KVPR: Cyberattacks On Hospitals 'Should Be Considered A Regional Disaster,' Researchers Find
It was early May in 2021 when patients flooded the emergency room at the University of California San Diego Health Center. "We were bringing in backup staff, our wait times had gone haywire, the whole system was overloaded," said Dr. Christopher Longhurst, UC San Diego's chief medical officer and digital officer. "We felt it." But the crunch wasn't the result of a massive accident or the latest wave of patients infected by a new coronavirus variant. The influx was the direct result of a ransomware attack, a costly and unfortunately now common form of cybercrime in which hackers lock down their victims' files and demand a ransom, often millions of dollars, to unlock them. (McLaughlin, 6/25)

The Bakersfield Californian: Union Accuses Kern Medical Of Overpaying For Executive Services 
Financial controls at Kern Medical have become a point of contention in a broader dispute between the hospital’s management and a labor union representing more than 1,600 of its workers. (Cox, 6/25)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Was Death In Women’s Jail A Crime? Case Against Doctor, Nurse Begins
By every account Elisa Serna died a horrible death, slumped alone on the floor of a Las Colinas women’s jail cell for an hour while San Diego County sheriff’s deputies and jail medical staff went about their business. Now, nearly four years after Serna died in San Diego County custody, a nurse and doctor assigned to the jail will be fighting criminal charges in an El Cajon courtroom. (McDonald and Davis, 6/23)

Bloomberg: US Nurses Threaten To Quit Post Pandemic Burnout, Risking Big Health Care Gaps
A large swath of American nurses want out of the profession, raising the threat of a mass exodus that would leave gaping holes in health care. Almost one in three registered nurses say they’re likely to seek a different job, according to a recent survey by AMN Healthcare Services Inc. A McKinsey & Co. study last month warned the US risks a shortfall of as many as 450,000 nurses. Job openings in health care surged above 2 million in April, not far short of last year’s record. (Saraiva and Tanzi, 6/24)

KCRA: A Look At Roe V. Wade Ruling One Year Later In California
One year since Roe v. Wade was overturned, California health care providers say they have had more people seeking abortion and reproductive services. While there isn't an exact number, Jodi Hicks with Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California said about 80,000 women in the country have traveled to a different state to get those services. (6/23)

Politico: Abortions Increased In Florida More Than In California And New York Post-Dobbs. Here’s Why. 
Last year’s Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion provoked a policymaking flurry in blue states that have long been bastions of reproductive rights. From New York to California, Democratic lawmakers eagerly touted their states’ support for abortion care and unveiled initiatives to absorb an expected increase in out-of-state patients. (Bluth, Kaufman and Govindarao, 6/24)

CNBC: Biden Signs Executive Order Expanding Access To Birth Control
President Joe Biden on Friday signed a wide-ranging executive order aimed at protecting and increasing access to contraception, his administration’s latest attempt to shore up reproductive rights as abortion restrictions rise in many states. The White House announced the order one day shy of the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, which established the constitutional right to abortion in the U.S. in 1973. Justice Clarence Thomas suggested in a concurring opinion that the nation’s highest court should revisit similar cases, including those guaranteeing access to contraception. (Constantino, 6/23)

The Hill: Biden Rallies Abortion Advocates: ‘The Court Practically Dared The Women Of America To Be Heard’ 
President Biden on Friday rallied reproductive rights advocates to mark the anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, saying that decision dared women to be heard. “The Dobbs decision, the court practically dared the women of America to be heard. This is what the majority wrote, ‘women are not without electoral or political power.’ You ain’t seen nothing yet, court,” Biden said at the Mayflower Hotel in D.C. Earlier on Friday, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL Pro-Choice America and EMILY’s List all endorsed Biden’s reelection bid. The rally with the Democratic National Committee and the endorsements come a day ahead of the anniversary of the Supreme Court ending the roughly 50-year precedent set by Roe that guaranteed a right to an abortion. (Gangitano, 6/23)

USA Today: Donald Trump Supports National Abortion Restrictions In New Speech
Before an adoring crowd of religious conservatives, Donald Trump marked the one-year anniversary of the end of Roe v. Wade by adopting new language and endorsing the idea of national abortion restrictions. Trump, who has previously discussed abortion as more of a state issue, told the cheering members of the Faith and Freedom Coalition "I will fight for you like no president ever" on the abortion issue. He did not endorse any specific anti-abortion legislation or time limits in his nearly 90-minute speech to members of the coalition in D.C. but did say "there of course remains a vital role for the federal government in protecting unborn life." (Jackson, 6/24)

AP: In Post-Roe Era, House Republicans Begin Quiet Push For New Restrictions On Abortion Access 
When the Supreme Court issued its abortion ruling last June overturning Roe v. Wade, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said “our work is far from done.” He didn’t say what might come next. A year later later, McCarthy is the speaker, Republicans are in the majority and the blanks are beginning to be filled in. In a flurry of little-noticed legislative action, GOP lawmakers are pushing abortion policy changes, trying to build on the work of activists whose strategy successfully elevated their fight to the nation’s highest court. (Amiri, 6/25)

Politico: Vulnerable House Republicans Doubt Abortion Will Endanger Them This Cycle 
One year after their party was pummeled over abortion restrictions on the campaign trail, vulnerable Republicans are starting to sound unafraid of the electoral consequences of it. Democratic party leaders have stated their intention to make abortion a primary issue in the ‘24 cycle, drawing no distinctions between Republicans who want a national ban and those with any other position. (Gibson, 6/26)

AP: 'Rage Giving' Prompted By The End Of Roe Has Dropped Off, Abortion Access Groups Say 
The “ rage giving ” did not last. Abortion access groups who received a windfall of donations following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade one year ago say those emergency grants have ended and individual and foundation giving has dropped off. After the Dobbs decision, some major funders of abortion access also have ended or shifted funding from organizations working in states where abortion is now banned, said Naa Amissah-Hammond, senior director of grantmaking with Groundswell Fund, which funds grassroots groups organizing for reproductive justice. (Beaty and Gamboa, 6/24)

Fresno Bee: A Walgreens Pharmacist Denied Customer’s Essential Medication For Contentious Reason 
Oakland, California resident Roscoe Rike has been picking up his prescriptions from the Walgreens on Telegraph Avenue for the last three years -- including his HRT medication, short for “hormone replacement therapy,” usually taken by transgender men. So when a pharmacist he didn’t recognize asked him what the medication was for, he said, in a now-deleted Reddit post, a red flag went up in his mind. (Button, 6/23)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Sonoma County Anti-Drag Groups Had Roots In Other Causes, Including Anti-COVID Lockdown And Vaccine Campaigns 
The Sonoma County Parents group first emerged in local news coverage in October 2021, amid wide-scale outcry as California announced plans to roll out a coronavirus vaccine mandate for K-12 students. Opposition to that mandate is the parents’ group stated focus on its Facebook page. (Barber, 6/24)

NBC News: Med Schools Still Aren’t Teaching Enough On LGBTQ Health Care
As an increasing proportion of Americans identify as LGBTQ, leaders in sexual and gender minority health care say that the nation’s medical schools are largely failing to adequately prepare the next generation of doctors to properly care for this population. The need is critical, according to experts in medical education and LGBTQ care. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, as stigmatized minorities, often have difficulty accessing health care that properly addresses their health concerns, that is sensitive to their sexual and gender identities and that is not flat-out discriminatory, researchers have found. (Ryan, 6/23)

The Hill: Christie Knocks Transgender Health Care Bans On Campaign Trail: ‘It’s More Of A Parent’s Decision’ 
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) this week said he opposes state laws that ban gender-affirming health care for transgender young people, distancing himself from other Republicans on what is already shaping up to be a key issue in the race for the White House in 2024. (Migdon, 6/23)

AP: California Doctor Convicted Of Illegally Prescribing Opioids, Including To One Person Who Overdosed 
A California physician who wrote more than 8,200 prescriptions in a one-year span has been convicted on 12 counts of distributing opioid pills without a legitimate medical purpose, including to one person who died of an overdose, federal prosecutors said. A federal jury found Donald Siao, 58, guilty after a weeklong trial, according to a statement Friday from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. (6/24)

The San Francisco Standard: His Videos On SF’s Drug Crisis Went Viral. Then He Vanished
To his fans, JJ Smith—not his real name—was a breath of authenticity chronicling the harsh truths and human stories of the Tenderloin and a reality check on the grandiose plans of politicians. ... Over the past nine months, he had been seemingly everywhere in the Tenderloin, reviving people from the brink of drug-induced death and once barreling into a burning building while recording it all for his 12,500 Twitter followers. ... After The Standard began reporting a story looking into his background and activities, his Twitter account disappeared. (Sjostedt, 6/23)

AP: Fentanyl Ruled As The Cause Of Death For Adam Rich, Former 'Eight Is Enough' Child Star 
The effects of fentanyl are considered the cause of death for Adam Rich, the child actor known as “America’s little brother” for his role on the hit family dramedy “Eight is Enough.” The former television star’s death this January has been ruled an accident by the Los Angeles County Medical-Examiner Coroner’s office, according to an autopsy report. Rich died in his Los Angeles home at age 54. (6/24)

Reuters: US Files First-Ever Charges Against Chinese Fentanyl Manufacturers
The U.S. Justice Department on Friday filed criminal charges against four Chinese chemical manufacturing companies and eight individuals over allegations they illegally trafficked the chemicals used to make fentanyl - a highly addictive painkiller that has fueled the opioid crisis in the United States. The indictments mark the first time the U.S. has sought to prosecute any of the Chinese companies responsible for manufacturing precursor chemicals used to make the painkiller. (Lynch and Cohen, 6/24)

Reuters: Cocaine Market Is Booming As Meth Trafficking Spreads, U.N. Report Says
Cocaine demand and supply are booming worldwide and methamphetamine trafficking is expanding beyond established markets, including in Afghanistan where the drug is now being produced, a United Nations report said on Sunday. (6/25)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Grand Jury Faults Sonoma County For Lack Of Warming Centers For Homeless People During Cold Weather Emergencies
Sonoma County must do more to help its unhoused residents find warm places to stay during cold weather emergencies. That’s the conclusion of the Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury, which released its latest report on June 21. That watchdog panel found that the county lacked a coherent policy for opening warming centers. (Murphy, 6/25)

Times Of San Diego: Learn About Brain Health: Free Memory Screenings Offered For Those 50 And Up
The Pacific Research Network will hold a free memory screening near Balboa Park on Tuesday for those aged 50 and over. The confidential memory screening will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the network offices, 3003 Fourth Ave. (6/25)

The Oaklandside: Were Those Fireworks Or Gunshots? How To Tell The Difference
Every year starting around Memorial Day, Oakland residents find themselves confronted with an unpleasantly frequent question: was that noise fireworks or gunshots? (Krans, 6/23)

CBS News: CDC Tracking New COVID Variant EU.1.1
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now separately tracking several new COVID-19 variants, the agency announced Friday, adding more Omicron descendants to an increasingly complex list of new strains that are competing nationwide. Among the new variants now being tracked by the CDC is EU.1.1, a strain first designated by scientists earlier this year over its rapid ascent in some European countries. (Tin, 6/23)

San Francisco Chronicle: COVID Booster Shots This Fall To Protect Against Newer Virus Strains
If you’re worried that your COVID vaccine is wearing off or that you’re only protected against an obsolete strain of the virus, relief is coming. Preparations for an updated COVID vaccine this fall that’s aimed at more recent versions of the coronavirus are already well underway. And according to Bay Area health care providers, it’s likely to be offered to patients alongside the annual flu jab, streamlining the inoculation process. (Castro-Root, 6/26)

CIDRAP: Reported Levels Of Global COVID-19 Decrease As XBB.1.5 Seen Across Europe, US 
The World Health Organization (WHO) posted its weekly epidemiologic update yesterday on  COVID-19, which shows decreases in new cases across all global regions. All regions, except Africa, also reported decreases in deaths from the virus. Globally, more than 1.2 million new cases and more than 7,100 deaths were reported in the past 28 days. The WHO cautioned, however, that the update is not an accurate reflection of virus activity, because of reduced testing and spotty case reporting. During this period, the WHO said, only 56% of countries and territories (133 of 234) reported one case. (Soucheray, 6/23)

The Washington Post: Covid Isn’t Over But Even The Most Cautious Americans Are Moving On 
Officials are no longer warning of scary new variants. Free tests are harder to come by. The White House covid team has disbanded, and the virus is increasingly erased from public conversation. After 2020’s summer of isolation followed by 2021’s “hot vax” summer and last year’s summer of revenge travel, this summer, the fourth since covid arrived, marks a season of blissful ignorance — or begrudging acceptance that the rest of society is moving on. (Nirappil, Yarber and Regan, 6/25)

AP: US Intelligence Report On COVID-19 Origins Rejects Some Points Raised By Lab Leak Theory Proponents 
U.S. officials released an intelligence report Friday that rejected some points raised by those who argue COVID-19 leaked from a Chinese lab, instead reiterating that American spy agencies remain divided over how the pandemic began. The report was issued at the behest of Congress, which in March passed a bill giving U.S. intelligence 90 days to declassify intelligence related to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. (Merchang, 6/23)

USA Today: New Hair-Loss Treatment For Teens With Alopecia Comes After Years Of Limited Options
Alison Lee felt a slight tug at the back of her head. Her dark wig slipped off in an instant, revealing her hairless scalp to the shining sun, the cool breeze, and her entire third-grade class during recess. She grabbed at her head and turned around to see her classmate hanging the hairpiece in his hands. (Rodriguez, 6/23)

The New York Times: A Pill Form Of Ozempic Is On The Horizon 
The next iteration of Ozempic and Wegovy — the much-discussed, hard-to-obtain injectable medications known for their ability to induce weight loss — may come in pill form. Researchers presented data in two studies on Sunday at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions conference, one of which showed that 50 milligrams of semaglutide — the active compound in Ozempic and Wegovy — taken orally each day is roughly as effective as weekly Wegovy shots in reducing weight in people who are overweight or obese. Wegovy injections contain 2.4 milligrams of semaglutide. (Blum, 6/25)

Axios: FDA Creates Path For Psychedelic Drug Trials
Federal regulators are laying out guidance for psychedelic drug trials for the first time, in a move that could encourage the mainstreaming of substances like magic mushrooms and LSD as behavioral health treatments. Why it matters: Psychedelics are turning into a multi-billion industry and gaining widespread acceptance after decades of concerns about recreational use of the products — and the high risk for misuse. But research to date has largely been backed by private sponsors. (Gonzalez and Moreno, 6/26)