Health | Covering health care and health policy in Southern California

A 'potentially powerful model' for treating sickle cell

A sickle cell clinic in South L.A. is believed to be the first of its kind: It brings primary and specialty care providers under one roof to treat the disease. Rebecca Plevin
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Rebecca Plevin/KPCC
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Recent Health coverage

California lawmakers move to limit gay conversion therapy

Sophia Bollag | AP |

The practice of trying to change someone's sexual orientation has been shown to be ineffective, says the Assemblyman who wrote the bill that now heads to the state Senate.

Drug test spurs frank talk between hypertension patients and doctors

Blake Farmer | NPR |

High blood pressure can cause severe health problems, but some of the medications to control it have unpleasant side effects. A new drug test alerts doctors when patients aren't taking their meds.

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Former first lady Barbara Bush in failing health, not seeking further treatment

Camila Domonoske | NPR |

Bush, 92, has had a series of hospitalizations and now is focused on "comfort care," according to a statement released by the office of George H.W. Bush.

Health care prices in California would be set by government under new bill

Jonathan J. Cooper with Michelle Faust | AP |

The measure is backed by several influential unions frustrated that health care costs are gobbling an increasing share of compensation.

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The lowdown on high deductible health plans

Michelle Faust |

High deductible health insurance doesn't turn out to be a great option for people with chronic health conditions and people with lower incomes.

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LA County launches new plan to help black babies live

Priska Neely |

In L.A. County, black babies are three times more likely than white babies to die in the first year of life. The county has a new five-year action plan to reduce that disparity by 30 percent.

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Ask Emily: The first step to fighting opioid addiction is staying alive

Emily Bazar/Kaiser Health News |

More than 42,200 Americans died from opioid overdoses in 2016. That means the first step to overcoming an addiction may very well having a supply of naloxone, a medication that can reverse an overdose, on hand.

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Scientists say you may live longer by severely restricting calories

Patti Neighmond and April Fulton | NPR |

Scientists have long been fascinated with whether dramatic restrictions in the amount of food we eat can help us live longer. New research suggests it might, but the question is, is it worth it?

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How you can be prepared to 'Stop the Bleed' in an emergency

KPCC Staff |

Doctors at UC Irvine Medical Center are teaching courses to show people how to stop severe bleeding before first responders arrive during an emergency.

Coffee companies must include cancer warnings in California, judge says

Brian Melley | AP |

In a proposed ruling Wednesday, an L.A. judge wrote that coffee companies failed to show that the threat from a chemical compound produced in the roasting process was insignificant.

With VA secretary out, LA veterans are faced with unanswered questions

Libby Denkmann |

Los Angeles County alone is home to over 300,000 veterans, the most in the country. And L.A. also has the largest VA medical center in the country.

14 bills that could bring California closer to single payer

Michelle Faust and Paul Glickman |

A recent report argued that single payer health care would take several years to realize in California and recommended that lawmakers instead take a series of short-term steps to improve coverage.

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US undercounting opioid-related overdoses by up to 35 percent, study says

Jake Harper | NPR |

Standards for how to investigate and report on overdoses vary widely across states and counties. As a result, opioid overdose deaths often go overlooked in the data reported to the federal government.

Black and Latino children are often overlooked when it comes to autism

Casey Rentz | NPR |

Research suggests that African-American and Latino children with autism are diagnosed later in life because of bias on the part of healthcare providers or lack of access among families, among others.

Lawmakers weigh pros and cons of mandatory screening for postpartum depression

April Dembosky | NPR |

Many doctors oppose the idea, and similar laws elsewhere haven't increased the number of moms treated.

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Are there risks from secondhand marijuana smoke? Early science says yes

Marissa Ortega-Welch | NPR |

Now that marijuana is legal in more than 20 states, we all may be exposed to more marijuana on the street. Researchers warn that secondhand smoke from pot poses risks to the heart, lungs and arteries.

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