LAist: Nursing Home Chain ReNew Health To Pay $7 Million In Medicare Fraud Case
A Monrovia-based nursing home chain that was the subject of a 2021 LAist investigation has reached a $7 million settlement over allegations that it falsely billed the government for Medicare during a COVID waiver program. The Department of Justice and the state of California alleged the chain routinely submitted Medicare claims for residents, saying they needed skilled nursing care for an acute injury or illness even when they didn’t need that level of care. They claimed the company would submit claims for residents for simply being exposed to COVID. (Yu, 5/8)

San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego Considers Another Overhaul Of Ambulance Service 
Ambulance service in San Diego may soon undergo significant changes despite the recent success of a new model where private ambulances transport patients and the city oversees deployment, staffing and billing. (Garrick, 5/9)

Times of San Diego: Dr. Wilma Wooten Honored With California's Highest Public Health Honor
San Diego County Public Health Officer Dr. Wilma J. Wooten was honored by the California Department of Public Health with its highest recognition, it was announced Wednesday. The CDPH awarded Wooten the Beverlee A. Myers Award for Excellence in Public Health, presented annually for outstanding leadership and dedication to all aspects of public health. (Ireland, 5/8)

Modern Healthcare: Hospital CEO Pay Rises But Burnout Persists As Roles Grow: Survey 
Executive search firms say their healthcare clients are generally offering leaders higher pay as they take on more responsibilities at increasingly complex organizations. But those running hospitals and health systems also continue to struggle with burnout. A Modern Healthcare survey of 30 executive search firms found that growth in C-suite compensation is due in part to consolidation and health systems’ heightened competition for talent, especially in financial and operational roles. (Devereaux, 5/8) 

Axios: Nurses Push For A STEM Designation
As the country struggles with nursing shortages, some in the field are pushing for a federal solution: a new STEM designation. Classifying nursing as a STEM field would unlock millions in federal funding for recruitment programs and expand opportunities for international students. (Goldman, 5/9)

Fox News: Biden Gets Boost From Major Health Care Group Warning Trump Poses 'Threat To Public Health'
President Biden is getting a boost from a major group of former medical officials who say they are concerned about the "threat" former President Trump poses to public health. The group of 48 individuals is led by Dr. Andrew Gurman, former president of the American Medical Association (AMA), and includes six other former AMA presidents, a former U.S. surgeon general, four former acting surgeons general, a number of other former deputy and assistant surgeons general and former representatives of the American College of Physicians. (Gillespie, 5/9)

Los Angeles Times: How COVID-19 Trauma Is Shaping The 2024 Biden-Trump Election
The coronavirus is seldom mentioned by the campaigns of President Biden and Donald Trump, even though its impact on voters and the way the pandemic altered how we live, work, die and mourn has been profound. It accelerated mistrust in government and institutions, emptied downtowns of workers, sparked fights over masks and science, turned school board meetings into political blood sport, hardened the lines between red and blue states and ignited a mental health crisis. (Fleishman, 5/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: What Are ‘Pork Worms,’ Which RFK Jr. Claimed Ate Part Of His Brain?
The recent revelation that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once speculated that a tapeworm might have consumed a portion of his brain has sparked widespread discussion. The condition, which the independent presidential candidate revealed during a deposition in divorce proceedings over a decade ago dug up by the New York Times, resulted in severe memory loss and cognitive impairment, Kennedy claimed. (Vaziri, 5/8)

Bay Area News Group: Newsom Backs Bill For More Affordable Housing For California's Poorest Residents
After pledging to hold local governments more accountable for solving homelessness, Gov. Gavin Newsom is throwing his support behind a bill that would require cities and counties to plan for potentially hundreds of thousands of new affordable homes for California’s very poorest residents. The requirement would be part of the every-eight-years housing plans that cities and counties already must send to the state for approval. (Varian, 5/8)

Orange County Register: Homelessness In Orange County Up 28% Since 2022 In Newly Released Point In Time Count Results
The number of people reported homeless in Orange County increased by 28% in the last two years, according to the latest “point in time count” results released Wednesday by county officials. The county reported 7,322 people approached during the January count said they were experiencing homelessness. The last count in 2022 tallied 5,718 people either living on the streets in Orange County or staying in shelters. (Torres, 5/8)

Bay Area News Group: Oakland To Relocate Homeless Shelter, Extend Local Homeless Emergency
Oakland officials this week agreed to close an 89-room homeless shelter at a former hotel near Lake Merritt and move residents to a new site by Jack London Square — while also extending the city’s longstanding homelessness emergency. (Varian, 5/8)

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento County-Contracted Next Move Evicts Some Tenants
Carlton Franklin was days away from his eviction deadline but no closer to finding housing. Franklin, 62, sat on his bed in his studio apartment, surrounded by paperwork and wept. He was one of at least 17 people evicted this spring by nonprofit Next Move Homeless Services. He is a retired barber who proudly grew up in Sacramento. But he also condemns the way poor people are treated in this city and state. (Clift, 5/9)

Los Angeles Times: Newsom Says CHP Work In Cities Has Led To ‘Unprecedented’ Fentanyl Seizures
Appearing at a memorial service for fallen officers, Gov. Gavin Newsom this week praised the “unprecedented” work done by the California Highway Patrol after he dispatched officers across the state to help combat organized retail theft rings and fentanyl trafficking. The Newsom administration, facing increased political pressure, turned to the CHP to address rising concerns about crime. When contentious, sometimes violent student protests erupted on college campuses over the war in Gaza, the governor made CHP officers available to help when requested by local agencies. (Sosa, 5/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: Santa Clara Pitcher Navigates Brother’s Fentanyl Death With Team’s Aid
It was a Monday in late September 2022, early in the fall quarter. Kitchen and his Santa Clara baseball teammates had just finished their morning weightlifting session. Shortly after 7 a.m., Kitchen’s dad called to tell him his younger brother, Cade, was in the hospital and Cole needed to come home. Now. Kitchen quickly booked a flight from nearby San Jose airport and was on his way to Southern California within two hours. John Kitchen picked up Cole and then stopped at UCLA to get his sister Marlee. They met their mom, Risa, at the hospital. Four days later, Cade Kitchen died of fentanyl poisoning. He was 17. (Kroichick, 5/9)

San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego Biotech News: Local Maker Of MRNA Used In COVID-19 Vaccine Opens New Facility 
San Diego-based TriLink BioTechnologies went from working with a few local biotechs in 2019 to months later helping pharmaceutical giants Pfizer-BioNTech deliver the life-saving, COVID-19 vaccine globally. Now it’s about to take another big step with a new manufacturing site. (Rocha, 5/8)

CIDRAP: FDA Postpones Advisory Committee Meeting On Next COVID Vaccines 
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday announced that it has changed the date of its upcoming Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) from May 16 to June 5, during which the group will discuss and make recommendations on the strain or strains to include in 2024-25 COVID vaccines. (Schnirring, 5/8)

Axios: New Variants A Reminder Of COVID Reality
To most Americans, COVID-19 now ranks with everyday risks like reckless driving, smoking and drinking too much. But the emergence of new variants called FLiRT is a fresh reminder that the coronavirus still is circulating and evolving, even with hospitalizations at record lows. (Bettelheim, 5/9)

CIDRAP: NIH Announces Long-COVID Trials To Examine Treatments For Sleep, Exercise Disruptions 
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced the launch of four more long-COVID clinical trials, which will examine sleep disturbances, exercise intolerance, and post-exertional malaise. The studies add to six earlier investigations that are part of the NIH's Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative. The newly announced trials will assess potential treatments for the symptoms and will enroll about 1,660 people across 50 study sites, the NIH said. (Schnirring, 5/8)

Fresno Bee: Chronic Wasting Disease First Cases Found In California Deer 
A deadly disease that has ravaged deer in other parts of North America was found for the first time in California this week. According to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, chronic wasting disease was detected in two deer after samples were examined Monday, marking the first time the fatal disease has been found in deer or elk in the state. (Biderman, 5/8)

Los Angeles Times: Toxic Algal Bloom In San Bernardino Lake Prompts Warning
California water officials are urging people and their pets to avoid Silverwood Lake in San Bernardino County after a toxic algal bloom was detected in the reservoir. The Department of Water Resources has issued a caution advisory warning residents to avoid parts of the popular recreation spot until further notice due to the presence of harmful cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, in the water. (Smith, 5/8)

NPR: The CDC Issues New Rules For Bringing Dogs Into The U.S., Aimed At Keeping Out Rabies
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new rules Wednesday aimed at preventing dogs with rabies from coming into the United States. Under the new regulations, all dogs entering the U.S. must appear healthy, must be at least six months old, must have received a microchip, and the owner must verify the animal either has a valid rabies vaccine or has not been in a country where rabies is endemic in the last six months. Dogs coming from a country that is considered at high risk for rabies and who received a rabies vaccine from another country must meet additional criteria. (Stein, 5/8)

Stat: Bird Flu In Milk Supply Is Likely Coming From Asymptomatic Cows
Since March, when the first reported cases of H5N1 bird flu began showing up in dairy cattle in Texas, the Food and Drug Administration has been asking farmers to discard any milk from infected animals. Initially, spotting tainted milk was believed to be fairly easy because cows that get sick with H5N1 begin producing milk that is thick and yellowish. (Molteni, 5/8)

The New York Times: Environmental Changes Are Fueling Human, Animal And Plant Diseases, Study Finds 
Several large-scale, human-driven changes to the planet — including climate change, the loss of biodiversity and the spread of invasive species — are making infectious diseases more dangerous to people, animals and plants, according to a new study. Scientists have documented these effects before in more targeted studies that have focused on specific diseases and ecosystems. For instance, they have found that a warming climate may be helping malaria expand in Africa and that a decline in wildlife diversity may be boosting Lyme disease cases in North America. (Anthes, 5/8)

Military.com: Army Pumping Millions Into Food Kiosks, But They May Soon Be Obsolete
The Army is spending at least $4 million to expand its so-called food kiosks on bases this year. But that new method of feeding soldiers does not have to follow the service's own nutrition rules and may quickly be out of date as Army officials eye allowing meal cards to be used at commissaries. Kiosks are effectively small snack stands providing soldiers with sandwiches, candy, chips and soda -- offerings that hold little nutritional value and a selection akin to what's found at a typical gas station. By this time next year, most major installations will have at least one kiosk, with many high-profile bases having several. Fort Campbell, Kentucky, is set to have four of them. (Beynon, 5/8)

American Homefront Project: A New VA Policy Covers Fertility Treatments For More Vets, But Some Are Still Excluded
The VA pays for IVF treatment for unmarried and LGBTQ veterans. But they must prove their fertility problems are service-related. (D'lorio, 5/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: Counterfeit Botox Is Sending Patients To The Hospital. How To Spot It
California health officials Wednesday warned consumers about counterfeit Botox, which has been found in California and 10 other states and has caused multiple people to be hospitalized or seek medical care for serious reactions to the injections. “Counterfeit or incorrectly administered Botox, even in small amounts, can result in serious health problems and even death,” California Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragón said in a statement. “Consumers should only get injections of FDA-approved Botox from licensed and trained professionals in healthcare settings. Botox should never be purchased online or through unlicensed individuals.” (Ho, 5/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: UC Berkeley Grad Who Survived Parkland Builds Mental Health AI App
Kai Koerber leaned back in his booth as he glanced around Caffe Strada, a popular tree-shaded hangout just off UC Berkeley’s campus. “This has always been the spot,” he said. Less than a year ago, Koerber wasn’t so different from those college students sipping iced lattes as they discussed their postgrad plans. A data-science major who grew up in New Jersey and attended high school in Florida, he wanted to emulate his entrepreneurial idols, create the next great app and change the world. (Letourneau, 5/9)

Berkeleyside: Cancer Screening Pilot Advances For BFD Health Regimen
For the Berkeley Fire Department’s firefighters and paramedics, a day at the office could mean trying to rescue a child from an attacking dog, or separating a victim from somebody trying to choke them to death, or running into a burning home choked with aerosolized carcinogens. The job comes with significant wear and tear on bodies and minds, so the department has worked to prevent health problems where it can and detect them early when prevention doesn’t work, according to its chief. (Gecan, 5/8)