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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
As part of the settlement, Quest Diagnostics will be required to pay nearly $5 million for penalties, costs and supplemental environmental projects and make significant changes to its operations and practices at its California facilities.
Attorney General Bonta is joined by the district attorneys of Alameda, Los Angeles, Monterey, Orange, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Ventura and Yolo counties in the settlement.
“Quest Diagnostics’ illegal disposal of hazardous and medical waste and patient information put families and communities at risk and endangered our environment,” Bonta said Wednesday. “Let today’s settlement send a clear message that my office will hold corporations, including medical services providers, accountable for violations of state environmental and privacy laws. I appreciate the partnership of the district attorneys’ offices across our state that led to this critical settlement.”
“This settlement demonstrates the commitment of my Consumer Justice Bureau to protect the residents of Alameda County against identity theft and ensure that such violations do not occur again,” said Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. “Our continued ability to collaborate with the Attorney General and other District Attorney’s offices to protect public safety for all California residents is a testament to our team and the progress under my administration.”
“This settlement will help ensure that patients’ personally identifiable and private health information is protected and will protect worker safety and human health by ensuring that hazardous and medical wastes are properly managed and disposed of,” said Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni.
“We will not allow the public’s health to be jeopardized by laboratories who prioritized cutting corners over protecting the health of the very people they were supposed to be caring for,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “This was not an isolated incident by a single Quest Diagnostics testing facility; this was Quest Diagnostics laboratories and testing facilities across the state skirting California’s hazardous waste laws while ignoring the very real environmental and health impacts of these illegal actions. I want to thank Attorney General Rob Bonta and the San Joaquin District Attorney’s Office for their leadership in this collaborative effort to hold companies accountable for violating our environmental laws and endangering the safety of Californians.”
"This settlement is the result of a successful collaboration between District Attorney’s Offices and the state Attorney General's Office to protect California's environment and its health consumers," said Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho. "Thanks to the joint efforts of our Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit and prosecutors across the state, the financial penalty and permanent injunction will deter Quest Diagnostics from violating hazardous waste, medical waste and protected health information laws. Sacramento County will receive a total of $259,440 from the settlement, which will reimburse the cost of prosecuting this case and increase the enforcement of consumer and environmental protection laws."
“We take very seriously violations regarding medical waste, hazardous waste, and patient confidentiality,” said San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson. “We are thankful for the cooperation of Quest, and the diligent work of our Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit in securing this settlement. With judgments like these, we can ensure proper disposal of medical and hazardous waste which protects the public and the environment, while safeguarding the privacy of San Bernardino County residents.”
"Through our meticulous waste audits, it came to light that Quest Diagnostics may have encountered challenges in properly managing confidential patient data, medical waste, and hazardous materials. Our initial inquiry in San Joaquin County prompted us to engage with the Attorney General's office and other relevant parties,” said San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas. “Subsequent audits conducted at Quest's laboratories shed further light on potential mismanagement issues. This underscores the significance of maintaining robust waste management practices in healthcare to uphold patient confidentiality and ensure public safety."
“The Simi Valley Landfill & Recycling Center and Ventura County residents were negatively impacted by Quest’s illegal disposal of hazardous waste, medical waste, and protected patient information,” said Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko. “Thanks to the hard work of the California Attorney General’s office, the District Attorney’s offices and our partner agencies, this settlement will ensure that Quest complies with the law and implements strong measures to protect the health, safety, and privacy of our residents.”
The settlement is the result of over 30 inspections conducted by the district attorneys' offices at Quest Diagnostics laboratories and Patient Service Centers statewide.
During those inspections, the district attorneys' offices reviewed the contents of Quest Diagnostics’ compactors and dumpsters and found hundreds of containers of chemicals, as well as bleach, reagents, batteries, and electronic waste; unredacted medical information; medical waste such as used specimen containers for blood and urine; and hazardous waste such as used batteries, solvents, and flammable liquids.
The unlawful disposals are alleged to violate the Hazardous Waste Control Law, Medical Waste Management Act, Unfair Competition Law, and civil laws prohibiting the unauthorized disclosure of personal health information.
After being notified of the investigations, Quest Diagnostics implemented numerous changes to bring its facilities into compliance with California law, including hiring an independent environmental auditor to review the disposal of waste at its facilities and modifying its operating and training procedures to improve its handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste, medical waste, and personal health information at all four laboratories and over 600 PSCs in California.
The settlement resolves the allegations above and requires Quest Diagnostics to pay $3,999,500 in civil penalties, $700,000 in costs, and $300,000 for a Supplemental Environmental Project to support environmental training and enforcement in California.
The settlement also imposes injunctive terms, including requirements that Quest Diagnostics maintain an environmental compliance program, including hiring a third-party waste auditor, and report annually on its progress.
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- Written by: COVERED CALIFORNIA
“We’ve seen record-breaking enrollment nationally, and Covered California is surging with heightened demand,” said Covered California Executive Director Jessica Altman. “We want any Californian who needs health insurance to have the opportunity to get covered for the rest of 2024, and extending the open-enrollment period will ensure they have the time they need.”
In addition to the increased demand, consumers looking to enroll in recent days may have encountered challenges reaching Covered California representatives over the phone, and many this week have experienced longer than expected wait times. This was due in part to a disruption to Covered California’s service center, which was temporarily taken offline in immediate response to a cybersecurity incident affecting a third-party vendor that supports its phone lines.
This incident was limited to Covered California’s telephone systems, and enrollment and eligibility systems were unaffected. At this time, there is no indication that any personal information was compromised.
The deadline extension will give consumers who are trying to sign up for coverage the time and assistance they need.
Consumers will have until midnight on Friday, Feb. 9, to apply for coverage that would be effective Feb. 1.
They can visit CoveredCA.com and get free and confidential help from one of the more than 14,000 certified enrollers throughout the state who can help them sign up, including individuals who can assist in other languages.
In addition, consumers can reach the Covered California service center at 800-300-1506.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Adventist Health is pleased to announce the addition of Marcie Morton, DC, Siqi Ma, DO and Kwang “Jason” Kim, DDS to the Clearlake community and the care team at Adventist Health Clear Lake Medical Office - Clearlake at 15230 Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake.
Marcie Morton, DC, is an experienced, board-certified chiropractor, committed to supporting patients on their health and healing journey. Her passion for good health underscores her efforts to find the best approach for each patient, to help them make the quality-of-life improvements that matter most to them.
Dr. Morton emphasizes individual treatment plans, developed by hearing each patient’s story and understanding their health values and goals. She provides important education about basic lifestyle choices to help patients achieve their best possible physical wellness.
Siqi Ma, DO, is a board-certified family medicine physician providing comprehensive healthcare for children and adults. Her practice encompasses wellness exams, immunizations, and management of common health care concerns such as colds and flu, diabetes, hypertension and anxiety.
Dr. Ma was inspired to practice medicine to connect with patients and discover their unique needs, so that she would be able to support their individual journey to better health. She believes her mission is to help others to feel better after helping to address their concerns. Dr. Ma speaks fluent English, Mandarin and some basic German.
Kwang “Jason” Kim, DDS, is a doctor of dental surgery with significant experience in general dentistry practice. Dr. Kim offers fillings, dentures, sealants, fluoride varnish and more for his dental patients. He sees all ages, from young children to adults and older adults.
Dr. Kim chose his career based upon his passion to use his skills and knowledge to help others maintain a healthy smile and to alleviate dental discomfort. His interest in making a positive impact in the lives of his patients is the driving force in his journey as a dentist. Dr. Kim is fluent in English and Korean and is involved with several dental professional organizations.
To learn more about all Adventist Health providers, visit www.AdventistHealth.org/ClearLake.
To make an appointment with Dr. Morton, schedule it directly from our website at www.AdventistHealth.org/MMorton or call the clinic at 707-995-4545.
To make an appointment with Dr. Ma, schedule it directly from our website at www.AdventistHealth.org/SMa or call the clinic at 707-995-4500.
To make an appointment with Dr. Kim, contact the clinic directly at 707-995-4540.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
AB 659 will ensure that more young Californians receive this cancer-preventing vaccine through an advisory that 8th-grade students and students entering higher education institutions should be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus, or HPV.
Schools will notify students and parents of the ideal age range for the vaccine to be effective to be included in the school’s existing orientations and updates.
The bill also guarantees that all health plans cover the vaccine.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that teen girls are the most likely to contract the infection and show symptoms.
Seventy-five to 89% of all people in the United States contract one or more types of HPV throughout the course of their lives.
Each year, over 37,000 Americans find new cases of cancer attributable to HPV. These cancer cases affect both male and female patients, with women most often developing HPV-related cervical cancer and male patients more often diagnosed with HPV-related cancers, the most prevalent being HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer.
The vaccine will prevent thousands of these cancers and deaths.
“I appreciate the many stakeholders and the Newsom Administration for helping to get to this point. We actually have a vaccine that can prevent cancer. AB 659 will alert parents and young people that they can save their lives and those of others. This bill creates more awareness and access and will prevent more cancers and deaths from HPV,” said Aguiar-Curry.
“By closing gaps in health care, we can make this life-saving vaccine more available to everyone. We’re going to have this conversation with California families and do everything we can to help them choose to protect their kids. This vaccine will result in fewer people contracting or spreading this cancer-causing virus,” Aguiar-Curry said.
While HPV vaccination has been available for over 20 years, vaccine uptake continues to lag
far behind other vaccines.
The CDC recommends HPV vaccination for girls and boys ages 11 to 12, and it is widely available through pediatricians and family doctors.
However, the CDC reports that over 60% of eligible adolescents have not received the HPV vaccine.
Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry represents the Fourth Assembly District, which includes all of Lake, Colusa, Napa and Yolo counties, and parts of Sonoma County.