Modern Healthcare: Cano Health To Lay Off 700 Employees, Explores Sale
Membership-based primary care provider Cano Health is laying off 700 employees, exiting four markets and exploring a sale, the company said Thursday. The plans were disclosed as the company reported a second-quarter net loss of $270.7 million, or 51 cents per share, compared with a loss of $14.6 million, or 3 cents per share, in the same period last year. The company attributed the loss to lower-than-expected Medicare Risk Adjustment revenue. (Perna, 8/10)

Modern Healthcare: Kaiser, UnitedHealth To Earn Big Medicare Advantage Star Bonuses, KFF Says
Kaiser Permanente will receive the biggest per-member bonus from the Medicare Advantage star ratings program in 2023, an analysis found. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will pay the integrated health system's insurance arm $523 per member for its high performance in the federal quality bonus program, according to a report published by KFF Wednesday. (Tepper, 8/10)

The Bakersfield Californian: Medical Board: Bakersfield Doctor Accused Of Negligence In Patient's Death Didn't Comply With Probation Terms
The California Medical Board reported a Bakersfield doctor, who was placed on a 7-year probation after a patient reportedly died undergoing surgery at her hands, failed to comply with conditions under probation and her license is suspended, according to a cease practice order made public Thursday. (Desai, 8/10)

Fierce Healthcare: HHS To Invest $100M To Train Nurses, Bolster Clinician Workforce
The Biden administration announced a $100 million investment to train more nurses and grow the workforce as the healthcare industry faces a critical nurse shortage. Officials with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said Thursday the investments will help address the increasing demand for registered nurses, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and nurse faculty. (Landi, 8/10)

Stat: EPA Fines Roche's Genentech For Waste Violations 
Following an extensive inspection, the Environmental Protection Agency fined Genentech more than $158,000 for hazardous waste violations at a facility in California, the latest instance in which a pharmaceutical company has been cited for failing to adhere to environment regulations. (Silverman, 8/10)

USA Today: Survey: Drug Shortages Are Widespread, Hospitals Ration Care
Hospital pharmacists said drug shortages have forced 1 in 3 health systems to delay, cancel or ration care or switch to alternate drugs to continue to treat patients. And 99% are reporting some drug supply shortages, an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists survey of more than 1,000 pharmacists released Thursday found. (Alltucker, 8/10)

Capitol Weekly: Stem Cell Agency’s DEI Program Still A Work In Progress 
They were perfect 10s. And the chair of the $12 billion California stem cell agency made a point of bringing that to public attention. The occasion was a meeting of directors of the agency last month to approve $50 million in awards to researchers. The 10 was the score chalked up by two then unidentified applicants to study HIV and leukemia. The perfect marks came on the DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) portion of the application. (Jensen, 8/10)

Marin Independent Journal: Overdoses Become Leading Cause Of Death For 55 And Younger In Marin County
The fentanyl crisis has taken hold of Marin County, driving accidental overdoses to the leading cause of death for residents 55 and younger, public health officials said. The Marin County Health and Human Services Department has launched a campaign with OD Free Marin, the Marin Community Foundation and the Independent Journal to tackle the public health crisis fueled by the illicit drug. (Rodriguez, 8/11)

Stat: Supreme Court Blocks Purdue Bankruptcy Plan That Shields Sacklers
The U.S. Supreme Court blocked a nationwide settlement with Purdue Pharma that was designed to shield members of the Sackler family — who own the company that makes OxyContin — from civil lawsuits over the fallout of the long-running opioid crisis. The move came in response to a request from the Biden administration to halt a bankruptcy plan that had been reached with numerous state and local governments around the country. (Silverman, 8/10)

Bloomberg: Opioid Victims Struggle To Get Purdue OxyContin Settlement Cash
Ryan Wroblewski took OxyContin and oxycodone for half his life until fatally overdosing in 2018 at age 33.His mother, Ellen Isaacs, has fought OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharmaceuticals ever since. As part of Purdue’s proposed bankruptcy settlement, qualified individual victims or families can receive payments ranging from approximately $3,500 to $48,000, based on factors like length of opioid use, addiction, overdose, and death caused by opioids. But to get a share of the $750 million payment pool for individuals, Isaacs must show proof that Wroblewski was prescribed Purdue-branded OxyContin. (Yu, 8/8)

AP: US Suicides Hit An All-Time High Last Year 
About 49,500 people took their own lives last year in the U.S., the highest number ever, according to new government data posted Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which posted the numbers, has not yet calculated a suicide rate for the year, but available data suggests suicides are more common in the U.S. than at any time since the dawn of World War II. (Stobbe, 8/11)

CBS News: Parents See Own Health Spiral As Their Kids' Mental Illnesses Worsen 
After her teenage daughter attempted suicide and began to cycle through emergency rooms and mental health programs during the past three years, Sarah Delarosa noticed her own health also declined. She suffered from mini strokes and stomach bleeding, the mother of four in Corpus Christi, Texas, said. To make things worse, her daughter's failing behavioral and mental health caused Delarosa to miss hours from her job as a home health aide, losing out on income needed to support her family. (Rayasam, 8/9)

CNN: Eating Disorders Run Rampant On University Campuses. How To Protect Your College-Bound Kid
If you’re sending a kid off to college, it makes sense to experience a mixture of excitement and worry — about their leaving home, sleeping enough and making friends but also the mental health crisis on many college campuses. But I find most parents and guardians  aren’t aware that this crisis includes eating disorders — which are serious, life-threatening mental illnesses characterized by a disturbance in one’s relationship with food, exercise and/or body size. (Hanson, 8/10)

Los Angeles Times: New Coronavirus Subvariant Eris Is Gaining Dominance. Is It Fueling An Increase In Cases?
A new coronavirus subvariant, nicknamed Eris, has rapidly risen to prominence nationwide and is now thought to account for more U.S. cases than any of its counterparts at a time when transmission has been creeping upward. (Lin II, 8/10)

Capital & Main: Amid The New Normal Of COVID, There’s An Old Normal Too
In California and across the country, COVID cases are again on the rise. Hospitalizations were up 12.5% over the previous week in the latest data reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and hospitalizations are one of the few ways to track the virus since the CDC dramatically scaled back its collection of infection rates in May. The overall numbers are nowhere near the horrible peaks of the three years past, and the severity of the cases is significantly lower as well. Still, three months after the federal government ended its COVID-19 public health emergency, some experts say there is a new normal in the U.S.: regular COVID seasons — and available vaccines — in the same manner as the flu. (Kreidler, 8/10)

ABC News: Percentage Of US Adults With Long COVID Falls To 6%: CDC
In early June 2022, 7.5% of Americans aged 18 and were experiencing long COVID, a condition that occurs when patients still have symptoms at least four weeks after they have cleared the infection. In some cases, symptoms can be experienced for months or years. By mid-June 2023, that figure had fallen to 6%, according to a new report published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Kekatos, 8/10)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Officials Reject Homeless Advocates’ Proposed Deal Over Sweeps
After nearly a year of legal battles, homeless advocates said Thursday they want to negotiate a settlement with San Francisco over the city’s encampment sweeps. In a nine-page letter sent Thursday morning, the ACLU of Northern California invited City Attorney David Chiu to the negotiating table noting the “potential risks and rewards of continued litigation.” (Barned-Smith and Toledo, 8/10)

CapRadio: Sacramento Leaders Propose Policy Package Aimed At Preventing Homelessness
Some Sacramento city council members are putting forward a suite of policy proposals designed to prevent more people in the region from becoming homeless. “This is not a problem we can continue to ignore,” Council member Katie Valenzuela said during a press conference announcing the program Tuesday morning. “We can't continue to focus just on triaging our homelessness crisis … This is what moving upstream looks like.” (Lam and Wolffe, 8/10)

KQED: Smelly Smoke From Oakland Metal Recycler Fire Prompts Health Concerns
A large fire that broke out at the Schnitzer Steel recycling yard in West Oakland around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday sent huge plumes of stinky smoke across the East Bay and has prompted ongoing concerns about potential air quality risks from the burning aluminum, tin, steel and iron that were present in the large scrap metal pile where officials said the fire began. “With fires like this, the material that’s burning, the smoke contains more things in the particulate matter. It also likely has other toxic air contaminants, including metals and volatile organic compounds,” said Michael Flagg, principal air quality specialist, Bay Area Air Quality Management District. O'Mara, 8/10)

The Bakersfield Californian: Supervisors Seek Answers For Residents Fumed Over Unnoticed Pesticide Use 
It’s been years since protests by residents of the agricultural communities in Kern County against fumigation without notice prompted a state initiative. Years later, residents say little has changed. Local environmental justice advocates brought their continued fight before the Kern County Board of Supervisors Tuesday, saying that fumigation continues near homes and schools without proper notice. (Donegan, 8/8)

The Washington Post: What Is West Nile Virus And How Climate Change May Affect Its Spread 
The West Nile virus is more commonly contracted in warmer climates, where hot and tropical temperatures allow the mosquitoes that carry it to thrive. Health experts are increasingly concerned that climate change could worsen the spread of the virus in less common places — and even bring it to new ones. The virus, which is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States, is particularly dangerous during mosquito season, starting in the summer through fall. “The number of West Nile virus-infected mosquitoes we’ve detected this season is the highest we’ve seen in years,” said Colorado’s state epidemiologist, Rachel Herlihy. (Suliman and Francis, 8/10)

The Washington Post: PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' Found In Period Underwear, Tampon Packaging 
New research has found “forever chemicals” in the lining of period underwear, the wrappers of tampons and in other menstruation products. ... Researchers from the University of Notre Dame studied more than 120 different menstruation products — menstrual cups, pads, underwear and tampons — sold in the United States. The research found forever chemicals in some, but not all, of the products. Although the researchers did not provide specific details, the study found that “a good fraction” of the period underwear products had detectable levels of PFAS in the lining, said Graham Peaslee, a physics professor at the University of Notre Dame who led the research. ... The study does not include the names of the different brands tested. (Amenabar, 8/10)

The Baltimore Sun: Family Of Henrietta Lacks Sues Pharmaceutical Company Days After Settlement With Biotech Giant
The family of Henrietta Lacks filed a lawsuit Thursday against a California-based pharmaceutical company in a continuation of her descendants’ efforts to recoup profits from companies they say are making money off the HeLa cell line. The new lawsuit, against Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, a publicly traded company specializing in treatments for rare diseases, comes just over a week after the former Turner Station resident’s family settled their first case against a biotechnology company under undisclosed terms. (Belson, 8/10)

CalMatters: Black Women In California Are Overburdened And Underserved, New Poll Finds
A new poll finds 2 out of every 5 Black women in California are just one paycheck away from financial instability. The first-of-its-kind survey of 1,258 Black women across the state revealed 37% work two or more jobs — and 62% of them said the second job is “essential” and they would “not be able to make ends meet” without it. (Fry, 8/11)

Military Times: Important PACT Act Deadline Extended Amid Tech Issues
The Department of Veterans Affairs extended a deadline for payouts linked to legislation aimed at helping veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during their military service after technical issues complicated the application process. The Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act — better known as the PACT Act — was signed by President Joe Biden on Aug. 10, 2022, broadening VA health care benefits to veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances. Veterans and survivors now have through 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, Aug. 14, to file — or submit an “intent to file” — to be eligible to have their benefits backdated a year to when the bill was signed. After that date, applicants will only be eligible to receive payouts back to their date of filing. (Lehrfeld, 8/10)

Military.com: Hundreds Of Thousands Of Vets Have Filed Claims As PACT Act Celebrates 1st Year 
In the last year since the PACT Act went into effect, the Department of Veterans Affairs has expanded benefits and health care to hundreds of thousands of veterans, with more expected to qualify as they develop illnesses related to exposure to burn pits and other battlefield toxins. By Thursday, the anniversary of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics, or PACT Act, the VA had received 843,448 claims under the legislation and enrolled 113,719 veterans in VA health care as a result of the law. (Kime, 8/10)

Stars And Stripes: Troops On Active Duty Can Now Open Flex Accounts To Help Pay For Child Care, Pentagon Says
Hundreds of thousands of American troops will be able to open flexible spending accounts beginning next year to help pay for child care and other dependent services, the Pentagon said Thursday. Finding and affording on-base child care has been a major issue for military families in recent years, especially in locations that don’t have enough qualified providers. In many cases, families have been placed on lengthy waiting lists for services. (Ware, 8/3)

Fox News: To Protect Veterans' Mental Health, Senators And Vets Push For More Access To Service Dogs: ‘Powerful Avenue'
New bipartisan legislation has been introduced to support the mental health of America's military veterans. Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., are leading the charge on the Service Dogs Assisting Veterans (SAVES) Act, which aims to match veterans with their own service dogs. The legislation will establish a program to award grants to nonprofit organizations that provide and place service pets, according to the announcement from Tillis' office on June 21. (Stabile, 8/10)

VC Star: Cardiac Arrest Survivors' Gathering In Thousand Oaks Touts CPR
On Wednesday evening, about 25 survivors and a network of supporters, more than 150 people in all, gathered at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the hospital's Cardiac Arrest Survivor Support Group. Family members, doctors, nurses, paramedics and firefighters from Ventura and Los Angeles counties attended. (Wenner, 8/10)

CalMatters: Goodbye Hotdogs, Hello Vegan Masala: California’s School Lunches Are Going Gourmet
The move to healthier, fresher school meals comes on the heels of California’s first-in-the-nation program providing free breakfast, lunch and snacks to nearly 6 million students in public schools, regardless of whether they qualify under federal income guidelines. The expansion of the meal program, combined with investments in school kitchens and training, have made public schools the largest restaurant system in the state, serving nearly 1 billion meals a year — more than McDonald’s, Starbucks and Subway combined. (Jones, 8/11)

East Bay Times: Santa Clara County Must Not Allow Closure Of Inpatient Psychiatric Beds
For over a year, Santa Clara County has been in a mental health state of emergency. The County Board of Supervisors openly said our mental health system is “fundamentally broken.” They have acknowledged that the system is in dire need of inpatient acute care services, residential treatment facilities and staffing. Yet, the county has done nothing substantive to prevent 18 inpatient psychiatric beds at Mission Oaks Hospital, part of Good Samaritan, from closing. (Uday Kapoor and Rovina Nimbalker, 8/11)

Fresno Bee: Fresno Should Say No To Chinese Lab That Makes COVID Tests 
An investigative story by Bee staff writer Tim Sheehan carries a scary headline: “Secret Chinese-run lab hid COVID, other infectious diseases.” (8/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Has Chance To Expand Abortion Access Across The Country
People’s health and lives are at risk. Data from studies in the United States show that abortion is about 14 times safer than carrying a pregnancy to term, so forcing someone who wants an abortion to continue their pregnancy increases their risk of death. (Michele Gomez, 8/7)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Anova Center Needs Community Support
Six years have passed since the Tubbs Fire wreaked havoc on Santa Rosa’s Anova Center for Education, a school that serves autistic children and young adults. Yet a new school remains unbuilt, a harsh reminder of the disaster’s ongoing impact on some of our most vulnerable neighbors. (8/11)

San Diego Union-Tribune: I Was My Mother's Caregiver For More Than 20 Years 
In California alone, there are 1.7 million dementia caregivers, and a great majority are women. They are frequently at risk of their own negative health consequences. (Lynn D. Covarrubias, 8/10)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Many Young Athletes Struggle With Mental Health 
Earlier this year, in July 2023, U.S. Women’s National Team member Sophia Smith honored her late former teammate Katie Meyer at the Women’s World Cup. Smith had just scored her second goal at a match against Vietnam and made the same “zip-your-lip” motion that Meyer made at a previous match in a video that went viral when the pair was in college. (Parham Nematollah, 8/10)

CalMatters: Education Could Be A Critical Tool To Save More Californians From Gun Violence
Most unintentional shooting deaths involving children occur as a result of an unloaded and unlocked firearm. California has already seen several unintentional shootings of our young people this year, including an 11-year-old in Salinas, a 13-year-old in Stockton and a 15-year-old boy in Yuba City. Unfortunately, I know how their parents feel. My 15-year-old son, Kenzo, was visiting a friend of his, when the boy quietly went and got the handgun his father kept loaded and unlocked next to his bed. When he removed the magazine, he thought he’d unloaded it. He brought it back to the room where Kenzo was and pulled the trigger. (Griffin Dix, 8/11)