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San Francisco Chronicle
29-04-2025
- Health
- San Francisco Chronicle
Newsom moves to set emergency staffing rules in psychiatric hospitals following Chronicle investigation
Gov. Gavin Newsom is moving to impose minimum staffing requirements in California's psychiatric hospitals in response to a Chronicle investigative series that spotlighted rampant abuse and neglect tied to understaffing in many of the locked facilities. By deploying the state's emergency regulations process, the Newsom administration intends to establish nurse-to-patient ratios within these hospitals, which treat tens of thousands of people experiencing mental health crises every year, according to the state's Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS). The move would close a regulatory loophole detailed by the Chronicle that for decades has left psychiatric hospitals without mandated staffing minimums, despite a 1999 law requiring the state to set them. 'We are ensuring better behavioral health care for all Californians by modernizing our behavioral health system to provide services to help anybody, anywhere, at any time,' CalHHS Secretary Kim Johnson said in a statement provided to the Chronicle. 'As part of this broader commitment, the California Department of Public Health plans to issue emergency regulations aimed at increasing transparency and accountability within acute psychiatric hospitals.' The California Hospital Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Unions representing nurses and other hospital workers in in California lauded the news Monday, emphasizing that such standards are particularly needed in psychiatric hospitals operated by for-profit companies. The Chronicle found these for-profit facilities have exposed patients to violence and deadly neglect by relying on bare-bones workforces that generate massive earnings for owners and investors. 'It's a good start,' said Sandy Reding, a president with the California Nurses Association, which spearheaded the original minimum staffing legislation 25 years ago. 'But they need to include the input of frontline nurses and ensure that when they are setting standards, they are setting minimum nurse-to-patient ratios with acuity, meaning how sick the patients are.' Sophia Mendoza, president of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, which represents workers at multiple psychiatric hospitals, including a for-profit facility in Sacramento, said the emergency regulations are 'a desperately needed first-step toward compelling for-profit psychiatric hospitals to provide the staffing necessary to protect patients and workers in their facilities.' On top of nurse staffing requirements, Mendoza said 'it's critical that these hospitals are also required to adequately staff unlicensed caregivers who provide much of the day-to-day direct care that patients receive.' Since Newsom took office in 2019, and embarked on unprecedented changes to the state's behavioral healthcare system aimed at increasing access to care, psychiatric hospitals operated by for-profit companies have become the fastest-growing destination for people in California experiencing severe mental health emergencies, the Chronicle's investigation found. California's 21 for-profit psychiatric hospitals now treat a growing share of adults in emotional crisis and a majority of children. The hospitals are approved to admit patients on involuntary '5150' holds, a reference to the state law that allows authorities to detain people for at least 72 hours to protect them from harming themselves or others by providing stabilizing medication and therapy. Yet the Chronicle found that instead of receiving help, hundreds of patients in these profit-driven facilities have reported being physically and sexually abused in recent years, often due to deficient staffing. At the same time, state health officials have cited the hospitals for at least 17 deaths connected to violations of state or federal regulations, while documenting scores of additional potential abuse cases that the facilities failed to investigate or report to the state. The dysfunction within facilities can derail recovery for adults and children who are often struggling with depression, drug addiction or psychosis. In the case of Jázmin Pellegrini, the Chronicle detailed how the 15-year-old girl from the East Bay died after being repeatedly exposed to unsafe and traumatizing conditions in several for-profit psychiatric hospitals. The Chronicle found that serious patient safety incidents were far more likely to occur in for-profits than in nonprofit psychiatric hospitals and psychiatric units within general hospitals, which are also approved to admit patients on 5150 holds and provide similar services. Under the 1999 staffing law, psychiatric units in general hospitals are required to employ at least one nurse or licensed technician for every six patients. But the state never established these standards for psychiatric hospitals, giving them wide discretion over caregiver staffing. The Chronicle found that those operated by non-profits still staff more similarly to psychiatric units. Yet for-profit companies, which operate a vast majority of psychiatric hospitals in California, employ far fewer frontline workers and spend far less on direct patient care than their counterparts, contributing to widespread patient safety problems. In order to fix this regulatory breakdown, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), which licenses hospitals and operates under CalHHS, will activate the state's so-called 'emergency rulemaking process.' The agency will first issue a letter to all facilities to begin discussions with various stakeholders, including hospitals and employee groups, on staffing and other issues related to the new regulations. 'We recognize that systemic change requires collaboration,' said Johnson with CalHHS. 'Together, we can build a more equitable and compassionate mental health system that truly serves the needs of all our communities.' In a letter sent this month to Newsom, the California Nurses Association proposed minimum ratios for different types of units within psychiatric hospitals, including at least one registered nurse for every six patients in adult acute units, and at least one registered nurse for every four patients in adolescent acute units. California's regular rulemaking process can stretch for months and includes official notice of the proposed regulations and a public comment period of at least 45 days. Emergency rulemaking, however, generally requires agencies to file notice with the California Office of Administrative Law (OAL) explaining how a situation 'calls for immediate action to avoid serious harm to the public peace, health, safety, or general welfare,' or pointing to state law documenting the same urgency. That office would have 10 calendar days to review and make a decision. If approved, the emergency regulations would remain in effect for 360 days at most. During this time, agencies can move to make these measures permanent. CalHHS did not respond to questions on the exact route it would pursue to enact the rules. Last month, State Sen. Caroline Menjivar (D-Los Angeles) amended a bill that, if passed and signed by Newsom, would give CDPH the statutory authority to quickly move forward with staffing standards. At the time, Menjivar said 'the gravity of this is so severe that we need emergency regulations.' As part of the Chronicle's series, reporters also found that the health department almost exclusively relies on plans of correction to police for-profit psychiatric hospitals instead of levying fines, or pausing admissions to force lasting change, even after repeated assaults and patient deaths linked to deficient care. And as of January, more than 380 health department investigations into California's psychiatric hospitals were older than six months and considered 'backlogged.' CDPH is still investigating some of the incidents that were detailed in the Chronicle's reporting. As part of the planned actions, the Newsom administration said that state health officials will issue an additional letter to hospitals reminding them of the reporting requirements and will increase staff training on psychiatric hospitals 'to strengthen enforcement efforts, including use of penalties and additional approaches.' Former patients in California's for-profit psychiatric hospitals, and their families, told the Chronicle on Monday that they were heartened by the Governor's actions. But they also want to see where the state lands with specific ratios as well as other potential improvements. 'We need a lot more workers, professionals who are trained for this,' Jázmin's mother, Márta Bárány said. 'What I would personally add is that I consider it very important, especially in cases involving children, for hospital staff to listen to the parents, as no one knows their child and their problems better than they do.'
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Glenn County seeks return of Vietnam memorial wall replica
The last time The Wall That Heals was in Glenn County was 2016. There are hopes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial replica will be back in 2026. Leadership from the Glenn County Health and Human Services Agency gave a presentation to the Glenn County Board of Supervisors earlier this month explaining the efforts necessary to apply for, fund and host the 375 foot memorial. 'There is a lot of planning associated with this project,' said Bob Johnson, Veterans Services officer with the Health and Human Services Agency. Yasmin Caro from the Agency, said it would be a great honor to be able to once again host The Wall That Heals. 'The Wall is a replica of the Wall in Washington, D.C., that memorializes the 58,000 American service members who died or remain missing from the Vietnam War,' she added. When the Wall was in Willows in 2016 more than 9,000 people were in attendance, Caro said. 'The Vietnam Veterans Memorial stands as a symbol of America's honor and recognition of all who served and sacrificed their lives in the Vietnam War,' she shared. 'There will be extensive planning involved in bringing The Wall That Heals to Glenn County, including support from government entities, schools, law enforcement, fire departments, Veterans Services, businesses and non-profits to help bring this honorable event to our community, to help lead, volunteer, fund, promote and more.' Application deadline is Sept. 1 and there are currently 141 interested cities seeking one of the 34 locations slots for the national 2026 tour. The cost to host is $12,000 and Caro said those funds would be raised through fundraising projects and donations. Additional costs include promoting the project, drinks/snacks for volunteer, city/county employee time, for example. The Wall That Heals is ¾ scale of the original wall with a 53 foot education trailer that expands on both sides. Entrance to view the traveling Wall is free to the public and Caro said if the memorial replica comes to Glenn County there are plans for all schools to attend and take a tour. The Wall is on display and open for viewing 24 hours a day. 'I would appreciate the help and support of this board as we work to honor our military veterans by submitting an application to bring The Wall That Heals back to Glenn County,' said Laura Hawkins, Glenn County Health and Human Services director. The Board unanimously voiced their support for the project. 'You are rock stars for your work and effort towards this project,' said Supervisor Tony Arendt. His comments were followed up with each of his fellow supervisors voicing their support for the Health and Human Services Agency submitting an application for the Wall That Heals to come to Glenn County next year. As part of the application, Glenn County will need to pick three dates when it would be possible to host the event and find at least two locations in Orland where the Wall could be display – a space approximately the size of a football field with grass and areas for parking. In addition, the application requires a 200 word response of why The Wall That Heals should come to Glenn County.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Nude photos of Beverly Hills plastic surgery patients exposed in data hacks, lawsuit alleges
A celebrity Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, who has appeared on television shows including "Botched" and "The Doctors," is being sued by patients who allege that their nude photos were published online after he was hacked — twice — and that he waited months to inform them of the data breaches. Eight patients filed a class-action lawsuit earlier this month alleging that Dr. Jaime Schwartz had failed to maintain adequate cybersecurity despite multiple warnings, resulting in highly sensitive information being stolen and posted online. Schwartz's office did not respond to a request for comment this week. The hacked data allegedly included patients' names, phone numbers and home addresses, as well as their driver's license, insurance, credit card and medical information, according to the complaint. Also hacked were photos and videos of patients nude and partially clothed, including images of them undergoing surgery while under anesthesia, the lawsuit alleges. Read more: Phishing attack hits L.A. County public health agency, jeopardizing 200,000-plus residents' personal info Schwartz allegedly failed to notify patients of either the initial September 2023 hack or a subsequent one in March 2024 in a timely or appropriate manner, or to address security weaknesses in between the incidents, the lawsuit states. According to the complaint, he only informed patients this January, after some of them found information about the breaches online. The lawsuit alleges he did not provide required notice to the California attorney general's office or the state Health and Human Services Agency. "Despite knowing that his patients' most private medical data was in the hands of malicious actors, Dr. Schwartz waited almost 10 months to notify them," the complaint states. "Finally, after their nude photos and home addresses began being posted online — accessible to anyone with an internet connection — Dr. Schwartz issued a cursory, vague, and misleading data breach notice." The lawsuit alleges that the hacks left patients vulnerable to identity theft and caused them severe emotional distress due to the "humiliation, shock, worry and anxiety" of knowing their information and photos could be, or had already been, posted online. Read more: Cyberattack disrupts hospitals and healthcare in several states The compensatory and punitive damages that plaintiffs are seeking will likely be in the "tens of millions of dollars," said their attorney, Damion Robinson. The plaintiffs allege that Schwartz, a prominent plastic surgeon with over 189,000 followers on Instagram and offices in Beverly Hills and Dubai, had ample warning of the need to protect his client's data, but failed to take necessary steps to secure his network. "Dr. Schwartz and others in the medical field — and in the plastic surgery field specifically — have been warned for years by government agencies and professional organizations that they are targets for hackers who seek sensitive patient data for ransom and extortion," the complaint states. Over the last few years, hackers have targeted plastic surgery practices because the sensitive data they store can be used to facilitate identity theft, as well as attempt to extort physicians and patients. Read more: Ransomware gangs shift tactics, making crimes harder to track In a report published in 2019, the American Medical Assn. noted that 83% of physicians had experienced some form of cyberattack, and characterized cybersecurity as "a patient safety issue.' According to a report from there were at least 13 publicly reported cyberattacks on plastic surgery practices between 2017 and 2023. In 2023, the FBI issued a public service announcement warning that criminals were targeting plastic surgery offices "to harvest personally identifiable information and sensitive medical records, to include sensitive photographs in some instances." Hackers have published the personal information of 30 of Schwartz's patients to date, the lawsuit alleges, and are threatening to continue doing so until they receive a ransom. The lawsuit says that a small number of patients contacted Schwartz after the first hack was reported online, and that he said only a limited number of patients had been affected and other patients' information was secure. Read more: L.A. Unified cyberattackers demand ransom After the second data breach in March 2024, the hackers created a public website announcing their actions and sharing patients' photos and data. According to the complaint, Schwartz did not inform his patients until January, when he sent the following message to some of them: 'Our office discovered on June 27, 2024, that an unauthorized third party utilized a third-party vendor's credentials to access the practice's medical billing and practice management system. Upon discovering the incident, we engaged a specialized third-party forensic incident response firm to conduct a forensic investigation and determine the extent of the compromise. The investigation determined that data was acquired without authorization. After electronic discovery, which concluded on January 2, 2025, it was determined that some of your personal information was present in the impacted data set. We then took steps to notify you of the incident as quickly as possible.' 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
22-02-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
Nude photos of Beverly Hills plastic surgery patients exposed in data hacks, lawsuit alleges
A celebrity Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, who has appeared on television shows including 'Botched' and 'The Doctors,' is being sued by patients who allege that their nude photos were published online after he was hacked — twice — and that he waited months to inform them of the data breaches. Eight patients filed a class-action lawsuit earlier this month alleging that Dr. Jaime Schwartz had failed to maintain adequate cybersecurity despite multiple warnings, resulting in highly sensitive information being stolen and posted online. Schwartz's office did not respond to a request for comment this week. The hacked data allegedly included patients' names, phone numbers and home addresses, as well as their driver's license, insurance, credit card and medical information, according to the complaint. Also hacked were photos and videos of patients nude and partially clothed, including images of them undergoing surgery while under anesthesia, the lawsuit alleges. Schwartz allegedly failed to notify patients of either the initial September 2023 hack or a subsequent one in March 2024 in a timely or appropriate manner, or to address security weaknesses in between the incidents, the lawsuit states. According to the complaint, he only informed patients this January, after some of them found information about the breaches online. The lawsuit alleges he did not provide required notice to the California attorney general's office or the state Health and Human Services Agency. 'Despite knowing that his patients' most private medical data was in the hands of malicious actors, Dr. Schwartz waited almost 10 months to notify them,' the complaint states. 'Finally, after their nude photos and home addresses began being posted online — accessible to anyone with an internet connection — Dr. Schwartz issued a cursory, vague, and misleading data breach notice.' The lawsuit alleges that the hacks left patients vulnerable to identity theft and caused them severe emotional distress due to the 'humiliation, shock, worry and anxiety' of knowing their information and photos could be, or had already been, posted online. The compensatory and punitive damages that plaintiffs are seeking will likely be in the 'tens of millions of dollars,' said their attorney, Damion Robinson. The plaintiffs allege that Schwartz, a prominent plastic surgeon with over 189,000 followers on Instagram and offices in Beverly Hills and Dubai, had ample warning of the need to protect his client's data, but failed to take necessary steps to secure his network. 'Dr. Schwartz and others in the medical field — and in the plastic surgery field specifically — have been warned for years by government agencies and professional organizations that they are targets for hackers who seek sensitive patient data for ransom and extortion,' the complaint states. Over the last few years, hackers have targeted plastic surgery practices because the sensitive data they store can be used to facilitate identity theft, as well as attempt to extort physicians and patients. In a report published in 2019, the American Medical Assn. noted that 83% of physicians had experienced some form of cyberattack, and characterized cybersecurity as 'a patient safety issue.' According to a report from there were at least 13 publicly reported cyberattacks on plastic surgery practices between 2017 and 2023. In 2023, the FBI issued a public service announcement warning that criminals were targeting plastic surgery offices 'to harvest personally identifiable information and sensitive medical records, to include sensitive photographs in some instances.' Hackers have published the personal information of 30 of Schwartz's patients to date, the lawsuit alleges, and are threatening to continue doing so until they receive a ransom. The lawsuit says that a small number of patients contacted Schwartz after the first hack was reported online, and that he said only a limited number of patients had been affected and other patients' information was secure. After the second data breach in March 2024, the hackers created a public website announcing their actions and sharing patients' photos and data. According to the complaint, Schwartz did not inform his patients until January, when he sent the following message to some of them: 'Our office discovered on June 27, 2024, that an unauthorized third party utilized a third-party vendor's credentials to access the practice's medical billing and practice management system. Upon discovering the incident, we engaged a specialized third-party forensic incident response firm to conduct a forensic investigation and determine the extent of the compromise. The investigation determined that data was acquired without authorization. After electronic discovery, which concluded on January 2, 2025, it was determined that some of your personal information was present in the impacted data set. We then took steps to notify you of the incident as quickly as possible.'
