Bay Area News Group: Parcel Tax Measure To Fund East Bay Hospital System Goes Before Voters This Fall
Voters within an Alameda County public health care district are being asked this November to approve a parcel tax that supporters of the measure say is needed to keep medical equipment and technology up to date, reduce emergency room wait time and “ensure that our community has highly qualified doctors, surgeons and nurses.” (Martin, 9/16)

Becker's Hospital Review: 55% Of Healthcare Workers Plan To Change Roles Within 1 Year: Survey
More than half of U.S. healthcare workers plan to change roles in the next year, according to a recent survey from Strategic Education. Fifty-five percent of respondents said they plan to search for job openings, interview for new positions or switch roles within a year — either within their current organization (38%) or externally (40%). (Kuchno, 9/15)

Modern Healthcare: Rural Health Transformation Program Applications Open
The Health and Human Services Department has opened applications for $50 billion rural healthcare funding included in the sweeping tax law President Donald Trump enacted in July. States will have through Nov. 5 to apply for the Rural Health Transformation Program, and CMS will announce funding levels for states by the end of the year. States should identify specific rural health challenges and possible solutions, according to an HHS news release. (Early, 9/15)

U.S. News & World Report: Will The $50 Billion Rural Health Fund Be Enough To Offset Medicaid Cuts?
Rural health providers are skeptical that federal Medicaid cuts will be offset by a $50 billion fund – the implementation of which is already off to a rocky start. (Mathur-Ashton, 9/15)

Axios: New Clinic Closings Reignite Fears About Rural Care
A string of recent rural health clinic closures is threatening to further reduce access to care in outlying areas as health systems brace for cuts in the in the Republican budget law and grapple with inflation and workforce issues. The big picture: Rural health cutbacks already are a fact of life. But some of the latest closures are in anticipation of the nearly $1 trillion reduction in federal Medicaid spending that will in large part hit starting in 2027. (Goldman, 9/15)

Los Angeles Blade: Assemblymembers Urge Governor Newsom To Sign “Lifeline” Bill For HIV Medication
On September 10, Assembly Bill (AB) 554, or the PrEPARE Act (Protecting Rights, Expanding Prevention, and Advancing Reimbursement for Equity Act), was passed with a majority vote by the California State Assembly and Senate. Today, the bill’s leaders are urging Governor Newsom to sign it into law. “With a powerful coalition behind AB 554, we were able to get this bill through the process swiftly, and are hopeful that the Governor will see the need for the LGBTQ+ community,” Los Angeles Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez, one of the bill’s co-authors, told the Blade. (Song, 9/15)

KQED: The Hidden Health Risk Behind Bay Area Homeless Encampment Sweeps
Sycamore Street in West Oakland sat eerily quiet under a scorching August sun. Here, tents once spilled across sidewalks and RVs butted into intersections, but now a few scattered plastic bags and scraps of trash remain after the city cleared an encampment. Crews demolished wooden structures, fed heaps of garbage into compactors, and hauled away vehicles with forklifts. Donald Sims used to sleep in an SUV and stored his belongings in a tent on the sidewalk. He said he lost everything he owned in about ten minutes. (McClurg, 9/15)

The Sacramento Bee: What Are Recent Efforts To Tackle Sacramento Homelessness?
Homelessness continues to be one of the most pressing issues facing the Sacramento region — the Institute for Social Research’s new survey of 1,750 residents shows that they not only care deeply about the subject, but are frustrated by what they see as a lack of action by elected officials. Tuesday, the Sacramento City Council addresses the proposal for four new locations for homeless people, as well as tiny homes with fees. The proposal is the most recent local effort. California just concluded its legislative session with bills related to homelessness and housing. We have been covering the actions on both fronts. (Bee staff, 9/16)

Los Angeles Times: Eaton Fire Contaminated Altadena With Lead. It's Lingering Even After Cleanup. 
The Eaton fire left significant levels of lead in Altadena’s soil, according to a final report from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hauled away debris and soil from destroyed properties, but that did not completely remove the contamination, the report, released Friday, found. People whose homes are still standing, or are partially damaged, also face significant contamination. That is true both within and outside the burn scar. (Haggerty, 9/15)

Los Angeles Times: As Trump Guts Greenhouse Gas Reporting, California Has Its Own Rules
For nearly 20 years, thousands of industrial plants across the U.S. and California have been required to track and report the greenhouse gas pollution they spew into the atmosphere. This month, the Trump administration moved to permanently end that program. ... California, however, may be better prepared to weather the storm than other states. (Smith, 9/15)

Voice of San Diego: Environment Report: Where Oh Where Are My Tijuana River Sewage Updates
In “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” Captain Jack Sparrow led his crew to buried treasure on Isla de Muerta – a place that could not be found, except by those who already know where it is. That’s how I feel about getting information on the Tijuana River sewage crisis from the Trump Administration’s new leadership. It’s out there – somewhere – but only those who know it exists can find it. (Elmer, 9/15)

Los Angeles Times: How Can A Pink Dye Job Improve Water Quality In Santa Monica Bay?
Over the next two weeks, surfers and beachgoers in Santa Monica may spot waves that have a pink, fluorescent hue — but officials say not to worry. The luminous, pink color spreading across the Santa Monica Bay is from a temporary, nontoxic dye that researchers are using to study how ocean circulation might contribute to the bay’s poor water quality. (Toohey, 9/15)

Bay Area News Group: Antioch’s $160 Million Desalination Plant Begins Operation In Bid To Boost City Water Supply
Antioch has finally turned on the taps of its long-awaited brackish water desalination plant, which is expected to help the city safeguard its water supply for decades to come. (Sivanandam, 9/16)

Los Angeles Times: Charlie Kirk's Killing Fuels Anti-Transgender Rhetoric
America’s already roiling debate around transgender rights sharply escalated in recent days after Charlie Kirk — one of the nation’s most prominent anti-transgender voices — was fatally shot by a suspect whose life and social circles have been meticulously scrutinized for any connection to the transgender community. Taking over Kirk’s podcast Monday, top Trump administration officials suggested they are gearing up to avenge Kirk by waging war on left-leaning organizations broadly, despite law enforcement statements that the shooter is believed to have acted alone. Queer organizations took that as a direct threat. (Rector and Ceballos, 9/16)

Voice of OC: Irvine Might See Child Care Grant Program For Children Ages 4 And Below
Irvine residents with young children may soon be able to participate in a city-sponsored child care grant program after city council members told staff to study the topic and return with a plan. Council members unanimously supported the idea during their meeting on Sept. 9 and voted to direct staff to study the proposal for families with children ages 0 to 4 that live or work in Irvine. (Hicks, 9/15)

Politico: Senate Republicans Ready Obamacare Rescue 
A group of GOP senators are working on legislation to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies with policy changes designed to win over conservatives, according to four people granted anonymity to disclose private discussions. This group has gotten “technical assistance” from the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over the subsidies, according to two of the sources. The Obamacare subsidies are set to expire at the end of this year. (Guggenheim and Carney, 9/15)

Military Times: Troops With Medical Shaving Waivers To Face Separation, Hegseth Says
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s pursuit of a clean-shaven military took its latest step Monday when the Pentagon announced that troops who require medical shaving waivers for longer than a year will face involuntary separation, according to an official memo. The announcement, which is dated Aug. 20, follows a force-wide review launched by the Pentagon in March to assess military grooming and fitness standards. (Simkins and Ceder, 9/15)

CNN: Five New Members Named To Influential CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee Days Ahead Of Key Meeting
Five new members have been named to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee, the US Department of Health and Human Services said Monday, just days ahead of a key meeting about vaccines for Covid-19 and other diseases. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been preparing to appoint as many as seven new members for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which is tasked with reviewing the latest science on vaccines and then making recommendations to the CDC on how they should be used. (Dillinger and Goodman, 9/15)

AP: Kennedy's Vaccine Committee To Vote Chickenpox, COVID-19, Hepatitis B Shots
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s new vaccine advisory committee meets this week, with votes expected on whether to change recommendations on shots against COVID-19, hepatitis B and chickenpox. The exact questions to be voted on Thursday and Friday in Atlanta are unclear. Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to questions seeking details to a newly posted agenda, although the department announced five additional appointments to the committee Monday. (Stobbe, 9/16)

NBC News: RFK Jr. Vows To 'Fix' The 'Broken' Federal Vaccine Court
Although members of Congress have tried to pass legislation several times to give the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, or VICP, more resources — including the ability to hire more special masters, who act as judges — the efforts have never succeeded. Because Congress created the VICP, only Congress has the authority to update or eliminate it, Reiss said. Yet the health secretary wields significant power over the program. And he has big plans. (Szabo, 9/15)