VC Star: Adventist Health Simi Valley Birth Unit To Close, Sparking Worry
The May 8 closure of a hospital labor and delivery unit won’t turn Simi Valley into a maternity care desert but the terrain will become drier, some observers predict. (Kisken, 4/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: Closure Of Seton’s Moss Beach ER Spurs Fight Among Local Officials
The future of a recently-closed emergency department in a coastal Bay Area community is up in the air, as local officials are demanding that it reopen immediately, against the wishes of hospital executives who recently shut it down temporarily for repairs. Seton Coastside in Moss Beach — about halfway between Pacifica and Half Moon Bay — includes an emergency department and a 116-bed skilled nursing facility. (Ho, 4/9)

Index-Tribune: Sonoma Valley Hospital Finalizing Contract With Anthem
Sonoma Valley Hospital continues to finalize a contract that will provide the hospital with higher reimbursement rates for patient services and enable its patients to remain in network with Anthem Blue Cross. (4/8)

CalMatters: They Work 80 Hours A Week For Low Pay. Now, California’s Early-Career Doctors Are Joining Unions
In some California hospitals, early-career doctors make as little as $16 per hour working 80-hour weeks. It’s training, known as residency, that every board-certified doctor must complete. (Hwang, 4/8)

Modern Healthcare: Modern Healthcare's 2024 Innovators Awards Winners
Innovation in healthcare can take many forms. Sometimes it means creating artificial intelligence-powered software that alerts clinicians when individuals need extra attention, developing a novel surgical technique or rolling out an app to facilitate seamless patient engagement. ... The individuals and organizations named to Modern Healthcare’s Innovators Awards list this year have one thing in common: They think outside the box and are propelling the industry forward. (4/8)

Modern Healthcare: How The Leapfrog Group Hospital Survey Changed For 2024
Hospitals must report their compliance with new safety and quality measures, from maternal care practices to diagnostic error prevention, after a series of changes to the 2024 Leapfrog Hospital Survey. The survey, which opened to hospitals April 1, is completed by more than 2,300 facilities annually and assesses hospitals’ safety, quality and efficiency based on national performance measures set by the Leapfrog Group. (Devereaux, 4/8)

The New York Times: Paying Off People’s Medical Debt Has Little Impact On Their Lives, Study Finds
Over the past decade, R.I.P. Medical Debt has grown from a tiny nonprofit group that received less than $3,000 in donations to a multimillion-dollar force in health care philanthropy. It has done so with a unique and simple strategy to tackling the enormous amounts that Americans owe hospitals: buying up old bills that would otherwise be sold to collection agencies and wiping out the debt. ... But a study published by a group of economists on Monday calls into question the premise of the high-profile charity. (Kliff, 4/8)

Modern Healthcare: Medicare Advantage Rate Cut Threatens Nursing Homes
Nursing home operators are bracing for another financial setback: the possibility of lower reimbursements from Medicare Advantage plans next year. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ 0.16% base payment rate cut to Medicare Advantage payers in 2025 is ringing alarm bells among nursing home industry trade groups as some insurers said the cut could prompt them to reduce payments to providers. (Eastabrook, 4/8)

The Register: Second Ransomware Gang Says It’s Extorting Change Healthcare
Change Healthcare is allegedly being extorted by a second ransomware gang, mere weeks after recovering from an ALPHV attack. RansomHub claimed responsibility for attacking Change Healthcare in the last few hours, saying it had 4 TB of the company's data containing personally identifiable information (PII) belonging to active US military personnel and other patients, medical records, payment information, and more. The miscreants are demanding a ransom payment from the healthcare IT business within 12 days or its data will be sold to the highest bidder. (Jones, 4/8)

Healthcare IT News: Senators' Letter Demands Accountability From UHG
Senators Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) announced Friday that they wrote to UnitedHealth Group Chief Executive Officer Andrew Witty asking a series of questions relating to what they called UHG's lack of "sufficient redundancy to prevent an outage," a timeline of events relating to the February 21 ransomware attack and how UHG is filling the revenue gap providers are experiencing The senators requested responses by April 15. (Fox, 4/8)

USA Today: How To Check If Your Health Data Was Breached? See Our Database
More than 144 million Americans' medical information was stolen or exposed last year in a record-breaking number of health care data breaches, a USA TODAY analysis of Health and Human Services data found. (Garzella, 4/9)  

USA Today: What To Do If Your Health Information Has Been Breached: 3 Vital Steps
Health care data breaches soared to record-breaking levels in 2023, fueled by a surge in ransomware attacks and increased targeting of the third-party vendors hospitals and other health care providers use. Exposure of protected health information and personally identifiable information can put patients at risk of identity theft or insurance fraud. “Be careful not to share sensitive information over e-mail, text messages or other communication paths that might not be so secure,” said Errol Weiss, chief security officer at the Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center. (Garzella/, 4/9)

Los Angeles Times: California Moves To Ban Use Of The Weedkiller Paraquat
New California legislation seeks to permanently ban paraquat, a powerful and widely used weedkiller that has been linked to Parkinson’s disease and other serious health issues. Assembly Bill 1963, introduced recently by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), would sunset the use of paraquat beginning in January 2026. The herbicide, which is described by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as highly toxic, is regularly sprayed on almonds, grapes, cotton and other crops in the state. (Smith, 4/8)

Los Angeles Times: Neighbors Balk At Renewed Permit For Hazardous Waste Facility
California regulators could soon grant a fresh permit for a hazardous waste treatment facility in Santa Fe Springs, even as they face off with the same company in court over alleged violations. The upcoming decision has alarmed environmental and community groups, which argue the Department of Toxic Substances Control should turn down Phibro-Tech for a renewed permit after a history of violating state rules. (Reyes, 4/9)

Seattle Times: How Do Wildfires Affect Mental Health? A New Study Examines The Connection
Checking air quality and staying indoors when smoke inundates the Seattle area has become second nature during Washington’s wildfire season in recent years. But new research highlights how wildfires can affect a less visible aspect of well-being: mental health. A University of Washington study published in late February found an increase in prescriptions to treat depression and anxiety or stabilize mood in the six weeks after wildfires. The study used prescription data, commercial insurance claims and pharmacy records to examine the impact of 25 large California wildfires from 2011 to 2018. (Blatchford, 4/8)

The Boston Globe: Trump’s Abortion Announcement Sparks Rare Dissent Among MAGA Faithful
Republicans, usually happy to fall in line with the de facto leader of their party, started to publicly disagree with him. “I respectfully disagree with President Trump’s statement that abortion is a states’ rights issue,” tweeted Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who had introduced legislation for a national abortion ban. “Dobbs does not require that conclusion legally and the pro-life movement has always been about the wellbeing of the unborn child – not geography.” (Villa de Petrzelka, 4/8)

The Hill: Trump Fires Back At Graham And Abortion ‘Hardliners’ Over Criticism
Former President Trump on Monday pushed back against Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and other conservatives who were critical of his statement on abortion earlier in the day, in which Trump declined to take a position on federal legislation limiting the procedure. In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that Graham was “doing a great disservice to the Republican Party, and to our Country” and argued others who publicly favor stricter abortion laws were committing political malpractice. “Terminating Roe v. Wade was, according to all Legal Scholars, a Great Event, but sometimes with Great Events come difficulties,” Trump wrote. (Samuels, 4/8)

Politico: Hill GOP's Interest In Federal Abortion Limits Withers After Trump Says No
Four years ago, the vast majority of the Senate GOP voted for a federal abortion ban after 20 weeks of pregnancy, with Donald Trump in office. On Monday, the former president effectively finished off congressional Republicans’ movement for national abortion restrictions. After Trump’s much-teased announcement that it is “up to the states to do the right thing” on abortion, which also urged Republicans to take his position in order to win this November, few GOP senators expressed interest in breaking explicitly with him. That includes the Republicans who still supported federal limits after Roe v. Wade got overturned. (Everett, Diaz and Perano, 4/8)

Fox News: Biden Accuses Trump Of 'Simply Lying' With Abortion Statement
President Biden offered his response to former President Trump's statement on abortion on Monday, claiming that Trump was "simply lying" about the end of Roe v. Wade and that Trump would sign a national abortion ban into law if given the opportunity. ... "With all his empty words on fertility treatments, Trump doesn't tell you the MAGA Republicans he controls in Congress have put forward bills that could ban fertility treatments and that the speaker of the House he empowered is one of the strongest supporters for a national abortion ban in the nation," Biden wrote. (Hagstrom, 4/8)

NBC News: Trump's Many, Many Positions On Abortion: A Timeline
Donald Trump’s video statement on abortion Monday — saying the legalities around the procedure should be up to the states — came after months of his publicly and privately discussing the possibility of a federal abortion ban. Trump’s positions on abortion have been a roller coaster for decades. At one point in 2015, during his run for president, he took “five positions on abortion in three days,” according to The Washington Post and as NBC News detailed at the time. (Korecki, 4/8)

Los Angeles Times: Biden, Trump And Kennedy Jr.'s Views On Housing, Homelessness
California voters regularly tell pollsters that the housing crisis and homelessness are the most important issues to them. Tents on street corners is how most Californians understand the crisis, which is normally viewed as the domain of local politicians. The reality is that much of the funding to address homelessness or housing insecurity flows from the federal government. About 28% of the country’s homeless population, or about 180,000 people, live in California. (Oreskes, 4/9)

AP: Vatican Document: Transgender Catholics Say It Shows No Understanding Of Their Lives 
Transgender Catholics — as well as a priest who welcomes them to his parish — expressed disappointment Monday with a new Vatican document rejecting the fundamental concept of changing one’s biological sex. In essence, it was a restatement of longstanding Catholic teaching, but the dismay was heightened because recent moves by Pope Francis had encouraged some trans Catholics to hope the church might become more accepting. (Crary, 4/8)

Fox News: White House Responds After Pope Francis Condemns 'Gender Theory,' Affirms Biden's Support For Trans Community
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced questions about Pope Francis' declaration condemning gender theory on Monday, ultimately affirming President Biden's support for the transgender community. A reporter pressed Jean-Pierre regarding the Pope's Monday document, which formally reaffirms and expands on the Catholic Church's assertion that attempts to alter an individual's immutable gender are ultimately misguided attempts to play God. Jean-Pierre declined to say what Biden thought of the document specifically, but added that he does support the transgender community. (Hagstrom, 4/8)

Politico: Collegiate Sports NAIA Association Restricts Transgender Women From Competing In Women’s Sports 
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics on Monday voted to bar transgender women from competing in women’s sports competitions. NAIA’s Council of Presidents unanimously voted in favor of the policy that says “only students whose biological sex is female” may participate in women’s sports. But all student athletes may participate in men’s sports. (Quilantan, 4/8)

Reuters: US CDC Says Bird Flu Risk Low, But Asks States To Be Ready With Rapid Testing
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Monday bird flu risk to the public remains low even as it asked the state public health officials to be prepared to respond. The agency asked for plans to quickly test and provide treatment to potentially impacted farm workers following positive results among cattle herds. It also encouraged state health officials to communicate about any challenges they are facing. (4/8)

KSDK: Bird Flu Outbreak: Eggs Are Safe To Consume
While an infected hen could pass the virus to an egg, the chance of being exposed to bird flu through eggs bought from the grocery store is incredibly low, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In a 2010 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report on the bird flu and the estimated risk of human exposure, if the avian influenza were detected in a flock of egg-laying hens, more than 99.99% of eggs that are hypothetically infected with the virus would be identified and removed before getting to store shelves. Those eggs “would still be in the distribution chain at the time of diagnosis and not yet be available for consumers to purchase,” the report says. (Jones, 4/8)

Sacramento Bee: Is It COVID-19, Flu Or Allergies? California Health Experts Tell How To Identify Symptoms
With a number of illnesses currently circulating throughout California and seasonal allergies irritating immune systems this spring, how do you determine what you have? (Rodriguez, 4/8)

CBS News: Parents Concerned Over Modesto Sex Education Curriculum, Attorney General Responds
There's a battle brewing in Modesto over a sex education curriculum and whether it actually complies with California law. ... California Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office has received complaints from parents that the curriculum may contain religious doctrine when it comes to the topic of abortions. "Access to unbiased and comprehensive sexual education for students is not just a matter of choice; it is a fundamental necessity that builds a foundation of success for our children," Bonta said in a press release Monday. (Ramos, 4/8)

Stacker: Counties With The Highest STI Rates In California
Stacker used CDC data to look at which counties reported the highest rate of sexually transmitted infections in California. Counties are ranked by the rate of chlamydia infections, the most prominent STI at the national level, with gonorrhea and then syphilis rates serving as tiebreakers. (Stacker, 4/8)

San Francisco Chronicle: Meet The Women Who Help The Golden State Warriors Stay Healthy
Rick Celebrini didn’t think Danielle Langford — or Nadine Terlicher — would consider his offer. Working for the Golden State Warriors as physiotherapists meant leaving Vancouver — and their families. Rather abruptly. Said the Warriors’ vice president of player health and performance, he, too, hailing from British Columbia: “I took a swing for it and tried to make it as manageable as possible. Both of them have so far made it work and we’re just so lucky to have them.” (Gordon, 4/9)

NBC News: After Solar Eclipse, Concerns About Eye Injuries Appear To Rise
Google searches about “hurt eyes” spiked Monday afternoon, just after many U.S. communities experienced the total solar eclipse. The searches suggest some people in the sun’s path were worried they’d glanced at it too long. It’s a valid concern, eye experts said. Looking at the sun without protective equipment can harm your vision, and complaints of eye issues have been documented after past eclipse events. However, cases of long-term damage after eclipses aren’t common. (Bush and Bendix, 4/9)

The Washington Post: Pregnancy Linked To Faster Aging, New Research Suggests 
The fatigue and pangs of pregnancy have made many women feel older than their years. Now there’s new research that suggests pregnancy may, in fact, accelerate the aging process. Two new studies of genetic markers in the blood cells of pregnant women suggest that their cells seem to age at an exaggerated clip, adding extra months or even years to a woman’s so-called biological age as her pregnancy progresses. (Reynolds, 4/8)

The Atlantic: Almost No One Is Happy With Legal Weed
The legalization of cannabis in the United States—the biggest change in policy for an illegal substance since Prohibition ended—has been an unqualified success for approximately no one. True, the drug is widely available for commercial purchase. ... But a significant part of the market is still underground, medical research is scant, and the aboveground market is not exactly thriving. Longtime marijuana activists are unhappy. Entrepreneurs are unhappy. So are people who buy weed, as well as those who think weed should never have been legal in the first place. (Hu, 4/8)