North Bay Business Journal: 3 North Bay Outpatient Facilities Recognized For High Performing Care
For its 2025 report released March 18, U.S. News evaluated more than 4,000 ambulatory surgery centers across the country. Fewer than 17% earned a “high performing” rating. “We used three years of Medicare data to evaluate these surgical centers using criteria that includes how successfully they avoided complications, ER visits, unplanned hospitalizations and other undesirable outcomes,” U.S. News stated. Three of those top-rated outpatient facilities are in the North Bay. (Sarfaty, 3/26)

Voice of San Diego: Palomar Health's Borrowing Has Ruffled Feathers At Sharp HealthCare
Amid ongoing financial decline, Palomar Health has borrowed cash from two other hospital systems since 2024. But one of those loans has ruffled some feathers. Sharp Healthcare has threatened to file a lawsuit against Palomar Health for allegedly breaching an exclusivity arrangement the two hospital systems established last year. The threat of litigation comes after Palomar recently accepted a loan from UC San Diego Health. (Layne, 3/27)

Becker's Hospital Review: California Hospital CEO Resigns
Stephen DelRossi has resigned as CEO of Bishop, Calif.-based Northern Inyo Healthcare District, which operates a 25-bed critical access hospital. Mr. DelRossi stepped down March 25 “to take some time to focus on his family,” a spokesperson told Becker’s. The board of directors has not yet announced plans for next steps. Allison Partridge, MSN, RN, chief nursing officer and COO, is serving as acting CEO in the interim. (Gooch, 3/26)

Modern Healthcare: FBI Finds No Credible Terror Threat To Hospitals: AHA
The American Hospital Association on Wednesday said the FBI found no specific, credible threats after investigating a potential terror risk to hospitals in several cities. The FBI said if it received any further, credible information on the possible threat it would immediately contact potential targeted hospitals and make a broader announcement through the AHA and Health-ISAC if necessary, according to a news release. (DeSilva, 3/26)  

Los Angeles Times: Should Doctors Kick Out Unvaccinated Children? Pediatricians Face Dilemma
Orange County pediatrician Dr. Eric Ball still feels guilty about the Disneyland measles outbreak of 2014. At the time, his office allowed children whose parents refused to vaccinate them to still remain as patients. Many took advantage of the policy, leaving the children in his practice well below the 95% threshold that experts say is needed to achieve herd immunity. In the end, a single measles case at the theme park spread to 145 people across the country; several were part of his practice. (Gold, 3/27)

Los Angeles Times: Drug-Resistant Fungus An 'urgent Threat' As It Spreads In Hospitals
A deadly, drug-resistant fungus that preys on the sick and old is continuing to spread in hospitals and senior care facilities across the country, killing more than 1 in 3 infected. Candida auris, a type of yeast that can cause life-threatening illness, was first identified in the U.S. in 2016 with 52 infections reported across the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of cases has more than doubled annually, hitting 4,514 in 2023, the latest year the CDC has data available. During this same period, California reported 1,566 infections, more than any other state. (Harter, 3/27)

Voice of OC: Laguna Beach Keeps Homeless Shelter, Potential Service Cuts Loom
Laguna Beach’s homeless shelter is one of the only facilities in South Orange County where unhoused people can find free meals, a shower and a warm bed 365 days a year. But now city officials are taking a closer look at the shelter — named the Alternative Sleeping Location (ASL) — to see what services, if any, could be cut in the future to save money and reduce the facility’s regional draw. (Hicks, 3/26)

Sacramento Bee: Kevin McCarty Promised More Homeless Shelters On Public Land
Mayor Kevin McCarty’s actions and approach to addressing homelessness have been different than his campaign rhetoric on the issue. Prior to his November election, McCarty repeatedly discussed his support for the low-cost solution of opening more self-governed Safe Grounds — like the former Camp Resolution site — where unhoused people are allowed to camp on designated public land. McCarty expressed a desire to keep focused on addressing the homelessness crisis by including discussion of potential Safe Ground locations at every City Council meeting. (Clift and Miranda, 3/26)

Los Angeles Times: Trump Targets California Ban On 'Forced Outing' Of Students' Gender Identity To Parents
Federal officials have launched an investigation of the California Department of Education for withholding from parents information about changes to their child’s gender identity, setting up a showdown between the state and President Trump, with billions of dollars in federal funding potentially at stake. The investigation, announced Thursday morning by the U.S. Department of Education, essentially pits a California law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in July — prohibiting schools from automatically notifying families about student gender-identity changes and shielding teachers from retaliation for supporting transgender student rights — against an interpretation of federal law adopted by the Trump administration. (Blume, 3/27)

San Francisco Chronicle: CDC Halts Federal Funding In California For COVID Response
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will immediately end federal funding to California for COVID vaccination, surveillance and testing, California health officials said Wednesday. The funding had been awarded to state and local public health departments during the pandemic. It is meant to help fill gaps in California’s public health infrastructure, including its response to COVID and other respiratory and vaccine-preventable diseases. (Ho, 3/26)

Los Angeles Times: EPA Plans To Cut Hundreds Of Grants. Democrats Say It's Illegal
California lawmakers this week joined a chorus of outraged Democrats demanding that the Environmental Protection Agency reverse plans to terminate hundreds of grants geared toward clean air and water — a move they are calling illegal. Internal EPA documents released by the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works include a list of about 400 grants targeted for elimination, 62 of which are in California. The grants are aimed at reducing childhood lead poisoning, improving air quality and mitigating health risks from extreme heat and wildfires, among other purposes. (Smith, 3/27)

Stat: On NIH Director’s First Day, The Agency Tackles One Of His Priorities — Ending ‘Censorship’ In Science
In October, Jay Bhattacharya, then a health economist at Stanford University, posted on X: “If you favor government control of misinformation, you are an enemy of free speech.” On Wednesday, on his first morning serving as director of the National Institutes of Health, the agency directed staff to compile a list of grants and contracts related to “fighting misinformation or disinformation” — a step that in recent weeks has preceded the termination of research funding in areas that run counter to the Trump administration’s priorities. (Oza, 3/26)

The Washington Post: Social Security Backs Off Plan To Cut Phone Services For Disabled People 
The Social Security Administration on Wednesday abruptly backed off planned cuts to phone services for disabled and some elderly Americans applying for benefits amid an uproar from advocates. The originally proposed changes — scheduled to take effect Monday but now delayed to April 14 — would have directed all people filing claims to first verify their identity online or in person, removing a phone option in place for years. Advocates said the shift would make it impossible for many disabled and elderly people with limited mobility or computer skills to apply. (Rein and Natanson, 3/26)

MedPage Today: Alzheimer's Research Caught In Trump Funding Delays 
Research and patient care may quickly stop at 14 of the country's Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers (ADRCs) due to lack of funds. Funding has effectively been halted at 14 of the nation's 35 ADRC after the Trump administration repeatedly canceled NIH advisory council meetings, the final step required in the ADRC grant approval process. "The 14 ADRCs remain in limbo," Alzheimer's researcher Ann Cohen, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh, told MedPage Today. (George, 3/26)

Politico: Judge Signals He May Narrow Scope Of Order Requiring Reinstatement Of Probationary Workers 
A federal judge indicated Wednesday that he may narrow an earlier ruling that required the Trump administration to rehire nearly 25,000 probationary workers. U.S. District Judge James Bredar entered a sweeping order two weeks ago reversing the administration’s mass terminations at 18 major federal agencies, including most Cabinet departments. That order applied nationwide, but Bredar said at a court hearing Wednesday that he may replace it with a more limited injunction that applies only in 19 states and the District of Columbia — the jurisdictions that sued over the firings. (Gerstein, 3/26)

Los Angeles Times: California Beverly Hills Seeks $400,000 In Legal Fees From Abortion Provider Blocked From Opening
The city of Beverly Hills is seeking more than $400,000 in legal fees from an abortion provider who accused officials of colluding with extremists to scuttle the opening of a clinic, drawing new outrage in a case that has already seen national outcry and official state censure. Dozens of abortion-rights advocates descended on the Beverly Hills City Council last week, demanding that city leaders abandon the pursuit of money spent fighting in court against the DuPont Clinic. (Sharp, 3/26)

Los Angeles Times: Their Homes Survived The Fire. Will Cleanup Plans Pose New Danger?
After the Eaton fire tore through Altadena, a widely shared belief emerged that the town’s 115-year-old golf course protected most of the homes around it because the flames couldn’t cross the open space. Many residents considered themselves lucky — their homes would need to be cleared of smoke and ash before they could return, but their neighborhood was still standing. The momentary relief soon gave way to a new fear when the county announced that the space that likely helped save their homes would become a dumping ground for debris and the headquarters for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ concrete crushing and recycling operation. Residents have been told that the work is safe. But they have seen no evidence to back that claim and wonder if the push for a speedy cleanup could pose new danger. (Shalby, 3/27)

Los Angeles Times: Communities Are Rebuilding After L.A. Fires Despite Lack Of Soil Testing
In Altadena and the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of L.A., reconstruction has begun despite the fact that the soil on affected properties has not been tested for toxic substances. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s controversial decision to forgo soil testing in communities burned in the Eaton and Palisades wildfires sparked pushback Wednesday as California lawmakers questioned whether the practice will prevent residents from knowing if there are toxic substances on the land before rebuilding begins. (Briscoe, 3/27)

inewsource: San Diego's Bird Flu Dilemma, Explained In Illustrations
Researchers say wild bird species in Southern California are contracting a deadlier and more contagious strain of bird flu. (Breen and Salata, 3/26)

NBC News: Measles Vaccination Rates May Be Lower Than Thought, Risking U.S.’ 'Elimination Status'
Measles vaccination rates for young children may be far lower than publicly reported, a troubling development that could mean the United States is closer than expected to losing its “elimination status” for the extremely contagious disease. “We are experiencing an extremely concerning decline in measles vaccination in the very group most vulnerable to the disease,” said Benjamin Rader, a computational epidemiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and the author of a recent study that looked at children’s vaccination rates.  (Sudhakar, 3/27)

Politico: Supreme Court Upholds Federal Ban On ‘Ghost Guns’ 
The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the federal government’s ban on so-called ghost guns — effectively untraceable weapons that can be easily assembled from parts kits often purchased on the internet. The justices split 7-2, with four conservative justices and three liberals backing the authority of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to regulate kits used to make guns that lack serial numbers and are typically sold without a background check. Such weapons are frequently used in crimes. (Gerstein, 3/26)

Bay Area News Group: San Jose Is Latest City To Institute First Responder Fee For Medical Calls
San Jose city officials have signed off on a first responder fee program, joining 23 other cities across the state as it looks to generate millions of dollars for its fire department in response to the growing number of medical calls in the community. (Patel, 3/27)

Los Angeles Times: 'Swatting' Calls Spark Panic, Fear, Massive Police Responses. Can California Crack Down? 
Calls have triggered huge deployments of law enforcement and caused panic at schools, churches and other institutions. But prosecuting threats in California can be a challenge. (Harter, 3/26)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Long-Term AIDS Survivor Celebrates The Unimaginable: Turning 80
Harry Breaux sat at the edge of his seat in a booth at the back of Delancey Street Restaurant in San Francisco, his face tense but resigned, eyes watery, as two dozen friends came up to him, one at a time, to tell him how loved he is. It was Breaux’s 80th birthday, and like a lot of people, he has a complicated relationship with being celebrated. But 80 is a big one, his friends insisted in between stories of his generosity, his compassion, his resiliency. And for someone who’s lived more than half of his life with AIDS, 80 is almost unimaginable. (Allday, 3/27)

The Bay Area Reporter: Three Long-Term HIV Survivors Reflect On COVID Five Years On
When much of the world was first introduced to physical distancing when COVID broke out in 2020, gay San Francisco resident Kevin Bradley already knew what it meant to isolate. “When I got HIV, I got really sick,” Bradley said during a phone interview, referring to over two decades earlier, when he started experiencing opportunistic infections – Kaposi’s sarcoma and thrush – in the 1990s. “It was horrendous. I had four T-cells.” (Ferrannini, 3/26)