Los Angeles Times: Deal Would Pull Homeless Hotel Proposal From L.A. Ballot 
Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian has struck a deal with the politically powerful hotel workers’ union to remove a measure from the March election ballot that would have required hotels to participate in a city program to put homeless residents in vacant hotel rooms. (Zahniser, 11/1)

Voice of OC: OC And Costa Mesa Partner On Shelter Beds, Drug Treatment
Costa Mesa and the Orange County Health Care Agency are working together in an attempt to help get homeless people who grapple with mental health or substance abuse issues off the streets. The $4 million partnership comes as OC and a handful of counties in California roll out a new, controversial court program – called CARE court – aimed at getting people off the streets and into mental health or drug treatment facilities. (Elattar, 11/1)

The New York Times: Ady Barkan, Health Care Activist, Dies at 39
Ady Barkan, a well-known activist who campaigned for Medicare for all while struggling with the terminal neurodegenerative disease A.L.S., has died. He was 39.His death was announced on Wednesday by Be a Hero, a political organization he co-founded in 2018. Mr. Barkan died of complications of A.L.S. at about 6 p.m. local time at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, Calif., the group said. (Ives, 11/2)

Bloomberg: Apple Has Plans to Eventually, Maybe Revolutionize Health Care
In 2011, a startup called Avolonte Health set up shop in a small office park in Palo Alto, California. ... Avolonte wasn’t just any health-care company. It was a project of Apple Inc., and its mission came directly from Steve Jobs. Apple’s co-founder and then-chief executive officer, ill with the pancreatic cancer that would take his life near the end of that year, had tasked a group of his key executives to develop a noninvasive blood sugar monitor. (Gurman and Bennett, 11/1)

Reuters: CVS And Walgreens Say Pharmacist Work Action Had Minimal Impact 
CVS Health Corp and Walgreens Boots Alliance on Wednesday said that a work action by some U.S. pharmacists this week had minimal impact on operations, with most stores remaining open. CVS Chief Executive Karen Lynch said in an interview that employees had called in sick at a few stores this week, but there were no store closures or disruptions to shifts due to the action. The company has about 30,000 pharmacists across stores and operates over 9,000 retail locations. (11/1)

AP: CVS Health Books Strong 3Q But The Health Care Giant Preaches Caution On Next Year 
CVS Health beat third-quarter forecasts thanks partially to its growing pharmacy benefits management side, but the health care giant is cautious about next year. Interim Chief Financial Officer Tom Cowhey told analysts Wednesday that it would be “prudent for investors to ground their expectations” for adjusted earnings at the low end of a range of $8.50 to $8.70 per share. That’s also what the company expects for full-year earnings this year. (Murphy, 11/1)

Stat: Lung Cancer Screening Guidelines Updated For Cigarette Smokers
Most lung cancer screening guidelines hinge on how much people smoked tobacco and when they last smoked, but the American Cancer Society now says it doesn’t matter how long ago they quit. On Wednesday, the ACS released guidance recommending that anyone with a significant smoking history get an annual low-dose CT scan for lung cancer. (Chen, 11/1)

Los Angeles Times: Alex Trebek Fund Will Target Pancreatic Cancer Research
The Alex Trebek Fund launched Wednesday to support research into pancreatic cancer, the type of cancer the longtime “Jeopardy” host died from in 2020. ... “Alex knew that knowledge equaled power. He was a man that really loved to know things and stayed very curious,” Jean Trebek said in the statement. “Since Alex was all about the right answer, I think it’s very fitting that this fund is now established in his name. It’s a way for the community that loved him to put resources directly into the hands of scientists working tirelessly to fight a disease shrouded by many unknowns.” (Valdez, 11/1)

Military.com: The Air Force Is Investigating Cases Of Rare Pediatric Brain Cancers. This Isn’t The First Time. 
The Air Force has been investigating cases of rare pediatric brain cancers diagnosed in three military children at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico to determine whether the disease is more widespread in the region than previously reported or is occurring at higher rates than average. Epidemiologists from the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine began assessing cases of diffuse midline glioma, or DMG, and diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG, at Cannon and in the surrounding area in January after concerns arose among families who have lived on the installation, according to a press release last week from the 27th Special Operations Wing. (Kime, 11/1)

Fox News: Cervical Cancer Drug Raises Survival Rate By 30% Compared To Chemotherapy: ‘Game-Changer’
Better care for cancer patients may be on the horizon. A new prescription medicine for treating cervical cancer has been showing positive results in clinical trials. In phase 3 global trials, TIVDAK (tisotumab vedotin) was linked to a 30% overall reduction in the risk of death compared to chemotherapy. (Stabile, 11/2)

Bay Area Reporter: Study Suggests PEP-In-Pocket Is Another HIV Prevention Option
Having antiretrovirals on hand to take as post-exposure prophylaxis after potential HIV exposure, an approach known as PEP-in-pocket, or PIP, is a feasible prevention option, especially for people who have sex infrequently, according to study results presented at the recent IDWeek conference in Boston. "I really think PIP is a strong additional tool for patients and providers and gives more options — and a more granular approach — for HIV prevention," presenter Dr. Isaac Bogoch of the University of Toronto told the Bay Area Reporter. ... Although the two-drug combination pills used for PrEP can prevent HIV from taking hold in the body, PEP — which is essentially very early treatment — uses a stronger three-drug regimen taken for 28 days. (Highleyman, 11/1)

Voice of OC: Fountain Valley Looks To Regulate Sober Living Homes
Fountain Valley officials are looking to place stricter regulations on sober living homes after resident concerns that the facilities are too close together and need more oversight. Council members have discussed creating restrictions a few times, but haven’t made a final decision. That’s largely because of a lawsuit against the neighboring city of Costa Mesa over similar restrictions. The item is scheduled to return to the council in January for further discussion. (Hart and Sahota, 11/1)

KQED: The Marijuana Minister Of The Castro
When people talk about San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood in the late 1970s, they describe it as a place of freedom for gay people. A place where you could be who you were in public and feel safe. Where love bloomed for many who thought they might never find it. But by the early 80s, death started to move in to that joyful space. During the height of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco, in a small church a few blocks from the heart of the Castro, one pastor changed the experience of communion and committed felonies to comfort his flock. (Font, 11/2)

KQED: The Current COVID Variants To Know, From Symptoms To Incubation Period
If it felt like everyone you know suddenly got COVID again over the last few months … you’re not alone. After that summer swell peaked in the first weeks of September — fueled, at least in part, by the omicron subvariant EG.5 unofficially named “Eris”— COVID numbers in California have steadily fallen. But as winter approaches, another new subvariant has become prominent: HV.1. (Severn, 11/1)

CNN: Health Misinformation And Lack Of Confidence In Vaccines Continue To Grow, Years After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Survey Shows
Vaccine misinformation, which first began spiraling during the Covid-19 pandemic, has grown in the United States in the years since, according to a new survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. More than 1,500 adults responded to the survey between October 5 – 12 and according to the results, the share of people who viewed vaccines as less safe and effective has increased since April 2021, when the group was first included on a panel for the survey. (Hassan, 11/1)

NPR: Despite Post-COVID Efforts, The U.S. Is Still Undersupplied With Domestic-Made PPE 
Nearly a billion dollars went to trying to boost domestic manufacturing of PPE like masks and gloves. Experts say the effort is foundering and the nation isn't better off than it was three years ago. (Greenfieldboyce, 11/1)