Becker's Hospital Review: 2 MemorialCare Hospitals Lay Off An Additional 58
Fountain Valley Calif.-based MemorialCare laid off 58 employees on June 16 at its Long Beach Medical Center and Long Beach-based Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital, according to a WARN notice. ... Affected roles include administrative functions, nonclinical positions, interpreter services and respiratory care. (Ashley, 6/18)

The New York Times: Trump Travel Restrictions Bar Residents Needed At U.S. Hospitals 
Travel and visa restrictions imposed by the Trump administration threaten patient care at hundreds of hospitals that depend on medical residents recruited from overseas. Foreign medical residents often serve as the frontline caregivers at busy safety-net hospitals in low-income communities. Normally the residents begin work on July 1. Orientation programs for some of them already started this week. Now some of those hospitals are racing to prevent staffing shortages. (Rabin, 6/19)

Becker's Hospital Review: Health Systems Caught In Data Breach Affecting 5.4 Million Individuals
An IT vendor data breach involving 5.4 million individuals has ensnared health systems. [Gardena-bases] Episource, which provides medical coding and risk adjustment services to health systems and payers, said it turned off its computer systems Feb. 6 after detecting unusual activity on its network. The firm later determined that a cybercriminal accessed and stole data between Jan. 27 and Feb. 6. (Bruce, 6/19)

Becker's Hospital Review: Kaiser, Pepperdine To Launch MD/MBA Program
The Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine in Pasadena, Calif., is partnering with the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School in Los Angeles to launch an integrated MD/MBA program. The dual-degree program is designed to equip medical students with essential business, leadership and financial skills alongside their clinical education. The program allows students to earn both degrees concurrently, rather than pursuing an MBA later in their careers. (Bean, 6/19)

Becker's Hospital Review: Are EHR Vendors Delivering On AI? CIOs Weigh In
As AI continues to emerge as a strategic focus for health systems, CIOs say AI capabilities embedded in EHRs are showing promise — but still have a long way to go. A growing number of CIOs are helping guide their organizations’ AI strategies, with many seeing early benefits in areas like clinical documentation and operational efficiency. However, most say these tools remain in development and have yet to reach their full potential, according to a June 12 report from AI-based software provider Qventus and interviews with health IT leaders. (Diaz, 6/19)

The Bay Area Reporter: FDA Approves Twice-Yearly Lenacapavir PrEP
The federal Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved twice-yearly lenacapavir PrEP, the longest-acting HIV prevention method. While advocates lauded the eagerly anticipated approval, they expressed concern that the $28,000 annual price tag could limit availability as HIV prevention funding is being slashed in the U.S. and worldwide. “This long-acting injectable PrEP option could be a game-changer in HIV prevention,” Dr. Hyman Scott, medical director of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, told the Bay Area Reporter. However, if the cost is too high, “it won’t be accessible and affordable for all who want it. At a time when HIV prevention is deprioritized by the federal government, no-cost coverage for preventive medications is at risk, and HIV research is in jeopardy, we need these new preventive tools more than ever.” (Highleyman, 6/18)

Newsweek: HIV: Supercharged Vaccine Could Protect Well With Just One Dose
A supercharged HIV vaccine could offer strong protection with just one injection, a study in mice has indicated. Developed by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Scripps Research Center, the vaccine includes two "adjuvants"—materials that help stimulate the immune system response. In the experiments, the dual-adjuvant vaccine was found to produce a wider diversity of antibodies to protect against an HIV protein than with either single adjuvant or none at all. (Randall, 6/19)

The Bay Area Reporter: One Medical Faces Complaint Over PrEP Injectable
A bisexual San Francisco man has filed a formal complaint with One Medical about being sent to its Castro office to receive Apretude, after being told it was not available at the company’s other locations. The matter raises concerns about the availability of injectable PrEP even as federal regulators approved another one Wednesday. Robert Long, 59, told the Bay Area Reporter he filed his June 4 complaint after a May 30 meeting with his then-primary care physician at One Medical, Dr. William Sellman. (One Medical was acquired by Amazon in 2023.) (Ferrannini, 6/18)

ABC7 San Francisco: The Trevor Project Starts Petition To Reverse Trump's Planned Cuts To 988 LGBTQ+ Youth Crisis Services 
The Trevor Project has started a petition to reverse the planned cuts. "This lifeline has had more than 1.3 million people use it in less than three years," The Trevor Project interim vice president of advocacy and public affairs Mark Henson said. "And the concept of it being shutdown abruptly with short-notice is devastating." The State of California is investing $4.7 billion towards what's known as "A Master Plan for Kids' Mental Health," which includes continuing a partnership with the Trevor Project to keep support lines open. (Dorsey, 6/19)

AP: A Look At The Impacts Of Supreme Court Ruling On Transgender Care 
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming surgery for transgender youth in a ruling that’s likely to reverberate across the country. Most Republican-controlled states already have similar bans. In his majority opinion Wednesday, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that Tennessee’s ban does not violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause, which requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same. Since President Donald Trump returned to office this year, the federal government has been trying to restrict access. Here are some things to know about gender-affirming care and the court’s ruling. (Mulvihill, 6/18)

NBC News: Transgender Troops Forced To Leave Or Be Discharged Under Trump Ban: ‘This Is Coercion’
Earlier this month, the Defense Department told transgender service members that they had to choose whether they would voluntarily or involuntarily separate from the military. Four trans service members who are now in the process of separating said nothing about their decisions feels voluntary at all. (Yurcaba, 6/19)

AP: Judge Says Government Can't Limit Passport Sex Markers For Many Transgender, Nonbinary People
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from limiting passport sex markers for many transgender and nonbinary Americans. Tuesday’s ruling from U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick means that transgender or nonbinary people who are without a passport or need to apply for a new one can request a male, female or “X” identification marker rather than being limited to the marker that matches the gender assigned at birth. (Casey, 6/18)

AP: California Senators Demand Trump Immigration Officials Stop Using Medicaid Data
California’s two U.S. senators demanded on Wednesday that the Trump administration stop using personal data of millions of Medicaid enrollees — including their immigration status — as part of its sweeping deportation campaign. (Kindy and Seitz, 6/18)

Fierce Healthcare: AHIP 2025: Insurer Coalition Vows To Fight Trump Budget Bill To Final Hour
At AHIP's annual conference, the trade group told reporters they oppose the reconciliation bill moving through Congress because of the impacts it would have on Medicaid and the individual market. AHIP executives said they will continue to work with other prominent healthcare organizations to convince lawmakers to protect federal health programs and help Americans remain insured—both by avoiding the harshest cuts and changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act and extending the ACA enhanced premium tax credits. (Tong, 6/18)

Los Angeles Times: Unsanitary, Overcrowded And Inhumane: Surge Of New Detainees At Adelanto Brings Dire Conditions, Critics Say 
As federal immigration agents conduct mass raids across Southern California, the Adelanto ICE Processing Center is filling so rapidly it is reigniting longtime concerns about safety conditions inside the facility. In less than two months, the number of detainees in the sprawling complex about 85 miles northeast of Los Angeles has surged from around 300 near the end of April to more than 1,200 as of Wednesday, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. (Jarvie and Solis, 6/20)

Capitol Weekly: Time Running Out On Prison Jobs For Disabled Workers In SEIU Dispute
A little more than two dozen disabled people, including veterans, who work as janitors at a state prison facility in Vacaville are poised to lose their jobs at the end of this month due to a protest lodged by the Service Employees International Union Local 1000.The conflict has become complicated for Gov. Gavin Newsom and members of the Legislature, who appear hesitant to step in given the union’s potential to sue over a situation that it flagged as a violation of civil service protections. (Joseph, 6/19)

The Oaklandside: Should Alameda County Eliminate Pepper Spray From Juvenile Detention?
The first time Dieudonné Brou was pepper-sprayed, he was 11 years old. When he was incarcerated at Alameda County Juvenile Hall in San Leandro, he’d gotten into a fight with another boy. While trying to break them up, a correctional officer pepper-sprayed Brou and the other boy and forced them back into their respective cells. Brou, now 37, doesn’t remember exactly how long he remained in his cell before being allowed to shower and rinse his eyes. “When you get pepper-sprayed, and you’ve got that burning sensation happening to you, two or three minutes can seem like an eternity,” he said in a recent interview. (Romero, 6/19)

Berkeleyside: Berkeley Opens Supportive Housing For Formerly Homeless Residents
A long-delayed supportive housing project is opening its doors to 39 formerly homeless residents, each of whom will move into a private studio. Located at 1367 University Ave., near Target and Strawberry Creek Park, the three-story building, called Step Up Housing, features roughly 200-square-foot units with kitchenettes and bathrooms, a secured entrance, wraparound balconies, a community kitchen and a shared courtyard for events and programming. (Martin, 6/19)

Times of San Diego: Supervisor Candidates Share Ideas On Homeless Crisis At Virtual Forum
County supervisor candidates Paloma Aguirre and John McCann joined Father Joe’s Villages for a virtual “fireside chat” this week, offering suggestions on tackling the homeless crisis. Aguirre and McCann participated in the 38-minute forum with Deacon Jim Vargas on YouTube. (6/19)

Los Angeles Times: Native American Life Expectancy Is Lower Than Previous Estimates Show 
Official U.S. records dramatically underestimate mortality and life expectancy disparities for Native Americans, according to a new, groundbreaking study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study found that the life expectancy for AI/AN individuals was just 72.7 years, comparable to that of developing countries. The researchers also uncovered widespread racial misclassification. The study reports that some 41% of AI/AN deaths were incorrectly classified in the CDC WONDER database, predominantly misrecorded as “White.” The issue of racial misclassification “is not new for us at all,” said Nanette Star, director of policy and planning at the California Consortium for Urban Indian Health. (Magaña, 6/18)

Capitol Weekly: AB 1043 Risks Isolating LGBTQ+ Youth Even Further
AB 1043, a bill presented as an online child safety measure aimed at protecting young people by requiring app stores to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for downloads, will lead to negative impacts for the very same marginalized youth it seeks to protect—especially LGBTQ+ youth. As a result, LGBTQ+ youth could face greater harm, not less. (Carlos Gutierrez, 6/17)

Los Angeles Times: What Kids Need — And Adults Need To Know — To Combat The Youth Mental Health Crisis
Starting this fall students in New York will join those in other states like California in not being able to access cellphones during the day. These bans are the culmination of years of education and activism by parents, teachers and researchers concerned about the effect of technology not only on academic performance but also on children’s mental health. ... For now the bans’ minimal gains may merely point to other factors contributing to what many agree is a youth mental health crisis. Ending it will be more complicated than instituting “bell to bell” phone bans. (Naomi Schaefer Riley and Sally Satel, 6/17)

Capital & Main: Can Gov. Gavin Newsom Make Californians Healthier?
Gov. Gavin Newsom has long sought to make Californians healthier in body and mind, but can he do it? Over the course of his political career, Newsom has worked to improve access to therapy, facilitate health insurance for more people, substantially boost funding for homeless services and arrange for healthful California produce to reach the plates of people in need. His latest effort could directly affect — and limit — the choices of more than 5 million Californians dependent on food aid. (Sanchez-Tello, 6/18)

Los Angeles Times: RFK Jr. Attacks Vaccine Experts
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of Health and Human Services, loves to pose as an avatar of “evidence-based medicine, gold-standard science, and common sense.” So it’s proper to ask why his defense of his recent initiatives related to vaccine policy is packed to the gunwales with cherry-picked data, flagrant misrepresentations of scientific findings and absurd, even slanderous, claims about science and scientists. (Michael Hiltzik, 6/17)

Times of San Diego: Legislature Rightly Reversed Gov. Newsom’s Diaper Plan 
Last week, the California Legislature made a necessary correction to the state budget. Lawmakers rejected Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $20 million plan to provide every new parent with a three-month supply of diapers at hospital discharge, regardless of income. Instead, they redirected the funds to California’s existing diaper bank network. These programs already serve the families who need help most. As someone who helps lead one of California’s largest diaper banks, I can tell you that the Legislature made a smart course correction. (Casey Castillo, 6/18)