Kathleen L'Ecluse

Combat veterans report more cases of high blood pressure

SACRAMENTO — Servicemen and women seeing combat have a greater chance of having high blood pressure, according to a new study.Deployed military workers with many combat exposures were 33 percent more likely to report they had high blood pressure...

Lost your job? Here are tips on preserving your health care

SACRAMENTO — The state wants people who have just lost their jobs to know the best steps to take to preserve their health coverage.The California HealthCare Foundation has joined with California First Lady Maria Shriver's WE Connect campaign...

New law seeks to lift ban on gay, bisexual men blood donors

SACRAMENTO — Healthy gay and bisexual men would be able to donate blood if new legislation approved by the Assembly Tuesday succeeds.The proposed law, called the U.S. Blood Donor Nondiscrimination Resolution, asks the federal government to repeal a...

Putting the run on the runs in babies

SACRAMENTO — Nothing has quite as pungent an odor as dirty diapers. Babies have a unique way of filling up a room with, well, horrible smells.What can be even worse is when a baby has diarrhea. But a doctor...

Budding filmmakers sought to fight swine flu

SACRAMENTO — Got a hip way to tell people about the swine flu? State government wants to hear about it.The California Department of Public Health has created a competition called "Lights, Camera, Save Lives" to generate short...

Need health care? You have a one in five shot of getting rejected

SACRAMENTO — If you're sick and need treatment, you have a one in five chance of not getting it because your health insurance company denied your claim, according to research released Wednesday.The six largest health insurers operating in...

Poor people are sick more, get less health care

SACRAMENTO — If you're poor you're more likely to be sicker with more chronic conditions, and can't afford to take care of those conditions, according to a new report.More than half of low-income Californians with...

One in four at risk for swine flu

SACRAMENTO — With predictions that up to one in four people could sicken with swine flu in the next few months, California schools are preparing to deal with what could be a devastating flu season."The H1N1 is unpredictable...

Hopelessness, apathy physically harm women, stroke survivors

SACRAMENTO — Hopeless women who are otherwise healthy face a greater chance of stroke, according to a study published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Associationl.Negative thinking and feelings of uselessness cause the arteries of otherwise healthy...

Bill targets health disparities by race, ethnicity

SACRAMENTO — With a 33-1 vote, the state Senate approved a bill to prevent, reduce and eliminate health disparities among racial and ethnic populations, a press release said Thursday. “We need to break down the silos that...

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