KRON: 5 Times As Many African Americans Die Of Overdoses In SF, Compared To Other Groups
Fifty-nine people died of accidental drug overdoses in San Francisco in January. While that is still too many, health officials say things are moving in the right direction. “Since April, we have seen a monthly, year over year, decline in overdose deaths. In 2024 we saw the lowest number of overdoses since the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner started tracking this in 2020,” said Dr. Naveena Bobba, acting director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health. (Kerman, 2/19)

ABC News: Drug Overdose Deaths Fall In 2023 For 1st Time Since Pandemic Began: CDC
Rates of drug overdose deaths decreased in the United States for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to new federal data published early Thursday. The rate of overdose deaths fell from 32.6 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022 to 31.3 per 100,000 people in 2023, a 4% decrease, according to the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. (Kekatos, 2/20)

Sacramento Bee: Flu In CA: Symptoms, Vaccine, Treatment, Cases and Deaths
More people are dying from the flu in California than from COVID-19, according to the California Department of Public Health. The state is experiencing an unusually high number of influenza cases during the 2024-2025 respiratory season, state health agency data show, leading to a worrying trend in flu-related deaths. (Pedrosa, 2/21)

NPR: As Measles Cases Rise In The U.S., Some Adults May Need A Vaccine Booster
A measles outbreak in West Texas is continuing to spread. And with kindergarten vaccination rates dipping across the country, more communities may be at risk of outbreaks. But it's not just kids who should be vaccinated. Infectious disease experts say some adults may need to get revaccinated, too. Measles can spread incredibly fast — it's one of the world's most contagious diseases, more than flu, polio, Covid, or just about any other infectious disease. (Godoy, 2/21)

San Francisco Chronicle: New Findings On How Paxlovid Works In Older Vaccinated Adults
The antiviral pill Paxlovid does not significantly reduce COVID-19 hospitalizations in vaccinated older adults, according to new research by UCLA doctors. The findings, published Thursday in a research letter in the Journal of the American Medical Association, aka JAMA, are notable because they provide some new insight into how Paxlovid works in older adults who have received the COVID-19 vaccine — a question that has long lingered because the initial clinical trials for the drug, which showed significant reductions in COVID hospitalizations, were done in unvaccinated middle-aged adults. (Ho, 2/20)

The Washington Post: Women Have A Higher Risk For Long Covid. Estrogen May Play A Role
Women have a higher risk of developing long covid than men, depending on their stage of life and whether they have experienced menopause, according to a new nationwide study from RECOVER, the long covid research initiative funded by the National Institutes of Health. The research, published in January, studied over 12,000 adults and found that overall, female participants had a 31 percent higher risk of developing long covid after an infection with the coronavirus than male counterparts. (Morris, 2/20)

San Diego Union-Tribune: After A 2-Month Reprieve, Homelessness In San Diego County Starts Growing Again 
The final two months of 2024 saw homelessness countywide contract for the first time in years, giving local leaders a sliver of hope that the region might be turning a corner. But the data from January instead painted a familiar picture: The number of people who lost a place to stay for the first time again exceeded how many homeless residents found housing. (Nelson, 2/20)

Voice of OC: San Clemente Backs Off Regulating Handing Out Food In Public
San Clemente City Council members narrowly struck down a proposal that would have prevented residents from distributing food to strangers in public, including handing out food to homeless people. ... The change would have required residents to obtain a permit from the city before handing out any food or drink items to strangers on public property. To obtain a permit, applicants would have needed to demonstrate sanitary conditions, meet city insurance requirements and pay a fee, among other requirements. (Hicks, 2/20)

LAist: County Supervisor Criticizes LA Homeless Services Chief For ‘Sloppy Work’ In Ethics Breach
Responding to an investigation by LAist, a county supervisor is publicly criticizing L.A.’s homeless services chief for signing a $2.1 million contract with her husband’s employer, calling it “sloppy work.” Through a public records request, LAist recently revealed that Va Lecia Adams Kellum, CEO of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, signed the contract and two contract amendments with a nonprofit that employs her husband in a senior leadership role. Adams Kellum had previously told LAist she followed rules barring her from any matters that involve the group. (Gerda, 2/20)

Los Angeles Times: Scientists Warn About Water Safety In Fire-Stricken Areas Of L.A.
Utilities in both the Eaton and Palisades fire burn scars have reported detecting the carcinogen benzene in parts of their water systems. State regulators have recommended the utilities issue “do not drink” and “do not boil” notices, which still permit residents to use the water for showers, handwashing, laundry and other daily activities. The state said the order attempts to balance safety with the need for usable water, while some scientists warned that using the water, even for purposes other than drinking or cooking, could pose a risk. (Haggerty, 2/21)

NBC Los Angeles: Researchers Offer Soil Sample Tests To Expedite Wildfire Recovery
To inform those living within and around the Palisades and Eaton Fire zones – a Los Angeles-based organization is leading the effort to sample the soil at more than a thousand properties. The initiative "Community Action Project LA," is bringing together multiple universities to assist with the soil and water testing for wildfire pollutants to provide homeowners with data to make informed decisions in the recovery process. (Leong and Soto, 2/20)

NBC News: House Republicans Representing Large Shares Of Medicaid, SNAP Beneficiaries Face Tough Budget Test
There are a handful of House Republicans who represent parts of the country where sizable shares of the populations receive government assistance from Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to an NBC News analysis of the most recently available Census Bureau data. The lawmakers from the 10 GOP-held districts with the highest percentages of Medicaid or SNAP beneficiaries span the ideological and geographical spectrum. They include members from deep-red districts, such as Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, as well as those in competitive battlegrounds, such as Reps. David Valadao of California. (Zanona, Kapur and Kamisar, 2/21)

Politico: David Valadao Treads Lightly On Medicaid As Obamacare Vote Haunts Him
Rep. David Valadao’s vote to repeal Obamacare may have cost him his seat in 2018. He’s not eager to repeat that mistake. The Republican representative, whose Central Valley district is being bombarded with TV ads pressuring him not to slash Medicaid, is parrying the Democratic-led campaign by withholding his support for a House resolution to cut at least $1.5 trillion from the federal budget — a goal that would be impossible to meet without reductions to the popular health care program. (Jones, 2/20)

Bloomberg: Trump Hiring Freeze Spurs Hundreds Of Cuts In VA Health Research
President Donald Trump’s federal hiring freeze is forcing terminations at the US Department of Veterans Affairs research office, jeopardizing projects that advance treatments for cancer, drug withdrawal and more. While doctors, nurses and other medical staff have been exempt from the Trump administration’s broad hiring halt and workforce cuts, the VA’s Office of Research and Development — one of the largest hubs for medical research in the world — was told it couldn’t keep researchers as their appointments end. Initial guidance had suggested that those jobs would also be protected. (Eidelson and Alexander, 2/20)

The Washington Post: CDC Vaccine Advisory Panel Meeting Postponed Indefinitely
The Trump administration has directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to indefinitely postpone a public meeting of its vaccine advisory panel, a key forum for the nation’s discussion of information about vaccine safety and effectiveness. The decision came Thursday from officials at the Department of Health and Human Services, CDC’s parent agency, led by anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who has long criticized the panel and the CDC. (Sun and Nirappil, 2/20)

Fierce Healthcare: Trump Cuts Long COVID, Health Equity Committees In New EO
President Donald Trump has terminated two advisory committees within the Department of Health and Human Services, one on long COVID and another on health equity at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The advisory committees were cut in an executive order released late Wednesday night, Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy," that broadly seeks to cut “unnecessary” programs to decrease government waste and lower inflation. The order targets advisory committees and programs across federal agencies. (Beavins, 2/20)

Politico: RFK Jr. Prepares Shake-Up Of Vaccine Advisers
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is preparing to remove members of the outside committees that advise the federal government on vaccine approvals and other key public health decisions, according to two people familiar with the planning. Kennedy plans to replace members who he perceives to have conflicts of interest, as part of a widespread effort to minimize what he’s criticized as undue industry influence over the nation’s health agencies, said one of the people, who were granted anonymity to speak freely. (Cancryn, Gardner and Lim, 2/20)

Bloomberg: Lawyer Kyle Diamantas Will Become Top Food Regulator At FDA
Attorney Kyle Diamantas is expected to be announced as the new deputy commissioner for human foods at the US Food and Drug Administration following his predecessor’s resignation earlier this week, sources familiar with the decision said. Diamantas is registered as an attorney in Florida, and is currently listed as a special assistant in the FDA commissioner’s office, according to the Department of Health and Human Services’ employee directory. (Cohrs Zhang, Shanker and Edney, 2/20)

Becker's Hospital Review: Trump Signs Executive Order To End Federal Benefits For Undocumented Immigrants 
President Donald Trump has issued an executive order focused on limiting public benefits for undocumented immigrants. The Feb. 19 order does not specify what kind of benefits would be targeted, but it directs each federal agency to identify programs that currently allow undocumented immigrants to receive federal benefits. ... California became the first state to offer Medicaid coverage to all eligible undocumented individuals starting in 2024, committing more than $4 billion annually to the Medi-Cal expansion. (Emerson, 2/20)

Berkeleyside: UC Berkeley Rally Protests Trump's Bid To Cut Federal Research Funds
More than 100 people, many of them academic workers, held a rally on the UC Berkeley campus Wednesday to protest President Trump’s plan to make cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which threaten key funding that universities, including Cal, rely on to conduct scientific research and discovery. ... Graduate student researchers, non-student academic workers ... took the mic to emphasize what they said would be devastating consequences of the cuts, including stripping universities of critical funding used for facilities, maintenance, libraries, janitorial services and academic support. (Tanaka, 2/20)

San Francisco Chronicle: A New Hero Has Emerged In Trump’s War Against Transgender People
Taken together, the orders display a breathtaking level of animosity from an American president toward American citizens. But a hero is emerging who is forcefully pushing back against Trump’s hate.That would be U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes. Reyes, the 51-year-old  Uruguay-born, Kentucky-raised Harvard Law School grad who was appointed to the bench in 2023 by former President Joe Biden, has spent this week eviscerating the flimsy legal arguments of Department of Justice lawyers who Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth trotted out to defend the indefensible: his ban on transgender people in the military. (Garofoli, 2/20)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Former Sonoma County Health Services Director Tina Rivera Received $165,000 Severance
Tina Rivera, the controversial former head of Sonoma County’s Health Services department, received $165,000 as part of a severance agreement last summer with the county. A record of the agreement, which The Press Democrat obtained this week, spells out the terms of Rivera’s resignation, including a non-disparagement clause and a general agreement not to sue the county. (Murphy and Espinoza, 2/20)

Axios: Global Warming Has Deadly Toll On Hospitals, Study Says
Heat waves can gum up hospitals enough to bring deadly consequences even beyond patients directly afflicted, a new study finds. It's the first estimate of extreme heat that "unpacks the direct from the indirect effects that arise due to hospital congestion," it states. (Geman, 2/20)

Bay Area News Group: Berkeley Man Sues Kaiser Permanente, Accuses Medical Assistant Of Sexual Assault During Cancer Surgery
A Kaiser Permanente patient filed a lawsuit last week against the medical provider, alleging that he was sexually abused during a surgery, according to a press release by Zinn Law Firm. (Delacruz, 2/21)

The Desert Sun: Masquerade Ball To Benefit New Palm Springs Mental Health Facility
By addressing mental health and integrating services that focus on social determinants such as economic stability and environmental health, the MHRPS aims to create sustainable, long-term improvements in the well-being of Coachella Valley and Southern California residents. (Gieseke, 2/21)

Orange County Register: The SEIU’s Power Grab Puts Patients At Risk 
Labor union membership is plummeting and major players like the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) are feeling the pressure. This union in particular has taken an interest in hospital workers – specifically nurses – as a way to bolster its diminishing membership. New research even shows the union could be doing more harm than good at the hospitals it organizes – leaving patients across California worse off. (Charlyce Bozzello, 2/17)

East Bay Times: California Elders Deserve Better Than Funding Hurdles, Shuttered Programs
There are so few affordable day program options for families across California. In fact, in 32 counties Medi-Cal recipients have no access to programs like these, according to the California Association of Adult Day Services. (Courtney E. Martin, 2/21)

Times of San Diego: New Senior Home In Clairemont Is An Important Step In Our Fight Against Homelessness
Jan. 30 was a cloudy and cool day in San Diego. But nothing could chill the sense of excitement and accomplishment as community leaders and supporters gathered for the ribbon cutting of one of the most exciting developments Serving Seniors has been involved with in its 55 year history of supporting older adults in San Diego County: the new Paul Downey Senior Residence and Judith L. Seltz Senior Wellness Center in Clairemont. (Melinda Forstey, 2/14)

San Francisco Chronicle: Musk And DOGE’s Cost Cutting Is Putting America’s Health At Risk
As the Trump administration’s recently launched Department of Government Efficiency continues its largely unchecked expansion into federal agencies, the health of Americans is increasingly at risk. In the name of “efficiency,” President Donald Trump and DOGE’s leader, Elon Musk, have pursued a federal funding freeze that threatens Medicaid insurance for low-income Americans, cuts to biomedical and public health research, and efforts to push out large swaths of the civil service workforce, including nurses who care for veterans. (Victor Roy, 2/17)

Los Angeles Times: Long COVID Is Solvable, But We Need More Clinical Trials
We are living in an epidemic of chronic disease, with a growing number of pesticides, chemicals and food additives implicated in the declining health of Americans. Since 2019, another factor has been at play as well: The SARS-CoV-2 virus has driven a huge increase in chronic health consequences, broadly referred to as long COVID. Infection by the COVID-19 virus is a consequential new variable in our nation’s health that can substantially increase the incidence of serious conditions such as neurological disease, heart attack and stroke. Approximately 6% of U.S. adults suffer from long COVID — at a cost to our economy estimated at $3.7 trillion a year. (Amy D. Proal, 2/16)