Becker's Hospital Review: California Hospital Employees Report Identity Theft After Cyberattack
Watsonville Community Hospital employees are reporting attempted identity theft following a 2024 data breach, KSBW reported March 20. One employee told the news outlet that an $8,000 tax refund had been fraudulently filed in her name, though the IRS flagged it as suspicious and didn’t issue it. Watsonville Community Hospital fell victim to a cyberattack Nov. 29. (Bruce, 3/21)

Becker's Hospital Review: UCSF Health Creates New AI Executive Role
San Francisco-based UCSF Health has named a new executive to monitor how AI is being used by clinicians. Jinoos Yazdany, MD, was appointed March 19 as the inaugural executive director of AI monitoring in clinical care. She will oversee the Impact Monitoring Platform for Clinical Care, a collaboration between the health system and UCSF School of Medicine’s Division of Clinical Informatics and Digital Transformation. (Bruce, 3/21)

Becker's Hospital Review: 'Robust Returns': Cedars-Sinai's Informatics Strategy
Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai expects “robust returns” from informatics projects over the coming years, executives told Becker’s. The health system recently bolstered its informatics leadership by promoting Shaun Miller, MD, to chief health informatics officer and appointing Yaron Elad, MD, as chief medical informatics officer and Lisa Stephenson, MSN, RN, as chief nursing informatics officer. The moves reflect an increased focus on AI and innovation — and the role informatics plays in both — at Cedars-Sinai. (Bruce, 3/21)

San Francisco Chronicle: For UC And CSU Applicants, Nursing Is The Most Competitive Major
Winning admission into the University of California’s most competitive majors — including computer science, engineering and business — is about as likely as hitting a home run your first time at bat. Yet even those subjects are not the hardest to get into. That honor belongs to nursing, for which you might have to hit two home runs. In a row. (Asimov, 3/22)

MedPage Today: Match Rates Hold Steady As Applicants Reach Record High
The 2025 Match cycle reached another all-time high with an increase of 4.1% applicants over last year's record, the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) reported Friday. Of 52,498 applicants who were registered, 47,208 submitted a certified rank order list to compete for 43,237 positions, which were likewise up 4.2% from 2024. Of the active applicants, 37,667 matched to a postgraduate year 1 (PGY-1) position, representing an increase of 4.7% from last year. (Henderson, 3/21)

San Diego Union-Tribune: The Pandemic Left A Lasting Imprint On San Diego County’s Health Care System 
Five years ago, COVID-19 brought unprecedented change to health care throughout San Diego County. While some of those changes, such as delaying elective surgeries and banning visitors, have long since ended, the pandemic left a lasting imprint still visible today. (Sisson, 3/23)

CNN: LA Firefighters Put Out Massive Blazes. Now They Worry That Cancer Might Be Smoldering Inside Them
Pacific Palisades was burning to ash. “As far as the eye could see, homes were on fire, everywhere,” said firefighter Joseph Field, 50, who’s been with the Los Angeles Fire Department for more than 25 years. “Nothing I’ve ever seen was like it was that night.” Field, manning a 10-inch hose line, dropped a curtain of water on a house that hadn’t caught fire – yet. (Bonifield, 3/23)

Los Angeles Times: Some Altadena Residents Return To Smoky Homes That Lack Utilities
Rosa Ramirez is one of many Altadena residents who seemed fortunate, at first. Her apartment complex was spared from the destruction of the Eaton fire. ... Ramirez and her family had been staying in hotels since being evacuated during the Jan. 7 blaze. Yet their return home last week wasn’t triumphant — it had more to do with running out of resources. (Campa, 3/23)

Capital & Main: The Disaster After The Disaster: Many Contaminants May Be Overlooked In The Wake Of The L.A. Fires 
Since fires erupted across Los Angeles County in January, Ashley Oelsen has spent several hours each day collecting ash and soot from the beach outside of her Santa Monica apartment. Oelsen, a conservation biologist who sits on Santa Monica’s Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice and the Environment, worries about the dark-colored, pungent piles of burned debris that continue to mix with the sand, plant life and ocean water. (Castle, 3/21)

Los Angeles Times: FDA Crackdown On Poppers Prompts Rush On Popular Gay Party Drug
There’s a rush on Rush. Stores up and down Santa Monica Boulevard have seen a run on the signature red and yellow vials this week, as the Food and Drug Administration cracks down on poppers, a product that has long existed in legal limbo. The active ingredient in Rush and other poppers is alkyl nitrite, a chemical that instantly dilates blood vessels when inhaled, producing a brief but intense feeling of euphoria. It also causes a loosening of smooth muscle tissue, including the anus, an effect that has made it a staple of gay sex for generations. (Sharp, 3/21)

Times of San Diego: Healthcare Leaders, Patients Join Rep. Peters, Calling For Medicaid Funding To Be Preserved
When Karla Zimmerman was diagnosed with a rare brain condition, she needed surgery. Without Medicaid, she said Friday, she couldn’t have afforded it. “Thanks to Medi-Cal, I received life-saving neurosurgical care at UC San Diego Health,” said the patient at UC San Diego Health. “I still have two aneurysms that need continuous monitoring. As a mother of two, my biggest fear is not being there for my daughters. No one should have to worry about losing their health care.” But many are as a result of threatened cuts that could have a profound impact on the public healthcare program – known as Medi-Cal in California and backed by federal funding. (Vigil, 3/21)

San Diego Union-Tribune: ‘I Didn’t Think It Would Be This Bad’: San Diego Veterans Worry VA Cuts Will Hurt Their Care 
David Cochran and other veterans in San Diego County are worried about how their benefits and services could be impacted by the staffing scale back — and how far the cuts will go. For some, the agency has already targeted specific cuts to health care, announcing last week that it will no longer provide gender-affirming care to transgender veterans. (Fox and McDonald, 3/23)

The New York Times: Trump And DOGE Propel V.A. Mental Health System Into Turmoil
Late in February, as the Trump administration ramped up its quest to transform the federal government, a psychiatrist who treats veterans was directed to her new workstation — and was incredulous. She was required, under a new return-to-office policy, to conduct virtual psychotherapy with her patients from one of 13 cubicles in a large open office space, the kind of setup used for call centers. Other staff might overhear the sessions, or appear on the patient’s screen as they passed on their way to the bathroom and break room. (Barry, Nehamas and Caryn Rabin, 3/22)

EducationWeek: Trump Says RFK Jr. Will Oversee Special Education, Child Nutrition
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, President Trump said HHS, overseen by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., would handle “special needs and all of the nutrition programs and everything else.” The Education Department’s office of special education programs for nearly half a century has overseen the distribution of billions of dollars in annual grants for states and schools to support students with disabilities as well as states’ compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. But school meal programs are managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, not the Education Department. (Lieberman, Schultz and Blad, 3/21)

Politico: Trump Admin Considers Shutting Down Some CDC Expert Panels
The Trump administration is considering killing some panels of outside experts that advise the CDC on key health threats like HIV and avian flu, according to an email seen by POLITICO. The email, sent to CDC leaders Friday, said the Department of Health and Human Services is “recommending termination” of the panels that are not mandated by law. The email said CDC leaders would need to justify keeping the committees by 10 tonight, but a second, follow-up email said that “no response is required at this time.” (Gardner, 3/21)

San Diego Union-Tribune: ICE Just Visited A San Diego Homeless Shelter. New Rules Say How That’s Supposed To Go.
Around 8 a.m. on Wednesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement showed up at a homeless shelter in downtown San Diego. At least one ICE agent stopped at the gate outside, according to Alpha Project CEO Bob McElroy, who oversees the site at 16th Street and Newton Avenue. The shelter is a large tent that holds hundreds of bunk beds, although the agent’s warrant appeared to be for a single individual. (Nelson, 3/23)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: ICE Arrest Inside Sonoma County Probation Office Spurs Talks On How To Respond To Immigration Crackdown 
When a plainclothes agent arrested a person in a busy Sonoma County Probation Department lobby March 13, it happened so quickly that staff weren’t even sure what they’d seen. (Endicott and Barber, 3/23)

CalMatters: ICE Impersonators And Other Scammers Are On The Rise: How To Protect Yourself
There have been a growing number of reports of people impersonating Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as well as other scams targeting the immigrant community, says California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta. Bad actors are "capitalizing on the fear" created by the Trump administration's mass deportation plans, he says. (Garcia, 3/21)

Bloomberg: Trump Administration Plans Detention Centers For Migrant Children
The Trump administration is seeking to bring back juvenile detention centers for unaccompanied immigrant children, just as a critical contract providing legal services to these minors who enter the US without their parents is in jeopardy. A request for information published this week said that the federal government is looking to solicit bids for beds in so-called “secure” facilities to detain teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17. (Akinnibi and Adams-Heard, 3/21)

CalMatters: California Considers More Homeless Shelter Oversight
A new state bill would add more oversight to California homeless shelters after a CalMatters investigation exposed that many taxpayer-funded facilities are plagued by violence, mismanagement and low success rates. The bill would build on an existing state law that was supposed to add basic checks on homeless shelter safety and sanitation. Previous CalMatters reporting found all but a handful of cities and counties have ignored the law. (Hepler, 3/24)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Oceanside Police Considering 'First Responder' Drone System
The Oceanside Police Department has been offered grant money for a 13-month trial of new “first responder” drones that can soar from a downtown rooftop within seconds of a 911 call and be on scene before any officers arrive. (Diehl, 3/24)

Bay Area News Group: After Series Of Defeats In California, Psychedelics Boosters Return With Slimmed-Down Bill
Advocates of psychedelic-assisted therapy in California have had a rough few years. While Democrat-led Oregon and Colorado legalized psychedelic mushrooms and other mind-altering substances, and even Republican-dominated Utah and Texas began exploring their potential to treat mental illness, lawmakers repeatedly shot down similar plans in the Golden State — including when Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a decriminalization bill in 2023. (Stringer, 3/24)

Los Angeles Times: Magnetic Yondr Pouch Is Key To Enforcing School Cellphone Bans, But Kids Get Around It
Before the Los Angeles Unified School District cellphone ban took effect in mid-February, the use of mobile phones was ubiquitous on campuses. Not anymore. ... The ban, which affects some 800 campuses, has been praised by teachers and administrators — one told The Times it was the best thing to happen to education “since the invention of cellphones.” Amid the roll-out, they have cited anecdotal evidence and data that show the negative health effects of unfettered access to smartphones, which have contributed to an increase in anxiety, depression and other issues for students, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. (Miller, 3/24)

Bay Area News Group: New Parkinson's Treatment Developed At Stanford Could Help Millions
After a twitching pinky finger led to a diagnosis of young-onset Parkinson’s disease, Keith Krehbiel, then 42, stopped at a bookstore on the way home to learn more about the progressive neurological disorder before telling his wife Amy the shocking news. (Jung, 3/24)

Los Angeles Times: California Banned Polystyrene. So Why Is It Still On Store Shelves?
Styrofoam coffee cups, plates, clamshell takeout containers and other food service items made with expanded polystyrene plastic can still be found in restaurants and on store shelves, despite a ban that went into effect on Jan. 1. ... The expanded polystyrene ban is part of a single-use plastic law, Senate Bill 54, that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law in 2022 but bailed on earlier this month. And while the full law now sits in limbo, one part remains in effect: A de facto ban on so-called expanded polystyrene, the soft, white, foamy material commonly used for takeout food service items. (Rust, 3/22)

KQED: Cuddly But Costly: The Unseen Dangers Of Fleece In Kids Clothes And Toys
It’s not just the fleece sweater. It’s the fleece stuffed animals and lovies my kid sleeps with, cuddled up under his chin throughout the night. It’s also the blankets, hats and pants. I’m increasingly concerned about the ubiquity of fleece. Why worry? Because it’s plastic. And plastic is a poison. It can both cause harm due to its size and composition and act as a chemical Velcro, trapping and transporting toxic materials that shouldn’t be in a young, growing body. (Venton, 3/24)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Bird Flu Has Decimated Flocks — But Not At San Diego Zoos. Here’s How They Keep Condors, Penguins And More Safe.
Three years of working to protect exotic and endangered animals in captivity has been no small feat for experts at the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Safari Park and SeaWorld San Diego. And things have gone well. So far, none of the birds or animals in the collections of the zoo, Safari Park or SeaWorld have tested positive for the strain of the virus now causing outbreaks, called H5N1. Officials credit close surveillance of wild migratory birds, a slew of biosecurity measures — and a little luck. (Kucker, 3/23)

The Hill: US To Import Eggs From Turkey, South Korea Amid Price Surge, Avian Flu
The Trump administration is importing millions of eggs from Turkey and South Korea, with other countries likely to be contributing in the coming weeks, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Friday. “Right now, we’ve got Turkey and South Korea importing eggs. Just yesterday, I talked to a couple of other countries that will soon begin importing. We haven’t signed that deal yet, so I don’t want to say who it is,” Rollins told reporters at the White House. (Samuels, 3/21)