Fresnoland: Is Valley Children’s Taking More Than It’s Giving Back To Fresno?
Of the $90.5 million the hospital spent on direct community investment in the last decade, 80% went to its associated medical group. (Rashad, 5/8)

Los Angeles Times: Experts Blast CDC Over Refusal To Test Sewage For Signs Of H5N1 Bird Flu Virus
It emerged as a powerful tool for public health officers during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was used to gauge the prevalence of coronavirus in communities across the nation. But wastewater surveillance — the testing of sewage for signs of pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2, poliovirus and mpox virus — has yet to be employed in the tracking of H5N1 bird flu virus. (Rust, 5/10)

Reuters: US To Post Influenza A Wastewater Data Online To Assist Bird Flu Probe, Official Says
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is planning to post data on influenza A found in wastewater in a public dashboard possibly as soon as Friday that could offer new clues into the outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in cattle herds. CDC wastewater team lead Amy Kirby told Reuters on Thursday that the agency has identified spikes of influenza A, of which H5N1 is a subtype, in a handful of sites and is investigating the source. She said there is no indication of human infection with H5N1. (Steenhuysen, 5/9)

CNN: Cows Have Human Flu Receptors, Study Shows, Raising The Stakes On The Bird Flu Outbreak In Dairy Cattle
In early March, Dr. Barb Petersen, a large-animal vet in Texas, began getting calls from the dairy farms she works with in the Panhandle. Workers there were seeing a lot of cows with mastitis, an infection of the udder. Their milk was thickened and discolored, and it couldn’t be explained by any of the usual suspects such as bacteria or tissue damage. (Goodman and Kounang, 5/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Program Gives Homeless People Free Booze. Here's Why
For a small slice of San Francisco’s homeless population that struggles with severe alcohol addiction, nurses offer treatment not in a pill, but in a shot of vodka or a glass of beer. It may sound counterintuitive, experts say, but it helps keep people off the streets and out of emergency rooms, jails — or the morgue.  (Barned-Smith and Angst, 5/10)

Los Angeles Times: Deadly Overdoses Stopped Surging Among L.A. County Homeless People
Year after year, Los Angeles County has seen devastating losses on its streets as homeless people bedding down in tents, under tarps and on sidewalks died of drug overdoses at soaring rates. Now a newly released report shows that the death rate from overdoses stopped rising among unhoused people in the county in 2022 — the year L.A. County was stepping up its efforts to save lives. (Reyes and Seidman, 5/9)

Modesto Bee: Fentanyl Deaths Not Slowing Down In Stanislaus County
A coalition set up a display of 213 empty chairs at Vintage Faire Mall in Modesto to represent the number of deaths from drug overdoses or poisonings in 2023 in Stanislaus County. Each chair was for someone’s son, daughter or friend. New numbers released Thursday show a disturbing trend continues with the fentanyl crisis. The county has recorded 48 total drug overdose deaths from the start of January through early May, of which 33 were attributed to illegal fentanyl. (Carlson, 5/9)

California Healthline: Their First Baby Came With Medical Debt. These Illinois Parents Won’t Have Another. 
Millions of new parents in the U.S. are swamped by medical debt during and after pregnancy, forcing many to cut back on food, clothing, and other essentials. (Levey, 5/10)

KFF Health News' 'What The Health?' Podcast: Newly Minted Doctors Are Avoiding Abortion Ban States
For the second year in a row, medical school graduates across specialties are shying away from applying for residency training in states with abortion bans or significant restrictions, according to a new study. Meanwhile, Medicare’s trustees report that the program will be able to pay its bills longer than expected — which could discourage Congress from acting to address the program’s long-term financial woes. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins University schools of nursing and public health and Politico Magazine, and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. (5/9)

Los Angeles Times: California's Attorney General Has Plans To Sue Trump If He Wins Another Term
California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said he and his staff have been reviewing former President Trump’s second-term agenda in detail to prepare a potential onslaught of environmental, immigration and civil rights lawsuits in the event Trump defeats President Biden. (Bierman and Savage, 5/9)

The Hill: Lawmakers Target Heavy Metals In Baby Food With New Legislation
A pair of Democratic senators introduced new legislation to limit the levels of harmful metals in commercial baby food, they announced Thursday. The bill, called “The Baby Food Safety Act of 2024,” would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) new authority to enforce higher safety standards for commercial baby food and imported products. (Fortinsky, 5/9)

CNN: FDA Considers Updating Blood Donation Guidelines To Keep Nation’s Supply Safe From Malaria
The US Food and Drug Administration is considering a requirement for blood banks to use a new test that can detect the parasites that cause malaria in certain donors’ blood, and it’s seeking the opinion of its independent advisers on the best way to meet its goal of zero transfusion-related cases without unnecessarily prohibiting some people from donating blood. (Christensen, 5/9)

AP: The CDC Issues A Report About Infections From Stem-Cell Treatments In Mexico
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report Thursday about three cases of infections apparently linked to stem-cell treatments American patients received in Mexico. The CDC issued the report Thursday on infections of Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM), which it described as “difficult-to-treat” and “intrinsically drug-resistant” and “rapidly growing.” (5/10)

Los Angeles Times: Health Officials Are Warning About Fake Botox. What To Look For
Fake versions of Botox have popped up in California, raising alarm among public health officials who warn that counterfeit versions of the injections can lead to symptoms such as slurred speech and breathing problems. (Alpert Reyes, 5/9)

The Hill: Ultraprocessed Foods Linked To Early Death Risk: Study
A 30-year study found that eating ultraprocessed foods is linked to a higher risk of early death. The study, published Wednesday in the BMJ journal, examined the eating habits of 115,000 people and found that a higher intake of ultraprocessed foods was associated with a slightly higher mortality risk. (Irwin, 5/9)

Stat: Alcohol Isn't Healthy After All. Will New Dietary Guidelines Reflect That?
The issue of alcohol — and how much of it Americans should consume — is up for debate again as the dietary guidelines undergo updates and revisions, due in 2025. Already, there’s simmering debate over a growing body of research, plus clashing of interests and the same specter of controversy that’s followed the report since Nestle’s time. (Cueto, 5/10)

Los Angeles Times: Does Zinc Really Help Shorten A Cold? It's Hard To Say
A new analysis of studies published on zinc and cold viruses concludes that there isn’t enough evidence to say whether over-the-counter zinc treatments have any effect on preventing the common cold. (Purtill, 5/10)

CIDRAP: COVID-Related US-Mexico Border Closure May Have Fueled HIV Spread
Closing the border separating San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, during the COVID-19 pandemic didn't stop drug tourism and may have increased the spread of HIV, concludes a study posted in The Lancet Regional Health Americas. (Van Beusekom, 5/9)

The New York Times: How Loneliness Affects The Brain
Everyone feels lonely from time to time. ... Some people, though, experience loneliness not just transiently but chronically. ... These individuals seem to have “this persistent emotion that then shapes their behavior.” Research is mounting that this type of entrenched loneliness is bad for our health and can even change our brains, raising the risk for neurodegenerative diseases. Here’s what experts know about how chronic loneliness affects the brain, and some strategies to address it. (Smith, 5/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: How Staffing Shortages At S.F. Hospitals Could Put You In Danger
It’s a shift like any other in the medical-surgical department at San Francisco General Hospital. As I make my rounds, an older patient with a history of seizures calls for help. Her words are slurred; she seems disoriented. As her nurse, I immediately recognized what could be the first signs of a stroke. I understand the urgency of getting her down to a CT scanner for diagnosis. Time is brain. Every minute that passes is a moment oxygen is unable to reach that part of the brain. This can lead to a loss of brain function and diminish the chance of recovery. (Brittany Hewett, 5/9)

Stat: Use Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, Not Heat Index, To Protect Workers
A 30-year-old farm worker in North Carolina died last September on a day that was fairly typical for the state. Temperatures were in the mid-90s and the heat index, which includes humidity, was 96 degrees F. This index is often referred to as the “feels like” temperature, and is commonly used to gauge heat stress on the body. But use of the heat index to gauge whether José Arturo González Mendoza and his fellow sweet potato harvesters could work safety grossly underestimated the lethal risks at play. (Ashley Ward and Jordan Clark, 5/10)

CalMatters: Why CA Sex Education Needs To Include Menstrual Health
When I was 12, I lost my period. Though I’d attended sex education classes in middle school, nobody taught me what a period was, how to regulate one, how to care for one and, especially, how to notice irregularities and when or how to seek medical care. Many young people don’t have a parent, guardian or trusted adult they can ask. I turned to online sources, where I encountered misinformation that only increased my anxiety. Disreputable health websites told me I could have cancer or a terminal disease. It took months before a doctor finally helped identify the treatable underlying health issue causing my irregular menstrual cycle. (Sriya Srinivasan, 5/9)