Saturday, January 28, 2012
There could be a dark side to skin-lightening creams often found in stores that cater to ethnic communities. Starting next week, California health officials will collect and test a sampling of skin-lightening products in the Bay Area for possible mercury contamination. Health officials launched the investigation in response to a spate of mercury poisoning cases linked to the tainted face creams that are made outside the United States. See the story from Ngoc Nguyen of New America Media.
Marriage has long been recognized as good for the health of heterosexual men. Now new research suggests that marriage may also be good for the health of gay men — even for those who don’t get married. Heather Tirado Gilligan has the story.
A majority of California adults would be willing to pay higher taxes to preserve current levels of spending on health and social services, according to a new, independent poll released Tuesday.
California’s unemployment rate fell to 11.1 percent in December as the state added 10,700 jobs and the number of people employed in November was revised upward by another 18,000.
Contrary to some depictions of California as a failing economy, the state’s employers added more jobs as a percentage of the workforce than did the nation as a whole in 2011.
The recovery is being led by the technology sector and other business and professional services, but even the deeply troubled construction industry saw growth in December.
By Mary Flynn
California is rolling out healthcare reform in advance of 2014, when healthcare reform takes effect nationally. HIV/AIDS service providers want to make sure that the changes healthcare reform brings won’t further compromise care for any of California’s 190,000 people living with AIDS or HIV.
Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing the most far-reaching changes to welfare since former President Bill Clinton and Congress overhauled the program 15 years ago.
As the birthplace of the computer revolution, Silicon Valley vigorously celebrates innovation and youth culture. In the shadow of the digital age, however, older adults in Santa Clara county echo a similar concern: they are second-class citizens when it comes to financial support from government agencies and high-tech foundations.
California’s state and local governments are among the leanest in the nation when it comes to the number of employees on their payrolls as a proportion of the state’s population, according to the latest numbers crunched by economist Steve Levy.
By Minerva Perez
Getting to big cities is hard for Mexican nationals living and working the California’s Central Valley, but the documents that make everyday life possible are issued by Mexican consulates in Sacramento, Fresno and San Francisco. Enter the Consulado Móvil, which allows the Fresno office of the Mexican Consulate to meet people halfway.
By Brenda Duran
Long Beach City College is developing a program to help the fastest growing population of students – Latinos – succeed in higher education.
By Melissa Flores
Finding a interpreter who speaks Triqui, Mixteco and Zapotec – the indigenous languages of the Oaxacan region of Mexico – can be a challenge. A Salinas hospital is going to train trilingual, low-income women to fill these in-demand positions.
By Heather Gilligan
Men and boys of color face unique challenges. Local leaders and state assembly members met in Oakland on Jan. 20 to talk about policies and programs to address these challenges – steps that important to the U.S. as a whole, not just to disadvantaged communities, advocates and experts said.
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Veteran California journalist Daniel Weintraub follows public policy so you don’t have to. Weintraub tracks the latest on public health, land use, community development, violence and more. Read his updates here at least daily.
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Issues
Patient navigators help smooth way for patients, providers
By M. Stephanie Sario and Christine SolisWe get a lot of blank stares when we tell people what we do for a living. Our title is unfamiliar, but once we explain what we do, heads begin to nod.
We are Patient Navigators, a health care position that has emerged recently and must be commonplace if we’re to adapt to the changes that health reform will soon bring. While this emerging profession may seem specialized, it can have important implications for patients, insurers and the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the system itself. That is, if policymakers, insurers and health providers take action.
Let us explain.
Resolving to Talk with Your Loved Ones About Aging with Dignity and Independence
By Bruce Chernof, MDAs we ring in 2012, most of us take stock of this new beginning by creating New Year’s resolutions. We think about life’s everyday realities, such as what we eat, our exercise habits, our aspirations, and vow that this year will be different – better. As a physician, I encourage New Year’s resolutions, especially when they involve altering your lifestyle to support healthy aging. This year, I suggest a different kind of resolution, one that may be more difficult to consider. I invite you to think about what aging with dignity and independence means. Then take time to have the tough conversations with your loved ones about what is important to you as you grow older, and how you will get help should you require daily assistance.
Location Matters: What School Siting Means for Children’s Health
By Sara ZimmermanWith California school districts facing $248 million in cuts for school bus services starting this month and obesity rates at epidemic levels, it’s more critical than ever for local leaders to pursue strategies that encourage students to walk or bike to school.
Ending the explosion in health care costs
By Wally KnoxFor decades, Americans have debated health care reform as if it was one issue. But, in reality, there are two different issues. The first is how to expand access to care for the 30 million most vulnerable Americans. The second is how to seize control of escalating health care expenses and insurance premiums.