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International Overdose Awareness Day is a global event held annually on Aug. 31 to honor those who have died of overdoses.
Earlier this month, the Lakeport and Clearlake city councils joined with Lake County Behavioral Health Services, the Lake County Public Health Department, and the agencies and organizations that comprise SafeRx Lake County to present proclamations marking the event.
It’s an especially important event for Lake County: In 2022, there were 79 people who fatally overdosed in Lake County.
Health officials reported that those deaths account for the highest fatal overdose rate in the state of California.
Ahead of the Aug. 31 commemoration, SafeRx Lake County hosted the third annual commemoration of International Overdose Awareness Day in Austin Park on Aug. 19.
The county of Lake reported that 105,258 people died due to overdose in the United States in 2022.
Almost 90,000 of those who died from overdose had fentanyl in their system, officials said.
Fentanyl is a potent and dangerous drug, and can be found in a variety of other narcotics. Officials said many who die from fentanyl overdose do not know they have consumed fentanyl.
Officials said all overdose deaths are preventable, and everyone is encouraged to have naloxone — also known as Narcan — on hand to prevent overdose, along with other resources that prevent overdose such as syringe exchange, drug testing, and medication-assisted treatment.
Experts said that addiction is a chronic, relapsing and treatable disease that should not be conflated with moral or personal failure yet continues to be the subject of stigma and marginalization.
Lake County has a syringe service program, Any Positive Change, which has been operating since 1995.
The California Department of Public Health approved Any Positive Change as a state-authorized syringe service program on Aug. 3. Any Positive Change can be reached at 707-480-7319.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
The National Weather Service has issued the red flag warning for parts of the Northern Sacramento Valley.
However, the Governor’s Office reported that all Cal Fire units are at peak staffing.
Engines, water tenders and helicopters have been prepositioned in Colusa, Glenn and Sonoma Counties.
Reserve engines are staffed and resources added in Lake, Butte, Napa, Shasta and Tehama counties.
There also are more boots on the ground than ever before, and California is home to the world's largest aerial firefighting fleet, the Governor’s Office reported.
Already, the program has successfully alerted Cal Fire to 77 fires before any 911 calls were made.
Although there is not a red flag warning currently in effect for Lake County — one that was in effect ended on Wednesday — the National Weather Service said there is the chance of showers and light winds on Friday night, and a chance of showers and thunderstorms on Saturday.
“While wildfire season is year-round in California, we’re heading into some of the most challenging months for fire weather — and we’re better equipped than ever before,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “We’ve sent additional equipment and firefighters to where the latest weather and prediction technology shows the greatest wildfire risk, and are using some of the most advanced tools in the world to detect and monitor new wildfires."
In addition to the prepositioned resources, Newsom’s office said California is leveraging technologies like AI to fight fires faster and smarter, saving countless lives and communities from destruction.
Cal Fire has launched a pilot program that uses AI to monitor live camera feeds and issues alerts if anomalies are detected.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
More wolves are now making their home in the Golden State.
On Wednesday, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reported that four new packs of wolves have been confirmed in California in the past five months.
With these four new yet-to-be-named packs, there are now eight wolf packs known to have been established in California since 2015.
“Holy smokes what fantastic progress we’re witnessing in wolf recovery in California,” said Amaroq Weiss, a senior wolf advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “I’m so grateful that both state and federal endangered species protections are allowing wolves to safely reestablish in the Golden State’s beautiful landscapes.”
The four new wolf families were discovered incrementally this year, with each confirmation demonstrating that, as predicted by scientists, California has ample suitable habitat for wolves.
In March photographs of three wolves in Tehama County were captured on a trail camera on private land. The department is engaged in survey efforts to determine their current numbers, origin and if they had pups this spring.
The second pack, discovered in Plumas County, has at least two adults and two pups. The breeding adults for the new pack in Plumas County have been genetically identified as partial siblings from a double litter born to the Lassen pack in 2020. The department was able to capture and radio-collar one of them.
The third pack, in Lassen County, has a minimum of two adults and an unknown number of pups. The breeding female of the new Lassen County pack is an offspring from the Whaleback pack’s 2021 litter while her mate’s origin is yet unknown.
The fourth and most recently discovered pack, seen in July in Tulare County in Giant Sequoia National Monument, consists of an adult female and three offspring. The adult female came to California from Oregon’s Rogue pack, and the sire of her offspring came from the Lassen pack’s 2020 double litter. This pack’s establishment in this region marks the southernmost location of any wolf pack in California in modern history.
“The homecoming of wolves to California is an epic story of a resilient species we once tried to wipe from the face of the Earth,” said Weiss. “It’s such a joyful moment to receive the news of these four new wolf families and I hope to see them thrive in the years to come.”
The Shasta pack, California’s first confirmed wolf pack in nearly 100 years, was discovered in 2015 but disappeared a few months later.
The three additional packs already established in California include the Lassen pack, which resides in parts of Lassen and Plumas Counties and was confirmed in 2017; the Whaleback pack in eastern Siskiyou County which was formed in late 2020 to early 2021; and the Beckwourth pack in Plumas County which was confirmed in spring 2021.
The wolf comeback
The first wolf in nearly a century to make California part of his range was OR-7, a radio-collared wolf from Oregon that entered California in late 2011.
OR-7 traveled across seven northeastern counties in California before returning to southwestern Oregon, where he found a mate and settled down, forming the Rogue pack.
Several of OR-7’s offspring have since come to California and established packs, including the original breeding male of the Lassen pack and now, the breeding female of the new pack residing in Tulare County.
The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is native to California but was driven to extinction in the state by the mid-1920s.
After OR-7 left Oregon for California, the center and allies successfully petitioned the state to fully protect wolves under California’s endangered species act. Wolves are also federally protected in California under the federal Endangered Species Act. It is illegal to intentionally kill any wolves in the state.
The Biden administration released on Aug. 29, 2023, a list of the first 10 drugs that will be up for negotiations with pharmaceutical companies over their Medicare prices.
The drugs are purchased through Medicare Part D, a prescription drug coverage program for Americans ages 65 and older. The 10 medications accounted for more than US$50.5 billion in gross costs between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023.
Provisions authorizing these negotiations were part of the Inflation Reduction Act which Congress passed in 2022, allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices for the first time. Pending successful negotiations, these changes would amount to what researchers estimated to be net savings of about $1.8 billion in 2026. The Congressional Budget Office projected an even bigger savings of $3.7 billion.
The top 10 list includes such drugs as Johnson & Johnson’s Xarelto, which treats blood clots, and Amgen’s Enbrel, which treats rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.
Negotiations are expected to begin in October and continue until August 2024, with lower prices going into effect in 2026.
Democrats have hailed the new law’s drug pricing provisions as game-changing. They’re likely to make the issue a centerpiece of their 2024 election campaigns. Democrats are further emboldened as public opinion polls show overwhelming support for the policy among Americans.
As a scholar who researches the politics of health policy, I’m skeptical that Medicare drug price negotiations will end up making as big a difference as Democrats have promised, at least in the near future. While U.S. prescription drug prices are excessive, the true potential of the policy is unclear, as it remains muddled in lawsuits and industry opposition. However, if it can withstand the ongoing attacks and become settled law, Americans ages 65 and up could see real financial relief down the line.
Cutting drug costs for Medicare enrollees
The Inflation Reduction Act allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to negotiate prices with the companies that make some of the most expensive drugs in the Medicare program, including life-saving cancer and diabetes treatments like Imbruvica and Januvia.
If the negotiations proceed as planned, the drug-price-negotiation provision is expected to save the U.S. government about $98.5 billion by 2031 by allowing it to pay less on prescription drugs for Americans on Medicare – nearly 66 million people. The Biden administration hopes that these cost savings will be passed down to Americans 65 and older through reduced Medicare Part D premiums and lower out-of-pocket costs.
The Inflation Reduction Act provides additional benefits for older Americans, including limiting their out-of-pocket expenses for prescription drugs to no more than $2,000 annually, limiting the growth of Medicare Part D premiums, eliminating out-of-pocket costs for vaccines and providing premium subsidies to low-income people ages 65 and older.
The Inflation Reduction Act also includes a separate provision that requires drugmakers, under certain conditions, to provide the Medicare program with rebates if drug price increases outpace inflation, starting in January of 2023. That measure is expected to yield $71 billion in savings over a decade.
Penalties for companies that won’t negotiate
The 10 drugs that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have selected accounted for $3.4 billion in out-of-pocket spending in 2022 for Americans ages 65 and older and $50.5 billion, or about 20%, of total Part D gross prescription drug costs from June 1, 2022, to May 31, 2023.
Pharmaceutical companies have to sign agreements to participate in the upcoming negotiations by October 2023. Based on criteria such as public feedback and consultation, as well as the clinical value of the drug, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will make an initial price offer in early 2024, with the potential to further negotiate the price until August 2024. Going forward, additional drugs will be subject to negotiations.
If drugmakers don’t negotiate, they will face stiff penalties in the form of a tax, reaching as high as 95% of U.S. pharmaceutical product sales. Alternatively, the companies may pull their drugs from the Medicare and Medicaid markets, meaning that seniors on Medicare would lose access to them.
Why US drug prices are so high
Americans pay substantially more for prescription drugs compared with people who live in countries with similar economies, like Germany, the U.K. and Australia. While Americans spent more than $1,100 a year in 2019, Germans paid $825, the British paid $285 and Australians paid $434 per person.
The reasons for this disparity are multilayered and include the overall complexity of the U.S. health care system and the lack of transparency in the drug supply chain. Of course, many other countries also directly set prices for drugs or use their monopoly on health services to drive down costs.
For example, Dulera, an asthma drug, costs 50 times more in the U.S. than the international average. Januvia, a diabetes drug that is among the first 10 drugs up for price negotiation, and Combigan, a glaucoma drug, cost about 10 times more.
These costs impose a big burden on Americans – 1 in 5 of whom skip at least some of their prescribed medications due to the expense. Those 65 and older are particularly affected by these problems.
Strong resistance
It’s too soon to say how big the impact of the drug pricing provisions will be and whether this policy will be sustained.
Drugmakers have opposed any governmental regulation of drug prices for decades. They are fighting the measure in court and running a public relations campaign that warns of reduced investments in life-saving cures because their financial incentives are reduced.
Even if the drug price negotiations survive the industry’s legal challenges, it’s possible that future Republican administrations won’t embrace or enforce this policy. This is because potential Republican wins in the 2024 presidential and congressional elections could unravel or severely curtail the new drug negotiation policy. Indeed, Republicans have been working feverishly on designing a strategy to use the negotiations against Democrats in the upcoming elections.
Weighing the prospects
In my view, the government’s efforts to cut prices for prescription drugs that Part D enrollees obtain are a step in the right direction. For now, the effect will likely be small because patients already receive discounts on the listed drugs, bringing the net savings down substantially. However, the potential for real savings for Americans ages 65 and older will undoubtedly grow as more drugs become subject to negotiation.
At the same time, drug manufacturers have indicated that they are willing to take their legal battles against the Medicare drug pricing reform all the way to the Supreme Court. If that happens, there’s a good chance they will prevail because the arguments made in their lawsuits are likely to appeal to the Supreme Court’s conservative majority, which has been favorable to many of the arguments made by drugmakers in their lawsuits.
Moreover, drugmakers could also simply pull their drugs from Medicare and Medicaid to force the government’s hand. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services seems to have deliberately chosen drugs that make up a high percentage of manufacturers’ drug sales to counter this possibility. The industry has a history of skillfully exploiting loopholes and possesses a vast lobbying apparatus.
It’s also too soon to know if this is going to be a win for American patients overall. It’s possible that Americans who aren’t covered by Medicare may actually see prices go up. That’s because if drugmakers do make less money on drugs for people enrolled in Part D, they might make up for those lost profits by charging more for drugs that other people depend on.
And lastly, it’s possible that there will be fewer new prescription drugs – as an indirect result of this policy that’s supposed to improve access to health care – because it may reduce drugmakers incentives. While the number of cases is likely small, it would potentially take a toll on patients who might have seen a cure to their disease – or some relief from their symptoms.
Simon F. Haeder, Associate Professor of Public Health, Texas A&M University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Beloved Lake County Library team member to retire after years of inspiring readers
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — After years of dedicated service, a beloved member of the Lake County Library team is starting a well-deserved retirement.
Barbara Green started at the library system in 2000 as a library assistant at the Lakeport Library.
After a short break in service, she continued her career with the Lake County Library, eventually obtaining the position of supervising library technician.
Green’s true passion at the library was coordinating children’s events and presenting Storytime to the children of Lake County.
She has delighted children in weekly Storytimes without fail for over 16 years.
Over time the attendance at her weekly Storytime programs grew so large that it moved to Lakeport’s Library Park in the summers to accommodate the crowds.
Green has also visited local schools and events to help children develop a love of reading.
Over the years, Miss Barbara, affectionately known as such by the children, has presented over 1,500 programs, drawing in a collective audience of more than 57,000 children and their accompanying adults.
Miss Barbara's last Storytime will be on Friday, Sept. 1, at 10:15 a.m. at Library Park in Lakeport.
Green does plan to appear at future story times as a special guest.
Library staff members and volunteers will continue to host Lakeport Storytime weekly.
Green has been an instrumental member of the library team. She has processed over 21,000 books, DVDs and other library items to make them available for checkout.
She has helped a countless number of people use the library. She has also played a vital role in various fiscal responsibilities and served as the second in command at the library.
“Barbara's enthusiasm and dedication to igniting a love for reading in others is truly admirable,” said Library Director Christopher Veach. “Barbara will be profoundly missed. She has more than earned her retirement, and I wish her all the best.”
Green’s last day will be Wednesday, Sept. 6. She will be at the Lakeport Library from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
All are welcome to come and wish Barbara Green well on her retirement journey. Light refreshments will be available.
Visit the Lake County Library Website at http://library.lakecountyca.gov.
The data cover 164,324 positions and a total of over $10.74 billion in 2022 wages and nearly $2.97 billion in health and retirement costs for 3,067 special districts.
Special districts are governmental entities created by a local community to meet a specific need.
Data for 2022 show the top 10 districts by total wages are transportation, health care, utility, water, and fire districts.
The top 10 individual salaries reported all are in health care districts.
Lake County has 30 special districts, with 423 employees, reported wages totaling $12,038,250 and retirement and health benefits totaling $3,808,978.
The top 10 special districts in Lake County based on wages paid are as follows:
• Lake County Fire Protection District: 42 employees; wages, $1,968,469; retirement and health benefits, $773,119.
• Northshore Fire Protection District: 57 employees; wages, $1,693,675; retirement and health benefits, $482,234.
• Kelseyville Fire Protection District: 27 employees; wages, $1,411,075; retirement and health benefits, $427,774.
• Lakeport Fire Protection District: 28 employees; wages, $1,229,897; retirement and health benefits, $529,125.
• Clearlake Oaks Water District : 24 employees; wages, $1,209,700; retirement and health benefits, $347,015.
• Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District: 25 employees; wages, $1,165,305; retirement and health benefits, $512,584.
• Lake County Vector Control District: 15 employees; wages, $706,236; retirement and health benefits, $262,637.
• Konocti County Water District : 16 employees; wages, $593,296; retirement and health benefits, $122,388.
• Cobb Area County Water District: 16 employees; wages, $415,645; retirement and health benefits, $99,302.
• Lower Lake County Waterworks District No. 1: 18 employees; wages, $356,204; retirement and health benefits, $98,588.
California law requires cities, counties and special districts to annually report compensation data to the State Controller.
Users of the site can:
• View compensation levels on maps and search by region;
• Narrow results by name of the district or by job title; and
• Export raw data or custom reports.
The state controller also maintains and publishes state and California State University salary data.
A list of districts that did not file or filed incomplete reports is available here.
The Government Compensation in California site contains pay and benefit information on more than two million government jobs in California, as reported annually by each entity.
As the chief fiscal officer of California, Controller Cohen is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources. The controller has independent auditing authority over government agencies that spend state funds.