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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Berg, who chairs the Assembly committee that oversees health spending, will be part of a seven-member working group consulting with Speaker Fabian Núñez as he negotiates a health plan with the governor and Senate.
“The North Coast is at the table,” said Berg, D-Eureka. “I’ll be there to give voice to our region’s desire for affordability and universality.”
Núñez, whose plans have been to expand healthcare access rather than create an entirely new system, said Berg and others will bring a “broad diversity of views” to the negotiations.
“These legislators will provide critical direction,” Núñez said.
Other members of the group are: Assembly members Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles; Hector De La Torre, D-South Gate; Mervyn Dymally, D-Los Angeles; Mark DeSaulnier, D-Martinez; Ed Hernandez, D-Baldwin Park; and Mary Hayashi, D-Hayward.
“We’re dealing with two major problems here,” said Berg. “One is access to care, and the other is how we’re going to finance it.”
Berg’s appointment continues her role as a key voice on health care reform.
She co-authored both major bills this session, the single-payer bill (SB 840) by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, and the insurance expansion plan (AB 8) by Núñez and Senate leader Don Perata, D-Oakland.
Kuehl’s bill stalled as politically untenable this year, and although the Legislature approved the Núñez/Perata bill, the governor has promised to veto it. Left with no significant reform, the governor called the Legislature into special session so they can find a compromise.
Health care reform has proved a very difficult subject which ignites the concerns of patients, doctors, hospital operators, insurance companies, labor groups, businesses and local governments.
“Nobody said it would be easy,” said Berg. “Nobody said we’re going to get everything we want. But we’re certainly going to try.”
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
“More people will be tested,” said Berg, D-Eureka. “That means more people will seek treatment earlier, and fewer people will be spreading the virus.”
Assembly Bill 682 deletes a provision in existing law that requires patients to sign a special form before receiving a blood test for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Experts say this written form tends to discourage people from being tested.
While AB 682 makes it easier for doctors to test their patients, it still ensures that Californians have a right to decline the test.
The bill brings California in line with guidelines proposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“This bill is important as it will empower people, educate people, and provide them with opportunities for testing, counseling, support, and information,” said Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, R-Cathedral City, who urged her fellow Republicans to support the bill.
Studies have shown that people with HIV often go undetected and untreated even when they are receiving medical care for other diseases.
Even as recently as 2004, 39 percent of HIV patients were unaware of their status until they were less than a year away from being diagnosed with full-blown AIDS.
“Too many people learn of their HIV status when they present themselves to a health care provider due to an illness, often too late to fully benefit from treatment,” said Joseph Terrill, public policy coordinator for AIDS Healthcare Foundation, co-sponsor of the bill.
“AB 682 will ensure more Californians get access to care and treatment, and interrupt their unwitting exposure of others,” Terrill added.
The Center for Disease Control estimates that more than one million Americans are living with HIV, but nearly 250,000 don’t know it. In California, the State Office of AIDS estimates that about 40,000 Californians don’t know they are carrying the virus.
"AB 682 strikes an important balance between protecting the rights of individual patients while removing outdated barriers to routine screening that will help us find those with undiagnosed HIV infection," said Anmol Mahal, MD, president of the California Medical Association, a co-sponsor of the bill. "The State Legislature should be strongly commended for overwhelmingly passing this practical, life-saving legislation.”
The bill has received tremendous support from statewide AIDS groups, doctors and public health officers in California. It received bipartisan support throughout the legislative process.
It now needs the governor’s signature to become law.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Investing in treatment for substance use disorders is necessary to ensure the health and well-being of our community. Research shows that substance use disorders are medical conditions. In fact, treatments for drug use disorders are just as effective as treatments for other chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, asthma, and diabetes.
More than 72 medical conditions have risk factors that can be attributed to substance use. Investing in treatment programs for people with substance use disorders can prevent the onset of long-term medical conditions, ultimately saving lives and decreasing long-term costs.
However, nearly 23 million Americans needed but did not receive treatment for alcohol or drug use in 2005, and interestingly, almost 77 percent of adults classified with substance dependence or abuse were employed.
Many people may not realize that investing in treatment saves money for businesses and the community in the long run. For example, treatment is cost effective, with some measurements showing a benefit-to-cost ratio of up to 7:1, with substance use disorder treatment costing $1,583 per person on average and having a monetary benefit to society of nearly $11,487 for each person treated.
Investing in treatment can have significant effects on employment and the viability of employers and businesses in the community. Treatment is associated with a 19-percent increase in employment and an 11-percent decrease in the number of clients who receive welfare.
Reported job problems, including incomplete work, absenteeism, tardiness, work-related injuries, mistakes, and disagreements with supervisors, are cut by an average of 75 percent among employees who have received treatment for substance use disorders.
Combined data from 2004 and 2005 state that among people who needed treatment for a substance use disorder, didn’t receive it at a specialty facility, and felt they needed it, 35 percent said they did not receive it because of cost and insurance barriers. These statistics apply to Lake County as well.
In the United States, 22.2 million people suffer from substance use disorders, and countless numbers of those are unable to receive the same health care options as someone with other chronic disorders, such as diabetes.
We owe it to our family, friends, and community to support treatment and recovery as effective ways to address substance use disorders. Employers, insurers, and the decision makers of Lake County must understand the financial impact substance use disorders have on our community and the importance of access to treatment and recovery support for those who need it.
When doors are open to recovery, more people will seek treatment for substance use disorders to reclaim their lives and health and to reintegrate into the community. For example, Lake County Alcohol and AODS in Lake County works to inform our residents of the importance of treatment and encourages people to share their personal stories of having a substance use disorder and the benefits of recovery.
To promote the hopeful and healing message of recovery, Lake County AODS is participating in the 18th annual observance of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, a nationwide initiative every September supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Lake County AODS is holding a variety of exciting and educational events in September to coincide with this year’s Recovery Month theme: “Join the Voices for Recovery: Saving Lives, Saving Dollars.”
On Sept. 15 AODS is hosting, along with staff from the Mental Health Department, New Beginnings, Lake Family Resource Center and other community organizations that help recovering addicts, a march for recovery and community picnic in Clearlake.
The march will begin in Redbud Park at 11 a.m. They will march to Austin Park where there will be a picnic, speakers and other activities for families to enjoy.
By participating in Recovery Month, you are supporting those already in recovery and encouraging those in need of help to seek treatment. Learning about these issues will make it easier to break down barriers to treatment, and you will be investing in the best interests of our community.
For more information about these events or for information about treatment services please call Carrie White, prevention specialist at AODS, 263-8162.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Passage means the bill now heads to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for his consideration.
SB 557 had already been approved by the Senate on May 29 but a subsequent vote was required for concurrence on Assembly amendments to the bill. Those amendments require a prospective appointee to be licensed by the state’s Speech Language Pathology and Audiology Board and to pass an examination demonstrating competence in evaluation medical-legal issues.
The California Academy of Audiologists, the sponsor of the Wiggins bill, believes that an audiologist is the most qualified professional to determine whether a hearing loss would impair a worker's ability or whether a hearing loss was secondary to noise exposure on the job.
“Audiologists are uniquely trained as experts in all matters relating to hearing and hearing loss,” Wiggins said. “Including them as experts in Workers' Compensation cases will improve consumer access to professionals with special training in the assessment of hearing loss, as well as a detailed understanding of the effects of damaging influences on the auditory mechanism that may occur in various work settings.”
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