Latest California Healthline Stories
Daily Edition for Friday, August 22, 2025
Homelessness Dips Across California: Signs of progress are emerging in the state’s fight against homelessness. Across 15 counties that conducted counts in 2024 and 2025, all but two reported declines in their overall homeless populations. Contra Costa, Santa Cruz, and Sonoma recorded decreases of more than 20%. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle. Scroll down for more about the housing crisis.
Daily Edition for Thursday, August 21, 2025
Sutter To Close Outpatient Surgery Center: Sacramento-based Sutter Health plans to close its Jackson-based Sutter Amador Surgery Center on Oct. 3. Hospital leaders said in an open letter that closing the outpatient surgery center will help “align resources with areas of growing need” in the community it serves. Read more from Becker’s Hospital Review.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, August 20, 2025
State Lawmakers To Debate Bill On Ultraprocessed School Lunches: A bill that would make California the first in the nation to phase out “particularly harmful” ultraprocessed foods from the 1 billion school meals served in the state each year faces a key Senate committee hearing next week as critics question how far it might go. Read more from Bay Area News Group.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, August 19, 2025
San José Begins Clear-Out Of Its Biggest Homeless Encampment: The city is beginning to remove RVs and tents from Columbus Park in North San Jose, where hundreds of homeless people have lived for years. Read more from KQED.
Daily Edition for Monday, August 18, 2025
Unmasked Wildfire Fighters Struggle With Aftermath Of Toxic Blazes: Wildfire crewmembers used to be seasonal laborers, but they now work almost year-round — and many of them are getting sick with cancer, heart disease, and lung problems. The Forest Service has fought against equipping firefighters with masks. “I’ve been on eight of the 10 biggest fires in California history. Now I can’t even push a shopping cart without having chest pain,” said Brian Wangerin, a former crew boss whose heart problems put him out of work at 33. Read more from The New York Times.
Daily Edition for Friday, August 15, 2025
Health Insurance Premiums Ticking Up In 2026: Health insurance premiums for Californians buying coverage through Covered California will rise by an average of 10.3% in 2026, the state marketplace announced Thursday. The increase is about half the projected national average of 20%, which officials credit to aggressive rate negotiations and a healthier risk pool. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle and CalMatters.
Daily Edition for Thursday, August 14, 2025
Efforts To Curb Youth Suicide Appear To Be Working: Fewer children in California are dying by suicide since the pandemic, as thoughts of suicide and suicidal attempts have declined among young people nationwide, a federal report shows. Read more from EdSource.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, August 13, 2025
UCLA Science Research Grants Must Be Restored, Federal Judge Rules: A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to restore hundreds of suspended UCLA science research grants, affecting more than a third of awards totaling $584 million that the government abruptly froze late last month. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, August 12, 2025
Higher ACA costs, immigrant health, grants, environmental cleanup, Medicare red tape, vaccine safety, mosquito-borne disease, and more are in the news.
Daily Edition for Monday, August 11, 2025
Newsom Vows To Sue Feds Over ‘Extortion’ Of UCLA: Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday blasted Donald Trump’s demand for $1 billion from UCLA in return for millions of dollars in frozen federal research grants, describing the president’s move as an attempt to “silence academic freedom.” Read more from Politico and the Los Angeles Times. Plus, how UCLA's research faculty is coping.