Hospices not complying with state law
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Tuesday, May second.
How hospices are not complying with the medical aid in dying law.
More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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San Diego County supervisors will decide today, how to fill the fourth district seat following Nathan Fletcher’s resignation.
There are three options.
The first choice is to appoint a new supervisor to serve the three and a half years left in Fletcher's term.
Option two is calling a special election on August 15th, with the potential for a runoff in November.
The third option is a combination of the first two… Call a special election and appoint someone to fill the vacancy until the winner can be seated.
Fletcher is resigning after accusations of sexual harassment and assault —
He denies the accusations
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Bus shuttles have restarted between Oceanside and Orange County… for train passengers affected by the latest rail closure.
A landslide in San Clemente could land on the train tracks and is being monitored for movement.
“This new area is actually owned by the city of San Clemente and we're taking their lead in terms of determining when it's safe to operate rail service again.”
That was Scott Johnson with Metrolink.
He says transportation agencies don’t have an estimated date for restoring service, and are waiting for direction from the city of San Clemente.
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“May Grey” is in full effect this week.
Light rain is in the forecast today, and it’s expected on and off until Friday.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service say a storm is expected to hit the county tomorrow night, into Thursday.
We can also expect chilly weather all week.
With Thursday being the coolest.
Temps that day will be up to 20 degrees below average.
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From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
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Sixteen months after California began requiring healthcare providers to post on their websites their own medical aid in dying policies, only a handful are complying.
Investigative reporter Amita Sharma has details.
Ambi sound of dogs barking playfully with San Diego Woman. Marie’s dogs watched as she winced while moving with a walker around her tiny San Diego apartment. “I have intractable migraines All my joints are unstable at this point, and so it's very painful with my body trying to grab on, and it creates knots. I am just never comfortable. Even laying down can be painful.” Marie didn’t want her full name used.. The 52-year-old ex- government intel analyst is afflicted with three incurable diseases. She needs 15 medications just to get through the day. Doctors have approved her for a drug cocktail that would end her life peacefully. Sparing her from what she called a “Dante’s Inferno” of suffering in her final days. “ I love life. And I love people but the pain and suffering is so bad.” It wasn’t easy for Marie to find a San Diego hospice that participated in California's seven-year-old End of Life Option Act. A 2022 law requires all healthcare providers, including hospices, to post on their websites their policies on medical aid in dying. But KPBS found that fewer than 10 of 94 local hospices are in compliance. “I'm incredibly troubled by that finding,” State Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman co-authored California’s revised medical aid in dying law SB 380. There is no government agency explicitly responsible for ensuring that hospices comply. But Eggmansays hospices that don’t may still face scrutiny. “ That’s exactly the kind of thing that I think is right for an oversight committee hearing.” California is one of 10 states as well as Washington DC, that allows medical aid in dying. but it remains a controversial issue. This week, a disability rights group sued the state, saying assisted suicide is too easy in California. KPBS contacted several local hospices not in compliance with the law.– None agreed to be interviewed. The California Hospice And Palliative Care Association also declined to comment. ”...There's a real strain on hospices right now. Samantha Trad is with Colorado-based Compassion & Choices, which supports access to medical aid in dying. She blames the low number of local hospices publicizing their stance on the state's end of life option act on understaffing. ”I'm not surprised that there are many that don't have it up yet.” But Lonny Shavelson, a physician and chairman of the Academy on Medical Aid in Dying. is puzzled.“It’s just fair to our patients who are dying to let them know what they’re going to have available when they go into a hospice.” That said, he is fine with SB 380’s lack of an enforcement provision. “I don't think it's our job at this moment to be police officers for hospices on this level.” Robert Drake, formerly of Compassion & Choices. says there might be a financial incentive for hospices to skirt the law. “The fear of losing reimbursable dollars from Medicare with compliance with SB380 is significant.” UCSD Medical Professor Lynnette Cederquest said hospices might also be reluctant to publicize their policies because of public perception. They're a little fearful that, `Well, if we embrace this now, we're really going to be the death service.’” Marie says it’s a travesty that not all are abiding by the new law. She’s relieved she has a hospice that will be there if she decides to end her life. “Now I'm in kind of a holding pattern, but I think I'll just know in my heart that when enough is enough.” Amita Sharma, KPBS News.
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Teachers at Gompers Preparatory Academy are preparing to vote on whether they will stay in a union.
Education reporter M.G. Perez talked with teachers on both sides of the decision dividing the public charter school.
18 years ago parents and educators in the Chollas View neighborhood came together to convert what they considered a failing public school into a successful charter campus. Gompers Preparatory Academy has a 100-percent graduation rate…and a staff of 50 teachers. Those teachers are divided on whether they should remain members of the San Diego Education Association…which represents teachers in the San Diego Unified School District. Teachers like Cindy Ornelas say they were forced to join S-D-E-A in 2019…“the union has just been divisive and instigating trouble when they can…and so a lot of people are intimidated by that.” Vallery Campos represents the other teachers who want to keep the protection of the union.“it gives you a voice…a collective voice to be able to bargain for some of the things you all see as an area you need support in.” The California Public Employment Relations Board has now approved a vote to decertify by mail-in ballot starting May 10th. MGP KPBS News.
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Coming up.... A local chef talks about the perks of shopping at restaurant supply stores for your home goods. We’ll have that story and more, just after the break.
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Fresh off their series in Mexico City, the Padres are back at Petco Park... after inspiring some young ball players in the heart of Mexico.
Reporter Jacob Aere has our story.
The Padres and the Giants were on Mexico’s biggest stage in the country’s capital city … But the matchup was bigger than the games themselves. Padres slugger Nelson Cruz said it best during an emotional speech over the weekend: “Con sacrificio y trabajo, no hay sueño imposible.” He says “With sacrifice and hard work, there is no dream that’s impossible.” Ahead of the weekend’s games, he and other Padres hosted a youth baseball clinic for young boys and girls in Mexico City… like Warison Gabriel Ramirez Cruz. “Es increíble porque nunca los he conocido en persona, solo les visto por cameras, sus entrevistas y todo eso.” He says that it was an incredible moment because he never had met a Padres or MLB player before in-person. Major League Baseball plans to go back to Mexico City in 2024 and 2025. We don’t know yet whether the Padres will play in either of those series… but their mark has been made. The team is inspiring young latinos in both countries to chase their wildest dreams. Jacob Aere, KPBS News.
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Home essentials like pots and pans are getting harder to find in retail stores.
It’s apparently easier and more profitable for stores to stock up on clothes than pots and pans.
Like we mentioned last week, Bed, Bath and Beyond is on its last leg—closing stores and filing for bankruptcy.
Some home cooks have turned to the internet for kitchen appliances and utensils, but there is another alternative...probably right in your neighborhood.
In the last few years, restaurant supply stores have reported anywhere from a 20 to 40 percent increase in business from home cooks.
While these kinds of stores have traditionally been geared towards the restaurant industry, many home cooks are finding professional quality equipment there, sometimes at lower prices than the cookware offered in retail home goods stores.
Mark Schmitt, is the corporate chef for Trust Restaurant Group.
He operates a number of restaurants and butcher shops across San Diego.
He joined my colleague Maureen Cavanaugh with a guide to getting to know your restaurant supply store.
Here’s their conversation.
Mark, you’re an avid shopper at restaurant supply stores… Why do you think home cooks might consider shopping there?
How different is shopping at a restaurant supply store than shopping at a regular retail home store?
Is there anyone to help a confused home cook?
If I’m going to a restaurant supply store, what would you recommend I buy there and what would you suggest I go elsewhere for?
What are some of the best restaurant supply stores that you’d recommend people to check out if they don’t already know about them?
Do you need to join a club or anything to shop at a restaurant supply store?
TAG: That was Mark Schmitt… the corporate chef for Trust Restaurant Group, speaking with KPBS Midday Edition host, Maureen Cavanaugh.
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That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Tuesday.
