CA nurses demand modifications to dependancy restoration program

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For California nurses in search of assist with alcohol or drug abuse, the highway to restoration by a program managed by their licensing board might be fraughtwrites CalMatters well being reporter Kristen Hwang.

Analysis reveals that a minimum of 1 in 10 well being care staff will develop a substance use dysfunction throughout their profession. To guard sufferers, California handed a legislation in 2008 creating requirements for every state licensing board detailing how they need to handle staff coping with dependancy. These rules embody drug testing, limiting journey and psychiatric evaluations.

Some nurses say the principles are too harsh. That features Bobbie Sage, who has by no means been recognized as an alcoholic however was charged with a misdemeanor in 2014 for driving beneath the affect. After finishing three years of felony probation with out incident, her licensing board ordered her to finish a further probation program.

Unable to afford the month-to-month drug assessments or superb, Sage in the end dropped out of this system. She surrendered her license in 2019.

• Sage: “I haven’t been a perfect person in my life, but I’ve been a good person. I’ve taken full responsibility, and I don’t believe we should keep punishing someone for a misdemeanor that happened 10 years ago.”

What about medical docs? The restoration program has by no means included docs, however the state board that licenses most docs plans to push for one that focuses on early intervention and is disconnected from its disciplinary energy.

Study extra in regards to the modifications nurses are demanding for his or her restoration program and the proposal for docs to have their very own program in Kristen’s tales.

Talking of well being care: It’s been two months since Kaiser Permanente psychological well being care staff in Southern California started their strike. As Democratic legislative leaders put strain on Kaiser to finish the labor dispute, sufferers are having a tough time discovering satisfactory care through the walkout. Learn extra from CalMatters native information fellow Joe Garcia.

At this time state and federal officers are asserting new working preparations for delivering water sourced from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The plan will direct exports of water from two main techniques (the State Water Venture and the Central Valley Venture) that collectively serve 29.5 million individuals and three.7 million acres of farmland.

The announcement follows the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation last overview of a number of choices for working the water initiatives, which it launched in November. Ironing out the plan over time has been extremely contentious: In 2020, California sued to dam guidelines from the Donald Trump administration that regulated the state’s allocation of Delta water, arguing the principles threatened endangered fish. In response, the president-elect has warned he’ll withhold federal wildfire assist (prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to draft a back-up funding plan).

However environmentalists aren’t too thrilled in regards to the alternate proposal developed by the Biden and Newsom administrations both. They argue that plan could possibly be extra dangerous for fish migrating by the Delta — together with Chinook salmon, which have been declining for many years. Cities, nevertheless, in addition to city and farm water provide teams, assist the plan.

Let’s dive into some employment information:

• Constructing bikes, careers: A state grant program helps to fund a San Jose nonprofit that helps veterans, previously unhoused individuals and those that had run-ins with the legislation discover ways to handle a enterprise. Members rotate jobs inside a motorcycle restore store — gaining expertise in accounting and advertising — and have the chance to work 40-hour work weeks. However like all grant packages, future funding is hazy. Stated the director of the state’s workforce improvement board: “We can’t lobby, we can’t ask the Legislature for money, we can’t do any of that.” Learn extra from Zayna Syed.

• Jobs within the rural north: Within the northernmost a part of California, often called the Redwood Curtain, there is no such thing as a scarcity of pure magnificence. However for the individuals residing in counties together with Del Norte, Humboldt and Shasta, there are fewer instructional alternatives and high-paying jobs. One affiliation, backed by the federal Division of Labor, is making an attempt to spice up employment alternatives by offering one-on-one mentoring, coaching provides and even cash for work garments. Learn extra from Fiona Kelliher.

Declining enrollment and the top of pandemic assist have left faculties in monetary peril. CalMatters Ok-12 training reporter Carolyn Jones and video technique director Robert Meeks have a video section on Carolyn’s story on the challenges districts face when shutting down faculties as a part of our partnership with PBS SoCal. Watch it right here.

And take a look at Robert’s video on a measure Los Angeles voters handed to develop their county’s five-member board of supervisors, which supporters say is a step towards higher illustration. Watch it right here.

SoCalMatters airs at 5:58 p.m. weekdays on PBS SoCal.