Health CareYolo County recommends residents vaccinate, mask indoors as regional virus activity risesDecember 28, 2023 | Kate WolffeRates of flu, COVID and RSV cases and hospitalizations are rising across the state. Yolo County’s Public Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson said “it is not too late” to get vaccinated.
Health CareSurprise ambulance bills put these families in debt. A new California law bans the practiceDecember 28, 2023Surprise ambulance bills can leave families deeply in debt after a medical emergency. A new state law that forces insurance companies to negotiate payments is expected to save Californians tens of millions of dollars a year.
State GovernmentNew California laws that might affect your 2024December 26, 2023 | Janelle Salanga | Chris Nichols | Kate Wolffe | Srishti Prabha | Nicole Nixon | Mike Hagerty | Steve Milne | Manola Secaira | Kristin LamCalifornia lawmakers passed more than 1,000 bills this past year, many of which become new California laws in 2024. Here’s a closer look at a few you might notice.
Health CareMusic is medicine at some Sacramento County hospitalsDecember 20, 2023 | Kate WolffeA program that brings music to the bedsides of people in Sacramento County hospitals is expanding. Listen /Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
EducationTired of the waiting lists for California’s public universities, nursing students increasingly turn to expensive private programsDecember 19, 2023The number of nursing students enrolling in high-priced private programs has nearly doubled over the past 10 years as the state’s public universities have stagnated in growth.
Health CareSutter Health psychiatric hospital workers hold one-day strike to call for higher wages, staffing increasesDecember 6, 2023 | Kate WolffeDozens of unionized health care workers picketed outside the Sutter Center for Psychiatry on Folsom Boulevard Wednesday to protest protracted contract negotiations, which have stretched on for more than a year and a half.
Health CareSome children on Medi-Cal have to wait weeks, months for mental health care, state audit showsDecember 4, 2023 | Kate WolffeThe audit surveyed hundreds of providers and found many were unable to offer a therapy or psychiatry appointment within state standards, sometimes egregiously so. Auditors say the state could be doing more to enforce wait time guidelines.
Health CareWhat works for treating the common cold? Many doctors say 'not much'December 4, 2023One common decongestant, phenylephrine, was found ineffective this fall. Doctors are skeptical about the rest of the over-the-counter cold cures lineup.
