Politico: Trump Administration Warns California Against 'Safe' Opioid Injection Sites
The Justice Department is threatening to shut down San Francisco's proposed test of supervised injection sites amid the opioid crisis even before the governor has a chance to sign the pilot program into law. The looming showdown could affect similar efforts in New York, Philadelphia and Seattle, where officials have grappled with the ramifications of setting up spaces where drug users could shoot up while gaining access to clean syringes, medical professionals and treatment services as an approach to curb opioid addiction and overdose deaths. (Colliver, Goldberg and Roubein, 8/28)

Bay City News Service: Mayor: Safe Injection Sites Are 'One Step Away' After Legislature Passes Bill
The California Legislature on Monday passed Assembly Bill 186, which would give the green light for safe injection sites in San Francisco under a three-year pilot. Amid a visible drug crisis happening in the city, safe injection sites would allow for people suffering from addiction to use drugs at facilities under the supervision of trained staff. The bill now heads to Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature. (8/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: SF Demonstrates How Safe Injection Sites For Drug Users Would Work 
Through Friday, Glide’s Freedom Hall will be home to a prototype safe injection site, a display meant to give the public a realistic, tangible sense of what such a facility could look and feel like. ... By giving people the opportunity to tour the site, ask questions and hear from experts and supporters, city officials and public health advocates hope to show that a safe injection site can provide professional, humane help to addicts. (Fracassa, 8/29)

The Hill: California Gov Candidate Backs Universal Healthcare For Undocumented Immigrants 
California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who is running for governor, said in an interview released Tuesday that he would like to see the state pay for universal healthcare for all illegal immigrants. “I did universal healthcare when I was mayor — fully implemented, regardless of pre-existing condition, ability to pay, and regardless of your immigration status,” Newsom told the podcast Pod Save America, referencing his stint as San Francisco's mayor. “I’d like to see that extended to the rest of the state. (Keller, 8/28)

The Associated Press: Toxic Pesticides Found At Most Illegal California Pot Farms
Nine of every 10 illegal marijuana farms raided in California this year contained traces of powerful and potentially lethal pesticides that are poisoning wildlife and could endanger water supplies, researchers and federal authorities said Tuesday. That’s a jump from chemicals found at about 75 percent of illegal growing operations discovered on public land last year, and it’s six times as high as in 2012. (Thompson, 8/28)

In other news —

Fresno Bee: 4 Arrested After 50,000 Marijuana Plants Found At Tulare County Home 
Four people were arrested after 50,000 marijuana plants were discovered at a home in Terra Bella on Tuesday, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office said. After serving a warrant in the 7100 block of Road 236, detectives allegedly found the plants, two pounds of processed marijuana, and a large amount of trash, pesticides and herbicides. (Panoo, 8/28)

The New York Times: Pollution May Dim Thinking Skills, Study In China Suggests
A large study in China suggests a link between air pollution and negative effects on people’s language and math skills. The link between pollution and respiratory diseases is well known, and most experts now believe that small particulates may also raise the risk for strokes and heart attacks. Whether this form of air pollution impairs cognition is not yet certain, but several studies have hinted at a connection. (Ives, 8/29)

The Wall Street Journal: As Wildfires Burn Miles Away, Smog Blankets The Northwest
On a recent morning in this city bred on the great outdoors, the halls of Mt. Spokane High School were filled with some 600 football players throwing spirals, cross-country runners doing laps, and marching band members twirling batons. The air outside was too smoky to breathe. The Pacific Northwest, sandwiched between Canada’s smoldering British Columbia to the north and six fire-wracked Western U.S. states, is feeling the side effects of one of the worst fire seasons on record. For much of the past several weeks, clouds of choking smog have upended daily life and posed a health hazard for millions here. (Carlton and Malas, 8/29)

KQED: For Some, Designer Masks Brighten Endlessly Smoky Air 
Near the California-Oregon border, the unhealthy air has forced people to wear smoke-filtering masks almost every day for more than a month. ...But in recent weeks, people have gotten tired of wearing the plain white paper masks every day. Instead, they’re investing in nicer ones made of fabric, and some even have artsy designs. (Ehrlich, 8/28)

The Associated Press: Worldwide Gun Deaths Reach 250,000 Yearly; US Ranks High
Gun deaths worldwide total about 250,000 yearly and the United States is among just six countries that make up half of those fatalities, a study found. The results from one of the most comprehensive analyses of firearm deaths reveal "a major public health problem for humanity," according to an editorial published with the study Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. (8/28)

Los Angeles Times: In Some Countries, The Odds Of Getting Shot Are 1 In A Million. In The U.S., It's 100 Times Higher
Imagine that, in the course of a single year, a ubiquitous household item was implicated in the death of every man, woman and child in the city of Glendale, Ariz., America’s 87th largest city with a population of 251,269. The world would almost certainly take notice of such a loss. That, in essence, was the global toll of humanity’s obsession with firearms. (Healy, 8/29)

Modesto Bee: County Invites Those Who Don’t Like Homeless Shelter Site To Find Another One — Quickly
First, a new shelter for the homeless at the former county hospital on Scenic Drive was panned at a neighborhood meeting two weeks ago. Tuesday, it became apparent the proposed Modesto shelter does not have full support from members of the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors. Still, the two buildings at the Scenic campus remain the top choice for the 60-bed temporary shelter. (Carlson, 8/28)

In other news from across the state —

The Mercury News: Saratoga Doctor Sentenced To 5 Years In Prison For Health Care Fraud
A 47-year-old doctor from Saratoga has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for health care fraud and making false statements related to a health care benefits program, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Vilasini Ganesh, a family practitioner, and her 56-year-old husband, orthopedic surgeon Gary Belcher, were indicted in July 2017 on one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, multiple counts of health care fraud and making a false statement relating to health care matters. (Green, 8/29)

Ventura County Star: St. John’s Hospital In Oxnard Marks Surgical Milestones
St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, a Dignity Health hospital, recently marked two surgical milestones: its first transcatheter aortic valve replacement and its 1,000th robotic-assisted surgery. On July 30, the hospital’s cardiac team successfully completed its first transcatheter aortic valve replacement, a procedure that offers a minimally invasive approach rather than open-heart surgery. Through the procedure, a catheter is used, and when the new valve has been expanded, it pushes the old valve leaflets out of the way, with the new valve taking over regulation of blood flow. (8/28)

The New York Times: Nearly A Year After Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico Revises Death Toll To 2,975
A long-awaited analysis of Hurricane Maria’s deadly sweep through Puerto Rico prompted the government on Tuesday to sharply increase the official death toll. The government now estimates that 2,975 people died as a result of the disaster and its effects, which unfolded over months. The new assessment is orders of magnitude greater than the previous official tally of 64, which was not revised for nearly a year despite convincing evidence that the official death certificates failed to take full account of the fatal and often long-range impacts from the storm across the island. (Fink, 8/28)

The Washington Post: Study: Hurricane Maria And Its Aftermath Caused A Spike In Puerto Rico Deaths, With Nearly 3,000 More Than Normal
The government of Puerto Rico on Tuesday embraced the GWU estimate as the official death toll, ranking Maria among the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history. For much of the past year, the government had formally acknowledged just 64 deaths from the hurricane, which ravaged much of the territory and destroyed critical infrastructure. The spike in mortality came as the territory dealt with widespread and lengthy power outages, a lack of access to adequate health care, water insecurity and diseases related to the crisis. (Hernandez, Schmidt and Achenbach, 8/28)

Reuters: Puerto Rico Death Toll Official Estimate From Hurricane Maria Rises To 2,975
The updated figure came from an academic study commissioned by Rossello from George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public health. It calculated the number of deaths that could be attributed directly or indirectly to Maria from the time it struck in September 2017 to mid-February of this year, based on comparisons between predicted mortality under normal circumstances and deaths documented after the storm. (Gorman and Borter, 8/28)

California Healthline: Hurricane Maria’s Official Death Toll In Puerto Rico Now Stands At Nearly 3,000
Hurricane Maria barreled into Puerto Rico Sept. 20 as a Category 4 storm. Destruction was widespread, severely crippling the island. Both the electrical and water systems were knocked out in some areas for months. Hospitals and other public health services were damaged, doctors’ offices lost power and often remained closed and medical supplies were difficult to find. Health advocates scoffed at the government’s initial death toll and said many people died after the storm because they lacked medicine, couldn’t get adequate medical treatment or had chronic diseases that were aggravated by the post-storm conditions. (Heredia Rodriguez, 8/29)

The Wall Street Journal: Puerto Rico Governor Raises Hurricane Maria Death Toll To Nearly 3,000
Puerto Rico’s government has faced criticism for nearly a year that it drastically undercounted the number of fatalities caused by Maria. Earlier this month, it acknowledged in a document filed to Congress that the death toll from Maria was much higher than the official total. Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said at a news conference Tuesday that he would sign an executive order updating the official death toll, with the caveat that the number was an estimate. And he said he took responsibility as the island’s governor for mishandling the fatality-count issue. “Yes, I made mistakes. Yes, in hindsight, things could have been handled differently,” Mr. Rosselló said. “My commitment as governor is accepting that criticism, but also building on it.” (Campo-Flores, 8/28)

The Hill: Why CBO Won't Estimate Cost Of Bernie Sanders's 'Medicare For All' Bill 
A recent study concluding that Sen. Bernie Sanders's “Medicare for all” bill would cost $32 trillion has set off a furious debate over the cost of the plan. But there's one estimate that would make an even bigger splash: the score from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). (Sullivan, 8/29)

In other national health care news —

The Hill: GOP Eyes Another Shot At ObamaCare Repeal After McCain’s Death
Senate Republicans say they would like Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) to appoint a successor to late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who, unlike McCain, would support GOP legislation to repeal ObamaCare. GOP lawmakers say they won’t have time to hold another vote to repeal the law in 2018 but vow to try again next year if they manage to keep their Senate and House majorities. (Bolton, 8/29)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Seeks Help Creating Consumer Price Comparison Tool 
The CMS started the process of searching for a company to help create a price comparison tool for consumers. It has released a sources sought notice to see if any companies have the expertise to perform such work. A formal request for proposals for the work could be released later depending on the responses the agency receives to the CMS query on what would be a transparency-focused web portal. (Dickson, 8/28)

Stateline: Local Governments Aren’t Waiting For States To Raise Smoking Age
Last month, Massachusetts became the sixth state to boost its legal smoking age to 21. While two dozen other states considered similar bills this legislative session — and many likely will do so again in 2019 — much of the groundswell of activity isn’t happening in state capitols. A growing number of local governments are acting on their own to ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone under 21. At least 340 towns, cities and counties in 21 states have taken action, compared with about 200 in 14 states in 2016. (Bergal, 8/29)

The New York Times: S.T.D. Diagnoses Reach Record 2.3 Million New Cases In U.S.
New cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis rose sharply for the fourth consecutive year in 2017, to a record high of nearly 2.3 million, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That number surpassed the previous record, which was set in 2016, by more than 200,000 cases. The statistics are an alarming sign that the systems to prevent and treat sexually transmitted diseases are “strained to near-breaking point,” said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, a top C.D.C. official. (Zraick, 8/28)