KVPR: Madera Community Hospital Clears New Step In Court To Reopen
The prospective operator of Madera Community Hospital on Tuesday cleared one of its final hurdles to begin reopening the hospital that has been closed since December 2022. A federal bankruptcy judge approved a liquidation plan which lays out a process to pay back creditors and transfer ownership over to the new owners. (Quintanilla and Klein, 4/16)

CalMatters: Maternity Care Deserts: Can CA Lawmakers Keep Labor Wards Open?
In just the first few months of 2024, four California hospitals have closed or announced plans to close their maternity wards. The closures are part of an accelerating trend unfolding across the state, creating maternity care deserts and decreasing access to prenatal care. In the past three years, 29 hospitals stopped delivering babies, according to a CalMatters investigation on maternity ward closures. Nearly 50 obstetrics departments have closed over the past decade. (Hwang, 4/17)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Sonoma County Supervisors Vote To Sever Ties With DEMA After Financial Investigation, Legal Threats From CEO
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to begin severing ties with contractor DEMA Management and Consulting, rejecting a request by the Department of Health Services to maintain the for-profit company’s expired contract until July 31. (Graham, 4/16)

Becker's Hospital Review: Kaiser Med School Names CEO
John Dalrymple, MD, was selected as the new dean and CEO of the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine in Pasadena. Dr. Dalrymple is the senior associate dean for medical education at Boston-based Harvard Medical School. He will begin his new role on July 1, according to a news release from Kaiser's school of medicine. (Gooch, 4/16)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Homelessness In San Diego County Has Now Risen Every Month For 2 Straight Years 
“There’s just not enough housing at a price point that people can afford,” said Jennifer Nations, managing director of the Homelessness Hub research lab at UC San Diego. “This is especially evident in the numbers of first-time homeless,” she added, many of whom are older adults. (Nelson, 4/17)

San Francisco Chronicle: Tenderloin Groups Are Fighting The Development Of A Homeless Center
A proposal to transform three vacant storefronts in the Tenderloin into a community center and shelter serving homeless people has prompted calls for a ban on retail conversions in the struggling neighborhood. The Filipino Community Development Corp., in collaboration with more than a dozen other Tenderloin and South of Market nonprofit organizations, plans to open a community center and shelter at 418-422 Turk St. The groups will need to get city approval to change the use of the building before moving forward. (Angst, 4/16)

Los Angeles Times: AIDS Healthcare Foundation To Buy Six Skid Row Housing Trust Buildings
A half dozen properties that are owned by a failed Skid Row landlord should be sold to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the court-ordered receiver overseeing the buildings said, despite the Hollywood-based nonprofit’s problematic history of operating low-income housing. The foundation has agreed to pay $27 million for six properties owned by the Skid Row Housing Trust, which financially collapsed last year. Under the deal, the foundation will continue to operate the buildings, half of which are single-room occupancy hotels and the other half efficiency apartments, as permanent housing for formerly homeless residents. (Dillon, 4/16)

Voice of OC: Does Prop 1 Mean More Group Homes For Orange County?
A statewide ballot measure is kicking up a host of concerns across Orange County – chiefly whether it will spike the number of problematic group homes – an issue cities throughout the county are already grappling with. The measure, known as Prop 1, authorizes $6.4 billion in bonds to create more housing for homeless people and drug treatment centers and was narrowly passed by voters in the March 5 primary election. It’s also changing how state tax money is spent on drug abuse and mental health treatment programs in local communities. (Custodio, 4/17)

KQED: San Francisco’s New Parking Rules Set To Displace RV Community Near SF State
After months of pressure from advocates to delay parking enforcement, San Francisco will begin requiring vehicles to be moved every four hours on streets between SF State and Stonestown Galleria, affecting a large RV community in the area. Clusters of mobile homes have popped up around the Bay Area as housing has grown out of reach for many. However, the city’s effort to evict RVs through parking restrictions has been met with controversy. While some residents say mobile vehicles clutter their sidewalks and present safety issues, others say the RVs are homes and urge the city to find a long-term solution where they can park. (Johnson, 4/16)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Renters Struggling And Feeling Pessimistic, Survey Finds
Nearly 4 in 10 renters in Los Angeles County have worried about losing their homes and becoming homeless in the last few years, according to the results of a new survey from UCLA. A similar share have worried that they or their family would go hungry because they cannot afford the cost of food. The 2024 Quality of Life Index, prepared by UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs, suggests that the county‘s renters are feeling particularly intense strain from the steep cost of housing combined with inflation. (Esquivel, 4/17)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Officials Back California Bill To Expand Methadone Access
In the face of rising fentanyl overdose deaths, San Francisco officials are pushing to change state law to expand the types of clinics that can dispense methadone and make it easier for patients to get take-home doses of the drug. Assembly Member Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, called the measure his “most important bill of the year.” Dr. Christy Soran, a deputy medical director at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, said she sees the legislation as a key tactic to address fentanyl overdoses in the city. (Bollag, 4/16)

CBS News: Santa Monica Protesters Say LA County's Park Needle Distribution Program Is Unsafe
Santa Monica community advocates gathered at Reed Park Tuesday morning to protest the Los Angeles County needle distribution program. While the county says the program saves lives and protects public health, the Santa Monica Coalition says handing out needles in three of the city's public parks attracts drug users to the parks and is a safety issue as needles are discarded throughout the parks. (Sharp, 4/16)

AP: House Panel Says China Subsidizes Fentanyl Production To Fuel Crisis In The United States 
China is fueling the fentanyl crisis in the U.S. by directly subsidizing the manufacturing of materials that are used by traffickers to make the drug outside the country, according to a report released Tuesday by a special House committee focused on countering the Chinese government. Committee investigators said they accessed a government website that revealed tax rebates for the production of specific fentanyl precursors as well as other synthetic drugs as long as those companies sell them outside of China. (Freking, 4/16)

CNN: Small Gift Cards Can Be A Key Tool To Stop Stimulant Addiction, But Stigma Stands In The Way 
Clyde Davis battled a methamphetamine and heroin addiction for over nine years. He tried various treatment programs, but none worked for him before he reached his insurance maximum and was forced to discharge. “I was trying to die; just putting myself through torture because I didn’t feel like I deserved to live and be happy,” Davis said. (Cheng, 4/16)

Sacramento Bee: California Offers Free Mental Health Services For Kids And Families With New Apps. Here's How 
California has launched two mental health apps for teens, young adults, children and parents — and they’re free to use. Last year, the program was being tested in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties but has recently become available statewide for those under 25, according to the California Department of Health Care Services. (Rodriguez, 4/16)

LAist: Why LA County Wants To Follow Up After A Mental Health Crisis Call
For several years, Los Angeles County has provided teams of clinicians who can be called to incidents involving a person experiencing a mental health crisis — without the need for a law enforcement response. But what happens after that initial contact? What happens when the crisis has passed? The county Board of Supervisors approved a motion recently to hire eight teams of two mental health workers whose job would be to follow up with people in the days and weeks after a mental health crisis. (Garrova, 4/16)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Solving The Puzzle: Autism Diagnosis Often Takes Longer For Girls, Whose Symptoms Can Differ From Boys' 
One way autism can differ between genders is that autistic girls can sometimes present as being more social. They also might be quiet and less disruptive, meaning they might not be perceived as needing additional services, said Doris Trauner, Department of Neurosciences professor emerita at UC San Diego School of Medicine. (Mapp, 4/16)

Military Times: Former Marine Sentenced For Firebombing Planned Parenthood Clinic
A federal judge has sentenced a former Marine to nine years in prison for the 2022 firebombing of a Planned Parenthood clinic, which was carried out while he was on active duty. Chance Brannon, 24, of San Juan Capistrano, California, was stationed at Camp Pendleton at the time of the firebombing, according to a justice department release. He has been in federal custody since his arrest in June 2023. In addition to the attack on the clinic, Brannon plotted attacks on a power grid, Dodger Stadium and home invasions of Jewish residences in Los Angeles. (South, 4/16)

KQED: Veteran Organizer Of Women Voters On How Abortion Is Scrambling The 2024 Election
Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, leaving abortion access up to the states, extreme legal decisions and abortion restrictions from Florida to Arizona have mobilized women and supporters of abortion access. Heidi Sieck, co-founder of #VOTEPROCHOICE, joins Scott and Marisa to discuss the changed political landscape and how it’s impacting the 2024 election. (Shafer, 4/16)

Los Angeles Times: Voters Not Sold On Kamala Harris Despite Her Rising Profile With Abortion 
Vice President Kamala Harris has failed to win over a majority of voters or convince them that she is ready to step in if Biden, the oldest president in history, falters. (Bierman, 4/16)

Military.com: Expanding VA's Fertility Treatment Coverage To Vets Without Service Injuries Too Costly, Secretary Says
Expanding coverage of fertility treatments to veterans whose infertility is not caused by a service-connected injury would lead to "substantial" cost increases for the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Secretary Denis McDonough told lawmakers Tuesday. During an appearance before the House Appropriations Committee subpanel in charge of the VA budget, McDonough was asked by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., why the VA does not cover in vitro fertilization for veterans suffering from infertility unless it is caused by a service-connected injury. (Kheel, 4/16)

Military Times: Senators Push VA To Fix Problems With Vets’ Toxic Exposure Claims
A group of Senate Democrats is imploring Veterans Affairs officials to fix how they handle constrictive bronchiolitis and hypertension claims under new toxic exposure benefits legislation, saying that too many veterans are left without help due to confusing department rules. In a letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough on Monday, 18 senators — led by Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester, D-Mont. — said the issues need to be addressed quickly to ensure that thousands of veterans receive the compensation they deserve. (Shane III, 4/16)

Times of San Diego: 11 Norovirus Cases In San Diego County Linked To Frozen South Korean Oysters
County public health officials have linked 11 confirmed and probable cases of norovirus illness to frozen oysters imported from South Korea, it was announced Tuesday. Customers who ate the oysters at 100s Seafood Grill Buffet in Mission Valley between March 31 and April 1 became sick, with one person going to the emergency room, a county statement read. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration is now linking the San Diego illnesses to quick-frozen oysters and is cautioning all restaurants and stores that sell frozen, raw half-shell oysters to check their freezers and verify the origin of their oysters. (Ireland, 4/16)

NPR: Biden Administration Announces New Global Plan To Thwart Future Pandemics
A disease originating in a remote area halfway around the world can travel to the U.S. in as little as 72 hours. That's why the Biden administration has launched a new effort to improve the ability of the U.S. to prevent, detect and respond to the spread of infectious diseases. ... "It will help protect people — across our nation and around the world — from security threats, particularly those posed by infectious diseases," said President Joe Biden in a statement. "It will make the United States stronger, safer and healthier than ever before." (Emanuel, 4/16)

Medscape: 4 Years In, A Sobering Look At Long COVID Progress
While physicians may not have a blanket diagnostic tool that works for all patients with long COVID, they have refined existing tests for more accurate results, said Nisha Viswanathan, MD, director of the University of California Los Angeles Long COVID Program at UCLA Health. Also, a range of new treatments, now undergoing clinical trials, have emerged that have proved effective in managing long COVID symptoms. (Novak, 4/16)

CIDRAP: FDA To Review 5-In-1 Meningococcal Vaccine Candidate 
British drugmaker GSK announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted an application for review of the company's 5-in-1 meningococcal vaccine. GSK's MenABCWY vaccine candidate will target the five groups of Neisseria meningitidis bacteria (meningococcal serogroups A, B, C, W, and Y) that cause most cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) globally. It combines the antigenic components of GSK's well-established meningococcal vaccines, Bexsero and Menveo. (Dall, 4/16)

ScienceDaily: Common HIV Treatments May Aid Alzheimer's Disease Patients
Scientists have identified promising real-world links between common HIV drugs and a reduced incidence of Alzheimer's disease. (Sanford-Burnham Prebys, 4/16)

The New York Times: Sleep Apnea Reduced In People Who Took Zepbound, Eli Lilly Reports
The pharmaceutical manufacturer Eli Lilly announced on Wednesday that its obesity drug tirzepatide, or Zepbound, provided considerable relief to overweight or obese people who had obstructive sleep apnea, or episodes of stopped breathing during sleep. The results, from a pair of yearlong clinical trials, could offer a new treatment option for some 20 million Americans who have been diagnosed with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. (Kolata, 4/17)

The Washington Post: A Blood Test To Detect Cancer? Some Patients Are Using Them Already.
When her husband was undergoing cancer treatment, Cindy Perez of Southwest Ranches, Fla., learned about a new blood test that could help find early cancers. The 50-year-old said she felt fine, but her husband urged her to take the test anyway. To her surprise, the blood test — called Galleri — came back positive. Scans revealed a small tumor in her groin and a diagnosis of mantle cell lymphoma, a rare but aggressive form of cancer. She was treated and now, two years later, she’s in remission. “For me, the test was a miracle,” she said. “A real big miracle.” (Cimons, 4/16)

USA Today: Melatonin New Packaging Guidelines Seek To Protect Kids From Overdose
The Council for Responsible Nutrition announced new melatonin packaging guidelines Monday, but it will be up to manufacturers of the supplements to implement them. The action taken by the council, a leading trade association for the dietary supplement industry, comes after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) put out a report last month stating that nearly 11,000 U.S. children ended up in the emergency room from 2019 and 2022 after ingesting melatonin they took without supervision. (Coblentz, 4/16)

Stat: UnitedHealth Skips Hearing In The Wake Of Change Cyberattack, Triggering Call For Subpoena
In the first federal hearing focused on the massive cyberattack on Change Healthcare, lawmakers had many important questions for UnitedHealth, which owns Change: Did it meet Health and Human Services’ cybersecurity performance goals? Has UnitedHealth exploited physicians’ cash shortfalls caused by the Change outage to acquire struggling practices? Did UnitedHealth indeed pay the purported $22 million ransom? (Trang, 4/16)

Modern Healthcare: Lawmakers Rip UnitedHealth At Change Healthcare Hearing
The House Energy and Commerce Committee had a lot to discuss during Capitol Hill's first hearing on the Change Healthcare breach and cybersecurity. UnitedHealth Group's absence from the proceedings was high on the list. "I'm extremely disappointed, I have to say, that the UnitedHealth Group did not send representatives to today's hearing," ranking member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said Tuesday of the conglomerate, whose Optum subsidiary operates Change Healthcare. (McAuliff, 4/16)

Axios: Lawmakers Target Mergers In First Hearing On Change Healthcare Hack
During the first congressional hearing on the Change Healthcare hack Tuesday, lawmakers appeared to zero in on the risks of massive consolidation in health care. (Reed, 4/17)