CHCF Shares Resources to Support Palliative Care in Public Hospitals For people with serious illness, palliative care programs provide essential services to address the complex physical and emotional burdens that come with such illnesses. These programs are available in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Yet even with ample evidence about the positive impact of these services, leaders in palliative care programs often have to make the case about the value of these services. California Health Care Foundation's (CHCF) collection Resources to Support Palliative Care in Public Hospitals includes information and tools to help leaders of palliative care programs at public health ... April 11, 2023 General, Health Net, Healthcare, Patient Care, Public Health Hospitals, Palliative Care 0 0 Comment Read More »
DEA publishes guidance on new training requirements for prescribers of controlled substances On March 28, 2023, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released recommendations and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued specific guidance on how practitioners can meet the new training requirements for DEA-registered prescribers of controlled substances. The new law requires all prescribers of schedule II – V controlled substances to meet a one-time eight-hour training requirement on identifying, treating, and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders. Many California-licensed physicians may have already met the new DEA requirements because California requires similar education. While the California Medical Association (CMA) did not ... April 6, 2023 DEA, Drug Prescribing/Dispensing, General, Healthcare, Mental Health, Patient Care SAMHSA, TRAINING 0 0 Comment Read More »
SCC HEALTH ADVISORY: Xylazine Presence in Illicit Drug Supply (P2) DATE: April 3, 2023 TO: All Healthcare Providers FROM: Michelle Jorden, MD, F-ABMDI Chief Medical Examiner - Coroner Akanksha Vaidya, MD, MPH Assistant Public Health Officer HEALTH ADVISORY: XYLAZINE PRESENCE IN ILLICIT DRUG SUPPLY Xylazine, a non-opioid agent developed as a veterinary tranquilizer, has been increasingly detected in the nation’s illicit opioid supply. Xylazine has been associated with fatal overdoses and chronic wounds, with areas in the Northeast USA being heavily impacted. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Laboratory System reported that in 2022, approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained xylazine. In Santa ... April 3, 2023 General, Healthcare, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
Primary Care’s Essential Role in Advancing Health Equity for California Primary care is the most fair, efficient, and accessible way for all people to enter the health care system — regardless of race, ethnicity, or income — and obtain the services they need. A large body of research shows primary care is essential to improving health equity. Yet it is frequently absent or not explicitly referenced in health equity policy discussions. This report surveys the research linking primary care to improved health equity. With California working to strengthen primary care quality and increase systemwide investments in primary care infrastructure, the ... March 24, 2023 Healthcare Health Equity 0 0 Comment Read More »
Gov. Newsom proposal would add billions for mental health treatment beds In a major legislative proposal to combat the state’s growing homelessness crisis, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Sunday an effort to push billions of dollars toward building a vast network of treatment beds to help California’s mentally ill and drug-addicted residents find care. Through a bond measure that could reach up to $5 billion, the governor hopes to build at minimum 6,000 new mental health beds across the state. Funding would also come through the diversion of over $1 billion annually from a pool of money created by a proposition passed ... March 20, 2023 Healthcare, legislation, Mental Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
