Latest California Healthline Stories
Daily Edition for Monday, March 31, 2025
Bill Would Create Emergency Minimum Nurse-To-Patient Ratios For Psychiatric Hospitals: Calling the dangerous conditions in for-profit psychiatric hospitals an emergency, California’s top lawmaker on the state Senate Health Committee has proposed legislation to quickly impose stricter staffing requirements in the facilities that treat tens of thousands of residents experiencing mental health crises every year. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Daily Edition for Friday, March 28, 2025
Sharp Seeks Prompt Payment From Cash-Strapped Palomar: Palomar Health faces a demand from Sharp HealthCare to immediately repay $26 million — the principal and interest on a loan — or face a lawsuit alleging it violated the terms of an exclusive negotiating agreement. Palomar’s board of trustees met Thursday in closed session to discuss “significant exposure to litigation,” but reported no votes taken. Read more from The San Diego Union Tribune.
Daily Edition for Thursday, March 27, 2025
LA County Sheriff To Retest Thousands Of DNA Samples: The L.A. County Sheriff's Department used DNA testing kits for months without realizing they were faulty. An internal investigation has been launched. “This failure will undoubtedly delay criminal cases,” said Brooke Longuevan, president of the public defenders union. Read more from the Los Angeles Times and ABC News.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Street Crisis Teams Restructured: San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced that his administration is consolidating city-funded teams that try to help with people who are unhoused or struggling with addiction or mental illness. Five “tightly knit, neighborhood-based units,” plus a sixth roving citywide team, will streamline the work of nine teams. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Medical Workers Begin 3-Day Strike In Santa Clara County: After months of contract negotiations, a group of clinical lab scientists, microbiologists, and medical lab techs started picketing outside Valley Medical Center in San José on Monday. Read more from KQED.
Daily Edition for Monday, March 24, 2025
Delete Your Personal Data From 23andMe, Bonta Says: Attorney General Rob Bonta is advising people who have submitted their DNA to the California-based company 23andMe to invoke their state right to privacy and request that the company delete their genetic information. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sunday night. Read more from The Sacramento Bee and San Francisco Chronicle.
Daily Edition for Friday, March 21, 2025
Food Banks Feeling Pinched: The Agriculture Department has halted millions of dollars worth of deliveries to food banks without explanation, according to food bank leaders in six states. For the Central California Food Bank, that means a loss of 500,000 pounds of expected food deliveries worth $850,000 just for April through July. Read more from Politico and The New York Times.
Daily Edition for Thursday, March 20, 2025
University of California Announces Hiring Freeze: Harm to academic and scientific research. Worse patient care at health centers. Those are some of the impacts officials fear will result from an across-the-board hiring freeze announced Wednesday by the 10-campus University of California in response to threatened cuts in federal funding and worries about state budget support. Read more from EdSource, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Bay Area News Group.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, March 19, 2025
El Cajon Bans Vaping Devices That Look Like Pens, USB Drives: In what could be the first of its kind in the nation, a ban against selling vaping devices disguised as other things was unanimously approved by the City Council on Tuesday. The devices can be disguised as pens, fidget spinners, smart watches, hand-held electronic games, USB drives, staplers, and beverage containers. Read more from The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Madera Hospital Reopens Today: Madera Community Hospital will reopen to patients Tuesday morning, state legislators announced Monday. The hospital will begin seeing patients at 10 a.m., putting an end to a more than two-year closure that displaced patients and health care workers. Read more from The Fresno Bee and the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative.