Sacramento Bee: ‘Best Tool’ To Prevent Gun Violence Is Rarely Used In California
When a police officer called Santa Clara County deputy district attorney Marisa McKeown in July 2016 to inquire about getting a gun violence restraining order, her initial response was: What on Earth are you talking about? I've never heard of such a thing. The state law, which had taken effect six months before, allows family members and law enforcement to seek the temporary removal of firearms from someone they believe poses a danger to themselves or others. (Koseff, 3/29)

The Mercury News: CDC: A Second Flu Outbreak May Be Here
Just when we all thought we were done with this winter’s deadly flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting that another influenza strain could be about to hit the nation. While the season was mainly dominated by the H3N2 virus, an influenza A strain that is more severe and less receptive to vaccines than other types of the flu, influenza B has now overtaken influenza A. And that, says the CDC, could be setting the stage for a second wave of misery. (May, 3/28)

In other public health news —

KQED: E-Cigarettes May Be Toxic To The Body
Many smokers, turn to electronic cigarettes and vaporizers as a way to quit their habit, but recent research shows that swapping smoke for vapor might also lead to serious health risks. ... Flori Sassano, a pharmacologist at the University of North Carolina, worries about all those fruity ingredients. ... Scientists do not know how the body reacts to inhaling artificial flavors. The Food and Drug Administration has only tested the flavor agents for consumption, that's why Sassano just completed a study on e-liquids. ... The researchers found that results varied widely across the e-liquid products tested, and overall, more ingredients led to increased toxicity. (McClurg, 3/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: Man Suffering From 'Worst-Ever' Case Of Super-Gonorrhea
A British man has contracted what health officials are calling the world's "worst-ever" case of super-gonorrhea. The man, who was not identified, has a regular partner in the U.K., but was infected earlier this year during a sexual encounter with a woman in Southeast Asia, according to BBC News. The main antibiotic treatment for the disease — a combination of azithromycin and ceftriaxone — failed to cure the infection, according to Public Health England. The two drugs were recommended in combination under new World Health Organization guidelines issued only last year. (Moffitt, 3/28)

The Mercury News: Why Are You Always Hungry?
Summer is coming and you’re thinking about trying on swimsuits and launching a new healthy living kick. Pronto. Especially the diet part. If you are trying to get fit fast, you are likely moving more and eating less — and grappling with the nagging feeling that you can’t seem to stop feeling hungry. Am I right? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Here are four reasons you’re always hungry and what to do to tame your rumbling tummy. (D'Souza, 3/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: Dining Out Is Bad For Your Health, According To A New Study
Dining out at restaurants might be bad for your health, according to a national study released Wednesday. But it’s not solely due to sugars or fats, but to increased levels of potentially harmful chemicals called phthalates. The study, which was published by George Washington University and authored by a UC Berkeley scientist, is the first of its kind to compare phthalate exposure in people who reported eating at restaurants and cafeterias to those who made home-cooked meals. According to the report, the phthalate levels of those who dined out often were nearly 35 percent higher than those of people who reported eating food purchased at the grocery store, and fast-food restaurants are a particularly strong source of the chemical. (Phillips, 3/28)

Los Angeles Times: O.C. Pushes Homeless Off The Street But Can't Find Anywhere To Shelter Them
Orange County pushed hundreds out of an encampment along the Santa Ana River trail. Officials have also vowed to remove the tent city that has taken root at the Santa Ana Civic Center. But as the county and some of its cities take steps to push out homeless people, the problem of where they should go remains unsolved. And it became abundantly clear Tuesday that finding places willing to host new homeless shelters is going to be a huge political challenge. More than 1,000 people converged on the Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting to protest a plan to relocate those removed from along the river to temporary shelters in Irvine, Huntington Beach and Laguna Niguel. (Do, Carcamo and Serna, 3/28)

KQED: Orange County Faces Bitter Backlash Over Homeless Relocation Plans
But with protesters chanting outside, the county voted to rescind its plans - for now - to build three new emergency shelters. After the 4-0 vote, there was a chorus of boos mixing with loud applause. ... The supervisors did commit to fast-tracking spending of more than $50 million in previously unspent dollars to help the poor. (Siegler, 3/28)

Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Sebastopol Hospital’s Drug-Screening Program Questioned
Both the legality and propriety of a multimillion-dollar drug-testing venture between Sonoma West Medical Center in Sebastopol and a medical laboratory company in Florida are being further questioned following a CBS News investigation televised nationally earlier this week. The news report alleged the Reliance Laboratory Testing, headed by its principal partner, Aaron Durall, set up a nationwide network of drug-screening shops inside rural hospitals around the country, cashing in on rural hospital reimbursement rates as much as 10 times the rate charged by regular lab companies. (Espinoza, 3/28)

In other health system news —

Ventura County Star: County Contract Grows To $9M For Ventura County Medical Center Retooling
A Chicago consultant will be paid up to $9.8 million to guide changes in the management of Ventura County Medical Center. Composed of two hospitals and assorted clinics, VCMC serves large numbers of low-income patients and is largely self-supporting. But officials say they need help from Huron Consulting Services to prepare for major changes in how health care is funded and to boost the bottom line. Financial results are off the mark for the medical center this fiscal year. The institution reported unaudited losses of $9 million for the first seven months of the fiscal year ending in January. Officials had budgeted a net income of $928,000. (Wilson, 3/28)

Ventura County Star: After The Doctor Dies, The Medical Records Remain
Dr. Philip Maurice, a neurologist who practiced in Camarillo and Thousand Oaks for nearly 40 years, died in April of liver cancer diagnosed less than three months earlier. He was 72. His legacy includes stacks of cardboard boxes and a mass of file folders that now fill a storage room lit by a bare lightbulb. Darcie Maurice-Garcia, the doctor’s middle daughter and office manager, asked the Medical Board of California for input on what to do with her father’s medical records. There are maybe 7,000 of them — all on paper, detailing his care of patients in the past seven years of a practice that began in the 1970s. (Kisken, 3/28)

In other news from across the state —

Modesto Bee: 'Her Heart Is With The Indigent.' Now, She's Modesto's Top Doctor
Dr. Silvia Diego became a doctor with a mission of providing health care to the poor and uninsured. ... Diego launched a private practice called Family First Medical Care, at 1317 Oakdale Road in Modesto. In keeping with her mission, Family First has an even mix of insured patients and people enrolled in government health programs. It might not be the best for business, but about 50 percent of the patients have Medi-Cal and Medicare coverage, Diego said. (Carlson, 3/28)

Modesto Bee: Civil Racketeering Case Can Go Forward Against Two Law Firms Over Disability Claims
A federal racketeering civil lawsuit is moving forward against two law firms that have filed hundreds of Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuits that supporters say have benefited the disabled — but critics contend have put a financial strain on many small business owners in Fresno and elsewhere. (Lopez, 3/28)

The Mercury News: Redwood City: Local Toddler With Rare Cancer Inspires Cousins To Honor Him In Contest
A Redwood City toddler who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer at 10 months of age is the inspiration for one of three finalists in a nationwide art contest. Benny Van Haren, who turns 2 on April 12, is now in remission for Langerhans cell hisiocytosis, a rare cancer that affects the Langerhans cell, a white blood cell that normally helps the body fight off infections and occurs in one to two of every 1 million young children. He has spent half of his life with a device inserted to a vein in his chest through which he received chemotherapy. (Kelly, 3/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: Former Offspring Drummer Turned OB/GYN Saves Juror During His Own Bay Area Malpractice Trial
A Bay Area obstetrician-gynecologist and former member of a legendary punk band proved he retains his DIY sensibility at a recent medical malpractice trial, where he saved a prospective juror's life. The judge declared a mistrial, fearing the doc's heroics would sway the jury. ... Trial proceedings didn't get very far this week after one of more than 35 prospective jurors collapsed, hit his head and lost consciousness, Law360 reports. [Dr. James] Lilja and his nurse assistant rushed from the courtroom to the juror's side and found him without a pulse and not breathing. (Robertson, 3/28)

The New York Times: Veterans Affairs Secretary Is Latest To Go As Trump Shakes Up Cabinet
After weeks of uncertainty atop the Department of Veterans Affairs, President Trump dismissed its secretary, David J. Shulkin, on Wednesday and announced he would replace him with the White House physician, Dr. Ronny L. Jackson, a rear admiral in the Navy. ... The announcement punctuated what has been a rapid fall from favor for Dr. Shulkin, a politically moderate former hospital executive who delivered Mr. Trump a string of bipartisan legislative victories at a time when he was struggling to find them. But in his final weeks, he struggled to fight off attempts by more conservative administration officials to have him removed and was dogged by an unflattering inspector general report on his overseas travel that undermined his relationship with the president. (Fandos and Haberman, 3/28)

Reuters: Trump Taps Doctor, Decorated Diver To Rescue Veterans Affairs
When a Republican congressman was critically wounded in a shooting at a baseball game last summer, U.S. President Donald Trump dispatched his physician, an Iraq war veteran trained in emergency medicine, to the hospital to check on his condition. Later on that June day, Navy Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson accompanied the Trumps to meet with Representative Steve Scalise's family and medical team. Scalise survived and has returned to Congress. Now Trump is counting on Jackson to take charge at Veterans Affairs, a behemoth of a bureaucracy that has vexed a slew of decorated military officers and corporate managers. (3/28)

The Associated Press: VA Pick Impressed Trump When He Gave Glowing Health Report
Ronny Jackson passed his screen test with President Donald Trump before casting even began. Jackson, the president's personal physician and surprise choice to lead the massive Department of Veterans Affairs, stood before the White House press corps in January to announce the results of the president's first physical in a performance that showed he was quick-witted, hard to throw off-kilter and unfailingly complimentary of Trump. Marveling at the 71-year-old president's good health, Jackson opined, "It's just the way God made him." (3/29)

The Washington Post: Trump Taps His Doctor To Replace Shulkin At VA, Choosing Personal Chemistry Over Traditional Qualifications
A biography released by the White House shows Jackson is credentialed and experienced in medicine but has no background in management. He nonetheless will be charged with delivering on one of Trump’s signature campaign promises: to fix the federal government’s second-largest bureaucracy. VA, which employs 360,000 people and has a $186 billion annual budget, serves a growing population of veterans in need and is suffering from a shortage of doctors, nurses and mental health experts. (Rein, Rucker, Wax-Thibodeaux and Dawsey, 3/28)

The Wall Street Journal: Donald Trump Ousts VA Secretary David Shulkin
Top veterans groups praised Dr. Shulkin on Wednesday, while some expressed concerns about his replacement. “We’re really surprised at this nominee,” said Joe Chenelly, national executive director of Amvets, a veterans advocacy group. “Looking at his background we don’t see anything that indicates he’s capable of running a $200 billion agency. The VA is a lot more than just a medical system.” (Ballahus and Kesling, 3/28)

Los Angeles Times: Embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin Fired In Latest White House Shake-Up
Shulkin ran afoul of some conservatives for his go-slow approach to expanding government-paid private care for military veterans outside the VA system. Shifting more veterans to private care is a top priority for the influential network of conservative groups funded by Charles and David Koch. An effort to expand the existing Veterans Choice program, under which veterans can get government reimbursement for seeing a private doctor in certain circumstances, failed this month when Congress did not include it in the massive government spending bill that Trump signed into law.The Koch-backed Concerned Veterans of America has pushed for the legislation, but most other major veterans organizations opposed it. (Cloud, 3/28)

Politico: ‘My First Reaction Was OMG’: Trump’s VA Pick Is New To All This
Lawmakers on the Hill were full of praise for Shulkin and muted about Jackson, although many said they looked forward to meeting the president’s pick who has to be confirmed by the Senate. “Dr. Shulkin has made a tremendous impact toward improving the lives of veterans during his time at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He has been instrumental in all that we have accomplished in the last year,” said Sen Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), the chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. (Kenen, 3/28)

The Hill: Watchdog: VA Employed Thousands Without Background Checks 
A new watchdog report reveals that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employed thousands of workers at medical facilities without properly performing background checks. The inspector general (IG) report released Monday faults the VA for employing an estimated 6,200 workers over five years through 2016 who did not undergo background checks within the mandated first 14 days of their employment. (Bowden, 3/28)

The New York Times: Critics See Echoes Of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ In Military Transgender Ban
The Trump administration’s latest effort at banning transgender individuals from serving in the military amounts to what legal experts said is essentially a reprise of an all-too-familiar directive at the Pentagon: the 1994 “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. A slew of medical and legal professionals have already lined up against the newest White House order, issued late Friday night, which experts said may survive only if it is backed by the Supreme Court. (Cooper, 3/28)