A statewide poll revealed that 80% of voters in California support a new law that will allow the California Department of Public Health to review and possibly reject a doctor's decision to allow a child to skip some of their shots, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from California, Massachusetts, and Michigan.
- California: A statewide poll released Monday found the majority of Californians support a state law that will increase oversight of vaccine medical exemptions for children in school. The poll, conducted by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, revealed that about 80% of voters supported a new law that will allow the California Department of Public Health to review and possibly reject a doctor's decision that a child could skip some of their shots. Of those, about 60% of voters said they strongly supported the law (Gutierrez, Los Angeles Times, 9/30).
- Massachusetts: Vape shop owners are suing the state of Massachusetts over its four-month ban on sales of vaping products, claiming the court should deem the law "unconstitutional." The shops, including Mass Dynamics, Boston Vapor, and Vick's Vape Shop, said the ban undermines FDA's determination that vaping products and e-liquids are safe to use and sell (Reuters, 9/30).
- Michigan: NIH last week granted University of Michigan $25.5 million in funding to support projects for opioid addiction treatment and prevention. The grants are part of NIH's Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) initiative. The projects include a study of drug-related deaths and a project to develop non-opioid treatments for chronic back pain (Park, Becker's Hospital Review, 9/30).