California Department of Public Health

More than 400 healthcare union members return to Sacramento during Nurses Week in a direct appeal to elected leaders: Fix education backlog and staffing issues that impact patient care. Rally at California State Capitol: West Steps, 10th Street and Capitol Avenue, Sacramento Tuesday, May 7, 2024; 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Call to schedule onsite interviews with nurses attending rally. Photos and video of the rally will be available for media after the event at SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Experts predict that more nurses will leave the bedside in the next 10 years and that other healthcare professionals may follow suit. (See Facts: ). UNAC/UHCP members throughout California will return to Sacramento, urging solutions that will lead more students to remain in their communities for their healthcare careers, and empower them to enforce safe staffing in their hospitals. Organized during Nurses Week, the rally highlights the urgent need for investment in nurse education and support for all healthcare professionals struggling with too many patients and insufficient staff to provide the safest care. "Getting my nursing degree at my local community college was the path that allowed me to pursue my dream of becoming a nurse without going into debt," said Charmaine S. Morales, a registered nurse and president of UNAC/UHCP. "We cannot ignore the impact of the education backlog on hospital staffing and patient outcomes." Morales added that current nurses and care providers feel their staffing complaints have fallen on deaf ears: "We need to improve how our state agencies handle short staffing. We cannot fix this crisis alone." Union members will urge elected officials to prioritize the next generation of caregivers by passing legislation to expand advanced degree programs to community colleges and increase clinical placement opportunities for nursing students. The supply of nurses heavily relies on the state's higher education system, particularly California community college nursing programs, which train and supply a sizable proportion of California's nurses. UNAC/UHCP members will visit their local representatives in Sacramento to discuss current proposals. We are asking elected officials to: Increase funding for nursing programs at community colleges in the state: California leaders can directly address nursing shortages with a $60 million budget proposal to expand nursing programs hosted by more than 70 community colleges in the state. Expand access to Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees: By making advanced study programs available at the community college level, legislators can ensure students receive the necessary training to deliver high-quality, culturally competent care in their communities. (Senate Bill 895-Richard Roth) Expand clinical training for nursing students: Nursing students must complete clinical placement hours, but placements are not always available or accessible. With this legislation to increase hospital capacity to offer this training, more nursing students can graduate and enter the workforce. (Assembly Bill 1577-Evan Low and Senate Bill 1042-Richard Roth) Improve how the state provides information on safe staffing enforcement: When the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) finds a substantiated violation of licensed nurse-patient ratio rules and informs a general acute care hospital of the actions the agency plans to take, CDPH must also transmit the same information to the person who filed the claim of violation and their collective bargaining agent or representative, if any. The bill also mandates that if the department does not impose a fine, CDPH must send a statement explaining why to the person who filed the violation claim and any collective bargaining agent or representative. (Assembly Bill 2899-Jesse Gabriel) United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) represents more than 35,000 registered nurses and health care professionals in California and Hawaii, including optometrists; pharmacists; physical, occupational and speech therapists; case managers; nurse midwives; social workers; clinical lab scientists; physician assistants and nurse practitioners; hospital support and technical staff. UNAC/UHCP is affiliated with the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO. @unacuhcp for Facebook | Instagram | TikTok Anjetta Thackeray | [email protected] | 909-455-5146 Jeff Rogers | [email protected] | 909-263-7230 SOURCE United Nurses Associations of California / Union of Health Care Professionals

OAKLAND, Calif., March 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Patients who receive buprenorphine for opioid use disorder (OUD) in the Emergency Department (ED) are more likely to remain engaged in treatment 30 days later. That's according to new research conducted from seven California EDs including Alameda Health System's (AHS) at the Wilma Chan Highland Hospital Campus in Oakland, Calif. Continue Reading Figure 1: California Department of Public Health, California Overdose Surveillance Dashboard Dr. Andrew Herring, emergency physician and chief of addiction medicine at AHS, is lead author on the report, which is sponsored by the Public Health Institute's CA Bridge Patient Outcomes Study. The research points to emergency rooms as critical gateways for providers to reach and treat patients with opioid use disorder. Emergency departments are often the lowest-barrier access point for people seeking immediate health care. Of the 464 study participants with confirmed OUD, 86% accepted and started buprenorphine treatment in the ED. Buprenorphine is a drug that manages opioid cravings and withdrawal symptoms. It can be administered a variety of ways, including in a shot that lasts up to 30 days. Patients who received buprenorphine were two times more likely to remain engaged in OUD treatment 30 days post-discharge compared to those who did not receive treatment in the ED. These findings, published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA), reinforce EDs as critical access points to highly effective, life-saving medication for addiction treatment and follow-up care. "People want treatment. The problem is they often can't get it," Dr. Herring said. "Our emergency room is an ideal setting to reach patients struggling with OUD. By meeting people where they are at, and treating them when they want to be treated, we have a chance to make a real impact on improving survival in the midst of this opioid epidemic." Read the findings of the study here. "There is an urgent need for large-scale interventions to reduce overdose deaths. EDs see a growing number of overdose patients, many of whom are at high risk of dying within a year after discharge. This research shows that initiation of buprenorphine in the emergency department, combined with linkage to outpatient treatment, saves lives. CA Bridge has made unprecedented progress in changing the standard of care in California's EDs, and there is still an enormous opportunity to do more," said Dr. Aimee Moulin of CA Bridge, a program of the Public Health Institute. Overdose deaths in California have increased exponentially since 2015 and emergency rooms continue to see growing numbers of overdose patients. The Bridge Clinic at AHS is at the forefront of bringing opioid use disorder treatment to patients in Alameda County. AHS is the public, safety-net health system that serves all in Alameda County, especially the most vulnerable and under-resourced populations. "This is the work that Alameda Health System prioritizes and excels at," said AHS CEO James Jackson. "We have seen an extreme need for opioid use disorder treatment services in our community, and we are meeting that need with evidence-based services that are easily accessible to our patients who need it most." About Alameda Health System Alameda Health System (AHS) is a leading public, integrated health care provider and medical training institution recognized for its world-class patient and family-centered care. AHS provides comprehensive medical treatment, health promotion and disease prevention throughout our integrated network of hospitals, clinics and health services. AHS includes three acute care hospitals, a psychiatric hospital, four ambulatory care wellness centers, five post-acute facilities, and the only adult Level 1 Trauma Center and psychiatric emergency department in Alameda County. AHS is committed to promoting wellness and optimizing the health of the community through the mission of caring, healing, teaching and serving all. For more information, visit AlamedaHealthSystem.org. CONTACT: Eleanor Ajala Manager, Media and Communications Alameda Health System (510) 421-9222 [email protected] SOURCE Alameda Health System

One in six American youth experience a mental health disorder each year. In California, about a third of adolescents experienced serious psychological distress between 2019 and 2021. In that same time frame, there was a 20% increase in adolescent suicides. Recognizing the need for more mental health support, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) launched the Behavioral Health Virtual Services Platform last week. The platform includes two digital health solutions: BrightLife Kids (developed by Brightline) for parents/caregivers and kids ages 0 to 12 and Soluna (developed by Kooth) for teens and young adults ages 13 to 25. These solutions are free for all users in California and are part of the state’s CalHOPE program with funding from the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative. BrightLife Kids and Soluna are both web and app-based. They offer access to one-on-one coaching, educational content, assessments and tools, care navigation services, peer communities and crisis and safety protocols. While the solutions don’t provide clinical care, the care navigation services can connect users with clinical support if needed. “The bottom line is that our young people are facing a mental health crisis,” said Autumn Boylan, deputy director for the office of strategic partnerships at DHCS, in an interview. “This is an effort to reach young people early as they’re starting to deal with their emotions, as they’re starting to have stress and conflict and struggle. We can provide them with a safe outlet to express those emotions, to develop skills to cope with their emotions … and really give kids an opportunity to have a place to turn.” BrightLife Kids is available for download on IOS devices and will be available on Android devices in mid-2024, while Soluna is available for both IOS and Android devices. Both Brightline and Kooth are marketing directly to consumers — including through TV, Spotify and social media — to get the word out about these products. They’ll also be working with schools, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations and health plans to let people know about the solutions. DHCS is tracking the program over time to understand if it is having a positive impact on California’s youth. The organization is looking at metrics like utilization, retention and what content is resonating with users. DHCS developed this program after an extensive research process, which included a market scan of over 450 digital solutions and engaging with a panel of experts in California and the nation. The organization also had a youth advisory board and convened focus groups that tested the solutions and helped select the vendors. During this research process, DHCS determined that having two solutions targeting two different age groups was needed. “Young children have vastly different needs in terms of emotional development, in terms of social and emotional learning, in terms of the types of content,” Boylan said. “Young children also require direct support from their parents or caregivers to be able to access those types of resources. Whereas teens and young adults have different needs and can access those resources on their own.” In launching these two digital solutions for California youth, Boylan said she ultimately wants “outcomes for kids to just be better.” “We want kids to get access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment before their emotions, before their behaviors, before their circumstances escalate to a point where they need crisis intervention or emergency support or hospitalization,” Boylan said. The launch of California’s Behavioral Health Virtual Services Platform comes after New York City announced another program supporting teen mental health in November. The city’s program offers Talkspace’s telehealth services for free to all New York City teens between the ages of 13 and 17. They can access mental health education, self-guided exercises and one-on-one therapy with a Talkspace therapist. Picture: Benjavisa, Getty Images