Orange County Register: Study: Southern California Is Most Disaster-Prone Region In U.S.
According to a new national ranking of 3,200-plus U.S. counties, Southern California rates as the single most disaster-prone region in the country. (Mouchard, 6/10)

NPR: Multiple Death Counts For Climate-Related Disasters
Despite the growing danger from climate-driven disasters, there is no single, reliable count of who is dying as a result of extreme weather in the United States. For any given weather disaster, multiple government agencies publish independent — and often widely differing — death counts. (Hersher and Borunda, 6/10)

San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Doctors Aim To Mitigate Toxic Stress In Children And Parents
As a veteran Bay Area OB-GYN, Dr. Carey Watson is often a sounding board for the stressors her patients face during pregnancy, a time that’s perhaps more critical for their health and the health of their future child than any other. One patient recently shared that her family’s only car had just been totaled, leaving them struggling to get around. Another patient confided that the father of her baby had been incarcerated again. Watson learns these intimate details because she asks all her pregnant patients whether they’ve experienced childhood trauma, and whether they have social support and other tools to build resilience against stress — whether it’s rooted in trauma, household dysfunction or other hardships. (Ho, 6/10)

Los Angeles Blade: Boys & Girls Club Of Malibu Is Raising Mental Health Awareness
The Boys & Girls Club of Malibu (BGCM) are taking a steps towards addressing youth suicide with the “1 in 5” campaign, a youth-led initiative to raise awareness about mental health. In light of research indicating that 20% (one in five) of teens seriously contemplate committing suicide and 9% have attempted it, BGCM members are determined to combat this pressing issue through their new thought-provoking clothing line. (Haddad, 6/9)

Modesto Bee: Modesto Hospital Shaken By California Probe Into Anesthesia Providers. What To Know
Doctors Medical Center of Modesto is starting to recover after it was knocked off-balance by a California Department of Public Health survey focused on anesthesia services. But as more surgeries resume, the hospital has decisions to make about staffing operating rooms with anesthesiologists and midlevel providers called certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). (Carlson, 6/10)

AP: Rural Pharmacies Fill A Health Care Gap In The US. Owners Say It's Getting Harder To Stay Open
Basin Pharmacy fills more than prescriptions in rural northern Wyoming. It’s also the key health care access point for the town of about 1,300 people and the surrounding area. The storage room contains things that people rely on to survive, such as a dozen boxes of food for patients who must eat through tubes. The pharmacy fills prescriptions in bulk for the county jail, state retirement center and youth group homes. Some patients come from Jackson, five hours away by car, for the specialized services. (Shastri, 6/7)

Los Angeles Times: Nevada, Arizona Follow California's Abortion Ballot Measure Strategy
Nevada organizers last month celebrated a flood of voter signatures in support of placing a measure ensuring abortion rights on the November ballot. But their work isn’t over — not even close. Nevada is among about a dozen states where abortion activists are working to put the protection of reproductive rights into voters’ hands, as California did two years ago. But unlike in liberal California, organizers in some of those states must navigate a patchwork of onerous bureaucratic hurdles and overcome hostile political opposition. (Mays, 6/10)

Axios: Democratic-Leaning Doctors Flex Political Muscle Over Abortion Restrictions
The wave of state abortion restrictions that began after the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022 has led Democratic-leaning doctors to become an organizing and political force against such laws. Doctors driving the backlash say many of the new state laws jeopardize patients' health and restrict their ability to practice medicine. (Goldman, 6/9)

USA Today: New COVID Variant KP.3 Is On The Rise: Here's What To Know
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows that a new COVID variant, the KP.3 variant, is rising to dominance across the United States. For the two-week period starting on May 26 and ending on June 8, the government agency data shows that KP.3 accounts for 25% of COVID cases in the U.S. and is now the dominant variant. This knocks down previous frontrunner, the JN.1 variant, which spread globally last winter, and now makes up 22.5% of cases. (Forbes, 6/8)

CIDRAP: Study Shows No Link Between Stillbirths, COVID-19 Vaccines
A new study from Yale researchers in Obstetrics and Gynecology shows no link between stillbirth and COVID-19 vaccines. Moreover, pregnant women who had received COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy were at a decreased risk of preterm birth. The authors say the findings should offer further reassurance that COVID-19 vaccination is safe and useful in pregnancy. (Soucheray, 6/7)

The Hill: Minority Groups' Uninsured Rates Plummeted Under Affordable Care Act: Research
Uninsured rates among minority groups in the U.S. plunged between 2010 and 2022, according to reports released Friday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The increase in the number of insured people points to the impact of the Affordable Care Act, former President Obama’s signature health law. (Maher, 6/7)

Modern Healthcare: DOJ Motion To Toss Humana Medicare Advantage Lawsuit Denied
A federal judge Friday denied a motion by the federal government to dismiss a legal challenge seeking to block updated Medicare Advantage auditing standards. Humana, the second-largest Medicare Advantage insurer by membership, sued the Health and Human Services Department in September 2023 over a regulation announced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services earlier that year. (Tepper, 6/7)

Voice of San Diego: Inside The City’s Mega Shelter Plan – And Concerns About It
If the city moves forward with its largest ever long-term shelter, the city’s point person on homelessness is adamant it won’t look like a typical shelter. Sarah Jarman, who leads the city’s homelessness department, envisions ample outdoor space, artwork and other amenities that she hopes can make the warehouse at Kettner Boulevard and Vine Street an inviting space. Jarman and her team also want to provide onsite medical, dental and behavioral health services. (Halverstadt, 6/10)

Los Angeles Times: Hundreds Of Children Live On Skid Row. Can L.A. Do More For Them?
Skid Row, if it must be said, is not a place for children. And yet there are more than 100 families living there now, with more than 200 children. The large majority stay at the mission — a privately funded shelter that is the only one in the neighborhood that accepts families. A smaller number live in tents, often on Towne Avenue, which has become the place of last resort for families that have run out of options. Advocates say they believe the number of children in the neighborhood isn’t going down any time soon, as families in desperate need of shelter confront a city with insufficient options. And some are asking whether there are immediate steps that city and other officials should take to improve the quality of life for children on Skid Row as long as they remain. (Esquivel, 6/10)

Los Angeles Times: Sacramento Homeless Count Shows 29% Drop, But Accuracy Questioned
Sacramento officials were elated this week when the results of a biennial point-in-time count showed that the observed local homeless population had declined by a whopping 29% — the biggest decrease city and county leaders had seen in more than a decade. Although homelessness in the region is still higher than it was five years ago, the county’s homeless population plunged from 9,278 in 2022 to 6,615. The region also saw a 41% decline in the number of people living outside in tents and makeshift shelters, from 6,664 to 3,944. (Vives, 6/8)

Los Angeles Times: California Lawmakers Are Giving Up A Bid To Repeal A Nearly 75-Year-Old Anti-Public-Housing Measure 
A nearly 75-year-old anti-public-housing rule will remain in California’s Constitution as lawmakers are planning to withdraw a measure from the November ballot that would have repealed it. State Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), who authored the repeal measure, said that the November ballot was too crowded with expensive tax, housing, bond and public safety campaigns to give his effort the best chance at succeeding. (Dillon, 6/6)

Stat: The Inside Story Of How Lykos’ MDMA Research Went Awry
At a heated advisory committee meeting convened by the Food and Drug Administration last week, regulators repeatedly expressed frustration that Lykos, a company seeking approval of MDMA-assisted therapy to treat PTSD, failed to follow instructions and track positive feelings such as “euphoria” that could be used to inform understanding of the drug’s addiction potential. The missing data, said clinical reviewer David Millis, were “a major concern.” (Goldhill, 6/9)

The Washington Post: Pyschedelic Drug Boosters Assess Challenges After FDA Panel Turns Thumbs Down On MDMA
Developers of mind-bending drugs for medical use are distancing themselves from the first company to seek regulatory approval for a psychedelic compound, after its application encountered strong opposition from a government panel. ... But biotech executives, investors and researchers said in interviews that their enthusiasm for psychedelics to treat mental health disorders remains undimmed. They are betting that a by-the-books clinical trial design run by a more conventional drugmaker will ultimately succeed. (Gilbert and Ovalle, 6/8)

Axios: Lilly's Alzheimer's Drug Faces Delayed Reckoning
The outlook for the latest experimental drug shown to delay Alzheimer's disease will come into focus Monday, when Food and Drug Administration advisers review an application from Eli Lilly that's been held up by questions about the design of clinical trials and safety risks. Their conclusions could influence how the FDA treats future drugs that target proteins in the brain known as amyloid plaques that are believed to contribute to the development of the dreaded neurological condition that afflicts nearly 7 million people in the U.S. (Bettelheim, 6/10)

The Hill: Diet, Exercise May Slow Decline In Some Alzheimer’s Patients: Study
A healthy diet and consistent exercise may slow decline in some early-stage Alzheimer’s disease patients, according to research published Friday. The study, published in the journal Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy, found that patients in a group who implemented “intensive” lifestyle changes — like eating whole foods, exercising moderately and performing stress management techniques — saw their dementia symptoms stabilize. (Timotija, 6/7)

San Bernardino Sun: 2 California Doctors Accused Of Gross Negligence For Excessive Opiate Prescriptions
The Medical Board of California has recommended that two Pasadena doctors have their licenses revoked or suspended after determining the pair negligently prescribed painkillers and other dangerous drugs to patients and failed to maintain proper medical records. (Nelson, 6/10)

The New York Times: Personal Conflicts, Even Violence, Are Not Uncommon In Long-Term Care
"We have this extraordinary paradox: the institutions, nursing homes and assisted livings who care for the most vulnerable members of our society are some of the most violent in our society,” said Karl Pillemer, a Cornell University gerontologist who has studied resident-to-resident conflict for years. Aside from psychiatric hospitals and residential youth facilities, he said, “it doesn’t happen anywhere else that one in five residents are involved in some kind of aggressive incident every month.” (Span, 6/9)

The Washington Post: OB/GYNs Routinely Experience Sexual Harassment, Study Suggests
Sexual harassment, bullying and workplace discrimination are commonly encountered by doctors and other clinicians in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, a recent literature review suggests. The analysis, published in JAMA Network Open, shows that although the field is increasingly female-dominated, medical students, residents, fellows and attending physicians in obstetrics and gynecology regularly experience sexual harassment and gender bias on the job. (Blakemore, 6/9)

Reuters: US FDA Expands GSK's RSV Vaccine Approval To Adults Aged 50 To 59
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the expanded use of GSK's (GSK.L) respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine on Friday in adults aged between 50 and 59, making it the first shot endorsed for that age group. The shot, branded Arexvy, and vaccines from rivals Pfizer (PFE.N) and Moderna (MRNA.O) are already approved for people aged 60 and older for the virus. RSV is a leading cause of pneumonia ... causing 177,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths in the United States annually. (Roy and Santhosh, 6/8)

Politico: What Can Trump Do To Undermine Vaccines? More Than You Might Think
Trump’s new anti-vaccine persona could have far-reaching consequences if he’s elected to a second stint as president with far-reaching administrative powers. Public health experts say a White House opposed to immunization mandates could potentially cause upticks in cases of measles, polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases, or hamper efforts to fight a future pandemic. The CDC could pare back the number of vaccines it recommends children receive or eliminate those recommendations entirely. (Messerly, 6/9)

Reuters: Olympic Athletes Turn To Diabetes Tech In Pursuit Of Medals
Olympians including Dutch marathon runner Abdi Nageeye are using a new tool they hope will boost their medal chances this summer: tiny monitors that attach to the skin to track blood glucose levels. Continuous glucose monitors or CGMs, were developed for use by diabetes patients but their makers, led by Abbott (ABT.N) and Dexcom (DXCM.O), also spy opportunities in sports and wellness. The Paris Olympics, which start on July 26, are an opportunity to showcase the technology - even though there is as yet no proof it can boost athletic performance. (Burger, 6/10)

The Hill: Trump Takes Credit For Insulin Pricing: Biden 'Had Nothing To Do With It'
Former President Trump attempted to take credit for insulin pricing in a Saturday post on Truth Social. “Low INSULIN PRICING was gotten for millions of Americans by me, and the Trump Administration, not by Crooked [President Biden,]” Trump said in the Truth Social post. “He had NOTHING to do with it. It was all done long before he so sadly entered office. All he does is try to take credit for things done by others, in this case, ME!” (Suter, 6/8)

The Wall Street Journal: ‘Tranq’ Turns More Illicit Drug Users Into Amputees
As a boy, Nathan Clark developed a fear that he would lose his limbs and be unable to fish and crab with his grandfather. Today, Clark is a triple amputee. He lost his limbs after using fentanyl and xylazine, an animal tranquilizer also known as “tranq” that rots flesh and bone. Less than five years after xylazine showed up in his dope bag, the 29-year-old can’t bathe or use the toilet on his own. (Wernau, 6/9)

Los Angeles Times: A Year After Newsom Called For Constitutional Amendment On Gun Safety, No Other States Have Joined Him
On NBC’s “Today” show last June, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a proposal that seemed politically impossible from the start: Convincing two-thirds of state legislatures in America to officially call for a constitutional convention to adopt national gun safety laws. ... One year later, no other state has joined Newsom’s fight. (Luna and Rosenhall, 6/9)

EdSource: Calling The Cops: Policing In California Schools 
Every school day, police respond to thousands of calls from schools across California. Along with the patrols and security checks are thousands of serious incidents, some of them violent. (6/10)

CNN: The Color Of Your Child’s Swimsuit Can Play A Role In Their Safety At The Pool, Experts Say
The color of your child’s swimsuit could impact their safety at a swimming pool or the beach. That’s according to water safety experts who have taken a close look at how the hue of swimwear may influence how visible a child is under water. (Howard, 6/9)

Fortune: Zyn Nicotine Patches And Teens: Are There Health Risks?
According to the National Youth Tobacco Survey of 2023, an estimated 1.5% of high school and middle school students (more than half of them boys), representing 400,000 adolescents, use nicotine pouches—around the same percentage (1.6%) who smoke cigarettes, but much less than those who vape (7.7%). Those numbers have remained unchanged in recent years, noted an April press release from the FDA regarding underage sales of nicotine pouches by retailers. (Greenfield, 6/8)