Moments ago, the California Legislature concluded its 2017-18 Legislative Session. The Senate and Assembly held floor sessions each day this week, working to finalize negotiations and pass remaining measures. A 2018 End of Session Memo which includes the latest CHEAC Weekly Bill Chart is available here.
The CHEAC Office will be closed on Monday, September 3 in observance of Labor Day. We will resume normal operations on Tuesday, September 4.
We are pleased to announce that the Plumas County Public Health Agency was awarded national public health accreditation status by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) last week. Plumas County becomes the 13th local health department awarded PHAB recognition in California, in addition to CDPH.
Please join us in congratulating all of the hard work of our colleagues in Plumas County. Additional information on PHAB, as well as the press release, is available here.
This week, the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of California dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) against California’s SB 17 which was signed into law last year. Recall, SB 17, authored by Senator Ed Hernandez, requires health plans and insurers to report to the State cost information on covered prescription drugs plans and insurers dispense or provide to their enrollees. Drug manufacturers are also required to notify the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) when wholesale acquisition costs of prescription drugs increase or when the cost exceeds a specified threshold.
In its lawsuit, PhRMA argued that the wholesale acquisition cost increase notification requirement to the State was unconstitutional and sought a permanent injunction against Governor Brown and OSHPD. The Court, however, ruled against PhRMA on the grounds that the governor has limited immunity in his official capacity and that PhRMA has not been injured or does not face imminent injury. The Court did grant the opportunity for PhRMA to amend its suit and file again for consideration. A statement on the matter from Senator Ed Hernandez is available here.
The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Health and Medicine Division recently released a publication summarizing discussion and findings from the Roundtable on the Promotion of Health Equity “Immigration as a Social Determinant of Health” workshop that was held in Oakland, California, in November 2017. The workshop explored the complex interactions between immigration and health disparities, the relationship of immigration status to economic and health policies, and the ongoing importance of immigrant health outcomes in the United States. The full workshop proceedings publication is available here.
The Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) recently announced the launch of a four-part webinar series entitled “Taking Action to Promote Health Equity: Using the Lessons from Cutting-Edge Practices to Improve Health and Wellbeing.” The webinars will showcase innovations and replicable activities throughout the country to help advance health equity. The first webinar will take place on Tuesday, September 18 at 10:30 am and will feature The California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities Project. Additional information and registration are available here.
The early bird registration rate for the 2019 North American Cannabis Summit has been extended to September 30. The summit will be held on January 28-30 in Los Angeles and will feature science-based conversations and information sharing among public health, environmental health, research, and policy stakeholders. The summit is co-sponsored by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and will focus on public health, health disparities, and health equity in cannabis policy and practice. Additional information is available here.