CBS News: Gov. Newsom Signs Law To Shed Light On State Storage Of Newborn DNA, Prompted By 10-Year CBS News California Investigation
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill (SB 1099) Wednesday prompted by a decade-long CBS News California investigation into California's newborn genetic biobank. We still won't know who is using your DNA for research, or what the research is for, but the California Department of Public Health must now reveal the number of newborn DNA samples that California is storing and the number of DNA samples that the state sells to researchers each year. (Watts, 9/26)

KVPR: Gov. Newsom Signs Law To Increase Penalties For Child Sex Trafficking
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law Thursday that increases the penalty for those who solicit or purchase a child for sex. It raises the crime from a misdemeanor to a felony. The bill was authored by Senator Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield. (Livinal, 9/26)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Athletic Trainer Bill Aims To Make High School Sports Safer
Kevin Gorham remembers the grief of the Encinal High School community like it was yesterday. When freshman football player Giovani Pulido suffered cardiac arrest at a practice in 2016, there was little anyone at the field could actually do. There was no defibrillator nearby, and though there were eight CPR-trained coaches, none had the skill of a medical professional to properly assist Pulido. Gorham, a teacher at the time, recalls vigils in the following days and weeks in the Alameda community. He especially remembers the feeling of helplessness, because it hasn’t faded. (Ingemi, 9/27)

Bay Area News Group: Half Moon Bay Farmworker Advocate Travels To White House For Gun Control Executive Order
Half Moon Bay nonprofit founder Belinda Hernandez Arriaga was among hundreds of leaders who attended the signing of a gun violence executive order by President Joe Biden at the White House Thursday afternoon. The order creates an “Emerging Firearms Threats Task Force” to target machine-gun conversion devices and untraceable, 3D-printed firearms. It also directs federal agencies to provide schools with guidance on active shooter drills to reduce potential psychological harm to students. (Macasero, 9/27)

Times of San Diego: NIH Investigators Cite Misconduct By Former UCSD Researcher Turned Top Neuroscientist
A National Institutes of Health investigation has found research misconduct by one of its top neuroscientists, the agency said Thursday. Dr. Eliezer Masliah previously spent decades as a researcher at the University of California, San Diego. (Binkowski, 9/26)

Becker's Hospital Review: 226-Bed Prime Hospital Names CEO
Sam Itani was named CEO of Shasta Regional Medical Center, a 226-bed facility in Redding, Calif. Mr. Itani began his new role on Sept. 16, taking the helm from Allen Stefanek, who had been serving in the role during an interim period, according to a news release. (Gooch, 9/27)

The Wall Street Journal: George Berci, An Evangelist For Less-Invasive Surgery, Dies At 103
As a medical student in Hungary in the 1940s, George Berci wasn’t satisfied simply to master surgical techniques. He was determined to improve them. When his career took him to Australia and then Los Angeles, Berci explored the possibilities of what is today known as minimally invasive or keyhole surgery—the practice of reaching deeply into the body with a tube threaded through an orifice or small incision in the skin. Although such techniques had been proposed and tried since the 19th century, they were still rare in the 1960s and 1970s when Berci was a researcher refining them. (Hagerty, 9/26)

The Wall Street Journal: A U.S. Crackdown Targeted A Silicon Valley ‘Pill Mill.’ Secretly, It Had Already Moved To China. 
Federal authorities came down hard on Done Global, the California-based telehealth startup that prosecutors allege is an Adderall “pill mill” with a “predatory business model.” Its founder was arrested and most of its U.S. staff have quit, but it’s still pumping out prescriptions to its American clientele. Done’s big secret? Key operations were moved to China. (Winkler, 9/26)

The Washington Post: FDA Approves New Type Of Antipsychotic Drug, A Potential ‘Game-Changer’ 
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration late Thursday approved a new kind of drug to treat schizophrenia, a breakthrough after 70 years of incremental innovation that appears to avoid side effects that cause many patients to stop taking their medication. The new drug, Bristol Myers Squibb’s Cobenfy, targets a different area of the brain than traditional antipsychotic drugs to relieve symptoms like delusions without causing patients to gain weight, fall asleep and experience involuntary muscle jerking. (Gilbert, 9/26)

NBC News: New Prescription Drug Price Hikes Hit Black Patients Hard
Prices for prescription pharmaceutical drugs have skyrocketed, disproportionately making them harder for people of color to afford, a new report finds. The advocacy organization Patients for Affordable Drugs released a report this month showing that pharmaceutical companies increased prices on at least 1,000 prescription drugs so far this year, with about half of the price increases being above the rate of inflation. (Bellamy, 9/26)

USA Today: Lawsuit: Patients Say Ozempic, Mounjaro Caused Stomach Paralysis
Dana Filmore was terrified of taking Ozempic. Her fear of needles made the idea of injecting herself in the stomach with the drug, which can only be administered under the skin, seem near-impossible. But the antidiabetic pills Filmore was taking weren’t enough to bring her blood sugar down to a healthy level. Her doctor told her that Ozempic, a medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat Type 2 diabetes, could help. (Kim, 9/27)

CBS News: New Weight Loss Drugs Spark Eating Disorder Concerns In Teens
There is concern over the newest weight loss drugs sparking eating disorders in teens. Newer GLP-1 weight loss drugs, like Wegovy, have been approved for kids 12 and up and the number of teenagers taking these medications rose nearly sevenfold between 2020 and 2023. But a recent study found that nearly 80% of teens seeking treatment for obesity reported symptoms of depression and eating disorders. (Marshall, 9/26)

Berkeleyside: Berkeley To Vote On Tenant Opportunity To Purchase Act
The Berkeley City Council will vote next week on legislation that would let tenants and local nonprofits make the first offer to buy rental properties before they can go on the market, and give them a chance to match the best offer from another buyer. The council appears poised to vote down the controversial housing policy, known as a Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, at a special meeting Monday night. But Councilmember Cecilia Lunaparra says she plans to revive the proposal if it fails — meaning the years-long debate between tenant and landlord groups that played out while the legislation wound its way through City Hall may be far from over. (Savidge, 9/26)

San Francisco Chronicle: Free At-Home COVID Tests Now Available To Order. Here’s How
Americans once again have the opportunity to request free coronavirus tests by mail, as authorities brace for a potential resurgence of COVID-19 cases. The federal program, offering each U.S. household four at-home test kits via the Postal Service since 2022, has distributed more than 1.8 billion tests nationwide. Despite previous pauses due to funding shortages, the Biden administration has revived the initiative multiple times, most recently ahead of last year’s respiratory virus season. (Vaziri, 9/26)

UPI: Survey: Most Americans Won't Get New Flu, COVID-19 Vaccines 
Most Americans don't plan to get vaccinated against the flu or COVID-19 this season, a new survey has found. Fewer than two in five U.S. adults (38%) say they will definitely get a flu jab, and only one in four (26%) say they'll get the updated COVID vaccine, according to a survey released Wednesday by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. (Thompson, 9/25)

ABC News: Researchers Investigate Potential Link Between RSV And Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths
A rise in rates of sudden unexpected infant deaths may have been linked to an off-season surge of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in 2021, according to a new study published Thursday in the journal JAMA Open Network. Sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID) includes deaths of infants under one year old without a known cause, deaths that are due to accidental suffocation or strangulation in bed and those from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Gummerson and Cobern, 9/26)

San Francisco Chronicle: Planned Parenthood NorCal Faces Backlash For Endorsements
A constellation of San Francisco leaders is criticizing the Northern California chapter of Planned Parenthood for endorsing only male candidates for four open supervisor races. A statement signed by over 50 prominent women, labor organizations, city leaders and candidates, most of whom are progressive,  questioned the organization’s endorsement decisions in light of the presence of qualified pro-choice women running in the same races. It also called the endorsement decisions  an “opaque” process that undermines the organization’s credibility. (Toledo, 9/26)

Roll Call: On Campaign Trail, Vance Lays Out ‘Concept Of A Plan’ For Health Care 
J.D. Vance’s comments, made over the last week, have added some details to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s assertion during the Sept. 10 presidential debate that he had a “concept of a plan” to reform the Obama-era health exchanges. “We’re going to actually implement some regulatory reform in the health care system that allows people to choose a health care plan that works for them,” Vance said at a campaign rally last week in Raleigh, N.C., adding that people who use the health care system frequently would be on a different plan from those who are healthy and don’t go to the doctor as often. (Cohen and Raman, 9/26)

The Hill: Harris Border Visit To Focus On Curbing Fentanyl Flow, Boosting Resources For Border Agents
Vice President Harris plans to call for more resources for border patrol agents, on her visit to the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday, a senior campaign official said. She is also set to describe curbing the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. a “top priority” if she’s elected in November. (Gangitano, 9/27)

NPR: More Trans Teens Attempted Suicide After States Passed Anti-Trans Laws, A Study Shows
States that passed anti-transgender laws aimed at minors saw suicide attempts by transgender and gender nonconforming teenagers increase by as much as 72% in the following years, a new study by The Trevor Project says. The peer-reviewed study, published published Thursday in the journal Nature Human Behavior, looked at survey data from young people in 19 states, comparing rates of suicide attempts before and after bans passed. (Simmons-Duffin, 9/26)

Modern Healthcare: Cybersecurity Bill Would Set Industry Standards, Penalties
Senate lawmakers rolled out a bill Thursday to set cybersecurity standards in healthcare, promising financial assistance for hospitals to upgrade technology and penalties for organizations that don't measure up. The bill would also toughen standards for companies of "systemic importance" such as UnitedHealth Group's Change Healthcare, which sparked a monthslong collapse of payment and billing systems when it fell victim to a ransomware hack earlier this year. (McAuliff, 9/26)

Axios: Ending ACA Subsidies Could Affect 2 Million Chronically Ill
A decision by Congress to let enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expire next year could leave 2 million people with chronic conditions uninsured, a new analysis from consulting firm Oliver Wyman shows. Democrats on Wednesday introduced legislation to permanently extend the aid — a long shot, considering it would increase the deficit by $335 billion over a decade. But a short-term extension could be in the cards, especially if one party doesn't control the White House and Congress. (Reed, 9/26)

The Washington Post: Sweeping Bill To Overhaul Supreme Court Would Add Six Justices
A sweeping bill introduced by a Democratic senator Wednesday would greatly increase the size of the Supreme Court, make it harder for the justices to overturn laws, require justices to undergo audits and remove roadblocks for high court nominations. The legislation by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is one of the most ambitious proposals to remake a high court that has suffered a sharp decline in its public approval after a string of contentious decisions and ethics scandals in recent years. It has little chance of passing at the moment, since Republicans have generally opposed efforts to overhaul the court. (Jouvenal and Raji, 9/26)

Military.com: Extra $12B For VA Medical Budget In Limbo After Exclusion From Short-Term Spending Bill
The Department of Veterans Affairs' request for an extra $12 billion from Congress to cover medical care costs is in limbo after lawmakers did not include the money in a short-term funding bill approved this week. Congress passed what's known as a continuing resolution, or CR, on Wednesday to ensure the government stays open after the fiscal year ends next week. While CRs typically just extend existing funding levels, VA officials asked Congress to include extra funding for the department to make up for an expected shortfall in its medical budget, warning that failing to provide the funding could mean staffing cuts and increased wait times for veterans. (Kheel, 9/26)

Military.com: Veterans Nationwide Can Now Use Their Phones To Get Emergency Care From VA 
Veterans can now access emergency care from a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital by telephone or video under a new program that links patients experiencing medical distress with a VA provider. The VA announced Thursday that its tele-emergency care program, called tele-EC, is now available across the country, following a gradual rollout this year that has helped 61,182 veterans get care. (Kime, 9/26)

Military.com: Caregivers To Younger Veterans Face Depression And Suicidal Thoughts, Study Finds
The 14 million Americans who care for a chronically ill or injured veteran face challenges such as financial insecurity, stress and a lack of support that warrant attention by advocacy groups and the federal government, a new report has found. Roughly 5.5% of the U.S. adult population provides daily care and medical support for a veteran, services worth an estimated $199 billion to $485 billion annually, according to the report "America's Military and Veteran Caregivers: Hidden Heroes Emerging from the Shadows," which was released Tuesday. (Kime, 9/26)

San Francisco Chronicle: Cheech And Chong Sue California Over New Marijuana Regulation
Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, best known for their comedy duo Cheech & Chong, have filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Public Health over newly enacted regulation prohibiting hemp products with any detectable THC. The lawsuit was submitted by representatives of Cheech & Chong’s Cannabis Co., alongside the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s emergency ban on hemp-derived THC products went into effect. (Vaziri, 9/26)

AP: US Health Authorities Need To Play A Larger Role In Cannabis Policy, A New Report Says
With more Americans using ever-stronger marijuana, a federal advisory panel is calling for a public health approach that’s a big departure from “Just Say No.” Thursday’s report proposes a health-focused strategy with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention taking a larger role in cannabis policy than ever before. “We’d like the federal government to step up to provide some leadership in this area,” said Dr. Steven Teutsch of the University of Southern California, who chaired the committee behind the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report. (Johnson, 9/26)

Berkeleyside: Berkeley ADA Lawsuit Settles With New Rules For Meeting Access
Three city disability commissioners have dropped a federal lawsuit against Berkeley in exchange for new guarantees that board and commission members can join public meetings remotely when they cannot attend in person. Berkeley-based Disability Rights Advocates first filed a complaint against the city in August 2023 on behalf of Rena Fischer, Kathi Pugh and Helen Walsh, saying city staff had refused to make reasonable accommodations for the three, who have disabilities, to join commission meetings remotely. (Gecan, 9/27)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. County Reports First West Nile Virus Death This Year
A San Fernando Valley resident is the first person in L.A. County to die this year from West Nile virus, a mosquito-transmitted illness that can cause lethal inflammation in the brain. The L.A. County Department of Public Health reported on Thursday that the patient died from neurological illness caused by severe West Nile. So far in 2024, there have been 14 confirmed cases of the virus in the county and 63 in the state, according to state and county public health departments. (Harter, 9/27)

San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego County Records First West Nile Case Since 2022 
A 71-year-old man who recently traveled to rural Colorado tested positive for West Nile Virus, registering as San Diego County’s first human case since 2022, according to a statement from the county health department released Thursday afternoon. (Sisson, 9/26)

Los Angeles Times: Metal Recycling Plant Accused Of Exposing Watts Students To Hazards
A metal recycling plant was charged in a 25-count indictment on Thursday for allegedly exposing students at Jordan High School in Watts to thunderous explosions, hazardous waste and lead levels 75 times higher than those deemed safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, authorities said. S&W Atlas Metal & Iron and its owners, Matthew Weisenberg and Gary Weisenberg, were charged in the Los Angeles County Superior Court with 23 felonies related to disposal of hazardous waste and two misdemeanors related to failure to minimize the risk of explosion or fire. The defendants pleaded not guilty. (Harter, 9/26)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Endorsement: No On Prop. 35. It’s More About Doctors Than Patients. 
Proposition 35 — the “Provides Permanent Funding for Medi-Cal Health Care Services” initiative statute — is a numbingly complex measure related to how the state appropriates about $8 billion in annual revenue from taxes on health plans like Kaiser Permanente’s. (9/26)

East Bay Times: Let California Judges Require Drug Treatment That Ends Suffering On Streets
Fentanyl and drug addiction are overwhelming California communities. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death for Californians aged 15-44. Addiction is fueling the homelessness crisis and creating an epidemic of retail theft that’s raising costs for working families. To stop the suffering, we need to get more people into treatment — now. (Matt Mahan, 9/21)

Los Angeles Times: Reclassifying Cannabis As Schedule III Drug Exacerbates Bad Situation
For the first time in decades, there are positive signs that the overdose crisis is finally slowing. What’s behind this progress is subject to debate, but one of its likely drivers is policy reform. Recent changes in our outdated laws have reduced barriers to life-saving drug treatment medications, improved access to the overdose antidote naloxone, and authorized other proven harm reduction measures. (Leo Beletsky, Shaleen Title and Shanel Lindsay, 9/24)

Fresno Bee: Fresno Caregivers Deliver Critical Services, But Are Paid A Pittance
Fresno County’s caregivers and In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) workers are facing increasing pressure to deliver for their patients – our elderly men and women and disabled population – while being paid a pittance to do critical and difficult work. (Luis Chavez, 9/26)

Times of San Diego: A Salk Researcher's Call For Action On World Alzheimer’s Day
Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are progressive neurodegenerative disorders that gradually impair memory, thinking, and daily functioning. Alzheimer’s, the most common cause of dementia, accounts for 60% to 80% of cases worldwide. First identified by Dr. Alois Alzheimer in 1906, the disease has evolved into a significant global health challenge, particularly as populations age. (Dr. Nawab John Dar, 9/22)