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California Official Details Proposed Health Care Cuts In Schwarzenegger's Budget Plan
California Department of Finance Chief Deputy Director Ana Matosantos on Tuesday discussed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger"s (R) plans to address the state budget deficit in part by cutting Medi-Cal spending and eliminating Healthy Families, the Sacramento Bee reports. Medi-Cal is California"s Medicaid program, and Healthy Families is the state"s version of CHIP. Matosantos spoke at a Joint Legislative Budget Committee hearing (Yamamura, Sacramento Bee, 5/27).The suggested cuts to health care programs are part of the governor"s proposal to address the state"s projected $24.3 billion budget deficit for fiscal year 2009-2010 (Wiegand, Sacramento Bee, 5/23). Schwarzenegger last week outlined two budget proposals to address the state"s budget problems. One of the proposals addressed the situation if California voters approved a set of special ballot measures intended to provide funds for FY 2009-2010 (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 5/18). However, voters last week rejected five of the six measures on the May 19 statewide ballot, including three propositions that would have let the state use special accounts for mental health services and early childhood education (Yi/Buchanan, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/20). The state would have faced a $15.4 billion budget deficit if voters had approved the measures (Ellis/Schultz, Fresno Bee, 5/20). Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders were scheduled to begin closed door budget negotiations on Tuesday, and a small group of state senators and Assembly members will hold a series of public sessions on the budget on Wednesday (Bailey, Los Angeles Times, 5/20). Democrats scheduled a press conference for Tuesday to announce their timeline for passing a budget, and Republicans also are set to release their plans for advancing a budget agreement.The San Francisco Chronicle reports that California will not have sufficient cash on hand to make some payments by late summer if a budget agreement is not reached quickly (Wildermuth, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/20).

NPR Program Features Discussions On Several Topics Related To Abortion Rights
NPR"s "Talk of the Nation" on Tuesday included a discussion with NPR health policy correspondent Julie Rovner regarding abortion-rights policies and other reproductive health-related issues under the Obama administration. Rovner also discussed a recent Gallup poll that found more U.S. residents described themselves as "pro-life" rather than "pro-choice" for the first time. Rovner noted that public opinion on abortion "tends to be countercyclical to who"s in charge." For example, when the president and the majority in Congress both oppose abortion rights, supporters of those rights "tend to get kind of riled up," she said. Similarly, abortion-rights opponents often are more vocal when abortion-rights supporters occupy the White House and control the majority in Congress, "[s]o it wouldn"t be surprising that you would see ... more of a pro-life push in opinion polls." Rovner noted that the percentage of people who believe abortion should be always illegal or always legal has not changed significantly since 1975. The discussion included Obama"s nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, and his administration"s proposal to repeal the Bush administration"s HHS "conscience" rule, which expanded the ability health care workers now have to refuse to provide services they find morally or religiously objectionable. Rovner said that a finalization of the Obama administration"s proposal on the refusal rule is expected in July, although she added that repealing the rule would "likely have little practical effect" because existing statutes already protect workers with moral and religious objections. When asked about whether Obama has lived up to the expectations of abortion-rights supporters who endorsed him as a candidate, Rovner said that the president has "tried very hard to steer middle ground on this issue, to say, really, there should be a way to find peace" (Conan [1], "Talk of the Nation," NPR, 6/9).Tuesday"s program also included a discussion on how some physicians decide whether they will perform abortions and how that decision affects their lives. Guests included Suzanne Poppema, board chair of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health, and John Kelly, a retired surgeon who opposes abortion rights (Conan [2], "Talk of the Nation," NPR, 6/9).
News of the day
Discovery May Revolutionize Therapy In Muscular Dystrophy And Other Skeletal Muscle Disorders
Researchers at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School are a step closer to treating, and perhaps preventing, muscle damage caused by disease and aging. In their study, published in the June issue of Journal of Biological Chemistry, the scientists have linked the newly discovered protein MG53 to a pathway that repairs human muscle tissue along with the proteins caveolin-3 (Cav3) and dysferlin. Prior to this study, the underlying interactions that inhibited membrane repair in muscle tissue were unknown. Linking these proteins creates a mechanism that allows damaged membranes to be repaired, which may transform treatment for patients who suffer from severe complications of diseases such as muscular dystrophy, as well as cardiovascular disorders and conditions related to advancing age.
Sexual Health

Trust Supporters Hold Celebration Day For Mental Health Care, UK

Patients, staff and carers who support the work of the county"s leading provider of NHS services to adults with mental ill health, invited the public to join in their first "birthday" celebrations last week. Members of the Somerset Partnership Foundation Trust"s Members Council held the information and advice event at Lyngford House Conference Centre in Taunton. Displays and presentation material was on show and local voluntary organisations participated, each highlighting the many s of advice and information which can help those, either caring for a person with mental ill health or experiencing any form of mental illness themselves. Council Members are ordinary members of the public with an active interest in mental health issues and the NHS services delivered to local people. They act as a "sounding board" for clients, carers and the public regarding local mental health services and advise the Trust"s management of those services clients most value and those which they feel in need of improvement. Partnership Trust Chair, Linda Nash, gave a brief overview of the success of the Members Council this year congratulating them on their work and saying: "It is one year since the Trust"s Members Council was established and so this is really a birthday celebration. Members and Trust supporters have played a vital role as a voice to people with mental ill health, who still remain amongst some of the most vulnerable and excluded people in our community. "I would like to thank you all for your views and reassure and advice throughout the year. These are being used to improve our services and ensure we address the needs of all. Whilst your advice helps develop our strategic health service plans, it is your role as mental health service champions, which is most important. One in four people will be affected by a mental health condition in their lives - most commonly stress anxiety or depression and yet such illness still carry considerable stigma. Mental ill health is not treated like other physical illnesses and this stigma must be addressed. It continues to blight people"s lives and is known to deter many people from seeking professional help at a point when more serious mental ill health could be prevented." If members of the public would like to find out more about the work of the Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust or become a Trust supporter or join the Members Council they should write to the Trust at: Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust


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