Becker's Hospital Review: California Hospital Fighting For Bankruptcy Eligibility
The board overseeing Hollister-based Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital is seeking to reenter Chapter 9 bankruptcy, arguing that a judge improperly tossed its case based on an "unduly narrow" view of insolvency tests while excluding its pension obligations from the analysis.The San Benito Health Care District, which oversees the 25-bed hospital, voted in May 2023 to file for bankruptcy after declaring a fiscal emergency in November 2022. Chapter 9 allows financially distressed cities, hospital districts, and other public entities protection from their creditors while they develop and negotiate a plan for adjusting their debt. (Cass, 7/19)

Becker's Hospital Review: California Hospital Nears Full Restoration 2 Months After Cyberattack
Poway-based Palomar Health Medical Group has made progress in restoring its systems after a cybersecurity event  forced them offline in May. According to a July 18 update on Palomar's website, the hospital has restored its EMR system, appointment scheduling by phone, inbound calling, electronic prescription refills, electronic lab tests, and its patient portal. (Diaz, 7/18)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Tijuana River Sewage Flows Broke All Records Since 2000. It's On Track To Do It Again
The amount of contaminated water laced with raw sewage that is flowing across the U.S.-Mexico border into San Diego County exceeded 44 billion gallons in 2023, the most on record in the last quarter-century. And this year’s volumes could surpass all records should the region get more damaging rainstorms. (Murga, 7/18)

inewsource: Extreme Heat Compounds Risks For People With Diabetes In Border County
Stephen Jaime remembers when a patient showed up to his diabetes education classes with a giant soft drink cup. But instead of holding a sugary soda, the patient was packing something unexpected: insulin on ice. His car didn’t have air conditioning, and he had to be out for hours in temperatures that could soar to 120 degrees, so he was managing with the resources he had. (Salata, 7/18)

California Healthline: Misleading Ads Play Key Role In Schemes To Gin Up Unauthorized ACA Sign-Ups, Lawsuit Alleges
The government is giving away money! So say ads on a variety of social media platforms. Consumers, the ads claim, can qualify for $1,400 or even $6,400 a month to use on groceries, rent, medical expenses, and other bills. Some mention no-cost health insurance coverage. But that’s not the whole story.And here’s the spoiler — no one is getting monthly checks to help with these everyday expenses. (Appleby, 7/19)

Fortune Well: Does Medicare Cover Dementia Care?
Dementia is on the rise in the U.S., with 14 million projected cases by 2060. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, representing 60-80% of all diagnoses. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, approximately 6.9 million Americans age 65 and older had Alzheimer’s in 2024, or 10.9% of those 65 and older. ... “In addition to symptoms related to dementia, the overwhelming majority of dementia patients have one or more chronic health conditions,” says Matthew Baumgart, Vice President of Health Policy, at the Alzheimer’s Association. (Zable Fisher, 7/19)

California Healthline: At Trump’s GOP Convention, There’s Little To Be Heard On Health Care
No talk of Obamacare. Or abortion. At the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week, where delegates officially nominated Donald Trump as the party’s 2024 presidential candidate, health care issues received little attention from prime-time speakers. The silence is surprising, given health care makes up the largest chunk of the federal budget, nearly $2 trillion, as well as 17% of U.S. economic output. (Galewitz, 7/19)

San Francisco Chronicle: Billionaire Tech Exec Makes Huge Contribution To SF Cancer Research
The Parker Institute of Cancer Immunotherapy, the San Francisco nonprofit founded by former Napster and Facebook executive Sean Parker, has received $125 million that it will distribute over the next five years to fund cancer research, the organization announced Thursday. The vast majority of the contribution is from billionaire Parker and his wife, Alexandra, though other philanthropists contributed as well. It is the second largest tranche of funding the institute has received since it was created in 2016 with $250 million from the Parker Foundation — at that time the single largest donation to cancer immunotherapy research. (Ho, 7/18)

AP: Flights, Banks And Media Hit As Microsoft Users Report Global Outages
A widespread Microsoft outage disrupted flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world on Friday.Escalating disruptions continued hours after the technology company said it was gradually fixing an issue affecting access to Microsoft 365 apps and services. ... Several practices within the National Health Service in England reported that the outage had hit their clinical computer system that contains medical records and is used for scheduling. (Graham-MClay and Kurtenbach, 7/19)

Fortune Well: Team USA Medical Staff Have First Official Olympic Uniform
For the first time, the more than 250 health care professionals who form the Team USA Medical Team have a uniform. Santa Monica-based Figs, a direct-to-consumer medical apparel brand—and the first company led by two female cofounders to go public—partnered with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) to break another barrier. ... Figs cofounder and CEO Trina Spear tells Fortune. “It’s very much about something that speaks to our overall mission and values as a company from day one: putting health care professionals in the spotlight that they deserve.” (Leake, 7/18)

Index-Tribune: Positive Covid Tests Rising At Sonoma Valley Health Center
Sonoma Valley Community Health Center is doing slightly less testing for COVID-19 than it was five months ago, but the portion of tests turning up positive has increased from 7.2% in February to 13% in June. (Johnson, 7/18)

Roll Call: Summer COVID Surge Isn’t Cause For Alarm, Experts Say 
President Joe Biden and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra this week became prime examples of the nation’s newest COVID-19 wave, and although it’s unclear what variant they’re infected with, infectious disease experts say the latest dominant strains of COVID-19 are no more dangerous than previous iterations. (Cohen, 7/18)

San Francisco Chronicle: UCSF Doctor Leads Research On Treatment For Rare Childhood Strokes
Gabby Lopes doesn’t remember much about that day, two weeks before her 13th birthday, other than she’d just finished running a lap in her P.E. class at San Leandro’s John Muir Middle School and was about to do a pushup when she passed out. She awoke to a crowd standing over her, including her P.E. teacher and a vice principal. She recalls someone told a “dad joke” and that she laughed — only to discover the right side of her face was numb. She tried to lift herself up but couldn’t move the right side of her body. (Ho, 7/18)

Los Angeles Times: Graphic Imagery Online Can Lead To Psychological Harm, UC Irvine Experts Say 
UC Irvine researchers say repeated exposure to graphic photos and videos is being linked to psychological distress. Experts say it’s important to understand how these images can affect your mental health and recognize when to take a break or reduce your exposure. (Garcia, 7/19)

Newsweek: Autism Study Finds Link With Pregnancy Diet
Mothers' diets during pregnancy may affect their child's likelihood of developing autism, new research suggests. ... Studies have shown that prenatal multivitamins and folic acid supplement use, as well as adequate vitamin D and high fish intakes, are all associated with a reduced likelihood of childhood autism diagnoses. However, considering these factors in isolation neglects the synergistic and antagonistic effects that nutrients can have when consumed as part of a realistic prenatal diet. (Dewan, 7/18)

Newsweek: Scientists Reveal Key Factor In Likelihood Of Childhood Autism
Children with an older sibling with autism are 20 percent more likely to develop autism themselves, new research finds. Scientists hope that the discovery will facilitate timely autism diagnoses in young children, enabling earlier interventions for more effective symptom management. (Dewan, 7/18)

The New York Times: A Daily Pill To Prevent S.T.I.S? It May Work, Scientists Say
A daily dose of a widely used antibiotic can prevent some infections with syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia, potentially a new solution to the escalating crisis of sexually transmitted infections, scientists reported on Thursday. Their study was small and must be confirmed by more research. Scientists still have to resolve significant questions, including whether S.T.I.s might become resistant to the antibiotic and what effect it could have on healthy gut bacteria in people taking it every day. (Mandavilli, 7/18)

Stat: Study Of Veterans' DNA Shows Diversity Sharpened Overall Results
An expansive new study offers clear evidence that sequencing the genomes of diverse populations can yield fresh insights into how our DNA shapes our health. (Wosen, 7/18)

Newsweek: Chonky Cats May Help Us Lose Weight
Studying the fattest of cats may help us understand how to treat obesity in humans. The shifts in feline gut microbiomes in response to changes in diet are very similar to those seen in humans, according to a new paper in the journal Scientific Reports. This may mean that cats are a good model for studying obesity in humans, and studying them could help both us and felines get healthier overall. (Thomson, 7/18)

Reuters: Boehringer-GoodRx Partner To Offer Humira Rival At 92% Discount
A close copy version of Abbvie's (ABBV.N) blockbuster arthritis drug Humira will be available at a 92% discount to its list price on the GoodRx website, the digital healthcare platform and German drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim said on Thursday. GoodRx said that Boehringer will offer both high- and low- concentration versions of the biosimilar at an exclusive cost of $550 per two-pack on the GoodRx website. (Satija, 7/18)

Reuters: Abbott Plans Marketing Push For Glucose Monitors Beyond Diabetes
Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) will use a mix of TV advertisements and guerilla marketing as well as seek to personalize health data to tap people without diabetes for the U.S. launch of its glucose monitoring device, CEO Robert Ford said on Thursday. The company plans to launch the over-the-counter device, Lingo, this year. It could be a multi-billion-dollar product for Abbott, Ford estimated, adding it was still in its early days. (Leo and Singh, 7/18)

The Hill: FDA Authorizes Sales Of Certain Vuse Alto E-Cigarette Products
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday authorized sales of certain tobacco-flavored Vuse Alto electronic cigarette products from R.J. Reynolds, allowing the company to keep the products on the market. Vuse is the top-selling e-cigarette brand in the country, according to Nielsen data, comprising more than 40 percent of the market. (Weixel, 7/18)

Stat: FDA Probe Of MDMA Clinical Trial Issues Hasn't Included Key Players 
At a contentious advisory committee meeting in June, the Food and Drug Administration announced it was investigating allegations of data suppression and misconduct in clinical trials of MDMA-assisted therapy. (Goldhill, 7/19)