Health CareSutter Health psychiatric hospital workers hold one-day strike to call for higher wages, staffing increasesDecember 6, 2023 | Kate WolffeDozens of unionized health care workers picketed outside the Sutter Center for Psychiatry on Folsom Boulevard Wednesday to protest protracted contract negotiations, which have stretched on for more than a year and a half.
Health CareSome children on Medi-Cal have to wait weeks, months for mental health care, state audit showsDecember 4, 2023 | Kate WolffeThe audit surveyed hundreds of providers and found many were unable to offer a therapy or psychiatry appointment within state standards, sometimes egregiously so. Auditors say the state could be doing more to enforce wait time guidelines.
Health CareWhat works for treating the common cold? Many doctors say 'not much'December 4, 2023One common decongestant, phenylephrine, was found ineffective this fall. Doctors are skeptical about the rest of the over-the-counter cold cures lineup.
Health CareAs Alzheimer’s cases grow, Sacramento wants to make communities 'dementia-friendly’November 30, 2023 | Kate WolffeAlzheimer’s deaths have more than doubled in Sacramento County over the past decade. A new initiative by the county’s public health department is aiming to make the region more dementia-friendly while also working to stem the tide. Listen / download audio Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Health CareSacramento County health officials don’t expect a repeat of last year’s ‘tripledemic,’ but still urge vaccinationsNovember 22, 2023 | Kate WolffeSacramento’s Dr. Olivia Kasirye says although we may avoid last year’s “tripledemic,” people should continue to get vaccinated against RSV, COVID and the flu. Eleven percent of the county has gotten the updated COVID shot.
Health CareBarbershops in Sacramento host free therapy sessions for Black men ‘to remove taboo’November 17, 2023 | Tony RodriguezThe Greater Sacramento Urban League organizes the events to help foster a sense of community, support and understanding among attendees, ultimately empowering them to address their mental health needs.
Health CareWhat to do if you’re touched inappropriately at the doctorNovember 15, 2023 | Kate WolffeLast month, three women filed a lawsuit against a doctor and the Dixon clinic where he worked, saying he touched their bodies outside the scope of the care. Here are resources to help those in similar situations.
Health CareSacramento County has some of the highest ER wait times in the stateNovember 9, 2023 | Kate WolffeAmbulance Patient Offload Time is the time it takes for a patient to be transferred from an ambulance to a bed. A new state law would require Sacramento County to cut its current wait times in half by the end of next year.
Health CareOne-third of homeless veterans live in California. Newsom is backing a new plan to help themNovember 8, 2023California’s population of homeless veterans has plateaued despite billions of dollars in state spending to create housing. Now, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to shift the state’s resources to focus on veterans with serious mental health conditions.
Health CareThe FDA proposes banning a food additive that's been used for a centuryNovember 6, 2023Brominated vegetable oil is a food additive that studies show causes organ damage in rats and pigs. It was introduced in the 1920s and is used today in sodas and sports drinks.