The California Report | Thursday, May 23, 2013, 8:50 AM

Young Adults Key to Obamacare in California

Officials with Covered California are expected to release, for the first time, a list of the health plans and rates they plan to offer on the state-run insurance marketplace this fall. They'll probably be watching closely for the reaction of one group -- young adults. They make up the largest segment of the state's uninsured, and if they opt out of the insurance market, Obamacare could be in trouble.

The California Report | Tuesday, May 21, 2013, 8:50 AM

Report: Where You Live Changes How You're Treated by Doctors

A growing body of evidence indicates where you live can make a big difference in how you're treated for certain ailments. The report released Tuesday from the California Healthcare Foundation looks at treatments for breast cancer, prostate cancer and certain back conditions.

The California Report | Thursday, May 16, 2013, 8:50 AM

UC Medical Center Workers Threaten to Strike

Health care workers at five University of California medical centers are threatening to strike for two days next week. Nursing aides, lab technicians and others staged protests at centers around the state Wednesday over pay, pensions, and staffing.

The California Report | Wednesday, May 15, 2013, 8:50 AM

Budget Protesters Take to Streets Over Health Cuts

Protesters rallied in five cities around the state on Tuesday, calling for a roll-back of cuts to public health programs, such as adult dental care and children nutrition programs. Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing cuts to some of those programs in his latest budget draft.

Wilmington | Jul 23, 2012

Starting a New Life and Putting a Stop to Health Problems

Posted by Anabell Romero

“Good morning!” says Silvia Cruz as she greets women who enter her nutrition center. “It’s five dollars for a shake and the zumba class, or three dollars for the zumba class only,” she says as she’s collecting the money and putting it into a metal box. Five years ago when Cruz and her husband Roberto Garcia came to the United States, they never imagined they would have their own business. The couple has been married for 25 years. After living a comfortable and stable life in Mexico, Roberto abruptly lost his job.

San Bernardino | Jun 13, 2012

Unmet Need of Homeless Youth in San Bernardino

Posted by Bobbi Albano

Although they are difficult to count, Terrance Stone, CEO of Young Visionaries homeless youth shelter estimates there are 25,000 homeless kids in San Bernardino County at any given time. The California Homeless Youth Project agrees. "Homeless youth are highly mobile and often try hard to avoid detection and contact with adults. ... This means they are often not counted during annual homeless surveys." During 2008-09, 81,000 services were provided by federally-funded runaway and homeless youth programs in California. While these services ranged from beds to street outreach contacts, it isn't known how many homeless kids received no services. There are only two shelters in San Bernardino County for kids who have run away from home, have been kicked out or are living on the streets. Young Visionaries, which has space available to house just four children at any time, is located in the city of San Bernardino. The other shelter, Our House, is in Redlands and has room for twelve homeless youth.

Greater Oroville | Jun 12, 2012

BEC Investigates Dioxin in Oroville Eggs

Posted by Marley Zalay

In July of 2011, Community Correspondent Rachelle Parker wrote about Butte Environmental Council's (BEC) fascinating study assessing dioxin levels in backyard chicken eggs around Oroville. She outlined the history of the Koppers fire which caused dioxin contamination in surrounding soil and the original study by the former California Department of Health Services (CDHS). Dioxin is known for its toxicity and persistence in the environment. BEC recently held a workshop in Oroville about dioxin to educate community members about this issue. The intention of BEC's study was to gain a better understanding of the public's exposure to dioxin by eating backyard chicken eggs. Julia Murphy, Education and Outreach Assistant at BEC, explained that dioxin is linked to a myriad of negative health effects, "from hormone disruption and immune system dysfunction, to birth defects and cancer." But because we are exposed to dioxin from a variety of sources, it is difficult to draw a straight cause-and-effect line from the source to adverse health effects.