Nine construction workers fell ill to valley fever this year while working on a solar panel project in Monterey County after employers allowed serious lapses in training and safety precautions, according to new information obtained by the Center for Health Journalism Collaborative on the recent outbreak.
Tag: California Department of Public Health
Posted inCountywide, Top Stories
Assemblyman Seeks Valley Fever Funding, Overhaul of Reporting Guidelines
Bill would add $2 million to a state fund for valley fever vaccine research and create guidelines for how local, state and federal agencies report cases.
Posted inCountywide, Health & Wellness, Top Stories
Accurate Valley Fever Counts Elude Officials
Estimates of valley fever cases recorded by local, state and federal agencies vary so widely that they call into question the accuracy of the figures released to the public, a Center for Health Journalism Collaborative investigation has found.
Posted inHealth & Wellness, News Briefs
Feds Threaten to Cut Off Medicare Payments to St. Joseph Hospital
A letter sent late last month to the hospital warns that payments will be cut off in July unless it corrects a number of patient “deficiencies.”
Posted inTop Stories
Vaccination Rates Continue Their Decline in OC
More parents in the county are delaying or avoiding vaccinations for their school-age children. This year, schools will institute a policy making it harder to opt out.
Posted inHealth & Wellness, Top Stories
Five Ways to Advance the Fight Against Valley Fever Epidemic
Getting more attention for Valley Fever, which has reached epidemic proportions in parts of California’s Central Valley, will require a coordinated effort among doctors, drug companies and patient groups.
Posted inHealth & Wellness, Top Stories
Treatment Costs for Valley Fever Mount for Patients and Taxpayers
Valley fever is epidemic in parts of California. At more than $100,000 for a typical hospital stay, the disease is more costly to treat than any of California’s 25 most common conditions requiring hospitalization.
Posted inTop Stories
Just One Breath
Valley fever, a disease people contract from breathing fungal spores contained in soil, has reached epidemic proportions in parts of California. Yet it is so little known and misunderstood that people have died without ever having known they had it.
Posted inTop Stories
Valley Fever Cases Missed Because of Lack of Awareness
Problems with screening for the disease and tracking it over time mean thousands of cases go undetected every year.
Posted inHealth & Wellness, Investigative, Irvine, Politics & Elections, Top Stories
Major Problems Found at UCI Irvine Dialysis Center
Surprise inspection finds chairs and walls spotted with blood,
nurses who didn’t wash their hands and rusted out equipment.
