Hospital-acquired infections surge
Los Angeles county has seen a surge of hospital-acquired
infections in the last 16 months, including stomach viruses,
virulent skin infections and scabies mite infestations.
Last year, public and private hospitals reported 31 outbreaks to
the Department of Health Services compared with eight in 2003.
County health officials have drawn criticism for refusing to name
the facilities involved, citing confidentiality rules.
“˜”˜We’ve got a real problem on our hands, and
it’s a public health problem, and (health officials) have to
be out in front being accountable to the people,” said
Lisa McGiffert, director of Consumers Union’s Stop Hospital
Infection Project.
Small plane crashes, kills two men
BAKERSFIELD “”mdash; Authorities continue to investigate what
caused a small plane to crash, killing two men.
Robert Leroy Hedlund, 72, of Tehachapi, and an unidentified
passenger, died Friday after a crash landing in the mountains 20
miles east of Bakersfield.
A family member reported the pair missing at about 1 a.m.
Saturday. The wreckage was discovered later that day.
Hedlund was flying a 1949 Bellanca airplane, which took off from
a private airport in Exeter on Friday morning but the craft never
arrived in Tehachapi as expected, Civil Air Patrol spokesman Steven
Johnston said.
Compiled from Bruin wire services.