Gov. Gavin Newsom this weekend vetoed a bill that was meant to slow closures of labor wards but signed a law that will give communities more time to plan for the loss of that service. At least 56 maternity wards have closed across California since 2012. The closures have happened in both rural and urban areas, resulting in long drive times for patients and overwhelmed obstetrics departments in neighboring communities. At the same time, rates of maternal mortality and complications are increasing. The new law requires hospitals to notify county government 120 days before closing a labor and delivery or psychiatric unit. The notification would also include a public hearing. Hospitals are currently required to provide notice 90 days before an impending closure.
A hospital in Eureka, Calif. illegally denied a pregnant woman an emergency abortion earlier this year, state prosecutors allege in a new lawsuit. The patient, Anna Nusslock, was 15 weeks pregnant with twins when her water broke, the lawsuit claims. Her doctor said the pregnancy was no longer viable and recommended an emergency abortion. But her healthcare providers at Providence St. Joseph Hospital Eureka in Humboldt County declined to perform the procedure. The hospital has a policy that "prohibits doctors and nurses from providing emergency abortion care so long as a fetus … has a detectable heartbeat," Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a press conference Monday morning.
The 2024–25 COVID-19 vaccine is updated to better protect against variants that are currently spreading. This respiratory virus season, only one shot of the vaccine is needed for most people, and there are no boosters. (People who are immunocompromised or ages 6 months to 4 years may need more than one dose of the 2024–25 vaccine.)
Advances in technology, particularly generative AI and at-home diagnostics, have turned the once-distant idea of consumerism in medicine into a fast-approaching reality.
Globally, more than four billion medical imaging procedures are performed yearly, with the scan volumes likely to grow further with the increasing complexity of diseases. The use of novel mobile medical imaging systems is expected to grow significantly as clinicians look for portable and easy-to-use devices to improve patient outcomes.
Health authorities are studying seven people who developed influenza symptoms after being exposed to a Missouri bird flu patient, raising the possibility of the first human-to-human transmission of the infection. None have tested positive for avian influenza and work is underway to see if they have antibodies to the virus that's been spreading among birds and dairy cows in the U.S., the CDC says.