San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Counties Issue New Mask Mandates As COVID Rises
In response to the increasing threat of respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19 and influenza, officials in multiple Bay Area counties have issued orders requiring health care workers in patient care settings to wear masks during the upcoming respiratory virus season. The measures announced on Tuesday in Sonoma, Contra Costa and San Mateo counties remain in effect from Nov. 1 through April 30. The move comes amid concerns of a potential “tripledemic” of COVID-19, flu and RSV that could strain health care systems. (Vaziri, 9/19)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Sonoma County Issues Masking Order For Health Care Workers As COVID-19 Cases Rise
Sonoma County officials Tuesday issued a health order requiring health care workers to wear masks in patient care settings, a move triggered by rising cases of respiratory illnesses, such as COVID-19 and influenza. (Espinoza, 9/19)

NBC News: The 2023 Covid Spike Is Easing In Some Areas, Wastewater Testing Suggests
Wastewater data suggest that the recent uptick in Covid cases may have peaked, at least in some areas. Biobot Analytics, a company that tracks wastewater samples at 257 sites nationwide, said that the current average Covid levels across the United States are approximately 5% lower than they were last week. "All fingers crossed," Cristin Young, a Biobot epidemiologist said, "this wave is plateauing and may be declining." (Edwards, 9/19)

Stat: Experts Study Whether Long Covid Risk Adds Up With Each Reinfection
More than three years into the coronavirus pandemic, fewer and fewer people are experiencing their first Covid-19 infections. But as cases climb, those who’ve had the virus before may wonder: What are their chances of developing long Covid — and does the risk increase with each reinfection? (Cooney, 9/20)

CIDRAP: How Common Long COVID Is May Depend On How It's Defined 
In Open Forum Infectious Diseases, Dutch scientists report that the definition of post-COVID condition (PCC, or long COVID) matters when estimating prevalence in a population. In people who had previously tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the prevalence of long-term symptoms varied from 26.9% to 64.1%, depending on which of six different definitions was used, while in those who tested negative, the prevalence varied from 11.4% to 32.5%. (Soucheray, 9/19)

KQED: Alameda County Declares State Of Emergency On Homelessness. What Does That Mean?
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a countywide state of emergency (PDF) on homelessness in the East Bay. The order directs county staff at the Office of Homeless Care and Coordination to develop an emergency response plan, including determining how much funding is needed to significantly decrease homelessness and where to direct those resources. Supervisors said the hope is to fast-track funding and bypass regulations. (Johnson, 9/19)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Aging And Hungry: San Diego Nonprofits Combat Food Insecurity Crisis Among Older Adults
Sitting around a table at the La Mesa Adult Enrichment Center, a group of ladies laughs while dining on a lunch of chicken cacciatore when one woman — Magi Meyer, a 74-year-old San Diego resident — quips that the dish needs more tomatoes. Regardless of whether the dish served at last Tuesday’s lunch was lacking in tomatoes, there is much the women are all grateful for. Instead of sitting at home alone or eating at a fast food restaurant, they are enjoying a free, healthy meal with a side of friendship. (Mapp, 9/19)

Bay Area News Group: California Bill That Could Free Some Aging Killers Serving Life Without Parole Fails To Advance For Now
A bill that could have freed some of California’s aging killers serving life in prison without parole failed to advance this year, after running into opposition from victim advocates and law enforcement officials. Sen. Dave Cortese, a San Jose Democrat, said he’ll reintroduce, SB 94, for consideration in next year’s session as a two-year bill after it failed to move off the Assembly floor before the end of the legislative session last Thursday. (Woolfolk, 9/19)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Hanna Center To Host Suicide Prevention Event, Sparking Conversation Among Youth, Families
Wildfires, social media and the coronavirus pandemic all contribute to the rising need for mental health resources for Sonoma County’s youth. They are some of the stressors that today’s youth “just can’t get away from,” said licensed therapist Noeli Cardenas Zamora, who also serves as the clinical director of the Hanna Center Community Mental Health Hub. (Gutierrez, 9/19)

Bay Area News Group: Santa Clara County To Search For Alternatives To Using Tear Gas, Pepper Spray In Jails On Mentally Ill Inmates
Following a recent report condoning the use of tear gas and pepper spray in Santa Clara County jails, the Board of Supervisors wants to explore alternatives to chemical agents when trying to get mentally ill inmates to comply. The report, which was published several months ago by the county’s Office of Correction and Law Enforcement Monitoring, reviewed — and signed off on — 17 situations where tear gas or pepper spray was used in the county jails. In 14 of the cases, deputies were responding to request from medical or mental health personnel to extract an inmate from their cell. Four of those 14 cases were to administer court-ordered medication, three were to move the inmates to the acute psychiatric unit and another three were to impose suicide precautions. (Hase, 9/19)

Axios: Unions Call For More Federal Workplace Mental Health Protections
Two of the country's biggest unions have joined a coalition calling on federal regulators to protect workers' mental health the way they enforce standards for physical health and safety. The press comes amid widespread post-pandemic burnout, growing awareness of the country's worsening mental health and some of the strongest pro-union sentiment in decades. (Owens, 9/20)

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento Fired Deputy Who Sent Explicit Video To Patient 
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office has fired a deputy who responded to a call to help a suicidal 21-year-old woman and later sent her a photo of his genitals and paid her for a pornographic video. The county also this year paid $40,000 to settle a lawsuit the woman filed against the county regarding the incident, county spokeswoman Janna Haynes said. (Clift, 9/19)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Street Horror Only Grows As Drug Overdose Numbers Spike
At first he lay twitching, then he just lay flat, chest still. The young man was overdosing on drugs, right there in the middle of a Mission Street sidewalk in full afternoon daylight Tuesday, and it took a minute for the crowd milling around nearby to notice. Nobody moved until Will Krtek, who was sitting nearby at Seventh Street about to light up a hit of fentanyl, turned and saw the sprawled body. (Fagan, 9/19)

The Washington Post: Homeland Security Outlines Plan To Stop Fentanyl, Precursor Chemicals
Homeland Security officials on Tuesday announced a plan to increase fentanyl seizures and break up the supply chains and financial networks fueling the most lethal drug crisis in U.S. history. Officials said the department’s investigative unit, Homeland Security Investigations, will assign more agents to track shipments of precursor chemicals, primarily originating in China, used to manufacture the powerful synthetic opioid. (Miroff, 9/19)

The Bakersfield Californian: County Reports 4 West Nile Cases In Kern So Far This Year 
Four Kern residents have been diagnosed this year with West Nile virus, a potentially serious virus that infected 22 people in the county last year and just three in 2021, local authorities reported Tuesday. (9/19)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Air Quality Advisory Issued Through Wednesday For Sonoma County, Bay Area
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District Tuesday issued an air quality advisory and Sonoma County followed with a health advisory due to smoky air from wildfires burning in Northern California and Oregon. (Styer Martinez, 9/19)

USA Today: Dangerous Air Quality In Bay Area Due To California, Oregon Wildfires
California's Bay Area is grappling with poor air quality caused by northern smoke coming into the region from wildfires in California and Oregon. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued an air quality advisory for Tuesday and Wednesday as smoky and hazy skies are scattered in parts of the region. Health officials advise anyone who smells smoke to stay indoors, make sure windows and doors are closed and use air conditioning units and car vent systems to prevent outside air from intruding. (Robledo, 9/19)

Marin Independent Journal: Marin County Hospital’s New Training Tool: A Robotic Baby
Doctors and nurses at Novato Community Hospital are using artificial intelligence to bolster training for emergency care of infants. The hospital, part of the Sutter Health system, has acquired a robotic replica of a newborn girl. It can simulate a number of medical conditions and scenarios in real time that emergency room staff might rarely experience — and therefore only be able to practice infrequently. (Houston, 9/20)

NBC News: FDA Rejects First Needle-Free Alternative To EpiPens, Calling For Additional Research
The Food and Drug Administration did not approve an epinephrine nasal spray that would have been the first needle-free alternative to epinephrine autoinjectors, including EpiPens. The agency told drugmaker ARS Pharmaceuticals that it needed to conduct another study on the drug, called Neffy, to support approval, the company said in a statement late Tuesday night. (Lovelace Jr. and Miller, 9/20)

CNBC: Eli Lilly Sues Clinics Allegedly Selling Knockoff Versions Of Mounjaro
Eli Lilly on Tuesday sued 10 medical spas, wellness clinics and compounding pharmacies across the U.S. for allegedly selling cheaper, unauthorized versions of the company’s diabetes drug Mounjaro. (Constantino, 9/19)

Politico: Biden To Announce First-Ever Federal Office Of Gun Violence Prevention
President Joe Biden will announce the creation of the first-ever federal office of gun violence prevention on Friday, fulfilling a key demand of gun safety activists as legislation remains stalled in Congress, according to two people with direct knowledge of the White House’s plans. Stefanie Feldman, a longtime Biden aide who previously worked on the Domestic Policy Council, will play a leading role, the people said. (Ward, 9/19)

Fox News: House Republican Moves To Protect Gun Owners' Rights From 'Radical Left' National Emergency Declarations
Texas Rep. Michael Cloud re-introduced a bill Tuesday that would prohibit the president and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from declaring public health emergencies to enforce gun control measures. If enacted, the Protecting the Right To Keep and Bear Arms Act would also prevent government officials from restricting the production, sale or transfer of firearms and ammunition during major disasters or emergencies, "thereby preventing them from illicitly using public health authority." (Joseph, 9/19)

Los Angeles Times: He Heard Voices. He Bought A Gun. Now He’s Accused Of Killing An L.A. Deputy
When Kevin Cataneo Salazar, 29, allegedly shot Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, he may have been using a handgun he had purchased legally despite a history of mental illness, authorities said Tuesday, raising questions about how he was able to slip through the cracks of a system designed to prevent such tragedies. Cataneo Salazar’s mother told The Times her son had been hospitalized for mental health crises and twice attempted suicide. (Castelman, Solis, Hernandez, Curwen and Winton, 9/20)

AP: Parkland School Shooting Survivor Develops Joy, An App Built On AI That Helps People Heal 
Kai Koerber was a junior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when a gunman murdered 14 students and three staff members there on Valentine’s Day in 2018. Seeing his peers — and himself — struggle with returning to normal, he wanted to do something to help people manage their emotions on their own terms. While some of his classmates at the Parkland, Florida, school have worked on advocating for gun control, entered politics or simply took a step back to heal and focus on their studies, Koerber’s background in technology — he’d originally wanted to be a rocket scientist — led him in a different direction: to build a smartphone app. The result was Joy, which uses artificial intelligence to suggest bite-sized mindfulness activities for people based on how they are feeling. (Ortutay, 9/20)

Voice of OC: Orange County Is Running Out Of Burial Ground In Public Cemeteries 
Orange County’s public cemeteries are nearly out of space for burials, forcing county leaders to freeze purchasing of any new burial plots until after someone has died. Officials acknowledge they might run out of space in their cemeteries in the next couple years. Staff at the county Cemetery District say they have a plan to expand their existing cemeteries and build the county’s first new cemetery since 1896 at Gypsum Canyon, right next to the planned state veterans cemetery off the 91 Freeway. (Biesiada, 9/19)

Axios: New Tool From Google's AI Lab Hunts For Genetic Disease Causes
A new program from Google's artificial intelligence lab DeepMind aims to tackle one of the toughest problems in genetics: sifting through the millions of variations in the human genome to predict those that ultimately cause disease. (Reed, 9/20)

Politico: White House Watches As House GOP Implodes Over Spending Bill
President Joe Biden has steered well clear of the chaos engulfing the House, where Republicans are battling each other over a government funding bill. Within the White House, aides have settled on a hard-line strategy aimed at pressuring McCarthy to stick to a spending deal he struck with Biden back in May rather than attempt to patch together a new bipartisan bill. “We agreed to the budget deal and a deal is a deal — House GOP should abide by it,” said a White House official granted anonymity to discuss the private calculations. (Haberkorn and Cancryn, 9/20)

The Hill: White House Outlines Potential Consequences Of Shutdown Amid Divisions In House GOP 
The White House accused House Republicans of putting the nation at risk of a shutdown “that would undermine our economy and national security, create needless uncertainty for families and businesses, and have damaging consequences across the country.” The White House said FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund would risk being depleted without a funding bill, complicating emergency response efforts. A government shut down would stall research on cancer, the White House said, and delay food inspections conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (Samuels, 9/20)

NBC News: Republican Infighting Paralyzes The House As Some Call A Shutdown Inevitable
The House GOP chaos is worse than it may appear. The bills Republicans are fighting over have no chance of becoming law — and if they passed the chamber they’d merely represent an opening bid to negotiate with the Democratic-led Senate and President Joe Biden, who oppose the spending cuts and conservative policies that House Republicans are pursuing. (Kapur, Wong, Vitali and Kaplan, 9/1)

Roll Call: Partisan House GOP Stopgap Funds Bill On Halting Comeback Trail
House Republicans were starting to move closer together Tuesday on a revised stopgap funding measure that would cut nondefense appropriations more deeply than an earlier version and possibly establish a new commission to tackle long-term budget challenges. But there were real questions about whether the necessary 217 votes among Republicans were possible on a compromise continuing resolution that would ultimately be rejected by the Democratic-controlled Senate anyway. The key divide was where to set the annualized funding rate for the month of October on the measure, which would avert a partial government shutdown after Sept. 30. (Krawzak and Weiss, 9/19)