Latest news with #BarbaraFerrer
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
I took a week off to escape the steady hum of grim news. It didn't go as planned
I took a week of vacation to relax, clear my head and stop obsessing over depressing news. I hear frequently from people who say that, for their peace of mind, they're tuning out the news altogether, so I tried it for a couple of days. Opened a book. Walked the dog. But I'm in the news business, and I felt like a hypocrite, so I kept sneaking peeks. As it turns out, that wasn't healthy. You can't follow a single 24-hour news cycle without questioning your own sanity. Do we really live in a country in which the president posts fake videos of a predecessor being arrested? In which a dead man's sex trafficking crimes dominate White House news for days on end? In which the federal government has made it a priority to arrest tamale vendors and fire meteorologists? In which the Social Security Administration sends us emails fawning over the president and making false claims, the White House jokes and memes about immigration raids and the Department of Homeland Security triggers a trolling war with social media posts about its version of national heritage? I have a weekly goal of avoiding alcoholic beverages on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, but in this political culture, what chance do I have? With lots of time to practice, I picked up my guitar, but events of the last few weeks continued to haunt me. The 'Big Beautiful Bill' that Trump signed into law on July 4 will add trillions to the national debt, heap tax breaks on those who need them least and rip healthcare coverage away from the neediest. As a result, L.A. County's health services are anticipating federal cutbacks in the hundreds of millions of dollars. 'We can't survive this big a cut,' Barbara Ferrer, L.A. County's head of public health, told the Times for a story by Rebecca Ellis and Niamh Ordner. She added: 'I've been around a long time. I've never actually seen this much disdain for public health.' Dr. Jonathan LoPresti, who worked at County/USC for decades and is an associate professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at USC, is alarmed. He sent me an a copy of an opinion piece he's writing, which includes a warning that county hospitals could 'again be overrun with the poor … and homeless, leading to further hospital and ER overcrowding, delayed discharges and reduction in routine health maintenance … That could lead to an increase in community TB cases and more serious complications of treatable disease, as well as deaths.' He added this: 'How many public deaths are people willing to accept?' There is no limit, judging by crystal clear signals from Washington. I think we can all agree that historic rainstorms, hurricanes and wildfires in the United States and the rest of the world will continue to kill thousands. Here's a synopsis of the Trump response: The U.S. climate change website has been shut down. The administration says the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be eliminated, and the urban search and rescue chief has resigned, citing chaos and dangerous disaster response delays. Layoffs and buyouts have reduced National Weather Service ranks by 14% despite warnings of dire consequences. So I swam laps, thinking that having my head under might help, but it only made me feeling like I was drowning. Hundreds of probationary workers at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration have been fired, and the fulltime staff will be trimmed by 2,000. These cuts, and the elimination of federal support for scientific research, are damaging in obvious ways. But when I asked UCLA professor Alex Hall what's most disturbing, here's what the director of the Center for Climate Science had to say: 'I feel like the thing that's most chilling is the way the word 'climate' has become a dirty word.' In other words, the politicization of the subject — Trump and supporters insist human-caused climate change is either exaggerated or a hoax — has created a form of censorship. 'That's where we really start to face dangers — when people can't talk about something,' said Hall, who has been studying the link between climate change and California wildfires. I may be a little biased on this topic. My daughter just graduated from college with a degree in earth science. What she and thousands like her are being told, essentially, is, 'Good for you, but the planet's health is neither a concern nor a priority. If you're looking for work, the Border Patrol is hiring, and cryptocurrency might be a good career path.' So there you have it. That's how I spent my summer vacation, failing miserably in my attempt to look the other way. But all was not lost. I played pickleball a couple of times, in Glendale and Los Feliz, and suffered no major injuries. I took my beagle Philly to Rosie's Dog Beach in Long Beach and watched him race around like the happiest hound in the world. And, borrowing from Trump's penchant for cutbacks, I've trimmed my list of no-alcohol days from three to two.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Federal cuts leave Los Angeles County health system in crisis
Los Angeles County's health system, which is responsible for the care of the region's poorest, is careening toward a financial crisis because of cuts from a presidential administration and Republican-led Congress looking to drastically slash the size of government. President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," which passed earlier this month, is expected to soon claw $750 million per year from the county Department of Health Services, which oversees four public hospitals and roughly two dozen clinics. In an all-staff email Friday, the agency called the bill a "big, devastating blow to our health system" and said a hiring freeze had gone into effect, immediately. And the Trump administration's budget for the next fiscal year will likely result in a $200-million cut to the county Department of Public Health, whose responsibilities include monitoring disease outbreaks, inspecting food and providing substance use treatment. 'I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I'm not going to say we survive this,' said Barbara Ferrer, head of the public health department, in an interview. 'We can't survive this big a cut.' Both Ferrer and Department of Health Services head Christina Ghaly warned that the federal cuts will devastate their agencies — and the patients they serve — for years to come. Employee layoffs are likely. In April, the White House announced it was ending infectious disease grants worth billions of dollars, including $45 million that L.A. County was supposed to use to combat the spread of measles and bird flu. California has joined other states in a lawsuit fighting the cuts, and the court has issued a preliminary injunction suspending the cuts. This month, the county public health department lost another $16 million after Trump's bill cut funding for a program educating food stamp recipients about how to buy healthy meals. And there's more to come. The Trump administration's proposed budget for 2026 will be the biggest blow yet, Ferrer warned, yanking $200 million from her department — a 12% cut. 'I'm old. I've been around for a long time,' said Ferrer, whose work in public health dates back to the Reagan administration. 'I've never actually seen this much disdain for public health." Ferrer said the cuts mean she no longer has enough money for the county's bioterrorism watch program, which monitors for outbreaks that might signal a biological attack. Soon, she said, county officials may have to stop testing ocean water for toxins year round, cutting back to just half the year. 'Like, you want to swim? You want to know that the water is safe where you swim, then oppose these kinds of cuts,' she said. "That affects everybody who goes to the beach." Layoffs are likely, said Ferrer. About 1,500 public health staffers are supported through federal grants. More than half the federal money the department receives is funneled to outside organizations, which would likely need to make cuts to stay afloat. A similarly grim cost analysis is underway at the county Department of Health Services, where executives said they expect to lose $280 million this fiscal year because of the bill. 'I can't make a promise that we will be able to avoid layoffs because of the magnitude of the challenges,' said Ghaly. Ghaly said the bill slashed the extra Medicaid money the county typically gets to cover care for low-income patients. They expect many patients might be kicked off Medicaid because of new eligibility and work requirements. The federal government is pulling back on payments for emergency services for undocumented people, meaning the county will have to foot more of the bill. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Read more: Trump's 'big, beautiful' megabill wins final approval after marathon overnight session Department of Health Services officials said they expect to lose $750 million per year by 2028. By then, the agency's budget deficit is projected to have ballooned to $1.85 billion. In an attempt to pump more cash into the system, L.A. County supervisors voted on Tuesday to increase a parcel tax first approved by voters in 2002, which is expected to raise an additional $87 million for the county's trauma care network. After a long debate Tuesday, Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Lindsey Horvath worked to direct $9 million of the parcel tax money to Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, a private hospital that serves as a critical safety net for South Los Angeles residents who would otherwise find themselves in a medical desert. Without that cash infusion from the county, the cuts in Trump's bill would have put the hospital at risk of closing, since the majority of patients in its emergency room are on Medicaid, said Elaine Batchlor, Martin Luther King's chief executive officer. 'If they've lost their Medicaid coverage, we simply won't get paid for those patients,' she said. Martin Luther King replaced a county hospital that closed after losing national accreditation in 2005 because of serious medical malpractice, landing it the nickname 'Killer King." 'The fact that that hospital closed in the first place I think is criminal, and I intend to do all I can to protect the integrity of the services,' said Mitchell, whose district includes the hospital and who pushed for it to get a cut of money from the parcel tax increase. Local health providers said that changes at the state level have created additional uncertainty. The state budget for this fiscal year freezes enrollment in Medi-Cal, California's version of Medicaid, for undocumented immigrants ages 19 and older starting in January. Medi-Cal recipients ages 19 to 59 will have to pay a $30 monthly premium beginning July 1, 2027. "Most families [we serve] are making about $2,400 to $2,600 a month. They're going to have to choose between paying their Medi-Cal fees for a family of four — that's $120 a month — or paying rent or paying for food," said Jim Mangia, head of St. John's Community Health, who said the cuts will disrupt care for tens of thousands of low-income residents. Read more: California, other states sue Trump administration over cuts to CDC infectious-disease funding The St. John's clinic, which gets most of its revenue from Medi-Cal reimbursements, serves more than 120,000 patients a year, most of whom live below the federal poverty line. If the clinic doesn't find a way to replace the lost revenue, Mangia warned, services will have to be reduced. The clinic recently started treating immigrant patients in their homes after realizing they had been skipping appointments because they feared being arrested by federal immigration agents. 'Then what we're looking at is closing several health centers,' said Mangia. 'We're looking at laying off hundreds of staff." At Venice Family Clinic, a community health center that serves nearly 45,000 patients annually, 80% of patients rely on Medi-Cal. Roughly half the clinic's revenue comes from Medi-Cal reimbursements. Dr. Mitesh Popat, a family physician and head of the clinic, said that federal policy changes — especially more frequent paperwork and added work requirements — will likely push eligible patients off of Medi-Cal. He said the clinic is exploring ways to expand support for patients to navigate the paperwork and keep their coverage. "This puts a bunch of barriers in the way of people who already have enough challenges in life," Popat said. "They're trying to make it, trying to survive, trying to put food on the table." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
COVID-19 tests, other health supplies provided free at 51 kiosks across L.A. County. What you need to know
Starting this week, residents in need of a COVID-19 self-test kit, fentanyl test strips or other health supplies can get them for free at any of 51 Community Health Station kiosks across Los Angeles County. The Community Health Station program was initially established to continue the distribution of COVID-19 antigen tests, also known as rapid tests, according to the public health department. But in response to the "worst overdose crisis in history, the continued HIV epidemic and high rates of STIs in the county," the agency added overdose prevention and sexual health products, according to the county agency. Accidental drug overdose deaths jumped by 48% during the first five months of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to the same period in 2019, according to a recent report by the public health department. In 2023, a total of 89,887 sexually transmitted infection cases were reported to the county public health department, according to public health officials. By stocking the kiosks with public health supplies, officials say residents can take action to protect themselves and others in the community. 'Having free public health supplies available to residents seven days a week through the self-service Community Health Stations makes it easier to access important products that support health and save lives," Barbara Ferrer, director of the county public health department, said in a news release. Read more: Q&A with Barbara Ferrer: L.A. County Public Health braces for impact under Trump The kiosks were placed in communities with lower access to healthcare and resources and can be found in pharmacies, health centers, community centers and homeless shelters, among other locations, according to officials. To date, public health officials say 80% of the people who have used the health supplies in the kiosks have self-reported as experiencing homelessness. Ten of the kiosks are located at the program sites and interim housing locations run by the People Concern, a social services nonprofit. At these locations, the Community Health Stations are in common areas inside the buildings, making them easily accessible while also maintaining privacy, said Edgar Aguilar, spokesperson for the nonprofit. The People Concern locations include: Kensington Campus - 45244 32nd St. W., Lancaster, CA 93536 Samoshel - 505 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401 The Vagabond - 3101 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90007 El Puente - 711 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 "By removing barriers to access, the kiosks empower individuals to protect their health and make informed choices, while reinforcing our broader goal of meeting people where they are and supporting their well-being without judgment," Aguilar said. One kiosk is located next to the pharmacy at the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey. "As patients transition from the hospital back into everyday life, the stations offer easy, ongoing access to essential health supplies without the need for appointments or travel," said Alba Ibarra, spokesperson for the medical center. To find the nearest Community Health Station, check the public health department's online map. The Community Health Station kiosks have the following products for free: COVID-19 Self-Test kit: One box containing two tests. Naloxone: a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. One carton contains two single-use devices in blister packages and instructions for use. Fentanyl Test Strip kit: One kit contains five individually packaged strips and instructions for use. Condoms: One package holding five traditional male condoms and five non-spermicidal lubricants. Internal Condoms, also known as "female" condoms: One individually wrapped internal condom and instructions for use. Kiosk users can take a short voluntary anonymous survey that will collect basic demographic information, however, completing the survey is not required to access the products. Read more: Will Trump kill programs that help drug users? L.A. harm reduction groups await fate The Community Health Stations are restocked at least once a week or whenever a certain product in a kiosk is depleted, according to public health officials. Sensors inside the kiosk alert the public health department when restocking is needed. The kiosk program is currently funded by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant as part of a COVID outreach effort. Since the kiosks include overdose prevention and sexual health related products, a portion of the costs is also subsidized by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
09-05-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
COVID-19 tests, other health supplies provided free at 51 kiosks across L.A. County. What you need to know
Starting this week, residents in need of a COVID-19 self-test kit, fentanyl test strips or other health supplies can get them for free at any of 51 Community Health Station kiosks across Los Angeles County. The Community Health Station program was initially established to continue the distribution of COVID-19 antigen tests, also known as rapid tests, according to the public health department. But in response to the 'worst overdose crisis in history, the continued HIV epidemic and high rates of STIs in the county,' the agency added overdose prevention and sexual health products, according to the county agency. Accidental drug overdose deaths jumped by 48% during the first five months of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to the same period in 2019, according to a recent report by the public health department. In 2023, a total of 89,887 sexually transmitted infection cases were reported to the county public health department, according to public health officials. By stocking the kiosks with public health supplies, officials say residents can take action to protect themselves and others in the community. 'Having free public health supplies available to residents seven days a week through the self-service Community Health Stations makes it easier to access important products that support health and save lives,' Barbara Ferrer, director of the county public health department, said in a news release. The kiosks were placed in communities with lower access to healthcare and resources and can be found in pharmacies, health centers, community centers and homeless shelters, among other locations, according to officials. To date, public health officials say 80% of the people who have used the health supplies in the kiosks have self-reported as experiencing homelessness. Ten of the kiosks are located at the program sites and interim housing locations run by the People Concern, a social services nonprofit. At these locations, the Community Health Stations are in common areas inside the buildings, making them easily accessible while also maintaining privacy, said Edgar Aguilar, spokesperson for the nonprofit. The People Concern locations include: 'By removing barriers to access, the kiosks empower individuals to protect their health and make informed choices, while reinforcing our broader goal of meeting people where they are and supporting their well-being without judgment,' Aguilar said. One kiosk is located next to the pharmacy at the Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey. 'As patients transition from the hospital back into everyday life, the stations offer easy, ongoing access to essential health supplies without the need for appointments or travel,' said Alba Ibarra, spokesperson for the medical center. To find the nearest Community Health Station, check the public health department's online map. The Community Health Station kiosks have the following products for free: Kiosk users can take a short voluntary anonymous survey that will collect basic demographic information, however, completing the survey is not required to access the products. The Community Health Stations are restocked at least once a week or whenever a certain product in a kiosk is depleted, according to public health officials. Sensors inside the kiosk alert the public health department when restocking is needed. The kiosk program is currently funded by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant as part of a COVID outreach effort. Since the kiosks include overdose prevention and sexual health related products, a portion of the costs is also subsidized by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Epoch Times
09-05-2025
- Health
- Epoch Times
Los Angeles County Installs Vending Machines With Free Fentanyl Tests, Condoms, and More
Los Angeles County has installed 51 vending machines to provide low-income residents across the county free access to COVID-19 tests, condoms, overdose medications, fentanyl test strips, and more. The Public Health Department plans to 'COVID-19 self-tests, naloxone, fentanyl test strips, and condoms allow individuals to take actions that protect themselves and others in the community,' Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in the statement. Having free public health supplies available seven days a week through the self-service Community Health Stations makes it easier for residents to access products that can save lives, she added. The machines are in locations that are easily accessible to the public, including pharmacies, community health centers, temporary homeless shelters, and drug and alcohol treatment centers. Users will be asked to complete a short, anonymous survey about basic demographic information before they are allowed to get the products, but the survey is optional, according to the public health agency. Related Stories 12/13/2024 7/31/2024 The machines were developed in partnership with the Department of Public Health's Substance Abuse Prevention and Control bureau and the Division of HIV and STD Programs. L.A. County plans to install 100 vending machines across the county to provide low-income residents and homeless people free access to condoms, COVID tests, and more. L.A. County Public Health Department Residents in Sonoma County can now access drug overdose medication, condoms, dental hygiene kits, COVID tests, feminine hygiene products, pregnancy tests, socks, cable gun locks, and more from the machines, according to the county. 'This project aims to fill gaps in our current services by improving accessibility, reducing costs and ensuring privacy,' Sonoma County Public Health Director Amy Olson said in April. 'By strategically placing these vending machines, stocked with harm-reduction products, health and hygiene items, and other essential resources, we can better support those who need these free resources the most.' Customers are limited to three items per transaction. The county plans to refine the offerings over time, based on what the public actually uses.
