Imagine a 50-year-old woman with uncontrolled diabetes walks into
the emergency department with cough, fever and difficulty
breathing. Two minutes later, a 75-year-old healthy woman
walks into the same emergency department with the same symptoms.
A drug company says that adding an anti-inflammatory medicine to
a drug already widely used for hospitalized COVID-19 patients
shortens their time to recovery by an additional day.
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.
Los Angeles County health officials are eagerly awaiting better
tests that are less expensive and more convenient than the
current way the county tests for the new coronavirus.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote
Tuesday, Sept. 15, on a plan allocating nearly $130 million in
federal coronavirus relief funding.
Hazardous air conditions stretch far beyond the flames all across
the West Coast. California’s governor made a grim comparison when
it comes to the impact it’s having on our lung health.
U.S. hospitals have turned down about a third of their allocated
supplies of the COVID-19 drug remdesivir since July as need for
the costly antiviral wanes, according to unpublished government
statistics provided to Reuters by a U.S. pharmacists’ group.
After the wheels fell off California’s COVID-19 testing system in
August, the state announced on Friday that it would begin testing
whether a system designed by Apple and Google would provide a
more accurate public health tool to track exposure to the
coronavirus.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, along with mayors of Long Beach
and Pasadena and county leaders announced on Wednesday, Sept. 9 a
new mobile app, capable of notifying residents when they might
have been exposed to the novel coronavirus.
Even as the country continues to grapple with various problems
associated with COVID-19 testing, another event is about to hit
that could complicate the coronavirus pandemic further and prove
devastating to patients, providers, and the entire U.S.
healthcare system: the flu season.
Doctors and health officials are urging Americans to get
vaccinated against influenza in record numbers this fall to avoid
a dreaded scenario: flu colliding with a raging coronavirus
pandemic.
Among the many questions confronting public health experts is one
that could determine the next turn of the coronavirus pandemic:
What happens when COVID-19 meets influenza?
Antibodies that people make to fight the new coronavirus last for
at least four months after diagnosis and do not fade quickly as
some earlier reports suggested, scientists have found.
About a month after California disclosed its COVID-19 tracking
system had produced inaccurate case numbers, state officials
awarded a $15 million contract Tuesday to a software company to
design a successor capable of collecting greater amounts of more
detailed data on the spread of the virus.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on
Tuesday released a draft proposal for distributing a coronavirus
vaccine in the U.S. if and when one is approved for public use.
California lawmakers on Monday wrapped up a legislative session
largely defined by the pandemic as they approved new COVID-19
sick leave for food workers, added sweeping labor protections for
laid-off hotel staff and made it easier for essential employees
to file for workers’ compensation.
After years of failed attempts and vociferous opposition,
California lawmakers on Monday adopted a measure to grant
nurse practitioners the ability to practice without doctor
supervision — but only after making big concessions to the
powerful doctors’ lobby, which nonetheless remains opposed.
California is poised to become the first state to develop its own
line of generic drugs, targeting soaring drug prices and stepping
into a fiercely competitive drug market dominated by
deep-pocketed pharmaceutical companies.
Valencia could soon be home to a new laboratory tasked with
helping California increase its number of daily COVID-19 tests up
to 150,000, officials announced Friday.
Flu season will look different this year, as the country grapples
with a coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 172,000
people. Many Americans are reluctant to visit a doctor’s office
and public health officials worry people will shy away from being
immunized.
Among the many questions confronting public health experts is one
that could determine the next turn of the coronavirus pandemic:
What happens when COVID-19 meets influenza?
At least 600 healthcare providers have died from the coronavirus.
Another 128,000 have been infected with COVID-19, according to
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Californians could see the most dramatic expansion of mental
health and addiction coverage under state law in decades, if Gov.
Gavin Newsom signs a bill that is likely heading to his desk in
coming weeks.
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized the
first rapid coronavirus test that doesn’t need any special
computer equipment to get results.
With less than a week left in the 2020 legislative session,
California lawmakers are moving quickly to pass health-related
legislation. On the agenda this week are bills related to
COVID-19, tobacco, and health care mergers and acquisitions.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that the state will
soon more than double its coronavirus testing capacity, a move
that at least one legislator described as a “game changer” in the
state’s pandemic response.
Making sure that your kids get a yearly flu shot is always a good
idea, but even more so this fall, as the coronavirus continues to
spread throughout much of the United States.
The patients at Dr. Eric Daar’s hospital are at high risk for
serious illness from COVID-19, and he’s determined to make sure
they’re part of the effort to fight the disease.
The number of Americans newly diagnosed with the coronavirus is
falling — a development experts say most likely reflects more
mask-wearing but also insufficient testing — even as the disease
continues to claim nearly 1,000 lives in the U.S. each day
In an effort to avert a secondary health care crisis resulting
from people avoiding necessary medical care, California hospitals
are launching a statewide public service campaign aimed at
reassuring people that hospitals are safe and ready to care for
everyone in need during the pandemic.
For each person that went uncounted in the 2010 Census, Vermont
lost more than $2,300 in 2015 federal grants for Medicaid and the
Children’s Health Insurance Program, foster care and adoption
assistance, and child care for low-income families. It’s a
similar story for 36 other states.
British drugmaker AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had started
early testing of an antibody-based treatment for the prevention
and treatment of COVID-19.
Coronavirus deaths in Los Angeles County continued to fall on
Monday, Aug. 24, a sign that stringent efforts to control the
virus are trending toward a point where businesses could again
begin to offer dining indoors and residents could once again hold
gatherings at their homes, officials said.
Attorney General Xavier Becerra wants the power to block hospital
mergers that he says would limit competition and drive up prices,
setting up a fight in the state Legislature this week over the
future of health care delivery in the nation’s most populous
state.
Bracing for a collision between the novel coronavirus and
influenza, health care professionals across California are
beginning to stockpile flu vaccines and preparing to launch
public outreach campaigns encouraging everyone — children, adults
and the elderly — to get their shots this fall.
Prime Healthcare announced today that it has successfully
completed the acquisition of St. Francis Medical Center,
signaling a new era of service excellence and award-winning
healthcare for an essential medical facility in Los Angeles
County.
As many as 215,000 more people than usual died in the U.S. during
the first seven months of 2020, suggesting that the number of
lives lost to the coronavirus is significantly higher than the
official toll.
As schools reopen in parts of the United States, a study
published Thursday found that some children have high levels of
virus in their airways during the first three days of infection
despite having mild symptoms or none at all — suggesting their
role in community spread may be larger than previously believed.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is reversing
course on a change to the way hospitals report critical
information on the coronavirus pandemic to the government,
returning the responsibility for data collection to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC estimates between 39 to 56 million Americans got the flu
during the last season. Experts say if you get the flu this
season, it could also raise your risk of COVID 19.
Adventist Health has invested in behavioral health startup
Synchronous Health as part of a partnership to co-develop
behavioral health and well-being programs, the Roseville,
Calif.-based not-for-profit health system announced Tuesday.
Pharmacists in all 50 states are now allowed to give childhood
vaccinations under a new directive aimed at preventing future
outbreaks of measles and other preventable diseases.
The COVID-19 pandemic has spread so rapidly since the first U.S.
case was reported January 20 that it’s now the third-leading
cause of death in the country, Dr. Thomas Frieden, former
director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told
CNN.
More healthcare providers are carving out telehealth leadership
roles in their C-suites, a trend that will likely accelerate as a
result of the COVID-19 pandemic, governance experts said.
California received a batch of mostly positive pandemic-related
developments on Monday with data showing that the number of
people dying of COVID-19 is beginning to decline and
hospitalization rates continue to fall steadily.
Influenza season is just around the corner, and with the
possibility of the coronavirus circulating at the same time, the
annual pleas have already begun: Get the flu shot, everyone.
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday released its
first-ever list of medical devices needed to respond to the
coronavirus that are in short supply.
Bay Area residents this week join the global race for a
coronavirus vaccine, with developers of two of the most promising
candidates seeking hundreds of volunteers in San Francisco,
Oakland and Santa Clara County.
If people try telemedicine, they’ll like telemedicine. And if
they want to avoid a doctor’s office, as most people do these
days, they’ll try telemedicine.
Healthcare added 126,000 jobs in July with notable gains for
dentists (+45,000), hospitals (+27,000) and physicians’ offices
(+26,000). That’s slower than June’s growth of 358,000 healthcare
jobs, and the industry is still about 800,000 jobs short from
February’s levels.
A coronavirus testing center has opened at the Los Angeles
Mexican Consulate in an effort to better serve Latinos, who have
been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
With a coronavirus vaccine still months off, companies are
rushing to test what may be the next best thing: drugs that
deliver antibodies to fight the virus right away, without having
to train the immune system to make them.
The Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles, a philanthropic organization
that is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, has raised more than
$56 million to help about 105,000 Angelenos with direct financial
assistance, it was announced Wednesday, Aug. 12.
Kaiser Permanente has provided a $63 million grant to support
California’s contact-tracing efforts as the state struggles to
reduce the number of people who contract COVID-19.
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco,
reported Tuesday they have formulated a nasal spray that can help
ward off the coronavirus. They are working with business partners
to get it manufactured and clinically tested.
People continue to avoid the emergency department, particularly
for less-urgent care, a trend that may stick beyond the COVID-19
pandemic, experts forecast.
On July 31, 2020, HHS announced that certain Medicare providers
would be given another opportunity to receive additional Provider
Relief Fund payments.
The US health secretary, Alex Azar, said on Tuesday morning that
America hopes to have a coronavirus vaccine approved by December
and tamped down Russia’s celebrations over unveiling its own
vaccine after rapid development.
Researchers at UCSF have begun testing a mixture of two of the
most promising treatments for COVID-19 in hopes that the
concoction will be the “golden ticket” everyone is looking for to
neutralize the coronavirus and relieve world anxiety.
On a Thursday morning early in the pandemic, Providence Senior
Vice President and Chief Value Officer Jennifer Bayersdorfer and
her team met with officials at Kaas Tailored to craft a way to
work with the Mukilteo, Wash.-based upholstery manufacturer on
personal protective equipment.
Negotiations between the Trump administration and congressional
Democrats on another comprehensive COVID-19 package have devolved
into a stalemate, which could jeopardize policies favored by the
healthcare industry.
Los Angeles County’s coronavirus hospitalizations continued to
decline on Sunday, Aug. 9, with 1,568 confirmed COVID-19 patients
hospitalized and 31% in intensive care — down from 1,610 on
Saturday, and down significantly from the 2,200 level of about a
month ago.
California lawmakers are barreling toward an end-of-month
deadline to pass or kill bills amid the biggest public health
crisis the state has faced in a century.
Diminishing supplies for rapid-turnaround COVID-19
testing means area hospitals have to wait one or two
days instead of as little as 45 minutes to find out if some
patients are infected.
As the world awaits a COVID-19 vaccine, the next big advance in
battling the pandemic could come from a class of biotech
therapies widely used against cancer and other disorders -
antibodies designed specifically to attack this new virus.
Southeast Los Angeles County has become the epicenter for the
resurgence of the coronavirus, according to a Times analysis of
county health data that found infections skyrocketing in its
mostly working-class Latino communities.
Californians who get their medical coverage through the state’s
health insurance marketplace likely won’t see their premiums rise
by very much next year.
Get set for 2020’s mega-campaign against the flu amid the
COVID-19 pandemic: immunization drives in the parking lots of
churches and supermarkets, curbside inoculations outside doctors’
offices, socially distanced vaccine appointments held indoors,
with breaks in between for disinfecting.
The group, led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, said HHS, the Food and
Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health should
license Gilead Sciences’ antiviral to other manufacturers to
ease potential shortages and lower the drug’s price.
After stubbornly sitting above 7% for weeks, California’s 7-day
average test-positivity rate fell to 6.1% on Monday — its lowest
level in over a month. While Gov. Gavin Newsom said the number is
an “early good sign,” he warned he still anticipates another wave
of the virus in autumn.
HHS on Friday conceded to complaints and agreed to reopen
applications for COVID-19 relief grants for Medicare providers
and extend an important application deadline for Medicaid
providers.
As coronavirus infections surge again across the United States,
filling hospitals with Covid-19 patients, Direct Relief and 3M
are distributing almost 6,000 advanced respiratory protection
devices to hospitals and health clinics across the United States.
Communities Lifting Communities (CLC), the Public Health Alliance
of Southern California, and the Hospital Association of Southern
California (HASC) hosted a unique virtual workshop on addressing
birth inequities in the Black community on Friday, July 24.
These days, Los Angeles acting teacher Deryn Warren balances her
pain with her fear. She’s a bladder cancer patient who broke her
wrist in November. She still needs physical therapy for her
wrist, and she’s months late for a cancer follow-up.
Widespread mask wearing could cut coronavirus transmission in
half, a top California health official said, as many policymakers
aggressively push the importance of face coverings to help get
the state’s worsening COVID-19 cases under control.
When Will Lightbourne looked at the statistics behind
California’s coronavirus cases, the disparities were “blindingly
clear”: Blacks and Latinos are dying at higher rates than most
other Californians.
Dr. Charles Bailey, medical director for infection prevention at
two Providence hospitals in Orange County, sees the current
influx of patients sweeping into hospitals across the Southland
not as a second wave of coronavirus infections, but the first
wave they had been preparing for all along.
Senate Republicans on Monday proposed $25 billion in new grant
funds for healthcare providers, a liability shield for healthcare
facilities and workers, and relaxed terms for Medicare loans in
their opening bid in the latest round of COVID-19 relief
negotiations.
Moderna Inc said on Monday it had started a late-stage trial to
test the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, the
first such study under the Trump administration’s program to
speed development of measures against the novel coronavirus.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) debuted its new
COVID-19 dashboard on Monday, and the department’s data chief
said it will provide even more data than the CDC’s old one did
While it’s unclear whether or not the U.S. ever exited the first
round of the COVID-19 pandemic, many are already preparing for
new infections in the fall that could complicate the typical high
season for respiratory viruses.
Riverside County officials kicked off a “Masks Are Medicine”
campaign Friday that they hope will help slow coronavirus spread
and ensure reopening of all businesses and industry sectors.
Officials overseeing Ventura County Medical Center have
ended seven months of talks with the Dignity Health system on a
potential partnership because both the private provider and the
county deemed it too risky, officials confirmed
this week.
California now leads the nation in coronavirus cases, surpassing
New York state for the first time Wednesday and sparking fears of
impending shortages of hospital beds and protective equipment as
the capacity of the state’s healthcare systems is tested once
again.
Hospitals across California lost billions of dollars in their
response to the coronavirus pandemic: At the direction of Gov.
Gavin Newsom, they canceled elective surgeries and shored up
space and supplies for an anticipated surge of patients.
The Trump administration will pay Pfizer nearly $2 billion for a
December delivery of 100 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine the
pharmaceutical company is developing, HHS Secretary Alex Azar
announced Wednesday.
The number of people hospitalized with coronavirus in Orange
County has plateaued at around 700 current patients – after
rising sharply for several weeks starting in mid-June.
The healthcare industry is mobilizing to push Congress to provide
more funds for COVID-19 testing as the issue has gotten caught in
an intra-party GOP conflict.
U.S. hospitals’ median operating margin could sink to -7% by the
end of 2020 without additional federal government support to
offset COVID-19 losses, a new report finds.
A $1.22 billion spending plan approved by the Board of
Supervisors on Tuesday, July 21, will allocate $656 million for
public health, including testing and contact tracing amid the
pandemic.
As Ventura County’s COVID-19 hospitalizations dipped from
record highs, doctors and hospital leaders worried about a
coming phenomenon that could cause a new surge.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) debuted its new
COVID-19 dashboard on Monday, and the department’s data chief
said it will provide even more data than the CDC’s old one did.
Active-duty U.S. Air Force doctors, nurses and other medical
providers are being sent to work in California hospitals to
assist with a steep rise in coronavirus cases that has strained
some healthcare systems across the state.
Last week, the Federal Communications Commission adopted rules
that established 988 as the nationwide three-digit
phone number to connect Americans in crisis with suicide
prevention and mental health crisis counselors at the National
Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
The chimpanzee adenovirus viral vector vaccine (ChAdOx1) against
the COVID-19 coronavirus, developed at Oxford University in
England, was safe and produced an immune response in healthy
adult volunteers, interim data from a phase I/II trial showed.
In April, New York was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in
the U.S. Numbers of positive cases, hospitalizations and deaths
skyrocketed as the rest of the country looked on.
Teams of military doctors, nurses and other healthcare
specialists are being deployed to eight California hospitals
facing staffing shortages amid a record-breaking surge of
coronavirus cases across the state
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
will continue to have access to COVID-19 patient information,
according to agency officials—despite the Trump administration
ordering hospitals to bypass the public health agency and start
sending data directly to HHS.
At least twice a week, Nicola Harwood, the emergency preparedness
coordinator at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange County, California,
joins two to three dozen colleagues in a large conference room at
the hospital to discuss how the facility is responding to the
COVID-19 crisis.
The next two weeks are shaping up to be critical for California
as officials wait to see if the sweeping restrictions imposed in
late June and July show any signs of slowing the rapid spread of
coronavirus in communities across the state.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director
Robert Redfield said on Tuesday that if all Americans wore a
mask, the rising cases of COVID-19 could be under control within
four to eight weeks.
Described as “an unrelenting advocate for universal health care
coverage,” retired California Hospital Association leader C.
Duane Dauner died Monday after a solo car crash near his home in
Palm Desert. He was 80.
UNC School of Medicine and UNC Health on Tuesday launched a
mobile app that is designed to provide healthcare workers with
mental health resources amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hospitals across the country are stocking up on drugs for
treating Covid-19, hoping to avoid another scramble for critical
medications should a second wave of the virus threaten new drug
shortages.
In a letter to the community released on Friday, Ron Werft,
president and CEO of Cottage Health, announced that due to the
rising number of patients testing positive and being hospitalized
for COVID-19, Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital has reverted to
visitor restrictions and a reduction of elective procedures to
further protect its patients and staff. The new changes took
effect Monday, July 13.
As scientists race to test coronavirus vaccines in humans, a
parallel scramble is underway to produce billions of
medical-grade vials and syringes that will be needed to inoculate
the world’s population.
Congress should make permanent some of the changes in telehealth
policy that were enacted to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, Sen.
Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate Health,
Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, said Wednesday.
For months, California hospitals avoided the dreaded surge in
coronavirus patients that threatened to overwhelm wards and
stretch thin staff and supplies. But now, with coronavirus
hospitalizations in the state at an all-time high, doctors and
nurses at some hospitals say the nightmare has arrived.
HHS on Friday announced plans to send an additional $3 billion in
provider COVID-19 relief grants to safety-net hospitals that were
left out of a prior funding tranche, and will give $1 billion to
an assortment of rural and smaller hospitals.
With rising Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations sending many
states backward in their reopening plans, one health expert warns
that if the US continues on its current path it will reach “one
of the most unstable times in the history of our country.”
On Wednesday, California Hospital Association President and CEO
Carmela Coyle offered a grim update from the medical community.
“We’re preparing to surge,” she said. And with good reason.
Early on in the pandemic, UC San Francisco and other California
institutions sent medical workers to New York City to help
address the city’s surge in cases. Now, help is on the way to
California as the state experiences its own surge.
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),
through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA),
awarded more than $21 million to support health centers’ COVID-19
response efforts.
Ventura County health officials issued a warning Wednesday
about the rise of coronavirus cases and reiterated the importance
of preventive measures to help flatten the curve.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that California is taking action
and is prepared to meet the growing demand for hospital care as
coronavirus cases continue to surge statewide.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that California is taking
action and is prepared to meet the growing demand for
hospital care as coronavirus cases continue to surge statewide.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public
Health) announced the launch of Angelenos in Action: a voluntary
weekly text survey that will help track and reduce the spread of
COVID-19
The new Continuing Care Center at Ojai Valley Community
Hospital, a 75-bed, state-of-the-art skilled nursing facility
offering short-term rehabilitative care and long-term care, is
now open to patients and residents.
Michelle Steel, Chairwoman of the Orange County Board of
Supervisors, hosted a roundtable discussion with Orange County
hospital executives to hear their experiences on the frontlines
of COVID-19
The Ventura County Medical Center received a grant for $15
million from the California Health Facilities Authority for the
construction of a Pediatrics Unit.
Imperial County on the Mexican border is some 600 miles away from
the state capital. But when its two area hospitals recently began
to run out of intensive care unit beds, it had to transport
critically ill patients as far north as Sacramento.
Los Angeles County officials reported 1,584 new confirmed cases
of coronavirus today, bringing the total to at least 116,570
cases countywide. In total, 4,379 cases have been reported in
Long Beach and 1,401 in Pasadena (those two cities operate their
own health departments).
The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday made an
additional $197.98 million in funding available for its Rural
Health Care Program, which helps rural healthcare providers
purchase broadband and telecommunications services.
As the COVID-19 pandemic relentlessly spreads globally it has
been pushing healthcare systems to their limits and compelling
governments and healthcare institutions to rethink their service
delivery strategies.
As the COVID-19 pandemic relentlessly spreads globally it has
been pushing healthcare systems to their limits and compelling
governments and healthcare institutions to rethink their service
delivery strategies.
Hospitals will be able to buy predetermined amounts of the
promising coronavirus treatment remdesivir through September for
up to $3,200 per five-day treatment course, HHS said Monday.
Riverside County intensive care unit beds nearly hit capacity
Sunday, when patients occupied 99% of the normal number of beds.
Suspected and confirmed coronavirus patients account for about
35% of those beds, said Riverside spokeswoman Brooke Federico.
A California bill that aims to crack down on anti-competitive
behavior and over-consolidation within the state’s health care
system cleared the state’s Senate on Friday, earning praise from
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.
A nonpartisan government watchdog on Thursday said it plans to
examine HHS’ distribution of $175 billion in COVID-19 relief
grants to healthcare providers.
People on six continents already are getting jabs in the arm as
the race for a COVID-19 vaccine enters a defining summer, with
even bigger studies poised to prove if any shot really works—and
maybe offer a reality check.
The suspension of most new work visas for entry into the United
States, announced by President Trump on Monday, will not affect
international medical graduates (IMG) who apply for J-1 visas to
take up residency positions in this country, a US State
Department official who asked not to be identified told Medscape
Medical News.
Large hospital systems in Southern California are preparing to
create more space for coronavirus patients as cases continue to
surge in the region and across the state.
More people are seeking mental health services amid the pandemic,
which will test the limits of the already-stretched sector and
significantly increase healthcare costs if left unaddressed, a
new report shows.
KPC Health has appointed Mike Sarian to serve as President of its
southern California health system, which includes seven acute
care facilities located throughout Orange, Riverside, and San
Bernardino Counties.
Prime Healthcare is pleased to announce that it has reached a
three-year labor agreement with SEIU-UHW for valued employees in
three of its award-winning Southern California hospitals:
Centinela Hospital Medical Center, Garden Grove Hospital Medical
Center and Encino Hospital.
As the number of coronavirus cases continue to rise across
Southern California, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that the city
will be expanding its testing capacity.
CVS said it is increasing its COVID-19 testing capacity by
opening up hundreds of new sites across the country, the retail
pharma giant announced June 25
Coronavirus cases are climbing rapidly among young adults in a
number of states where bars, stores and restaurants have reopened
— a disturbing generational shift that not only puts them in
greater peril than many realize but poses an even bigger danger
to older people who cross their paths.
After seven days as an inpatient for complications related to
heart problems, Glenn Shanoski was initially hesitant when
doctors suggested in early April that he could cut his hospital
stay short and recover at home — with high-tech 24-hour
monitoring and daily visits from medical teams.
Lawmakers and regulators worked quickly to increase flexibilities
for healthcare providers and impose requirements on health
insurers during the COVID-19 pandemic, but several of those
important changes are tied to the length of the HHS secretary’s
public health emergency declaration.
COVID-19, which rapidly put healthcare transactions on hold, has
exacerbated the conditions for organizations — especially smaller
ones — that were seeking a partner due to financial distress or
risk.
The pharmaceutical company that makes the antiviral drug
remdesivir, which has shown promise as a treatment for COVID-19,
will begin trials for an inhalable version of the medication this
summer as officials pump up production amid a worldwide push for
a cure
Ned Sharpless is worried. The director of the National
Cancer Institute believes the Covid-19 pandemic is posing a
danger to cancer patients across a wide spectrum of care and
research
Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic state lawmakers agreed Monday on
a state budget plan that would avoid the deep cuts to essential
health care services that the governor had initially proposed.
California’s governor and key lawmakers have rejected a request
from the state’s hospitals for $1 billion in immediate aid to
offset losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19) pandemic, hospitals and health systems are looking
back on the damage suffered and anticipating the challenges to
come.
Hospitals are using dramatic language in their effort to convince
Congress to allow more time to repay loans meant to sustain them
during the pandemic—arguing, for example, that 25% of hospitals’
total payments will vanish once repayment starts.
U.S. officials said Tuesday they expect health insurance
companies will cover vaccines for COVID-19 without charging
copays, once those vaccines are developed and become available.
California’s hospitals are experiencing unprecedented financial
stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with net losses projected to
hit $14.6 billion by the end of 2020.
Ventura County has refinanced $287 million in bonds issued
primarily to pay for a new wing at Ventura County Medical
Center, saving an estimated $34 million by the time the debt
is due to be retired in two decades
Tenet Healthcare said Tuesday the company is making considerable
progress getting patients back into its facilities, with
admissions back to 90% of their pre-pandemic levels and hospital
surgeries at 95% in the first half of June.
Researchers in England say they have the first evidence that a
drug can improve COVID-19 survival: A cheap, widely available
steroid called dexamethasone reduced deaths by up to one-third in
severely ill hospitalized patients.
Six of Los Angeles County’s largest nonprofit health systems with
hospitals, clinics, and care facilities are teaming up
for BetterTogether.Health, a campaign that aims to encourage
people to get healthcare when they need it, despite the current
pandemic.
In its first media briefing on coronavirus in more than 3 months,
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that
the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, and large gatherings pose
a high risk for COVID-19 transmission.
In the world of virology, the nomenclature of war comes easy. The
human body is a citadel that relies on the immune system to
defend it. A virus is an attacking army that does everything it
can to overrun those defenses.
The increased use of virtual care, or telehealth, has proven
successful amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and its ongoing use offers
long-term solutions as uncertainty remains over potentially
multiple waves of COVID-19 and the timeline for a vaccine.
A key House Democrat will propose a billion-dollar pandemic
response and preparedness fund in the annual defense policy bill,
Defense News has learned. The bill would help boost production of
key medical equipment sought by states amid the country’s fight
against the coronavirus pandemic.
HASC Calendar
See all upcoming events