Report: More UCLA staff saw celebs' health records - AP Online

More than 120 workers at a Los Angeles hospital looked at celebrities' medical records and other personal information without permission between January 2004 and June 2006 _ nearly double the number initially reported earlier this year, according to a state report.

The report, released Monday by the California Department of Public Health, also said three staffers at the UCLA Medical Center continued to look at the confidential records of a "well-known individual" after a crackdown of record-peeking in April. The state report didn't release the name of that celebrity.

State regulators blame the hospital for not taking adequate steps to maintain patient confidentiality.

"What's startling to us is, as we get to a point where we feel we've addressed a specific complaint and a specific issue, we identify additional issues," said Kathleen Billingsley, director of the health department's Center for Healthcare Quality. "It's very disturbing to see this."

State public health officials have released five reports since the Los Angeles Times first reported UCLA employees pried into the medical records of prominent patients, including Britney Spears, Farrah Fawcett and California first lady Maria Shriver.

The latest report said 127 workers peeked into celebrities' medical records without permission, leading to several firings, suspensions and warnings. The report also detailed the case of one employee who looked at the records of about 900 patients "without any legitimate reason" and viewed Social Security numbers, health insurance information and addresses, from April 2003 to May 2007.

Previous state reports had said the woman, Lawanda Jackson, viewed about 60 patient records. The former administrative specialist faces federal criminal charges for violating Fawcett's privacy.

The report said Jackson used her supervisor's password to view the records, which officials determined by examining her workstation.

After the April violations, one nurse was fired and the two other employees received warnings, the report said.

Hospital officials said computer systems have been updated to block complete Social Security numbers and that staff is being trained on privacy and security. The hospital also said it has notified all patients whose privacy was breached by Jackson.

"We have no excuses," said Dr. David Feinberg, chief executive of the UCLA Health System, in a statement. "UCLA should have detected the violations by Ms. Jackson years ago and should have immediately initiated the process to dismiss her."

Feinberg said the medical center continues to investigate and all employees found to have breached patient confidentiality were disciplined or fired.

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UCLA launches network to study health care disparities affecting minorities - La Prensa San Diego

Group includes distinguished faculty from universities across the nation

The UCLA Department of Family Medicine, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has launched the Network for Multicultural Research on Health and Healthcare, a group that will study health care disparities affecting minorities with chronic diseases.

The network will also mentor and develop a new generation of researchers with an expertise in health care disparities.

The new group-to be directed by Dr. Michael Rodr�guez, associate professor of family medicine, and William Vega, professor of family medicine, both of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA - will draw on the talents of distinguished faculty from several national universities.

'Research has shown us that disparities in health care do exist for certain racial and ethnic groups in the United States,' Rodr�guez said. 'As the population of the United States becomes more and more diverse, it is increasingly important for us to understand the impact of these disparities and devise methods to reduce and eliminate them.'

The network's primary aims are to:

* Understand how social, ethnic, linguistic and economic factors affect the way health care providers serve minority populations.

* Study how personal, cultural and social factors promote or impede adequate health care and disease management.

* Examine health care system barriers to quality care for chronic conditions.

* Explore how various factors - including sources of health information, diet and exercise, self-management of chronic conditions, and levels of health literacy among patients and their families-influence minorities' health status.

The network's senior investigators are Dr. Jos� J. Escarce, Dr. Carol Mangione, Dr. Leo S. Morales and Ninez Ponce of UCLA; Margarita Alegr�a of Harvard University; Dr. Bonnie Duran of the University of Washington; Kyriakos Markides of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston; Dr. Eliseo P�rez-Stable of the University of California, San Francisco; and Roberto Suro of the University of Southern California.

UCLA launches network to study health care disparities affecting minorities. - Health & Medicine Week

The UCLA Department of Family Medicine, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has launched the Network for Multicultural Research on Health and Healthcare, a group that will study health care disparities affecting minorities with chronic diseases (see also University of California - Los Angeles).

The network will also mentor and develop a new generation of researchers with an expertise in health care disparities.

The new group u to be directed by Dr. Michael Rodr iguez, associate professor of family medicine, and William Vega, professor of family medicine, both of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA u will draw on the talents of distinguished faculty from several national universities.

'Research has shown us that disparities in health care do exist for certain racial and ethnic groups in the United States,' Rodr iguez said. 'As the population of the United States becomes more and more diverse, it is increasingly important for us to understand the impact of these disparities and devise methods to reduce and eliminate them.'

The network's primary aims are to:

Understand how social, ethnic, linguistic and economic factors affect the way health care providers serve minority populations. Study how personal, cultural and social factors promote or impede adequate health care and disease management. Examine health care system barriers to quality care for chronic conditions. Explore how various factors u including sources of health information, diet and exercise, self-management of chronic conditions, and levels of health literacy among patients and their families u influence minorities' health status. The network's senior investigators are Dr. Jos e J. Escarce, Dr. Carol Mangione, Dr. Leo S. Morales and Ninez Ponce of UCLA; Margarita Alegr ia of Harvard University; Dr. Bonnie Duran of the University of Washington; Kyriakos Markides of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston; Dr. Eliseo P erez-Stable of the University of California, San Francisco; and Roberto Suro of the University of Southern California.

The project will also support five Healthcare Quality Scholars each year, who will address health issues affecting people from underserved groups, with a primary focus on diabetes and obesity, cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses, depression, and cancer. This work will aid in the development of successful, independent scientists and increase the pipeline of researchers addressing quality of care for the underserved.

Keywords: University of California - Los Angeles.

UCLA EVENT TO EXPLORE LINKS BETWEEN HEALTH AND LABOR TRAFFICKING, ORGAN TRAFFICKING. - States News Service

LOS ANGELES, CA -- The following information was released by UCLA Health System:

Date: 10/17/2011

Contact: Enrique Rivero

WHAT:

'Trends in Exploitation: Labor Trafficking and Organ Trafficking' is a free conference at UCLA examining the health implications of human labor trafficking and organ trafficking.

WHO:

Participants will include:

Dr. Janet Pregler

Professor of clinical medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and director of the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women's Health Center

Dr. Gabriel Danovitch

Medical director of the kidney transplant program at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Dr. Susie Baldwin

Chief of the health assessment unit in the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's Office of Health Assessment and Epidemiology

Vanessa Lanza

Director of partnerships for the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking

Ima

Human trafficking survivor

WHEN:

8:30-11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20

WHERE:

Salon A (third floor) at UCLA's Covel Commons (map)

330 De Neve Dr.

BACKGROUND:

The event is made possible by support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Co-sponsors include Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking; the UCLA Center for the Study of Women; the American Medical Women's Association, UCLA Chapter; the American Medical Women's Association, Undergraduate Division UCLA; the Anti-Trafficking and Human Rights Coalition at UCLA, the UCLA Health and Human Rights Law Project, the UCLA International Institute, and the UCLA Reproductive Rights Interest Group

MEDIA CONTACT:

Enrique Rivero, UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, erivero@mednet.ucla.edu

310-794-2273 (office) | 310-597-5768 (mobile)

PARKING:

California Seniors' Health Detailed in UCLA Study. - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

By Nancy Weaver Teichert, The Sacramento Bee, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Nov. 10--Older Latinos and people with limited English suffer from the poorest health and a lack of preventive health care, according to the first statewide look at the well-being of people 65 and older.

The Sacramento region mirrored similar higher rates of poorer health among Latinos and also among people on the Medi-Cal program.

The well-being of older people in the Sacramento region was comparable to the statewide averages in most categories, except for slightly higher rates of smoking and asthma.

Steven P. Wallace, the main author of the study, said those factors could be related, or poor air quality in the Valley may be harder on older people.

Overall, 30 percent of the state's 3.6 million older people say they have poor or only fair health compared to 44 percent among Latinos and 46 percent among limited-English-speaking seniors.

They suffer higher rates of diabetes and emotional problems along with lower rates of health insurance coverage and screenings that can diagnose health problems before they become serious.

The first county-by-county study of California's oldest population was conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research based on telephone surveys with 10,000 seniors who were part of the California Health Interview Survey of 2001.

Wallace said older people make more demands on the health care system than any other age group both statewide and locally.

'We want older people to remain healthy because that gives them a better quality of life,' said Wallace, associate director of the center and a professor of health sciences at the UCLA School of Public Health. But society also has an economic interest in their well-being.

'If we don't promote a healthier older population, we pay for it with increased costs to Medicare, Medicaid and other health services,' he said.

With state and local governments facing tough choices with how to spend limited resources, the findings can be used to focus expenditures on the biggest needs.

Surveys of people 65 and older also show that good health is a top priority contributing to their quality of life.

Older people often lack preventive health screenings that can end up costing more in both human suffering and health care costs.

One-third of older Californians don't get an annual flu shot, which is an effective low-cost measure to reduce the incidence of pneumonia and related health problems, Wallace said.

The reason may be that some are unaware of the availability of vaccinations at various clinics, or they may not be able to pay the $10 co-payment sometimes charged, the study said.

One-third of seniors don't see a dentist or dental hygienist during the year, contributing to needless suffering and more serious health complications.

The reason may be that Medicare does not cover routine dental care, so two in five seniors have no health coverage to pay for the exams, according to the study.

Older Latinos also reported lower rates of health screenings for diabetes and colon cancer -conditions that benefit from early diagnosis and treatments.

If diabetes is not adequately treated, it can lead to blindness, heart problems and circulatory problems that can result in amputations.

Diabetes is twice as common among older Latinos as among older whites, Wallace said. Commonly, the diabetes isn't diagnosed until help is sought for more serious health problems.

'They are more likely to face barriers in finding health services,' Wallace said.

Nadereh Pourat, co-author and a senior research scientist at the UCLA center, said patients who have to pay more out of pocket for care are more likely to delay going to a doctor until they have a more advanced condition.

Poverty may be a factor why older people in Tulare and Kings counties had the poorest health profiles, while older people in more affluent Marin County were the most healthy, the study found.

Poverty, inadequate health insurance and the lack of information about available health services all contribute to poorer health, the report said.

Wallace said doctors need to suggest preventive health care such as flu vaccinations and screenings for colon cancer starting at age 50.

Dr. Marc Schenker, chairman of the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at UC Davis Medical Center, said he reached similar conclusions in his studies of health problems in California's Latino community.

'You see more deaths from preventable causes in Latino populations,' he said. While emergency care may be more easily found, people with lower incomes run into problems finding preventive health care, Schenker said.

The new UCLA study ranks counties and regions on health behaviors such as smoking and alcohol consumption and health status such as the incidence of diabetes, arthritis and cancer and access to medical care.

The report combines statistics on race and ethnicity with health data culled from the California Health Interview Survey 2001.

The 137-page report, 'Health of Older Californians: County Data Book,' was funded with grants from the Archstone Foundation and the California Endowment and is on the Web at www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu/ pubs/files/archstone_older_ californians.pdf.

To see more of The Sacramento Bee, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sacbee.com

CHINA'S VICE MINISTER OF HEALTH VISITS UCLA TO DISCUSS TRADITIONAL CHINESE, WESTERN MEDICINE. - States News Service

LOS ANGELES, CA -- The following information was released by UCLA Health System:

Contact: Rachel Champeau

China's vice minister of health visits UCLA to discuss traditional Chinese, Western medicine

WHAT:

Vice Minister Wang Guoqiang of the Chinese Ministry of Health and a six-person delegation will visit UCLA to learn how traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and integrative medicine are practiced in the U.S. as a new health care model. UCLA is at the forefront of integrative medicine research and education.

The group will visit with Dr. Ka-Kit Hui and his team at the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine, which is collaborating with China to develop a virtual library of integrative medicine information. Other center projects include the creation of an Internet-based multimedia resource for clinicians, educators and consumers, and research comparing the effectiveness of TCM and integrative medicine on health care.

The delegation will also meet with faculty from the UCLA Collaborative Centers for Integrative Medicine, the UCLA Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research and Dr. Eugene A. Washington, vice chancellor for health sciences and dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

WHO:

The following individuals will be available for interviews:

Wang Guoqiang, China's vice minister of health.

Dr. Ka Kit Hui, UCLA's Wallis Annenberg Professor of Integrative East-West Medicine and director of the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine.

WHEN:

Friday, June 11 (Press availability between 1-1:30 p.m.)

WHERE:

UCLA's Jules Stein Eye Institute, Adam Room (next to Jules Stein Auditorim) (map)

R.S.V.P.:

Please R.S.V.P. to Rachel Champeau at 310-794-0777 or Sue Fan at 310-794-0712.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Rachel Champeau, UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 310-794-0777

rchampeau@mednet.ucla.edu

PARKING:

DR. JODY HEYMANN NAMED DEAN OF UCLA'S FIELDING SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. - States News Service

LOS ANGELES, CA -- The following information was released by UCLA Health System:

Contact: Cynthia Lee

Dr. Jody Heymann, an internationally renowned researcher on health and social policy at McGill University in Montreal, has been appointed the new dean of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.

A pediatrician by training, Heymann leads the first global initiative to examine the impact of health and social policies on individuals, families and communities in all 193 countries of the United Nations.

Her appointment will take effect Jan. 1, 2013, according to an announcement made today by UCLA Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Scott Waugh. A professor of epidemiology and of political science at McGill, Heymann will succeed Linda Rosenstock, who decided to step down as dean on July 1 after nearly 12 years of leadership.

'Public health offers tremendous tools with the capacity to make a difference in the lives of people in California, in the United States and around the world,' Heymann said. 'I couldn't be more thrilled to join the faculty, students and staff at the Fielding School of Public Health as we work together with others at UCLA and across the local and global community to tackle crucial issues at home and abroad.'

Heymann holds a B.A. in history and physics from Yale University, and an M.D., M.P.P and Ph.D. in public policy from Harvard University.

She is the founding director of the Institute for Health and Social Policy at McGill and holds a Canada Research Chair in Global Health and Social Policy. She is also founding director of the WORLD Global Data Centre, where she leads an effort to analyze how health and social policies affect the ability of people in UN member countries to meet health, educational, economic and other needs.

In addition, Heymann directs McGill's Healthier Societies Initiative, a program investigating approaches to controlling health costs while improving health outcomes in the countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

At McGill, Heymann has led the development of a unique multidisciplinary undergraduate and graduate training program that bridges research and policy development, enabling students from more than 40 departments to gain experience in 28 countries.

At Harvard University (1989--2008), she chaired the Project on Global Working Families and held faculty appointments at the schools of public health and medicine u in the departments of society, human development and health; health and social behavior; social medicine; and health care policy.

Heymann has authored and edited more than 200 publications, including 'Children's Chances' (Harvard University Press, forthcoming); 'Making Equal Rights Real' (Cambridge University Press, 2012); 'Protecting Childhood in the AIDS Pandemic' (Oxford University Press, 2012); 'Lessons in Educational Equality' (Oxford University Press, 2012); and 'Profit at the Bottom of the Ladder' (Harvard Business Press, 2009).

Deeply committed to translating research into policies and programs that improve individual and population health, Heymann has worked with government leaders in North America, Europe, Africa and Latin America, as well as a wide range of intergovernmental organizations, including the World Health Organization, the International Labor Organization, UNICEF, UNESCO and the UN's Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

She has served as chair of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Education Systems and vice-chair of the Global Agenda Council on Education and Skills. Her research has been presented to heads of state and senior policymakers around the world.