Posts Tagged ‘health’
California lawmakers to vote on bill that could prevent closure of Alta Bates medical center
It’s the final week of this year’s legislative session, and East Bay lawmakers are pushing a bill that could stop Sutter Health from shuttering its Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley. Senate Bill 687, by local state Sen. Nancy Skinner, would require the attorney general to review and approve the closure of any emergency…
Read MorePortraits of East Bay activists: Alana Banks
It is the first day back since spring break. Alana Banks still has her tan from Barbados. She walks onto UC Berkeley’s campus behind Sproul Hall to the Fannie Lou Hamer Center, a small tin building named after the voting rights activist. If you weren’t familiar with the place, it would be easy to miss, as it is hidden behind the English department and to the far left of the art studio. Banks, who is from Oakland, is one of the co-founders of the center, which opened in February. It is the first space set aside as resource center for black students on UC Berkeley’s campus.
Read MoreState legislators work on bill to establish single-player healthcare system
As Californians brace for a possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act and the state’s marketplace, Covered California, legislators are working on an alternative healthcare bill that would establish a single-payer healthcare system in the state. The Healthy California Act, or Senate Bill 562, is a measure that proposes a premium tax towards a public…
Read MoreState legislators push bill to limit emergency room closures
California has one the nation’s lowest number of hospital emergency rooms per capita, and Bay Area legislators are calling this shortage a crisis, as the number of people who need urgent care services keeps growing. They are pushing for a bill that would require non-profit hospitals to obtain approval from the state Attorney General.
Read MorePossible repeal of Obamacare arouses local concern
As Californians, along with the rest of the nation, brace for a possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act, Marshawn Harris, an Oakland-based health care insurance broker, had been trying to sign up as many people as possible. “My goal is to get everyone enrolled and make sure they understand that Covered California [the state’s…
Read MoreDeveloping Richmond’s Zeneca Site means confronting a legacy of contamination
The city of Richmond is considering a redevelopment plan for a brownfield located between Marina Bay and Point Isabel known as the Zeneca site.
Read MoreStudies show stress from racism affects newborn health
A growing number of scientific studies show that racism experienced by women of color, particularly black women, can affect the health of their future children in many ways. Racism can lead to an increased likelihood of preterm birth and low birth weight, these studies show, and both of these circumstances can increase the likelihood of other health problems throughout a child’s life.
Read MoreNew law expands health coverage for undocumented children
For the first time in their lives, hundreds of kids in Contra Costa County have health insurance thanks to SB 75.
Read MoreHealth programs for undocumented immigrants in Contra Costa may be threatened under Trump
Contra Costa County health care benefits for undocumented and low-income residents may be threatened, given President-elect Donald Trump’s promises to wholly or partly dismantle the Affordable Care Act.
Read MorePharmaceutical giants spend big to defeat Prop 61, ‘ground zero’ for drug price control
Proposition 61 would prohibit state agencies from paying more for prescription drugs than the lowest price paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Drug companies are spending heavily to defeat the proposition.
Read MoreNew health center named for beloved Richmond pediatrician
Passionate, strict, dedicated and humble were a few of the words used to describe the late Dr. William Jenkins at the opening of a new health center named for him.
Read MoreUrban Tilth launches new farm in North Richmond
When local nonprofit Urban Tilth broke ground at its new farm in North Richmond on Saturday, it signaled the beginning of something new—and a chance for the community to reconcile with its past, said executive director Doria Robinson.
Read MoreReal estate firm removes toxic soil from Richmond neighborhood, but controversy remains
A dispute between Mayor Tom Butt and Emeryville real estate firm Wareham Development over contaminated piles of soil stored at a lot on Richmond’s Canal Boulevard came to an end last week, when trucks hauled the dirt off the site.
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