In Brief: Brown Signs AED Legislation Into Law; CDPH Gets $3.7M Opioid Grant
Brown Signs AED Legislation Into Law
Gov. Jerry Brown has signed SB 658 into law, greatly loosening the liability and training requirements for the use of automatic external defibrillators on cardiac arrest victims.
The new law, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, requires schools, casinos and other large places of employment to test their AEDs every 90 days instead of 30 days, and no longer require CPR training for certain employees. Instead, employees only need to be notified of where the AEDs are located in the buildings where they work, and requires the posting of easy-to-read instructions next to the device.
"Hanging an AED on a wall should be as common as installing a fire extinguisher, a first aid station or similar equipment designed to save lives and protect health in emergencies," said Tomi Ryba, the CEO of El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, which supported the legislation. A local lawmaker, Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, authored the bill.
“Modern AEDs are safe and simple to use by nearly anyone, even with no prior training, and they can be purchased without a prescription, Ryba said.
El Camino contributed $22,000 to a local collaborative effort to place AEDs in public buildings and schools in Los Gatos and Campbell.
CDPH Receives $3.7M Opioid Grant
The California Department of Public Health has received a $3.7 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to curb deaths from the misuse and abuse of opioids.
Officials said the money, which will be doled out over four years, will be used to improve the safety in prescribing prescription painkillers.
In 2013, more than 4,300 Californians died from prescription opioid overdoses. Nationwide, more than 16,000 Americans died, prompting public health officials to address the issue.
“Prescription opioid misuse can hurt anyone who has access to these medications, as well as their families and loved ones,” said CDPH Director Karen Smith, M.D. “People often associate drug abuse with illegal drugs, but this effort targets the misuse of drugs that were prescribed for pain management.”
House Lawsuit Against ACA May Proceed
A federal judge is permitting a lawsuit against the Obama administration by the U.S. House of Representatives regarding funding for the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The House sued last year, claiming the administration never received the appropriations to cover discounts insurance companies must offer under the ACA to low-income enrollees.
U.S. District Judge U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer ruled that the House had legal standing to file suit against the administration, noting that the discretion it has over spending is a Constitutional check against the Executive branch.
The ruling was a bit of surprise to observers, many of whom thought the suit would not be able to proceed, particularly given the many legal victories in favor of the ACA to date.
