Voice Of San Diego: Homeless Deaths Rose -- Again -- In 2023
“I wouldn’t wish this on anybody,” J.T. said, as he was sitting hunched over on a bench outside the 12th and Imperial Transit Center. J.T. wasn’t talking about the fact that he had lost his driver’s license. He wasn’t even talking about not having a place to sleep that night. He was talking about the greater existential pressures of homelessness: feeling alone, feeling trapped — and feeling as if nothing could make it stop. (Huntsberry, 3/14)

Capital & Main: Seventy, Evicted, And Running Out Of Options
The first night that Joanne Erickson was homeless, her cat Muriel would not stop crying, a high-pitched yowl that started when they arrived at the extended stay hotel in El Segundo, California, and lasted until the next morning.  “We’re scared. I’m scared,” Erickson said. Erickson is physically frail and surviving off her monthly $1,799 Social Security check. By Friday, her money will run out. At that point, she could accept a loan to bridge the gap until she receives her next Social Security check the following week. But borrowing the money will only delay the moment when she exhausts her funds. “I’ve got to make some really big decisions,” Erickson said. (Goodheart, 3/15)

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento Clears Over 20 Homeless People During High Wind
Hours after the National Weather Service issued a high wind alert Wednesday, the city of Sacramento rousted over 20 homeless people living in the River District and handed a criminal citation to a woman in wheelchair. Theresa Rivera, 44, attempted on Wednesday morning to pack up her tents, blankets, pillows and clothing that were spread out on the sidewalk. (Clift, 3/15)

Voice Of San Diego: Feds Won’t Tell Public What’s Wrong With Its Border Sewage Plant 
The people in charge of a broken sewage treatment plant along the U.S.-Mexico border won’t tell the public exactly what’s wrong with it.  And even though they haven’t fully explained how the plant fell into ruin, it hasn’t stopped them from asking Congress for more money to fix it. (Elmer, 3/14)

CalMatters: California Isn’t On Track To Meet Its Climate Change Mandates — And A New Analysis Says It’s Not Even Close 
California will fail to meet its ambitious mandates for combating climate change unless the state almost triples its rate of reducing greenhouse gases through 2030, according to a new analysis released Thursday. (Lazo, 3/14)

Stat: EPA Restricts Cancer-Causing Chemical Used To Sterilize Medical Devices
On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized limits on a carcinogenic gas called ethylene oxide that is used to sterilize most medical devices. Sterilizing facilities had polluted the air unchecked for decades, leading to disproportionately high cancer risks in surrounding communities. (Lawrence, 3/14)

CIDRAP: Could Cleaner Air Be Driving Rise In Legionnaire's Disease?
Legionnaire's disease (LD) cases rose ninefold between 2000 and 2018, and the reasons for the dramatic global rise have been a scientific mystery. This week, a research team proposed a surprising factor: a drop in air pollution. The study shedding new light on LD cases comes amid new data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing that Legionella-related outbreaks were the leading cause of drinking water–related outbreaks from 2015 to 2020. (Schnirring, 3/14)

Fresno Bee: How Much Does It Cost For Modesto City Schools' Teachers To Cover Their Health Insurance?
Modesto City Schools teachers looking for healthcare coverage for themselves alone can expect to pay as much as $6,476.40 per year or as little as $1,377.84 per year, depending on the plan they select. (Johnson, 3/13)

Sacramento Bee: CA Courts, Dept. Of Education Disagree On Parent Notification
California courts and Department of Education have different opinions on public schools’ parent notification policies for transgender students. (Hatch, 3/13)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Restaurant Inspectors Say They're At A Breaking Point
It was the worst kind of conference lunch. In late August, more than 30 people departed a three-day-event at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles sick with Shigella, a bacterium that can spread through infected food. At least four guests ended up in the hospital, including one woman who said she was told by a doctor that her kidneys were shutting down. To prevent outbreaks from contaminated food, the L.A. County Department of Public Health aims to inspect “high-risk” food facilities — typically those with full-service kitchens handling raw meat — three times a year, according to department procedures reviewed by The Times. (Ellis, 3/15)

Los Angeles Times: Parasite That's Deadly For Dogs Now Confirmed In California
For five years, an elusive tormentor of animals hid from authorities in east Riverside County as 10 dogs were injured and another killed. The victims hailed from Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange counties, while the suspect maintained a strong alibi: It had never visited California. It took authorities years to discover the one key detail linking the abuser with those abused: time spent at the Colorado River at or near the California-Arizona border town of Blythe. (Campa, 3/14)

The Guardian: ‘Alarming’ Rise In Americans With Long Covid Symptoms
Some 6.8% of American adults are currently experiencing long Covid symptoms, according to a new survey from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), revealing an “alarming” increase in recent months even as the health agency relaxes Covid isolation recommendations, experts say. That means an estimated 17.6 million Americans could now be living with long Covid. (Schreiber, 3/15)

CIDRAP: CDC Continues To Receive Reports Of MIS-C In Kids Following COVID Infections
Cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), a rare but serious COVID-19 complication in children, have decreased from the earlier pandemic months but continue to be reported, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). The CDC saw a relative increase in MIS-C cases in the fall of 2023, when the United States was experiencing a rise in COVID activity in the general population. (Schnirring, 3/14)

Military Times: Services Were Slow To Process COVID Vaccine Exemptions, Watchdog Finds
A Defense Department Inspector General review of the military’s COVID vaccine exemption process found that while the services largely followed policy when considering waivers, the Army and Air Force routinely overran deadlines, according to a report released Thursday. The review also found a range of discharge types and reentry codes for service members involuntarily separated after vaccine refusal, leaving some troops with full benefits after being kicked out, while others received partial benefits. (Myers, 3/14)

Axios: Hypothetical Disease X Drives Real Spending
Disease X may still be a hypothetical threat. But the risk from a new pathogen many times deadlier than COVID-19 is driving more spending decisions on rapid tests, antimicrobial drugs and other countermeasures. (Bettelheim, 3/15)

The New York Times: Teen Pregnancy Linked to Premature Death, Study Finds
Teen pregnancy increases the chances that a young woman will drop out of school and struggle with poverty, research has shown. Teenagers are also more likely to develop serious medical complications during pregnancy. Now a large study in Canada reports another disturbing finding: Women who were pregnant as teenagers are more likely to die before their 31st birthday. The trend was observed among women who had carried teen pregnancies to term, as well as among those who had miscarried. (Rabin, 3/14)

ABC News: Senator Objects To Bill Supporting IVF For Veterans, Members Of Military
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla. has opposed an in vitro fertilization access bill for veterans saying that while he supports IVF, he doesn't support the bill's vague language and undefined cost. This comes after the Department of Veterans Affairs earlier this week announced it would soon expand its IVF care policy to include eligible veterans who are single or in same-sex marriages. (Frazier, 3/13)

CNN: Johnson Dismisses Need For IVF Legislation As GOP Wrestles With Reproductive Issues 
Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday that he does not believe Congress has a role to play when it comes to IVF legislation, as some members within the House Republican Conference have been pushing for in the wake of the controversial Alabama Supreme Court ruling. “It’s not my belief that Congress needs to play a role here,” the Louisiana Republican told reporters at the annual Republican issues conference held at The Greenbrier, a resort in West Virginia. “I think this is being handled by the states.” (Zanona and Talbot, 3/14)

Modern Healthcare: Senators Push To Include PBM Bills In March 22 Spending Bill
A congressional effort to stiffen regulations on pharmacy benefit managers may not be dead after all. Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and ranking member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) aim to attach measures their panel has already approved to a spending bill Congress must pass by next Friday to avoid a partial government shutdown, they said at a Capitol Hill news conference Thursday. (McAuliff

The Hill: Immigration Fight Could Trigger Shutdown At End Of Next Week 
Lawmakers say the next package of bills, which would fund the departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), State and Homeland Security (DHS) as well as foreign operations, will be a much heavier lift because of deep partisan divisions over President Biden’s immigration policy. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) told The Hill on Tuesday that the DHS funding bill is “the most challenging one,” an assessment shared by other senators. (Bolton, 3/13)

California Healthline: When Copay Assistance Backfires On Patients
Drugmakers offer copay assistance programs to patients, but insurers are tapping into those funds, not counting the amounts toward patient deductibles. That leads to unexpected charges. But the practice is under growing scrutiny. (Appleby, 3/15)

Stat: HHS Secretary Becerra Pressed On Change HealthCare Cyberattack
Senators want answers from the Biden administration on the recent cyberattack that froze millions of hospital and physician insurance claims, and concrete plans to prevent the next disruptive attack on health care. (Owermohle, 3/14)

Politico: HHS Secretary Defends Scientific Rigour Of Cannabis Review On Capitol Hill
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra defended the FDA's review of cannabis science and its recommendation to loosen federal marijuana restrictions during a Thursday hearing on Capitol Hill. "There has been a lot of science that's been collected over the years on cannabis," Becerra said during the hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. "We have far more information now." (Fertig, 3/14)

Modern Healthcare: How HHS Rule Could Improve Access For Patients With Disabilities
Healthcare providers must ready themselves to comply with new standards for accommodating patients with disabilities. The Health and Human Services Department issued a proposed rule in September that would require providers to retrofit facilities and medical equipment to meet patients’ physical and sensory needs, ensure websites, mobile apps and virtual care programs are user-friendly for people with disabilities, and remove disability status as a factor in clinical support tools. The final rule could appear within weeks. (Hartnett, 3/14)

The Hill: HHS Officials To Tout Biden’s Health Care Agenda On ‘Match Day’ For Medical Students
Roughly a dozen Biden administration health officials will mark “Match Day” for medical students on Friday, traveling to different medical schools across the country and speaking about President Biden’s health care agenda. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra will visit a medical school in Washington, D.C., while other officials will be at medical schools in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Nashville and other cities in Wisconsin, California and North Carolina. (Samuels, 3/14)

Capitol Weekly: Fighting Fentanyl: How California Leadership Can Protect Our Children 
California’s overdose crisis has ignited fear in the hearts of parents across the state. The thought of our youth being exposed to substances like fentanyl causes anxiety and concern. I understand this fear as my two sons struggled for decades with substance use disorder. As their mother, I have always felt it’s my duty to protect them and ensure that there are services available to allow them to heal and recover. Now, they are both in long-term recovery from heroin addiction and work as drug and alcohol counselors. Today, heroin has been replaced by fentanyl, which is 50 – 100 times stronger, and counterfeit pills in the drug supply. These more potent drugs have increased the number of people dying tragically from accidental overdose. (Gretchen Burns Bergman, 3/14)

Sacramento Bee: It's Time For California To Take A More Pragmatic Approach To Psychedelic Drug Policy
SB 1012 would establish a professional licensing board under the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency to regulate and create guidelines for the therapeutic use of psychedelics. (Nathaniel Mills, 3/14)

California Healthline: How Your In-Network Health Coverage Can Vanish Before You Know It
One of the most unfair aspects of medical insurance is this: Patients can change insurance only during end-of-year enrollment periods or at the time of “qualifying life events.” But insurers’ contracts with doctors, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies can change abruptly at any time. (Elisabeth Rosenthal, 3/15)

Los Angeles Daily News: The City Of Los Angeles Can Both Clear Encampments And Get People Housed. It’s Not An Either/Or Issue. 
Last week, a little-seen report on the city’s much-vaunted homelessness enforcement policy aimed at getting people off the streets and into shelter was leaked. It claims the city “has failed in key goals to keep areas clear of encampments and get people housed,” as LAist reports. The policy is known in bureaucratese as 41.18, a city ordinance that allows council members themselves to designate areas in their district where unhoused people can’t camp. (3/14)

Los Angeles Daily News: Single-Payer Pipe Dream Is Dead In California, And That’s A Good Thing
Fiscal challenges have a way of making politicians more honest. California Assembly leader Robert Rivas recently threw cold water on the idea that California could create its own single-payer healthcare system any time soon. (3/13)

Los Angeles Times: What I’ve Learned About Living Alone After Losing My Wife Of 42 Years
I didn’t need the U.S. Surgeon General’s recent report on loneliness to know that it’s dangerous to be alone for extended periods of time. But even on my best days, when it comes to groups I’m not much of a joiner. I tried an online site for people who have lost their spouses, but it felt like being locked in a virtual room saturated with grief. It made me want to be by myself. Isolation is a slippery slope that can send you splashing down into depression’s depths. (Bruce Wexler, 3/15)

Los Angeles Times: How Keith Haring's Art Transcended His Untimely Death
I began reading Brad Gooch’s biography of Keith Haring with the last chapter, on Haring’s untimely death from AIDS. I don’t usually read biographies out of order, but since I (like many) knew all too well how Haring died, I hoped I might learn something different by finishing at a point when the artist was still alive. Luckily, you don’t have to read “Radiant” backward to get to know the living Haring. Gooch, the author of sensitive biographies of Flannery O’Connor and Frank O’Hara, made it his mission to show how much living and creating Haring packed into just 31 years, and he more than succeeds. “Radiant” not only gives us a much-overdue appreciation of Haring as an important artist. It also paints an exhilarating portrait of a young artist finding himself and his calling. (Jessica Ferri, 3/15)