California medical officials have revoked the license of the fertility doctor who helped “Octomom” Nadya Suleman become the mother of 14 children through repeated in vitro treatments.

View full post on Health Stories

Hayward, CA, United States (AHN) – The search for a nursing student who went missing last week in California continued on Tuesday.

Michelle Le, 26, was at Kaiser Medical Center in Hayward on Friday when she went out to the parking garage and did not return. She left the hospital during a break in class, at about 7 p.m.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Le was planning a trip to Reno during the Memorial weekend. Her abandoned car was found a few blocks from the hospital.

Police told KGO television that there are no signs of foul play.

Le is enrolled in her final year at Samuel Merritt University in San Mateo. Her disappearance remains a missing persons case.

The university said it was “deeply concerned” about Le and that it was in regular contact with police and the student’s family. “We continue to hope for the best in this difficult situation,” it added.

View full post on Education Stories

Washington, DC, United States (KaiserHealth) – What’s worse: Losing face or losing money?

Under laws in more than two dozen states and new Medicare rules that went into effect earlier this year, hospitals are required to report infections, risking their reputations as sterile sanctuaries, or pay a penalty. That’s left hospital administrators weighing the cost of ‘fessing up against the cost of fines.

For Clark Todd, CEO of Pacific Hospital in Long Beach, there’s only one way to go: “If we hide from the public then the tendency to keep the status quo is stronger than ever,” he said. “And that’s just not going to get the job done.”

It’s been more than a decade since a panel of top scientists declared hospital safety a national priority. Yet, about 90,000 patients still die each year from preventable infections resulting from routine surgeries and hospital care, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Examples include infections resulting from contaminated tubes that deliver food and medications, and catheters that remove urine. Staph infections, which can be deadly, are a particularly serious problem.

Many more patients are irreparably harmed. Dave Meyer of Fair Oaks, Calif., a Sacramento suburb, was a general contractor before he broke his ankle in a motorcycle accident. Records indicate he contracted an infection at a local hospital that prevented his ankle from healing. He endured several surgeries and excruciating wound cleanings.

“Imagine taking an ice cream scoop and just taking half of your foot off. It looked like just this gaping hole,” said Meyer, adding: “I know that it would have been so much better if they used the proper hygiene in the hospital.”

Dr. Alfonso Torress-Cook of Pacific Hospital couldn’t agree more. “Hospitals are dirty,” he said. An epidemiologist and head of the hospital’s infection control program, Torress-Cook came to this for-profit teaching hospital five years ago with a clear goal: to sharply reduce the hospital’s infection rate.

Back then, the medical staff viewed infections at the 184-acute care bed facility as largely unavoidable and treated them with antibiotics, he said. The approach was costly: An infection can add $42,000 to a patient’s bill in the intensive care unit, according to the Leapfrog Group, an advocacy group that represents large employers like General Motors, Chrysler and Sprint.Now, hand washing at Pacific Hospital, especially in the ICU, is so routine nurses complain their hands are chapped. That’s just one of many changes. Nurses here wash patients every day. Janitors are given enough time to properly clean rooms. Even those coming in for surgery are asked to take a shower before showing up.Torress-Cook opened a closet to show off another weapon in the hospital’s anti-infection arsenal: an ultraviolet light, hooked up to the hospital’s air ventilation system, that kills airborne germs.At first the employees were skeptical, said Todd. But California’s new public reporting law, which went into effect in 2010, and Medicare’s decision to start withholding two percent of payments from hospitals that keep their rates secret, have helped his cause.”I think that gives administrators like me even more reason to get involved in this matter,” said Todd. “And more clout with our medical staff to work against some of these traditional behaviors.”Pacific Hospital is working to bring down bloodstream infections that result from tubes that deliver medication and nutrients, and has virtually eliminated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and surgical infections.That has caught the attention of competitors and potential customers. And it’s become a source of pride for its employees.Indeed, researchers have found concern over a hospital’s public image is an even more powerful motivator than fear of losing market share.”Many hospitals will measure quality and voluntarily put it up, even without the government involved,” said Dr. Michael Rapp, director of the Quality Measurement and Health Assessment Group of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “But certainly once it’s required for all hospitals to do that there’s the peer pressure and they’re going to be looking at how they do compared to others.” The fear of losing millions of dollars isn’t an idle threat either. Starting this year, hospitals have to reveal their catheter-associated blood stream infections if they want their Medicare bills paid in full. Next year, they’ll have to report surgical-site infections. The list will grow longer in the coming years. Rapp anticipates that nearly all U.S. hospitals will comply. Now, only half volunteer their data, he said. Still, the stigma of unclean wards and fear of lawsuits can make hospitals reluctant to report. When the law went into effect in California,’ hospitals out of 400 didn’t send in any data. State regulators, who acknowledge the first year of data collection was riddled with errors, are not imposing penalties. There are other concerns: Competitors may undercount, making more honest players look bad, and some hospitals simply do more surgeries or have sicker patients, said Nancy Foster, vice president for quality and patient safety policy at the American Hospital Association. “The measures aren’t perfect and don’t adequately account for the differences among patients,” said Foster.For hospitals in cities like Long Beach or quieter, rural areas like Ukiah, keeping track of the frenetic activity in their facilities can be daunting.Ukiah is a verdant and woodsy town north of San Francisco, in Mendocino County. At the small, 78-bed nonprofit hospital, patients and staff all seem to know each other, trading warm hellos on a warm spring day. It’s not hard to imagine how quickly word of even one infection can spread.That’s something Sue Mason, a half-time nurse at Ukiah Valley Medical Center, worries about. “We have nothing to hide,” she said.Mason has a big job and only 20 hours a week to do it: She’s charged with tracking and preventing infections. Every morning, she checks the computerized lab tests and tries to chase down new cases. In the nationwide push for greater transparency of hospital performance, though, Mason is an overwhelmed foot soldier. She has little time to eliminate the very infections she’s charged with reporting.”I’d like to be out on the floor more with the nurses. I could monitor their hand hygiene compliance and educate them as I see them doing their job,” Mason said. Instead, she spends most her day in front of the computer crunching data.Mason must report not just the infections that occur, which are rare here, she said, but details of every surgery, every patient who tests positive or negative for gruesome antibiotic-resistant bugs, like MRSA.Even at Pacific Hospital, where infection rates are some of the lowest in the nation, hospital chief Todd preaches constant vigilance, “These initiatives have to be felt with some passion and they have to be implemented with consistency and strong will.”It will take some time before patients can know the full risk of entering their local hospital. At present, most states and Medicare publish just a short list of infections.In the coming years, though, as the federal health law continues to take effect, the noose will tighten even more. Starting in 2012, Medicare will reduce payments to hospitals with poor infection rates in their intensive care units.There is great hope, among researchers and hospital chiefs, that this double-barreled approach of public reporting and financial sanctions may be the best cure for what has proven to be a chronic condition in hospitals.

– Provided by Kaiser Health News.

View full post on Health Stories

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to announce as soon as next week whether it will hear an appeal involving California’s controversial law that grants illegal immigrants in-state tuition at public universities.

View full post on Education Stories

The impasse over extending taxes continues in California despite a revised budget plan from Gov. Jerry Brown that relies on an unanticipated rise in revenue. Republicans have insisted on an alternative plan that would cut compensation for state workers by 10 percent.

View full post on Education Stories

San Francisco, CA, United States (AHN) – A British beautician has sparked the ire of parents on both sides of the Atlantic after revealing she injects Botox into her 8-year-old daughter’s face every three months. The reason– so the child can be a “star.”

In a report in the Sun of London she said, “I wish that I’d had the same advantages when I was younger.”

“I know one day she will be a model, actress, or singer, and having these treatments will ensure she stays looking baby-faced for longer,” added Campbell, who now resides in San Francisco.

Campbell admitted she purchases Botox and Restalyne over the Internet and first tests them on herself before injecting them into her daughter.

Kerry also gives her daughter regular full-body waxes. “She also has her virgin wax monthly, which gets rid of her fluffy leg hair and makes sure she won’t develop pubic hair in the future,” said Kerry. “It will save her a fortune in waxing when she’s older.”

Despite experts warning that Botox is only considered safe for adults there currently aren’t any laws stating that it is illegal to inject it into children.

Britney Campbell who frequently competes in beauty pageants said that she no longer “cries that much” during the injections. She also hopes to get a “boob and nose job soon, so that I can be a star.”

View full post on Health Stories

Sacramento, CA, United States (AHN) – Teachers in the Golden State began a week-long effort on Monday to urge lawmakers to prevent more education cuts by extending current taxes.

Members of the 325,000-strong California Teachers Association and other allied groups gathered at the Crest Theatre at the state capitol to protest an all-cuts budget that has resulted from an impasse between the governor and Republican lawmakers.

The protests under a campaign called “state of emergency” are scheduled to continue the rest of the week.

Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed a budget reducing spending by $12 billion to plug a record $26.6 billion deficit. His proposal includes a $1.4 billion cut to higher education, and requires a June ballot to extend taxes expiring this summer.

The tax extensions are the main source of revenue in the proposal, and would prevent further cuts to education.

Under the state constitution, tax extensions require the approval of two Republicans from the Assembly and two from the Senate before a special election is held. Unions are now asking lawmakers to pass the tax extensions themselves since the deadline for putting the proposal on the June ballot passed last month.

The governor ended negotiations with Republicans after what he said was “an ever changing list of collateral demands” in return for support for a special election, such as giving a $1 billion tax break to out-of-state corporations so the companies would bring jobs to California.

The state GOP, however, said that Brown had agreed to the demands but backtracked after unions expressed opposition.

A budget that does not continue the 2009 taxes will double the cuts for community colleges to $800 million. In addition, California State University officials have warned that an all-cuts budget could lead to a reduction of $1 billion, or 35 percent of state funding, that in turn would result in higher tuition and reduced enrollment.

State Finance Director Ana Matosantos said last Friday that tax receipts were higher than anticipated but that current efforts to address the deficit should continue.

“We have to account for lost savings based on the timing of the Legislature’s actions to-date on the Governor’s January proposal,” she said.

Matosantos added that officials are working with the governor to revise the budget on the revenue side as well as the spending side. Brown is scheduled to present the updated proposal next Monday.

View full post on Education Stories

Willmar, MN, United States (AHN) – Jennie-O Turkey Store, a Willmar, Minn. establishment, is recalling approximately 54,960 pounds of frozen, raw turkey burger products that may be contaminated with Salmonella, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

As FSIS continues its investigation of illnesses related to this recall, additional raw turkey products may be recalled. As a result, FSIS is alerting consumers to take extra care when preparing all raw turkey products.

To prevent salmonellosis and other foodborne illnesses, wash hands with warm, soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw meat and poultry, and cook poultry—including ground turkey burgers—to 165° F, as determined with a food thermometer.

The products subject to recall include:

4-pound boxes of Jennie-O Turkey Store® “All Natural Turkey Burgers with seasonings Lean White Meat”. Each box contains 12 1/3-pound individually wrapped burgers.

A use by date of “DEC 23 2011″ and an identifying lot code of “32710″ through “32780″ are inkjetted on the side panel of each box, just above the opening tear strip.

Establishment number “P-7760″ is located within the USDA mark of inspection on the front of each box. The products were packaged on Nov. 23, 2010 and were distributed to retail establishments nationwide.

The Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services notified FSIS of a patient diagnosed with salmonellosis caused by Salmonella serotype Hadar. The investigation expanded to include 12 people in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Washington, and Wisconsin who also have been diagnosed with Salmonella Hadar infection, with illnesses occurring between December 2010 and March 2011. Working in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state public health partners, FSIS determined that three of the patients in Colorado, Ohio, and Wisconsin specifically reported eating this product prior to illness onset and hospitalization; the last of these illnesses was reported on March 14, 2011.

As a result of the epidemiologic investigation, FSIS determined that there is a link between the Jennie-O ground turkey products and this illness outbreak. FSIS is continuing to work with CDC, affected state public health partners, and the company on the investigation. FSIS will continue to provide information as it becomes available, including information about any related recall activity. Individuals concerned about an illness should contact a physician.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.

Jennie-O Turkey Store has created an online resource for consumers with questions about this recall. It can be found on their website at www.jennieo.com/recall. Media with questions regarding the recall should contact Julie Craven, Vice President of Corporate Communications, at media@j-ots.com or (507) 437-5345.

Consumption of food contaminated with Salmonella can cause salmonellosis, one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. Salmonella infections can be life-threatening, especially to those with weak immune systems, such as infants, the elderly, and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy. The most common manifestations of salmonellosis are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within six to 72 hours. Additional symptoms may be chills, headache, nausea and vomiting that can last up to seven days.

View full post on Health Stories

Sacramento, CA, United States (AHN) – California’s community colleges could turn away more than 400,000 students next year because Republican lawmakers refused to let voters decide in a June ballot whether to temporarily extend taxes.

Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed a budget cutting spending by $12 billion, including $400 million for the state’s 112 community colleges.

The plan also called for tax extensions, which under the state constitution requires the approval of two Republicans from the Assembly and two from the Senate before a special election.

The governor, a Democrat who served two terms as governor three decades ago, had been in negotiations with the GOP about the tax extensions since announcing his budget two months ago. Talks broke down on Wednesday, after what Brown said was “an ever changing list of collateral demands” from Republicans.

Without a June ballot to approve the revenue-generating extensions, Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott quickly warned that an “all-cuts budget” would “devastate our ability to train th[e] workforce.”

A budget that does not continue 2009 taxes expiring this year will double the cuts for community colleges to $800 million. This reduction would force some districts to offer fewer classes in the summer and fall and deny access to 400,000 students, the same number enrolled in the state university system.

The state has already increased fees at community colleges for the fall from $26 to $36 per unit. Fees could rise to $66 if an all-cuts budget is approved, preventing even more students to attend a community college.

Brown continued to seek support from Republicans while calling them out for demands that he said would undermine the budget, such as giving a $1 billion tax break to out-of-state corporations so the companies would bring jobs to California.

In a letter to state Senate Republican Leader Bob Dutton on Wednesday, he said, “Democrats have swallowed hard and done their part—they have approved painful cuts… I was very surprised (and frankly, disappointed) that you came today with a very long list of demands (53 separate proposals), many of which are new and have no relationship whatsoever to the budget.”

The demands included moving the U.S. presidential primary to March and extending taxes for only a year and a half instead of five years.

California, the world’s eighth-largest economy and the nation’s most populous state, is facing a $26.6 billion deficit. Last month, Brown slashed the number of state-owned vehicles and cell phones by 50 percent and ordered a hiring freeze to help end the budget crisis.

Republicans say the governor’s budget plan actually has only $7 billion of cuts, a small sum compared to the $60 billion from tax extensions, and far from a balanced proposal.

“Gov. Brown and the Dems can’t have it both ways,” GOP state chair Tom Del Beccaro said in a statement. “They asked for ideas — and then complained there were too many. They wanted specific budget solutions — and then complained there were too many details.”

“The list that Republican leadership gave the governor… included a number of proposals to which Brown has publicly agreed — but obviously angered the public unions that control our state government,” Beccaro added. “Not coincidentally, Brown, unlike Democrat Andrew Cuomo of New York, is refusing to reduce the state bureaucracy — demonstrating that he values bureaucracy more than essential services.”

View full post on Education Stories

Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – Republican governors have coldly received the administration’s offer to let them opt out of the federal healthcare law earlier to help states address growing deficits and increasingly costly Medicaid programs.

“Pretty much all he did was reset the clock on what many of us consider to be a ticking time bomb,” Texas Gov. Rick Perry, chair of the Republican Governors Association, told Townhall.

President Barack Obama over the weekend announced his support for a bipartisan bill that allows states to implement their own healthcare system by 2014 instead of 2017.

The federal Affordable Care Act, which passed Congress with only three GOP votes, provides coverage for 94 percent of Americans by requiring everyone except for those under 100 percent of the poverty level to purchase health insurance.

It makes Medicaid benefits available to more people by making virtually all adults younger than 65 and with incomes of up to about $15,000 a year eligible.

These two provisions, which have received the most opposition from states, are set to begin in 2014.

Several Republican governors have filed lawsuits to keep from enforcing a “one-size-fits-all” law in their state. They say the individual responsibility requirement is unconstitutional.

In addition, they believe the mandate on Medicaid, the biggest driver of the federal debt, would simply force them to “herd hundreds of thousands more people into today’s broken Medicaid system.”

Under the federal law, governors can apply for waivers in 2017 that would let them follow healthcare plans uniquely suited to the needs of their state.

The bipartisan bill from Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Scott Brown (R-MA) would let states seek waivers three years earlier as long as the same kind of coverage and affordability are provided.

Republican governors led by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels have asked for more control in limiting beneficiaries of Medicaid, which is jointly funded by states and the federal government.

They also want “complete flexibility” in deciding which insurers are permitted in exchanges, which are state-run marketplaces to help individuals and businesses choose health plans that comply with requirements of the federal law, such as providing coverage for those with pre-existing conditions.

The president offered an olive branch during his meeting with governors on Sunday, praising a former election rival and assuring them that he would support proposals to make the law better.

“Many of you have asked for flexibility for your states under this law,” Obama said.”In fact, I agree with Mitt Romney, who recently said he’s proud of what he accomplished on health care in Massachusetts and supports giving states the power to determine their own health care solutions. He’s right. Alabama is not going to have exactly the same needs as Massachusetts or California or North Dakota.”

Health and Human Services Department Sec. Kathleen Sebelius has said the federal government would cover 96 percent of the costs of expanding Medicaid under the law.

Nonetheless, the president asked governors to form a bipartisan group to work with Sebelius to find more ways to lower Medicaid costs while providing the same coverage.

“I will go to bat for whatever works, no matter who or where it comes from,” Obama said. “I am not open to re-fighting the battles of the last two years, or undoing the progress that we’ve made. But I am willing to work with anyone… to make care even better; to make it more affordable and fix what needs fixing.”

But critics have dismissed the president’s new approach.

The conservative publication Human Events cited Bill Felkner, director of policy for the Ocean State Policy Research Institute, as saying, “This will allow the states to follow their own path toward health care so long as that path leads to the same goal that is reached by the ‘Affordable Care Act’—ObamaCare.”

View full post on Health Stories