Los Angeles Times: Court-Ordered Audit Finds Major Flaws In L.A.'s Homeless Services
Homeless services provided by the city of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority are disjointed and lack adequate data systems and financial controls to monitor contracts for compliance and performance, leaving the system vulnerable to waste and fraud, an audit ordered by a federal judge has concluded. The audit by the global consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal found that the city was unable to track exactly how much it spent on homeless programs and did not rigorously reconcile spending with services provided, making it impossible to judge how well the services worked or whether they were even provided. (Smith, 3/6)

LAist: Searing Audit Finds City Of LA Has Failed To Properly Track Billions In Homelessness Spending
L.A. city officials have made it impossible to accurately track homelessness spending, in large part by outsourcing to an agency that has failed to collect accurate data on its vendors and hold them accountable, according to findings from an independent audit commissioned by a federal judge. The problems heighten the risk of tax dollars being misspent, auditors found after reviewing $2.4 billion in city funding. (Gerda, 3/6)

KQED: Report: California Should Pause Funding For One Of Newsom’s Key Programs To Clear Encampments
Lawmakers should hit the brakes on one of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature programs for cleaning up homeless encampments, according to a report out Wednesday from the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO). The LAO found lawmakers lack the basic information needed to assess how well the effort — called Encampment Resolution Funding Program — is working and should hold off on further investment until it’s given “compelling evidence that program goals are being met.” (Rancaño, 3/7)

Los Angeles Times: Homeless Deaths In L.A. County Are Leveling Off
Los Angeles County health officials reported a second consecutive year of moderate increases in homeless deaths, adding evidence that a surge that raised the mortality rate 56% over the previous two years has leveled off. But homeless mortality remained persistently high with an average of 6.9 deaths daily in 2023, the year covered in the most recent report. Overall, homeless people died at 4½ times the rate of the whole population. (Smith, 3/6)

San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area City's Ban On Homeless Encampments Triggers Legal Battle
A Fremont law that makes it a crime to camp in public or help a homeless person do so violates the rights of unhoused people and those seeking to assist them, according to a newly filed lawsuit. People who lack shelter must do something “to protect themselves from cold, rain, excessive heat, street violence, and other foreseeable dangers of involuntary homelessness,” attorneys for homeless residents and advocacy groups said in Wednesday’s filing in U.S. District Court. “That means they have no choice but to use blankets, tents (or) tarps to keep themselves safe, or sleep in their vehicles.” (Egelko, 3/6)

KQED: Why California’s Homeless Shelters Are A ‘Bridge To Nowhere'
An investigation by CalMatters found that homeless shelters are dangerous, chaotic, and ineffective at getting people into permanent housing. The lead reporter behind the investigation, Lauren Hepler, spoke with KQED’s Political Breakdown about what’s gone wrong. (Guevarra, Shafer and Lagos, 3/7)

Becker's Hospital Review: Kaiser To Cut 64 Jobs In California
Okland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente shared plans to lay off 64 California employees by April 25, according to multiple WARN notices. The layoffs do not involve direct patient care roles and primarily affect business function and IT positions, a spokesperson for Kaiser said in a March 5 statement. (Ashley, 3/6)

Index-Tribune: Sonoma’s Hanna Center Abandons 60-Acre Project To Expand Mental Health, Community Services 
Citing a need to strengthen and develop its new programs to better serve the Sonoma Valley community, Hanna Center has abandoned plans to develop a 60-acre property adjacent to its campus. (Johnson, 3/6)

CalMatters: California Is Spending Billions On Mental Health Housing. Will It Reach Those Most In Need? 
The Newsom administration is moving swiftly to distribute by May billions of dollars from the 2024 mental health bond narrowly approved by voters, but concerns are emerging about whether areas of the state that have the greatest need will be left behind, according to testimony at legislative oversight hearing this week. (Hwang, 3/6)

Bay Area Reporter: Prioritizing LGBTQ+ Mental Health: Free Virtual Event On March 18
LGBTQ+ mental health challenges are at an all-time high. From rejection and trauma to political attacks and inadequate health care access, the community faces disproportionate struggles. In honor of LGBTQ+ Health Awareness Week, News is Out is hosting a virtual event on March 18 at 3:00 p.m. PT / 6:00 p.m. ET to help you prioritize mental wellness. (Piccoli, 3/6)

Bay Area News Group: Bird Flu Found At 4 More California Dairy Farms 
Bird flu has been found at four dairy farms in San Bernardino County, the county announced Thursday, March 6. (3/7)

CBS News: RFK Jr. Warns Vaccinating Poultry For Bird Flu Could Backfire
Federal health agencies oppose the use of bird flu vaccines in poultry right now, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said, weighing in publicly on it for the first time in his new role. The Trump administration has been considering poultry vaccination as it seeks to combat the outbreak that is fueling a record surge in egg prices. (Tin, 3/6)

CapRadio: Why This Year's Flu Season Is Hitting Harder
A preliminary report from the Centers for Disease Control has found that this has been one of the worst recorded flu seasons the country — and state — has experienced in more than a decade. Data from the California Department of Public Health found that roughly 1 in 5 Californians were still testing positive for the week ending Feb. 22. Other respiratory illnesses like COVID-19 and RSV are currently not as prevalent with a 2% and 5% test positivity rate for the same week. (Laschinsky, Gonzalez and Zavala, 3/6)

The New York Times: Unvaccinated New Mexico Resident Dies Of Suspected Measles 
An unvaccinated person who died in New Mexico has tested positive for measles, state health officials said on Thursday, possibly the second such fatality in a growing outbreak that began in West Texas. The officials have not yet confirmed that measles was the cause of death, and said the person did not seek medical treatment before dying. (Rosenbluth, 3/6)

Politico: ‘He Needs To Do Much More’: RFK Jr.’s Measles Response Under Scrutiny
As a deadly measles outbreak spread across Texas, the nation’s top health official took to Instagram on Sunday to blast out a message to his nearly 5 million followers. “Afternoon mountaineering above Coachella Valley,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote in a caption alongside photos of himself hiking in California. The post quickly ricocheted around the department, dismaying officials working overtime to track and contain the highly contagious disease. (Cancryn, Gardner and Cirruzzo, 3/6)

Los Angeles Times: Palisades Water Cleared For Drinking; Bass Touts Speed Of Fire Recovery
Residents and businesses in Pacific Palisades will be able to safely use water this week, Mayor Karen Bass announced Thursday, touting the milestone as a sign of the speed of efforts to rebuild the devastated neighborhood. The “do not drink” notice will be lifted Friday, the two-month anniversary of the deadly Palisades fire, after engineers and experts at the L.A. Department of Water and Power confirmed the absence of contaminants in the water supply. (Hamilton, 3/6)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Dozens Of Narcan Kits Distributed In Giveaway Outside Analy High 
In an effort to decrease potential overdoses caused by the highly toxic narcotic fentanyl, workers from the West County Health Centers, who were stationed in front of Analy High School in Sebastopol on Thursday, handed out free samples of Narcan and fentanyl test strips to anyone who wanted them. (3/6)

The New York Times: Walgreens to Be Bought by Private Equity Firm in $10 Billion Deal
Walgreens Boots Alliance said on Thursday that it had agreed to be acquired by Sycamore Partners, a private equity firm, in a $10 billion deal that will take the struggling pharmacy chain out of the glare of public markets. Walgreens has faced declining prescription reimbursements and falling sales at its retail locations for years — a trend that has hit a number of major pharmacy chains. After rapidly expanding their brick-and-mortar footprint, pharmacy companies now say it’s harder to turn a profit from selling prescriptions, citing pressure from middlemen. (Kaye, 3/6)

Modern Healthcare: Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. Clients Report Promising Savings
Providers, insurers, employers and patients grappling with steep drug costs are testing an unconventional model to rein in spending, and early signs indicate it may be working. The Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co., named after its billionaire co-founder and also known as Cost Plus Drugs, has taken on the roles of online pharmacy, pharmaceutical manufacturer and drug wholesaler in a bid to disrupt the healthcare industry. (Berryman, 3/6)

Fierce Healthcare: 68 Healthcare Orgs Sign Letter Pushing For Obesity Care Coverage
A coalition of industry organizations is pressing employers to offer coverage for obesity as they would for other chronic conditions. Groups that signed on to the open letter (PDF) include the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, the Obesity Care Advocacy Network and the National Consumers League. All told, 68 organizations are included. (Minemyer, 3/6)

FiercePharma: Want A Piece Of Lilly's $27B US Manufacturing Investment? Please Send Your Application
Eli Lilly wants the most optimal locations to host its new manufacturing facilities in the U.S.—and it’s open to pitches. The Indianapolis pharma has established an online portal to accept submissions for possible locations of four future U.S. manufacturing sites. (Liu, 3/5)

AP: Judge Orders Trump Administration To Speed Payment Of USAID And State Dept. Debts
A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to speed up its payment on some of nearly $2 billion in debts to partners of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department, giving it a Monday deadline to repay the nonprofit groups and businesses in a lawsuit over the administration’s abrupt shutdown of foreign assistance funding. U.S. District Judge Amir Ali described the partial payment as a “concrete” first step he wanted to see from the administration. (Knickmeyer and Kunzelman, 3/7)

AP: Jobs Lost In Every State And Lifesaving Cures Not Discovered: Possible Impacts Of Research Cuts
Rural cancer patients may miss out on cutting-edge treatments in Utah. Therapies for intellectual disorders could stall in Maryland. Red states and blue states alike are poised to lose jobs in research labs and the local businesses serving them. Ripple effects of the Trump administration’s crackdown on U.S. biomedical research promise to reach every corner of America. It’s not just about scientists losing their jobs or damaging the local economy their work indirectly supports — scientists around the country say it’s about patient health. (Neergaard and Pananjady, 3/6)

The New York Times: Defunded Aid Programs Are Asked By Trump Administration To Prove Their Value, On A Scale Of 1 To 5
Last week, the Trump administration terminated nearly all of the United States’ foreign aid contracts after telling a federal court that its review of aid programs had concluded, and it had shut down those found not to be in the national interest. But over the last few days, many of those same programs have received a questionnaire asking them for the first time to detail what their projects do (or did) and how that work aligns with national interests. (Nolen, 3/6)

Fierce Healthcare: CMS Tells Hospitals It 'May' Implement New Gender-Affirming Care Policies
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) took early steps this week to pressure hospitals against the delivery of gender-affirming care to children and adolescents—a key policy of the Trump administration that has so far faced pushback from blue states, transgender rights advocates and the courts. Wednesday, the agency sent a special alert to hospitals across the country that it “may begin taking steps to appropriately update its policies to protect children from chemical and surgical mutilation,” language the White House has used in executive orders to describe hormonal treatments and surgical procedures used in transition-related care. (Muoio, 3/6)

The New York Times: Senators Press Marty Makary On Abortion Pills And Vaccines 
At a confirmation hearing for Dr. Marty Makary on Thursday, senators focused heavily on the safety of the abortion pill, with Republican lawmakers urging him to restrict access and Democratic lawmakers demanding that he maintain its current availability. Dr. Makary, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration, signaled that he shared Republicans’ concerns about the current policy, issued during the Biden administration, which expanded access by allowing people to obtain the pills without an in-person medical appointment. (Jewett, 3/6)

Stat: NIH Has Paused Patenting Of Discoveries, Slowing Their Use In Developing Treatments
Clampdowns on external communications and new contracts at the National Institutes of Health by President Donald Trump’s administration — which have effectively slowed the flow of grant funding to a trickle — are also blocking the agency from sharing research materials with collaborators and taking crucial steps to ensure the discoveries its own scientists are making can later be used in the development of drugs and vaccines. (Molteni, 3/7)

Military Times: VA To Speed Up Health Records System Rollout, With New Sites This Year
Veterans Affairs officials plan to rapidly accelerate the rollout of the department’s new electronic health record system this year, adding 13 new sites to the deployment schedule in 2026. In December, department leaders had announced plans to resume deployment of the controversial Oracle Cerner system in mid-2026, with a few sites implementing training and software over the next 18 months. (Shane III, 3/6)

Stat: Hospitals, Physicians Push Back On Proposed HIPAA Security Rule
After yet another record year for health data breaches, updated federal security rules to protect patient information are on the table in 2025. Patients and providers have long complained that HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is ill-suited to protect patients’ sensitive health data in the digital age — and in January, the Department of Health and Human Services proposed updated regulations to protect against the growing threat of cyberattacks. (Palmer, 3/7)

The Desert Sun: Prioritize Making Health Care More Accessible And Affordable For Every Patient
According to a study in 2024 by the California Healthcare Foundation, more than one-third of Californians (38%) have medical debt and a shocking 52% of low-income patients. I am not alone in worrying about the cost of health care in California as I am joined by 80% of my fellow Californians. (Julie Gill Shuffield, 3/1)

Los Angeles Times: Can We End The Talk Of Attaching Strings To Disaster Aid?
To address the most important point up front: The wildfires currently spreading across North and South Carolina are tragic. ... That said, the Carolina fires may have a positive result that will be felt coast to coast, and especially in California: They’re likely to quell all that stupid talk about attaching strings to federal wildfire disaster relief. (Michael Hiltzik, 3/5)

CalMatters: For California Kids With Disabilities, Playgrounds Reinforce Exclusion. We Can Change That
During the 2022–23 school year, 7.5 million students aged 3–21 received special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. In California, roughly 837,000 children are enrolled in special education. For too many young people, the playground is a symbol of exclusion rather than belonging. (Tilly Griffiths, 3/5)

Los Angeles Times: Trump's Cruel Ban On Transgender Troops Faces A Fight
The Trump administration‘s policies are built on a foundation of lies: Millions of foreign criminals and mentally ill people illegally stream across our borders. Doctors abort babies after they are born. Tariffs won’t drive up costs for American consumers. American taxpayers buy condoms for Hamas. Transgender service members undermine the armed forces. Based on that last fiction, the Defense Department announced a ban on transgender troops Wednesday, following an executive order issued by President Trump in January. (Robin Abcarian, 3/2)