By Hayden Parsley

January 12, 2015 (San Diego) – Mental healthcare clinicians marched in protest outside the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center on Zion Avenue in San Diego today, claiming Kaiser’s rules are unfair to them and their patients. It’s part of a statewide,week-long strike at over 65 locations --the largest walk-out of mental health workers in the nation, 10 News reports.

Disneyland visitors also exposed in December

January 7, 2015 (El Cajon)--Two San Diego siblings may have exposed others to measles at Parkway Plaza Mall in El Cajon on Dec. 29, 2014 the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) announced today.

January 7, 2015 (San Diego's East County) -- As the second wave of open enrollment into Covered California is in full swing, individuals covered under their parent or spouse's health plan can start feeling safe enough to actually use their insurance. SB 138 - the Confidential Health Information Act - took effect on January 1st to close loopholes in existing state and federal laws that result in breaches in patient confidentiality through Explanation of Benefits letters and other standard communications from health insurance plans.

By Chris Jennewein

Photo: Aethlon Medical’s Hemopurifier blood filtration system.

Reprinted with permission from Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association.

January 6, 2015 (San Diego)--San Diego-based Aethlon Medical Inc. announced Friday the Food and Drug Administration has approved a clinical protocol to treat Ebola-infected individuals in the United States with the Aethlon’s Hemopurifier blood filter.

East County News Service

January 3, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that Whole Foods Market is voluntarily recalling Bleating Heart brand cheeses sold in California, Arizona and Hawaii.

December 31, 2014 (San Diego)--The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has declared a flu epidemic following a high number of flu cases diagnosed as well as the deaths of 15 children from influenza.

December 25, 2014 (La Mesa)--The Senior Resource Center at Sharp Grossmont Hospital offers free or low-cost educational programs and health screenings each month. The Senior Resource Center also provides information and assistance for health information and community resources. For more information, call 619-740-4214. For other programs, call 1-800-827-4277 or visit our web site at www.sharp.com.

By Miriam Raftery

December 17, 2014 (Washington D.C.) – Two California Congressmen slipped language into the $1.1 trillion spending bill signed into law by the President, calling on the federal government to stop spending money enforcing marijuana laws in states where medical marijuana has been legalized. But the language is vague and lacks teeth, so it’s not yet clear whether marijuana patients, clinics and growers can breathe a sigh of relief.

Source: County News Service

December 9, 2014 (San Diego)--Sudden unexplained death is one of the toughest mysteries in forensic science. Researchers at the Scripps Translational Science Institute or STSI are teaming with the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office for a clinical trial aimed at finding answers.

December 2, 2014 (San Diego)--Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating disorder that plunges its victims into a fog of lost memories, forgetfulness and an eventual loss of the ability to remember the most basic day-to-day details about their own lives.

It’s the region’s third leading cause of death.

November 26, 2014 (La Mesa)-Sharp Grossmont Hospital is pleased to announce that Daniel Kindron has been named Chief Financial Officer of its 536-bed acute care hospital.  Kindron has been with Sharp Grossmont Hospital since 2006. During his time at Sharp he has fulfilled interim CFO duties and served as Finance Director, Manager, Supervisor, and Senior Financial Analyst.

East County News Service

November 28, 2014 (San Diego)—If you need healthcare, the open enrollment period for Covered California, our state’s insurance exchanges under the Affordable Healthcare Act or Obamacare, runs from now through February 15.  For the first time, people who fail to have any health insurance will be subject to financial penalties that will rise over time.

Enrollment is off to a brisk beginning during the current sign-up period.  Covered California and the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) announced that 69,245 consumers submitted applications for health coverage, including Medi-Cal, during the first four days of the 2015 open-enrollment period.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo:  Black lung disease, a condition caused by coal mining, was the topic of a radio ad by Public Citizen that promoted Murray Energy to sue, claiming rights until now reserved for people

November 27, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – An energy corporation is suing Public Citizen, a nonprofit citizens’ watchdog group, claiming that radio ads run by the group caused the company to suffer “mental anguish and emotional distress.”

East County News Service

November 24, 2014 (Washington D.C.) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that most women should not have hysterectomies or removal of fibroids using a morcellator device, because it can spread cancer.

East County News Service

November 12, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is weighing options that could make it more expensive to opt out of having a smart meter or even allow your right to remove a smart meter to be taken away in the future, under an interim proposed plan, warns the Center for Electrosmog Prevention. The group is an official intervenor in the current CPUC proceding on smart mater opt outs and recently   filed a formal response to a proposal that CEP founder Susan Brinchman of La Mesa calls “noxious.”