Latest news with #KernMedicalCenter
Politico
10-07-2025
- Health
- Politico
Republicans in Washington are nervous about Medicaid. Not in Valadao's California district
Hospitals in the district also rely on the program to keep their doors open. They collectively receive $820 million a year from it, and roughly 50 percent of their patients are enrolled in Medi-Cal, California's version of Medicaid. Medi-Cal is the largest payer for every hospital Valadao represents, including Kern Medical Center, which gets more than 70 percent of its funding from the public insurance program, according to data compiled by the California Health Care Foundation. Valadao himself has been aware of the liability of cutting Medicaid. Confronting a months-long barrage of Medicaid-related attack ads in his district, he lobbied — ultimately unsuccessfully — against deeper cuts to the program in the Senate version of the megabill that eventually passed. Valadao's office did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday but did release a 555-word statement after his vote calling it a 'hard decision.' 'Ultimately, I voted for this bill because it does preserve the Medicaid program for its intended recipients — children, pregnant women, the disabled, and elderly,' he said. He went on to tout funding for rural hospitals and said the Trump administration assured him that money would benefit hospitals in Valadao's district. While Senate Republicans included $50 billion over five years for rural hospitals , it's unclear how much of that will come to California and if it would be enough to keep hospitals open. Amanda McAllister-Wallner, executive director of the progressive health consumer advocacy group Health Access, said the discretion written into the bill is meant to help hospitals in Missouri, not the Central Valley. 'We think of California as rural, but it's not always what the national definition of 'rural' would be,' she said. 'Fresno and Bakersfield are pretty big cities in the context of the United States at large.' A list of hospitals circulated by Senate Democrats identified 28 rural hospitals in California that could close under the budget deal. None are strictly in Valadao's district but several, like Mountains Community Hospital and Adventist Health in Tehachapi and Reedley, are in surrounding areas.
The Sun
02-07-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Man, 24, breaks out in horror rash and nearly bleeds to death after taking petrol station ‘Viagra'
A YOUNG man faced the terrifying risk of internal bleeding after taking a 'Viagra' pill bought from a petrol station. The 24-year-old ended up in a US hospital after developing unusual symptoms, including a purple rash, persistent gum bleeding and nosebleeds. Blood tests revealed dangerously low platelet levels, leading to a diagnosis of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). ITP is a rare but serious condition where the immune system attacks the body's own blood cells, specifically the platelets. These are tiny cells that help the blood clot, without enough of them, even minor bumps or cuts can lead to dangerous internal bleeding. Symptoms can include easy bruising, petechiae (small red or purple spots on the skin), nosebleeds, and bleeding gums. Last year, A Place in the Sun presenter Laura Hamilton revealed she's suffered the same condition. The 43-year-old shared images with fans showing the outbreak of bruises on her legs, caused by her ITP. A healthy person typically has 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microlitre of blood. The man mentioned in the new case report had just 1,000, putting him at extreme risk of random, potentially fatal bleeding inside the brain or gut. He later admitted he had been taking Rhino 69 Platinum 1000 for two weeks, which he had bought from a petrol station while on holiday in Mexico. Doctors from Kern Medical Center, in Bakersfield, believe the unregulated sex pill triggered the condition, marking the first known case of a supplement being linked to ITP. The drug contains sildenafil, the same active ingredient as prescription Viagra used to treat erectile dysfunction. "Our case suggests that sildenafil-containing supplements such as 'Rhino 69 Platinum 1000' may represent a previously unrecognised cause of ITP," the medics wrote in Cureus. Unlike Viagra, Rhino 69 is unlicensed, it's sold online and in some shops without proper safety checks. This is because supplements in many countries are not subject to the same rigorous safety or quality checks that prescription medicines are. This means contaminated, counterfeit, or mislabeled products can make it to store shelves and websites. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has repeatedly warned that it may be contaminated with hidden ingredients or cause serious side effects. TP is usually caused by viral infections, autoimmune diseases, or certain prescription medicines, including antibiotics, anti-seizure drugs, and chemotherapy. The man was treated with high-dose steroids and a blood product called IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin), which calms the immune system. His platelet count returned to normal within a week.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
Man convicted after threatening girlfriend, burning front lawn with gas can: DA
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A man has been found guilty of felony arson by a Kern County jury after he lit his girlfriend's front lawn on fire while intoxicated, according to the District Attorney's office. Jacob Burton was charged with felony arson, felony attempted criminal threats (lesser included offenses to the charged counts of criminal threats), misdemeanor vandalism and misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol. The District Attorney said in July 2024, Burton was drinking alcohol when he saw messages on his girlfriend's phone that left him upset. This triggered Burton to visit a downtown bar and continue drinking. Man says he stabbed his aunt to death after being 'triggered' by verbal abuse: court docs Before he left, items were damaged in the home and he threatened to strangle his girlfriend, according to the District Attorney's office. Burton began calling his girlfriend's phone and her friends, who were also at the house, threatening to burn the house down, throw Molotov cocktails and drive his truck through the side of the home. Burton later showed up with a gas can and lit a fire in the front yard of the victim's house, which was quickly extinguished, according to the District Attorney's office. He was taken to Kern Medical Center where staff determined his blood alcohol concentration was 0.161%. Burton faces up to 3 years, 8 months in prison. Sentencing is set for April 15, in Kern County Superior Court. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
