The Associated Press: Mental Health Workers Start Weeklong Strike In California
Thousands of Kaiser Permanente mental health professionals throughout California started a weeklong strike Monday to protest what they say is a lack of staffing that affects care. Outside Kaiser Permanente hospitals and clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area dozens of workers marched Monday holding signs that read "Kaiser, Don't Deny My Patients Mental Health Care," and "Care Delayed is Care Denied." (12/10)

Modern Healthcare: Kaiser Permanente Mental Health Workers Begin Five-Day Strike 
The National Union of Healthcare Workers organized the strike. The NUHW says it has been in contract negotiations with the massive, Oakland, Calif.-based not-for-profit health system since June. The union says Kaiser has rejected therapists' proposals to boost staffing and end long waits for therapy appointments, while Kaiser says it has hired more than 500 new therapists in California since 2015. The NUHW says Kaiser has offered lower raises relative to its coalition of unions, has declined to compensate for denying some workers' raises between 2011 and 2014 and has refused to restore pensions to recently hired workers in Southern California. (Bannow, 12/10)

Los Angeles Times: Kaiser Permanente Mental Health Workers Begin Weeklong Strike
The workers on strike include licensed clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, medical social workers and psychiatric nurses who are part of the National Union of Healthcare Workers. The union has called for smaller patient-to-therapist ratios, fewer patient referrals to therapists outside the Kaiser network and, in some cases, increased staffing. Its latest contract with Kaiser expired in September. (Masunaga, 12/10)

Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Kaiser Permanente Mental Health Workers Set To Strike In Santa Rosa
As a result, mental health care appointments during the week may be canceled, but the union’s president said the strike is in the long-term best interest of patients who have to wait a month or more for follow-up mental health appointments due to low staffing levels. “They’ve canceled appointments for these five days, but there’s a critical situation every day of the year,” Sal Rosselli, the union’s president, said Sunday. (Geha, 12/10)

San Francisco Chronicle: Kaiser Mental Health Workers Strike, Citing Long Patient Wait Times 
Kaiser facilities remain open during the strike. Patients who have appointments for mental health services scheduled for this week are being seen by managers or psychiatrists, or have moved their appointments to another week. (Ho, 12/10)

KPBS: Kaiser Mental Health Workers Start Five-Day Strike 
Land-Ariizumi was one of dozens of unionized workers holding signs, chanting and marching outside of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Clairemont Mesa. He said inadequate staffing is putting patients at risk. “An increase in depression and an increase in anxiety, possible suicide,” Land-Ariizumi said. “It really is a matter of getting them the care ... so that they progressively get better.” (Murphy, 12/10)

East Bay Times: The Kaiser Walkout: By The Numbers
With their union leaders lambasting Kaiser Permanente for what they say is severe understaffing at the network’s clinics, thousands of mental-health professionals have begun a five-day strike to call attention to the shortage. Union president Sal Rosselli told this newspaper that patients in the Bay Area and beyond often must wait weeks for follow-up appointments because of inadequate staffing, and he’s calling on Kaiser to hire hundreds more clinicians. Kaiser executives, however, argue that the walkout is really about employees seeking higher wages, not about providing better care. (May, 12/10)

CALmatters: State Explores How To Counteract End Of Obamacare Mandate‚ Or Risk A Million More Californians Without Health Insurance 
Obamacare has led to a record number of Californians having medical coverage. But a new study warns that if the state does nothing to counteract the Trump administration’s moves to undermine Obamacare, up to 1 million more Californians could be without health insurance within the next five years. (Aguilera, 12/7)

Politico: 'Praying They Would Make It Out Of There'
As burning ash and black smoke eclipsed six lanes of terrified motorists fleeing the worst fire in California history, Elizabeth Steffen was driving in the wrong direction. Steffen, the director of the SacValley Medshare health information exchange, rushed down Route 99 to Oroville Hospital last month on a single-minded mission: to turn an electronic switch enabling medical records to follow 200 patients evacuated in a mad scramble from a burning hospital and nursing home in Paradise, a town that would soon be annihilated by the Camp Fire. (Allen, 12/7)

In other news from the recovery efforts —

San Francisco Chronicle: In Camp Fire’s Aftermath, Uncertainty For Scattered Workers Of Shuttered Hospital
The Camp Fire, which tore through Paradise on Nov. 8, killing at least 85 people and destroying nearly 14,000 homes, is also forcing Feather River — the town’s only hospital and largest employer — to grapple with how and where to rebuild, and how to put people like Martens, Awe and Timm back to work. (Ho, 12/11)

Los Angeles Times: Here’s What It Takes To Avoid Gaining Weight This Holiday Season
Eggnog. Gingerbread houses. Peppermint bark. All those delightful cookies. There’s no doubt it’s the most wonderful time of the year — for putting on a few extra pounds. Studies have found that most of our annual weight gain occurs during the holiday season, when adults typically bulk up by about 1 to 2 pounds. It may not sound like much, but over the course of a decade it adds up to 10 to 20 pounds — enough to fuel the obesity epidemic, researchers say. (Kaplan, 12/10)

CNN: Maintaining Your Weight Through The Holidays
The average person gains 1 to 2 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, and those who are overweight often gain more, including children. Research shows that holiday weight gain is a major contributor to total yearly weight gain, so why not resolve to maintain your weight this holiday season? Here are 10 tips that may help. (Jampolis, 12/10)

In other public health news —

KPCC: Audio: Moving From Talk To Action On Black Infant Mortality Plan 
In LA County, black babies are three as likely to die in their first year of life as white babies. In the spring, the county launched an action plan to close that gap, with an emphasis on addressing the role of chronic stress and racial discrimination. At a meeting Wednesday, county officials presented proposals for tangible steps to stakeholders. (Neely, 12/10)

San Jose Mercury News: See San Jose's New Tiny Homes For Homeless Residents
In a new memo to the City Council, the head of the city’s Housing Department, Jacky Morales-Ferrand, and the budget director recommend putting 40 of the homes at a Valley Transportation Authority staging site on Mabury Road near Coyote Creek and another 40 at a Caltrans site in the southwest quadrant of the intersection of Highways 680 and 101, adjacent to Felipe Avenue. The council is expected to approve the suggestion on Dec. 18, with the pilot program running at least through January 2022, when the state law that permits the homes is currently scheduled to expire. (Deruy, 12/10)

Ventura County Star: Dignity Health, Catholic Health Initiatives Merger Worries Nurses
As leaders of a Dignity Health system entering a mega-merger pledge the partnership won't affect jobs or patient care at hospitals in Oxnard and Camarillo, nursing union leaders worry about financial stability. "Where will the money come from?" said Adriane Carrier, nurse and union steward at Dignity-owned St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard. She predicted the financial issues of merger partner Catholic Health Initiatives will be felt in Ventura County and across a Catholic network that would instantly become one of the nation's largest systems. (Kisken, 12/10)

In other hospital and health system news —

San Jose Mercury News: Santa Clara County Buys Hospitals For $235 Million
Santa Clara County has succeeded in buying two financially struggling hospitals for $235 million, the cornerstone of its plan to relieve overcrowding at the county-run Valley Medical Center and expand services to central San Jose and south county. The purchase came after the county entered the only bid in Friday’s auction of O’Connor Hospital in San Jose and St. Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, including the De Paul Health Center in Morgan Hill. (Kaplan, 12/10)

The Bakersfield Californian: Adventist Health Bakersfield Receives Major Industry Award 
Scores of physicians, staffers and other employees joined members of the news media Monday morning as Adventist Health Bakersfield announced one of the most significant awards they've yet received. Leapfrog, a healthcare rating organization, has named Adventist Health Bakersfield one of only 35 hospitals in the United States and six in California to receive its Top Hospital Award. The downtown medical center is the only hospital in Kern County to receive the award. (Mayer, 12/10)

Gilroy Dispatch: County Will Be New Saint Louise Owner
Santa Clara County emerged this month as the sole bidder for O’Connor and Saint Louise hospitals, clearing the way for the county to buy the two private hospitals for $235 million, County Executive Jeff Smith disclosed Monday. ...Once the deal closes, the 129-year-old O’Connor Hospital in San Jose and the 29-year-old Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy will join the 142-year-old Valley Medical Center in a significantly expanded publicly owned and managed health care system. (Holtzclaw, 12/11)

The Associated Press: Justices Won't Hear States' Appeal Over Planned Parenthood
The Supreme Court on Monday avoided a high-profile case by rejecting appeals from Kansas and Louisiana in their effort to strip Medicaid money from Planned Parenthood, over the dissenting votes of three justices. The court's order reflected a split among its conservative justices and an accusation from Justice Clarence Thomas that his colleagues seemed to be ducking the case for political reasons. New Justice Brett Kavanaugh was among the justices who opted not to hear the case. (12/10)

The New York Times: Supreme Court Won’t Hear Planned Parenthood Cases, And 3 Court Conservatives Aren’t Happy
It takes four votes to add a case to the court’s docket, but the cases attracted only three — Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch. Neither of the court’s other conservatives — Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh — proved willing to supply a fourth vote. That split on the right side of the court is evidence that Chief Justice Roberts is trying to keep the court out of major controversies and that Justice Kavanaugh, who joined the court in October after a fierce confirmation battle, is, for now at least, following his lead. In his dissent, Justice Thomas questioned his colleagues’ motives. They had voted to duck the cases, he wrote, for a bad reason. (Liptak, 12/10)

The Washington Post: Supreme Court Declines To Review Rulings That Blocked Efforts To End Planned Parenthood Funding
“Some tenuous connection to a politically fraught issue does not justify abdicating our judicial duty,” Thomas wrote. “If anything, neutrally applying the law is all the more important when political issues are in the background.” (Barnes, 12/10)

Los Angeles Times: Kavanaugh And Roberts Join Liberals To Reject Planned Parenthood Case
The lower courts are divided on the Medicaid funding dispute, making the high court’s refusal to clarify the issue all the more surprising to some. “We created the confusion. We should clear it up,” Thomas wrote in Gee vs. Planned Parenthood. “So what explains the court’s refusal to do its job here? I suspect it has something to do with the fact that some respondents in these cases are named ‘Planned Parenthood.’ ” (Savage, 12/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Three Conservative Justices Chide Supreme Court For Not Taking Case Touching On Abortion
Monday’s action leaves in place the lower-court decisions that give Medicaid patients the right to sue over provider issues in much of the country, under rulings from federal appeals courts in Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, New Orleans and San Francisco. An opposite conclusion reached by the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis, denies such rights, and it stands in the seven states that court oversees. Typically, the Supreme Court steps in to clarify questions of federal law that divide lower courts. Because the lead case Monday arrived at a preliminary stage and the issue shows no sign of dying down, the question is likely to return to the Supreme Court. (Bravin, 12/10)

Politico: Kavanaugh, Roberts Side With Liberal Judges On Planned Parenthood Case
Tim Jost, an emeritus professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law, said it's "noteworthy" that Kavanaugh passed on the cases. "If Kavanaugh was going to deal a major blow to health care rights during his first session on the court, this would have been the case to do it," Jost said. The anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List said it was "disappointed" the Supreme Court declined the case, as it called on the Trump administration to quickly finalize rules blocking federal funds to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers through the Title X family planning program. (Ollstein, 12/10)

Reuters: Reluctant U.S. Supreme Court On Collision Course With Trump
The U.S. Supreme Court's reluctance to take up new cases on volatile social issues is putting it on a collision course with President Donald Trump, whose Justice Department is trying to rush such disputes through the appeals system to get them before the nine justices as quickly as possible. (12/11)

The New York Times: Republicans And Democrats Unite On At Least One Issue: Oversight Of The V.A.
Even before the next Congress convenes, Republicans are joining Democrats in a vigorous examination of failings by the Department of Veterans Affairs, a rare area of bipartisan oversight in a blistering political environment. The unity was emphasized in recent weeks when lawmakers in the House and Senate from both parties sharply criticized the response of department officials after it was revealed that the agency failed to make housing and tuition payments under the G.I. Bill after its computer systems were unable to keep up with recent changes to that law. (Steinhauer, 12/10)

In other national health care news —

The Hill: Obama: 'No Ferns. No Memes' In Final Plea Urging People To Sign Up For ObamaCare
Former President Obama on Monday took to Twitter to urge his followers to sign up for health insurance before the Saturday deadline. Obama mentioned how in the past he had made more light-hearted efforts in trying to boost enrollment into ObamaCare, but said this year he decided to play it straight. “This year is different,” Obama says in a video to his Twitter followers. “Young people have stepped up like never before, on campuses, at the voting booth and at the doors of power.” (Daugherty, 12/10)

The Hill: NIH To Fund Research Into Fetal Tissue Alternatives 
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is looking for alternatives to fetal tissue in research projects after facing pressure from anti-abortion groups. NIH announced Monday a new program that would spend up to $20 million over two years to find and develop alternatives to using fetal tissue in research projects. (Hellmann, 12/10)

Modern Healthcare: Health Insurer, Employer Groups Call On Congress To End Surprise Billing 
Nine groups representing health insurers, employers and consumers on Monday called for federal legislation to protect patients from surprise medical bills from out-of-network providers. Surprise medical bills may arise when a patient unintentionally visits a doctor or healthcare facility that does not contract with the patient's health insurer. This sometimes occurs when patients are taken to an out-of-network emergency department during a crisis. Surprise billing is common, with 4 in 10 insured adults reporting they received a surprise medical bill in the last year, a Kaiser Family Foundation poll found in September. (Livingston, 12/10)

The Hill: Cases Of Polio-Like Illness Hit Record High
The CDC confirmed 22 cases in 2015 and 149 in 2016. In 2017, the CDC confirmed 35 cases. AFM, a serious condition that affects the nervous system, is still rare, the CDC said. Most AFM patients had a mild respiratory illness or fever consistent with a viral infection before developing AFM. The CDC still does not know the cause of AFM, however. (Hellmann, 12/10)