it easier for providers to get
liability protection for coronavirus-related medical
countermeasures.
For all its size and economic might, California has long had one
of America’s lowest number of hospital beds relative to its
population. Now state officials warn that this shortfall,
combined with acute staffing shortages, may prove catastrophic.
Federal officials on Wednesday said they anticipate vaccinating
as many as 100 million people by March once a coronavirus vaccine
is approved and ready to be distributed.
With multiple COVID-19 vaccines rapidly heading toward approval,
optometrists and dentists are pushing for the authority to
immunize patients during routine eye exams and dental cleanings.
California could see a tripling of hospitalizations by Christmas
and is considering stay-home orders for areas with the highest
case rates as it tries to head off concerns that severe
coronavirus cases could overwhelm intensive care beds, officials
said Monday.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel voted 13-1 on
Tuesday to give health-care workers and long-term care facility
residents the first coronavirus vaccine doses once it’s cleared
for public use.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report
Monday calling for swift action by the federal government to
shore up its response to the coronavirus pandemic, particularly
with regard to taking a bigger role in medical supply chains.
If offered a coronavirus vaccine free of charge, fewer
than half of Black people and 66 percent of Latino people said
they would definitely or probably take it, according to a
survey-based study that underscores the challenge of getting
vaccines to communities hit hard by the pandemic.
California is in the throes of another COVID-19 surge — cases are
skyrocketing and hospital beds are filling up quickly. But a
glimmer of hope has emerged in the last leg of 2020: The first
batch of vaccines could arrive in early December.
The California Department of Public Health has recommended that
all general acute-care hospitals in the state test healthcare
staff weekly and test and monitor all patients being
admitted.
CMS on Wednesday said hospitals won’t have to provide
around-the-clock access to nursing services for patients who
receive acute care services at home.
California is in the throes of another COVID-19 surge — cases are
skyrocketing and hospital beds are filling up quickly. On
Tuesday, hospitals had 3,300 more COVID patients than at the
beginning of this month, state health officials said.
Healthcare professionals are a tough group. Healthcare, while
rewarding, also involves heartbreaking work. Healthcare providers
are always dealing with change, uncertainty, and upheaval. The
external environment has always been chaotic. But now, COVID-19
has turned up the heat even higher.
Faulting inaction in Washington, governors and state lawmakers
are racing to get pandemic relief to small-business owners, the
unemployed, renters and others whose livelihoods have been
upended by the widening coronavirus outbreak.
Moderna said Monday it will request emergency clearance from the
Food and Drug Administration for its coronavirus vaccine after
new data confirms the vaccine is more than 94% effective in
preventing Covid-19 and was safe.
As Covid-19 positivity rates rise in
the city and surrounding areas, hospital leaders are
on high alert, with the spring’s surge still fresh on their
minds.
Manufacturers of protective gear for the fight against Covid-19
could face fresh orders to bolster supplies and greater federal
oversight of where those goods get sent once President-elect Joe
Biden takes office in January.
The shortened time allocated for this year’s census could have a
big effect on funding for healthcare programs in future years,
several speakers said Friday at an online briefing sponsored
by the Alliance for Health Policy.
U.S. health officials Saturday agreed to allow emergency use of a
second antibody drug to help the immune system fight COVID-19, an
experimental medicine that President Donald Trump was given when
he was sickened last month.
Shortly after announcing a statewide 10 p.m. curfew this week,
California health officials drew attention to a looming problem:
strained hospital capacity.
Public health experts are increasingly worried the coronavirus
case spikes are going to strain hospitals, while also exhausting
medical staff, as hospitalizations continue to rise ahead of
Thanksgiving.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) suggested on
Thursday that coronavirus relief talks might be coming back to
life, after months of impasse.
The CDC weighed in Thursday on the latest burning issue related
to the COVID-19 pandemic: Thanksgiving travel. Just
stay home, agency officials said in a press call.
On the morning of November 7, major news networks starting with
CNN called the presidential election for Joe Biden. Although the
election has yet to be officially certified, Biden and Vice
President-elect Kamala Harris have wasted no time preparing their
response to the rapidly worsening coronavirus pandemic.
Healthcare workers could soon be the first group to receive
COVID-19 vaccinations “this December, literally next month,”
Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases, told NPR Nov. 17.
More than 1 in 4 households in Los Angeles County have
experienced food insecurity since the start of the pandemic,
according to a recent study facilitated by Public Exchange at
USC’s Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. The impact
is seen to be more widespread among vulnerable communities
including women, Latinx households, and low-income families.
As of Tuesday night, Orange County is back under a state order to
restrict business orations back to the purple tier, the most
restrictive in California. At the same time, county health
officials are releasing the first countywide home test kit
program for its residents.
Coronavirus is again surging in Los Angeles County, and that has
prompted calls for people to stay home as much as possible and
led to discussions about a possible curfew or additional
restrictions on businesses.
You didn’t need a crystal ball to forecast that the COVID-19
pandemic would devastate mental health. Illness or fear of
illness, social isolation, economic insecurity, disruption of
routine and loss of loved ones are known risk factors for
depression and anxiety.
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency
use authorization (EUA) for the first COVID-19 diagnostic test
for self-testing at home and that provides rapid results.
Responding to a surge in coronavirus cases locally and statewide,
Mayor Eric Garcetti Monday announced an expansion of the city’s
mobile testing program to provide COVID tests in under-served
areas, as well as the establishment of testing at Los Angeles
International Airport.
A staggering 94% of California’s population will move back to the
most restrictive COVID-19 guidelines due to a rapid uptick in
cases, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday.
Joe Biden’s scientific advisers will meet with vaccine makers in
coming days as the presidential transition remains stalled
because of President Donald Trump’s refusal to acknowledge that
he lost the election.
One of the scientists behind the coronavirus vaccine that has
been found to be 90 percent effective said that “if everything
continues to go well … we could have a normal winter next
year.”
Roughly 20 million people could be vaccinated against the
coronavirus in December, the head of the Trump administration’s
vaccine and drug accelerator said Friday.
Federal health officials have reached an agreement with
pharmacies across the U.S. to distribute free coronavirus
vaccines after they are approved and become available to the
public.
With a COVID-19 vaccine drawing closer, public health officials
across the country are gearing up for the biggest vaccination
effort in U.S. history — a monumental undertaking that must
distribute hundreds of millions of doses, prioritize who’s first
in line and ensure that people who get the initial shot return
for the necessary second one.
The Supreme Court does not appear likely to strike down the
Affordable Care Act (ACA), but some changes are possible
depending on the outcome of the lawsuit that the court is
considering, experts said on Thursday.
The conversation about flu shots is very different this year in
the office of Pauline Yi, MD, an internist and
pediatrician at UCLA Health Beverly Hills. In the past, many
of her patients were reluctant to get the vaccine or outright
refused.
Medicare will cover monoclonal antibody infusions to treat
COVID-19 with no cost-sharing for beneficiaries during the public
health emergency, CMS said Tuesday.
President-elect Joe Biden has formed a special transition team
dedicated to coordinating the coronavirus response across the
government, according to documents obtained by POLITICO and
people familiar with the decision.
The CalOptima Board of Directors appointed Richard Sanchez, REHS,
MPH, as the permanent Chief Executive Officer of the public
agency. He has served in an interim capacity since April.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued its
strongest endorsement yet for the widespread wearing of masks,
saying Tuesday that face coverings protect both the wearer and
those around them from the spread of COVID-19.
The latest surge in U.S. coronavirus cases appears to be much
larger than the two previous ones, and it is all but certain to
get worse — a lot worse. But experts say there are also reasons
to think the nation is better able to deal with the virus this
time.
Los Angeles County supervisors have unanimously approved a
program in which workers from certain sectors will form public
health councils to help ensure that employers follow coronavirus
safety guidelines — an effort to expand the county’s enforcement
of health orders and address the pandemic’s toll on essential
workers.
The stakes have never been higher for the millions of
Californians who rely on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for access
to the vital health care services they and their loved ones count
on every day.
The Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai announced Monday, Nov.
9 that it will launch a specialized cardiac clinic to treat heart
damage in COVID-19 survivors.
The incoming Biden administration is promising a cohesive
national strategy to combat the worsening coronavirus outbreak,
something many public health officials and Democratic governors
say they welcome after months of mixed messaging under the Trump
administration.
President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team on Monday announced
its coronavirus task force, a group of doctors and scientists
that will advise the incoming administration on a way to try to
stem the pandemic.
Some conservative Supreme Court justices Tuesday signaled that
they’re unlikely to tear down Obamacare as oral arguments began
in a Republican-backed lawsuit challenging the landmark health
care law.
Amid recent reports of hackers targeting and blackmailing
healthcare systems and even patients, the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) and other agencies have issued warning of
“imminent” cyberattacks on more US hospitals.
COVID-19 continued surging in Los Angeles County on Friday, Nov.
6, with the daily case number escalating above 2,100 for the
first time since mid-August, giving the county a three-day total
that tops 6,000.
Trade groups representing insurers and hospitals Saturday pledged
to work President-elect Joe Biden and a new administration on
combating the coronavirus pandemic and continuing to reshape the
nation’s healthcare system.
When the Supreme Court hears a case Tuesday that could abolish
the Affordable Care Act, the stakes will be higher than ever,
coming amid a historic health and economic crisis that has
deprived millions of Americans of insurance and cast a neon light
on health care’s importance.
President-elect Joe Biden urged Americans to wear a face mask
Monday, saying that doing so “is not a political statement” and
the best way to save lives before a coronavirus vaccine is widely
available.
A study released Thursday by Cedars-Sinai raises the prospect
that anti-inflammatory drug therapies being used to treat
inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may help patients recover from
coronavirus.
Open enrollment for 2021 benefits will kick off in November when
companies ask their workers to pick everything from medical and
dental plans to long-term disability insurance.
The race for the presidency and control of the Senate were
undecided on Election Day, leaving big questions about the
nation’s direction on healthcare policy unanswered.
The number of primary care providers is increasing per capita in
the United States, but they are still disproportionately
concentrated in urban centers, researchers say.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday celebrated the opening of a high-tech
COVID-19 testing lab in Valencia designed to dramatically
increase the state’s coronavirus testing capacity while reducing
the turnaround time for processing results.
Johnathon Talamantes, of South-Central Los Angeles, broke his hip
in a car accident on Oct. 22 and underwent surgery five days
later at a public hospital near downtown.His post-op recovery
will keep him in the hospital, L.A. County+USC Medical Center,
beyond Election Day, and as he prepared himself for the surgery,
he wondered what that would mean.
As it became clear that some COVID-19 survivors began to face a
unique, difficult path to recovery, physicians at Shirley Ryan
AbilityLab rehabilitation hospital in Chicago knew that they had
to take action, sometimes re-engineering entire health care
spaces.
Warning that COVID-19 has been linked to a host of potentially
long-term health effects, Los Angeles County’s chief medical
officer said today people shouldn’t be fooled into thinking the
illness is a “simple disease” with minimal impacts on the bulk of
its victims.
Medicare and most private insurers will cover COVID-19 vaccines
approved by the Food and Drug Administration at no cost to
beneficiaries, CMS said Wednesday.
Health care access and affordability is arguably more
crucial than ever amid the coronavirus pandemic and a
presidential election offering two different views on
health care.
Walmart Inc, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc, CVS Health Corp and
Rite Aid Corp have told Reuters demand for flu shots at their
U.S. pharmacies is up sharply – in some cases double from last
year – as people try to protect themselves from influenza in the
midst of a worsening COVID-19 pandemic.
The city and county of L.A. are teaming up to experiment with
antigen tests, a self-administered nasal swab test that is much
cheaper and faster than the test officials have been using.
Washington, Oregon and Nevada have joined California’s COVID-19
Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, which will independently
review the safety and efficacy of any vaccine approved by the FDA
for distribution. Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom announced
the panel made up of nationally acclaimed scientists with
expertise in immunization and public health.
The latest Covid-19 surge is forcing US hospitals to take
drastic measures — setting up temporary facilities or preparing
to transport patients to other cities and states — to avoid being
overrun.
America on Friday hit its highest daily number of coronavirus
cases since the pandemic began, recording at least 82,600 new
infections and surpassing the previous record set during the
summertime surge of cases across the Sun Belt.
In a wide-reaching Q&A session, Carmela Coyle, President and
CEO of the California Hospital Association, sat down with Dr.
Nadine Burke Harris to ask some of the Our Health California
community’s most pressing questions.
Low-income communities, particularly those in which people of
color live, have a higher risk than their wealthier, whiter
counterparts of becoming coronavirus hot spots,
according to a new study by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention published on Thursday.
Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based Los Robles Regional Medical Center
will close its 4-year-old pediatric intensive care unit in
December, according to the Thousand Oaks Acorn.
Beginning in July 2022, Americans experiencing a mental health
crisis will be able to dial 9-8-8 and be connected to the
services and counselors at the National Suicide Prevention
Lifeline.
For some, it’s a shot at COVID-19 immunity. For participants
already infected with the coronavirus, a second trial offers a
chance to receive a still experimental treatment that could
reduce the severity and duration of illness.
Four major healthcare associations called on lawmakers Wednesday
to hold off on Medicare sequester cuts through 2021, or at least
the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Patients admitted to a hospital with Covid-19 symptoms are five
times more likely to die than those with the seasonal flu,
according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study
published on Tuesday, further indication that President
Trump and some of his allies have been erroneously
comparing the two illnesses.
The first wave of COVID-19 forced hospitals to get creative when
treating patients, and they can apply these lessons as the next
wave of the pandemic approaches.
As patients recover from COVID-19, the medical community is
discovering some patients continue to suffer from lingering
symptoms and side effects weeks and even months after they test
negative for the virus.
California won’t allow any distribution of new coronavirus
vaccines in the nation’s most populous state until it is reviewed
by the state’s own panel of experts, Gov. Gavin Newsom said
Monday.
All of the health systems that responded to a recent
survey expect it will be at least 2022 before their
operations return to anything resembling a pre-pandemic “normal.”
Omar Guzman entered the world in 1980 in a delivery room at
Kaweah Delta Medical Center, a county hospital in Visalia, in
rural San Joaquin Valley. Forty years later, he’s back at the
hospital where he was born, working as an emergency medicine
physician and serving a Latinx population that is largely low
income.
As coronavirus infections continue to climb, L.A. County health
officials have expanded access to free COVID testing. We spoke
with Dr. Christina Ghaly, director of the county’s Department of
Health Services, about the new testing strategy and why it’s
happening now.
Eight months into the coronavirus pandemic, California has become
a rare case: a state that has contained the transmission of
COVID-19 and isn’t experiencing another surge — yet, at least.
The County of Ventura Board of Supervisors has unanimously
approved a COVID-19 Hospitals Assistance Program for local
not-for-profit hospitals, in the amount of $10 million to be
funded by the federal Coronavirus Relief Fund, to provide
financial support to local hospitals for COVID-19 costs.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has added 11
additional Medicare telehealth services for the duration of the
COVID-19 public health emergency, including cardiac and pulmonary
rehabilitation services.
Patient surveys taken before the pandemic can provide guidance as
we reopen our practices. Herewith, some advice on managing the
transition from the office to the mixed realm of online visits
and “distanced” physical encounters.
As our nation continues to confront the ramifications of a global
pandemic, the stigma around mental health and addiction seems to
be dissipating. People are talking, opening up to friends and
family, and finally realizing it’s OK to not be OK.
The U.S. reported more than 41,000 new coronavirus infections,
while hospitals in many parts of the country experienced surging
numbers of patients infected with the viral disease.
A new American Medical Association study finds highly
concentrated health insurance markets have grown even more so
over the past five years, a trend the trade group said can harm
consumers and providers alike.
About 70% of first responders had contact with patients who had
COVID-19, but only around 5% subsequently tested positive for the
virus, according to the findings.
The race to develop Covid-19 vaccines could well see some
Americans vaccinated before the end of 2020 — less than a year
after the world first learned a new virus was causing a dangerous
new form of pneumonia in China.
That is the forecast of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal
government’s top infectious diseases expert, in a wide-ranging
discussion about the pandemic that he delivered this week to
the Berkeley Forum.
Free flu shots are being offered through mid-November
throughout Los Angeles County at a series of drive-thru clinics
offered by L.A. Care Health Plan and Blue Shield of California
Promise Health Plan’s network of Community Resource Centers.
PerkinElmer, the Massachusetts-based diagnostics company that
partnered with California to improve COVID-19 testing efficiency
and capacity, has signed a lease in Valencia and could open in
early November, officials confirmed Wednesday.
Soon after Cigna Corp. waived prior authorization requirements
and eased coverage rules to ensure patients could receive needed
care during the coronavirus pandemic, the health insurer
tightened restrictions in other areas.
A drug company says it has asked the U.S. government to allow
emergency use of an experimental antibody therapy based on early
results from a study that suggested the drug reduced symptoms,
the amount of virus, hospitalizations and ER visits for patients
with mild or moderate COVID-19.
Manhattan-based biometrics firm Clear—best known for letting
people skip to the front of the airport security line—has
partnered with the country’s two largest private labs to link
Covid-19 test results to an app that lets employers and building
owners screen at the door for health risks.
While the world awaits a proven COVID-19 vaccine, medical experts
are turning their attention to a shot that’s long been a key
component in the public health toolbox: the flu vaccine.
More than half a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare
experts have some ideas on how the industry can do better,
looking at such areas as supply chain, staffing and disparities
of care.
Starting next week, Los Angeles County and others around
California will have to prove they’re paying close attention to
neighborhoods that have been hit harder than others by the
coronavirus pandemic.
Though COVID-19 forced California leaders to scale back their
ambitious health care agenda, they still managed to enact
significant new laws intended to lower consumer health care
spending and expand access to health coverage.
A 5% surge in cases of depression among new moms this year has
prompted Providence Southern California to expand a model
maternal mental health program that started in Orange County to
the South Bay and San Fernando Valley, the medical provider said.
Clarence Troutman survived a two-month hospital stay with
COVID-19, then went home in early June. But he’s far from over
the disease, still suffering from limited endurance, shortness of
breath and hands that can be stiff and swollen.
Today, we see how the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the
adoption of these types of technologies that once seemed so
far-fetched. For example, the use of telehealth has risen
dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drones disinfect
streets in China, deliver medical supplies in Rwanda, and
transport healthcare supplies to U.S. homes. Hotels and hospitals
even employ germ-zapping robots to disinfect rooms.
Healthcare, too, is standing at a crossroads. The COVID-19
pandemic has brought unprecedented disruption and poses a threat
to long-standing revenue streams.
The Senate on Wednesday passed a bipartisan government funding
bill that averts a shutdown and will relax Medicare loan
repayment terms for healthcare providers.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom Tuesday signed two bills into law
requiring healthcare providers to create stockpiles of personal
protective equipment or face up to $25,000 in fines per
violation.
Los Angeles County continued its push Tuesday to re-think the
9-1-1 system, propelled by a care-first, jails-last approach to
emergency calls for service across the region.
Computer systems across a major hospital chain operating in the
U.S. and Britain were down Monday due to what the company termed
an unspecified technology “security issue.”
The numbers are in, and it appears Los Angeles County did not
experience a surge in coronavirus cases after Labor Day similar
to the spikes seen after Memorial Day and July Fourth, officials
announced Monday, Sept. 28.
The Food and Drug Administration has updated an emergency use
authorization for a test that can be used on people without
symptoms or who are suspected of being infected with the virus
causing COVID-19 for other reasons.
With flu season fast approaching, and the Covid-19 pandemic
raging on, hospitals and pharmacies across the country are
stockpiling far more flu vaccines than normal, anticipating a
surge in demand.
“On behalf of those we care for, California hospitals applaud
Governor Newsom for signing into law a bill that will make urgent
mental health treatment more accessible to those in need,” said
Carmela Coyle, President & CEO of the California Hospital
Association.
This year, a flu shot is more important than ever. That’s
why California hospitals, physicians and public health
officials are joining with a coalition of health care
stakeholders, social service organizations and governmental
agencies to launch the statewide “FightFluTogether”
campaign.
As Californians continue to live through the COVID-19 pandemic,
access to health care is a top concern for many. It’s important
to remember the key role that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) plays
in providing health care coverage to Californians.
Teams from USC’s School of Pharmacy will administer free flu
shots to people in Los Angeles beginning in October in
anticipation of influenza season amid the COVID-19 pandemic,
Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday, Sept. 23.
Walmart is experimenting with using drones to deliver at-home
COVID-19 tests in a bid to provide more contactless testing
options, the superstore chain announced Tuesday.
The Food and Drug Administration is expected to spell out a tough
new standard for an emergency authorization of a coronavirus
vaccine as soon as this week that will make it exceedingly
difficult for any vaccine to be cleared before Election Day.
A drug company said Friday that a medicine it sells to tamp down
inflammation has helped prevent the need for breathing machines
in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the first large study that
primarily enrolled Hispanics and Blacks.
When the Covid-19 pandemic forced Pari Baker, a
clinical social worker and therapist in rural Bath County,
Virginia, to switch to seeing clients over video in April, she
wasn’t sure how it would go. She’d never worked with clients that
way before; the small hospital in the Allegheny
Mountains where she works didn’t offer it.
Modern Healthcare reporter Shelby Livingston caught up
with CMS Administrator Seema Verma in Nashville, Tenn.,
on Friday to talk about COVID-19 hospital relief funds, CMS’ role
in distributing a potential coronavirus vaccine, and how the
agency is looking at the future of telehealth, kidney disease
treatment, and the role of the pharmacist in healthcare. Below is
an edited transcript.
Physicians and leaders at many U.S. hospitals say they are
feeling better prepared to respond to a potential second wave of
COVID-19 cases this fall, according to The Wall Street
Journal.
Now that we are many months into
the coronavirus pandemic, the majority of the public is
infinitely more aware of the precautions necessary to help curb
the spread of the infectious disease — mask-wearing, social
distancing and hand-washing.
Twenty-two more coronavirus-related deaths were confirmed on
Friday, Sept. 18, by the Los Angeles County Department of Public
Health, while hospitalizations due to the virus continued to
drop.
The patients walk into Dr. Melissa Marshall’s community clinics
in Northern California with the telltale symptoms. They’re having
trouble breathing. It may even hurt to inhale. They’ve got a
cough, and the sore throat is definitely there.
The government outlined a sweeping plan Wednesday to make
vaccines for COVID-19 available for free to all Americans,
assuming a safe and effective shot is developed, even as top
health officials faced questions about political interference
with virus information reaching the public.
HASC Calendar
See all upcoming events