La Ley de Ayuda para Morir de California podría ser detenida, dependiendo del resultado de una audiencia mañana en un tribunal federal.

La Asociación Médica y Dental Cristiana le está pidiendo al juez que suspenda Ley del Senado 380 mientras continúa la demanda del grupo. La ley permite que los pacientes con enfermedades terminales con menos de seis meses de vida obtengan una receta para poner fin a su sufrimiento si deciden usarla.

En Oceanside, Andrew Flack de 35 años, acaba de obtener la suya en una farmacia, en caso de que el juez conceda un mandato preliminar.

"Me gusta tener esta opción, porque hay una enorme ansiedad que viene de morir de Cáncer, y también el dolor diario que experimentas," explica Flack. "Entonces, saber que tengo una salida contra el sufrimiento inevitable, es un alivio."

Los demandantes argumentan que la ley viola sus derechos al obligarlos a decir a los pacientes que ellos no ofrecen este tipo de atención al final de la vida. Deben anotar eso en los registros médicos y transferir los registros del paciente a otro médico si así se solicita.

Patricia González-Portillo, de la organización sin fines de lucro Compassion and Choices, dice que la ley de California ha brindado tranquilidad a muchos pacientes con enfermedades terminales.

"Si no tenemos esta ley en California, los pacientes con una enfermedad terminal van a tener que sufrir de manera innecesaria," argumenta González-Portillo. "Esta es una ley compasiva. "

El abogado John Kappos representa al Sr. Flack, a dos médicos y a Compassion & Choices Action Network, todos ellos son intervinientes en este caso.

"Esta es una ley que requiere que los médicos hagan poco o nada mas de lo que ya están obligados a hacer," asegura Kappos. "Por lo tanto, no es una infracción de los derechos de la Primera Enmienda, la libertad de religión, o la libertad de expresión. Es a lo más un impacto incidental en quienes tienen esos derechos."

La Dra. Catherine Sonquist Forest es una Universidad de California San Francisco médica de medicina familiar en una residencia de en Salinas que trata a pacientes con enfermedades terminales y capacita a otros médicos en el Área de la Bahía. El verano pasado, ella dice que su esposo de 37 años usó ayuda médica para morir cuando su enfermedad de la neurona motora se volvió insoportable.

"Solo se necesita una experiencia personal de un ser querido o un familiar cercano, cuyo sufrimiento no responde con hospicio o cuidados paliativos, para comprender por qué esa decisión debe ser entre la persona y su equipo de atención," dice Sonquist.

El Departamento de Salud de California informa que más de 2800 californianos con enfermedades terminales recibieron recetas entre 2016 y 2020, y alrededor de 1800 personas optaron por usar sus medicamentos.

Farmworkers in South Carolina and across the U.S. face scorching heat with little protection at the federal and state level. However, the Farm Labor Organizing Committee is taking steps to enhance worker safety.

The group is ramping up heat protection guidelines for migrant workers in the South through an existing rule. Originally negotiated in 2006 with the North Carolina Growers Association, the rule aimed to address heat-related incidents. Now, it is being strengthened to improve conditions for more than 9,000 farmworkers.

Baldemar Velasquez, president of the committee, believes the efforts are key in safeguarding workers where legal measures do not.

"The problem with legislation, whether it's the federal or state, it takes forever," Velasquez asserted. "Enforcement is always an issue because we're not talking about big factories with a lot of workers. We're talking very remote labor camps, isolated, and so it's important that workers know how to take action on their own."

He noted under the new guidelines, workers who are a part of their union take heat safety into their own hands. The rules say if it is getting close to 85 degrees and workers have symptoms such as dizziness or nausea, they should take a break in the shade and drink water, no matter what the boss said. When it hits 95 degrees or more, breaks are supposed to happen every couple of hours.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 67 people died from heat-related deaths from 2016 through 2020 in South Carolina.

Mario Vargas, lead organizing development coordinator at the Campaign for Migrant Worker Justice, shared his 15 years of firsthand experience. He vividly depicted the challenges faced by workers, such as tall crops blocking the wind and constant pressure from employers.

Recognizing the urgent need for change, Vargas and his organization are teaming up with the committee to go beyond guidelines. They are prioritizing education.

"Because if you say, 'Oh, we got another 100 feet to go so we can finish the row,' you might not make it to the end of the row," Vargas pointed out. "You need to stop and find some shade and drink some water. We let them know their rights, that they have a right."

The group will be teaching farmworkers about the new guidelines, signs of heat stress, how to stay hydrated and when to seek medical help. Vargas added they will also have support channels to report issues or pushback to ensure their well-being is not compromised.

Last week, Walmart became the latest major retailer to retreat from providing direct health-care service by announcing closures of all its health clinics and virtual health-care operations.

However, Florida's health centers say they are ready to fill the gap.

Florida is home to most of the soon-to-be-shuttered health centers - 23 of the 51 centers are now winding down operations in the Sunshine State, where they offer various services, including medical, dental, and behavioral health care.

Benjamin Browning - vice president and COO of the Florida Association of Community Health Centers - said many have tried to figure out the complexities of delivering health-care services, which doesn't always work.

He said the current concern is ensuring displaced patients, often in rural underserved areas, can still access care.

"Fortunately," said Browning, "the community health centers are positioned throughout the state to be able to welcome those patients, to encourage those patients to come and visit and receive their primary-care services."

In a statement, Walmart cited the challenging health-care reimbursement landscape and rising operating costs as reasons for the closures.

Additionally, Walgreens is closing 160 VillageMD clinics, Amazon is cutting jobs at One Medical and Amazon Pharmacy, and CVS Health plans to shutter dozens of pharmacies in Target stores.

Browning said their model of providing care is embedded in their name - building community.

When a patient enters their facility, they might also be connected to additional services. He said the model is financially challenging, but they've been working to perfect it.

"There is a level of streamlining," said Browning. "There is a level of efficiency that is maximized to the extent possible, within the health centers to provide for those patients that can and cannot afford to pay the full bill."

Walmart expects the closures to occur within three months and will now focus its health business on its nearly 4,600 pharmacies and more than 3,000 vision centers across the United States.

Community Health Centers are in all of Florida's 67 counties, serving patients in more than 800 locations - including dozens of mobile units and school-based sites statewide.

Michigan farmers are responding to the new Avian Flu "Extraordinary Emergency" order from MDARD, Michigan's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

New safety guidelines must be in place by this Wednesday that affect all dairy and poultry operations in the state.

The guidelines include the designation of a biosecurity manager, establishing a perimeter that limits access to livestock, and implementing cleaning and disinfection procedures at those access points.

Chief Medical Executive for the state of Michigan, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, said the most severe cases of the Bird Flu seem to be in poultry.

"Poultry don't recover well from this virus," said Bagdasarian. "This is a highly pathogenic virus in poultry and the dairy cows do tend to recover, even though their milk production is slowed down."

M-DARD first detected Avian Flu in Michigan dairy cattle on March 29 of this year. The disease has since been detected in more dairy herds and commercial poultry flocks in 7 counties.

The emergency guidelines also include farms maintaining a record of vehicles and people who cross access points.

Regarding the health risks for humans, Bagdasarian said there is some positive news amidst the crisis.

"We had a number of workers who had been exposed, but very few have been symptomatic," said Bagdasarian. "And no one who has been symptomatic and tested for the virus, had tested positive. So, that's really good news. "

The Food and Drug Administation continues to advise against drinking raw milk and recommends that the dairy industry does not manufacture or sell raw milk or raw milk products.



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