The Press Democrat: Bill On Jerry Brown's Desk Will Give Cities Better Shot At Regulating Medical Pot
A bill that would eliminate a controversial deadline in California’s landmark medical marijuana regulation law is awaiting Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature following a speedy approval by both houses of the Legislature. The bill, introduced in early January and sent to the governor’s desk Thursday, removes a March 1 deadline for cities and counties to enact medical marijuana cultivation rules and avoid surrendering that authority to the state, a prospect that had disturbed city officials and medical cannabis advocates. (Kovner, 2/1)

The Sacramento Bee: California Doctors’ Lobbying Group Formally Backs Marijuana Legalization
California Medical Association, the influential lobbying group representing more than 40,000 members statewide, has officially thrown its support behind a proposed November ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana. (Cadelago, 2/1)

Capital Public Radio: Doctor Group Backs Marijuana Legalization Effort
"It needs to be legalized, so it can be regulated," says Molly Weedn, the group's Vice President of Communications. "Right now there’s no system of regulation. Legalizing it will give it the opportunity that physicians will be able to better study and understand some of the clinical effects." (Bradford, 2/1)

The Sacramento Bee: Here’s How Marijuana Legalization Would Work In California
California was the first state to allow medical marijuana. Now, two decades later, voters are expected to be asked whether to legalize recreational use of the drug. The legalization measure most likely to qualify for the statewide November ballot is the product of months of negotiations between groups with varying interests, from drug-law reformers, to growers and distributors, to famous financiers and politicians. Here’s a primer. (Cadelago, 2/1)

The San Francisco Business Times: Bay Area Biotech Buys Gene Therapy Firm After Stock Craters
Avalanche Biotechnologies has agreed to acquire Paris-based Annapurna Therapeutics in a $105.6 million deal that expands its gene therapy pipeline. The Menlo Park company led by Paul Cleveland said the deal will combine his company's four gene therapy programs for ophthalmic diseases with Annapurna’s gene therapies for Alpha1-antitrypsin (A1AT) deficiency, cardiomyopathy associated with Friedreich’s ataxia, hereditary angioedema, and severe allergies. (Schubarth, 2/1)

The California Health Report: Get The Door, It’s The Doctor: House Calls For Older Patients In San Francisco
UCSF’s House Calls program started in the early 1990s as a training module for medical students and residents. Need and demand have helped the program grow to a current 300 patients and another 100 on a waiting list, says Dr. Carla Perissinotto, an attending physician in the program and Carol Hill’s personal physician. New technology has expanded the program’s capabilities including portable x-ray and ultrasound equipment. Dr. Perissinotto recently used telehealth technology to check a patient’s skin infection, and gerontology residents at UCSF who are part of the visiting staff often use the telehealth technology during a patient visit to consult with attending physicians. (Kitz, 2/1)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Docs On Probation Face Patient Notice Push
Although the state medical board seems to have other ideas, a well-known national nonprofit continues to push for rules that would require doctors on probation to notify their patients about the disciplinary action. During the Medical Board of California’s October meeting in San Diego, Consumers Union, the New York-based policy and action division of the magazine Consumer Reports, presented a petition asking the panel to establish a probation-alert program. (Sisson, 2/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Hospitals Find A Way To Say, ‘I’m Sorry’
While operating on Gary Avila’s arm last year, a surgeon at Stanford Hospital accidentally nicked a nerve, causing an injury that affected the use of his hand. Mr. Avila’s injury was resolved through a Stanford program known as Pearl, short for Process for Early Assessment, Resolution and Learning. In addition to an apology, an explanation of what had gone wrong, and a waiver of his medical bill, Mr. Avila received a monetary settlement that both sides agreed to keep confidential to compensate for his pain and suffering. Stanford’s Pearl program is serving as a model for more so-called communication and resolution programs that hospitals are adopting to interact with patients when things go wrong and avoid costly litigation. (Landro, 2/1)

KQED: Under New Law, Cops Carrying Overdose Drug Are Saving Lives
Last year, California lawmakers authorized police officers to carry naloxone, also commonly known by a brand name, Narcan. Now, a handful of law enforcement agencies are issuing the emergency medication to officers. Glendora’s tiny police department – which also was a pioneer two decades ago in equipping officers with defibrillators to help heart attack victims – issues naloxone to its emergency medical technicians. (Richard, 2/1)

The Associated Press: California Trims Number Of Inmates In Legionnaires' Outbreak
Officials say three fewer California inmates were sickened by a Legionnaires' disease outbreak last year than originally reported. The federal official who controls prison medical care reported Monday that 78 inmates became ill at San Quentin State Prison in August and September. (2/1)

The Press Democrat: Sonoma West Medical Center Gets Cash Infusion To Operate
The Palm Drive Health Care District on Monday approved a $500,000 loan to help its new hospital cover expenses through February because the Sebastopol facility no longer has any startup funds and has not yet received reimbursements from Medicare. The district board also took the first steps toward asking Sonoma County to give the Sonoma West Medical Center an emergency $1 million advance on its parcel-tax revenue for the same purpose. (Espinoza, 2/1)

The Ventura County Star: Ventura County Flu Lull Could Still Be Followed By Storm
The hacking, phlegm and fever of flu may hit record levels this year in Ventura County. In a good way. "There's just hardly been anything," Dr. Robert Levin said of flu cases that are at their lowest number for late January in his 18 years as Ventura County public health officer. (Kisken, 2/1)

Modern Healthcare: Sharp Partners With UC San Diego On Liver Transplants
Sharp Healthcare has formed a joint venture with nearby University of California at San Diego to create a single program for liver transplants. The collaboration will allow the larger health system to more seamlessly send its end-stage liver disease patients to UCSD for transplantation, and keep more liver transplant patients in its network. (Kutscher, 2/1)

The Desert Sun: Valley Students Explore Mental Health And Violence Link
Students with the Coachella Valley High School Health Academy want to open up the conversation about the myths and the facts related to mental health and violence, and learn what we as a community can do about it. “In recent news, mass shootings have taken the lives of so many innocent people. Later, we find out that the people committing these shootings suffer (or suffered) from depression and other various types of mental health issues,” said Kimberly Bravo, a senior and captain for the Coachella Valley High School Health Occupations Students of America community awareness team. “The question we ask ourselves is, ‘Why didn’t anyone hear these individuals’ cries for help?’ Oftentimes, people who are ignored resort to violence or even take their own lives, because they are frustrated with themselves and do not see an end.” Bravo wants to change that. (Zabata, 2/1)

The Sun: For Those On Autism Spectrum, Theaters Hosting Sensory-Friendly Screenings
On a Saturday morning at AMC Covina 17, Anika Perez got up and out of her seat midway through “Norm of the North” to hop, flap her hands and hum. And the 9-year-old girl was not a bother to anyone. Perez, who has autism, was one of a dozen people who turned out for the Sensory Friendly Films showing precisely because the conventional rules, such as silencing phones and refraining from talking, don’t apply. (Barrera, 2/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Front-Runners Give Ground As Rivals Make Mark In Iowa
Ted Cruz did what he had to do. Donald Trump fell well short of the shock-and-awe moment he hoped would set up a blitz through the rest of the country. Marco Rubio bought himself a seat at the big table. And Hillary Clinton flirted all night with disaster. (Seib, 2/1)

The New York Times: Ted Cruz Wins Republican Caucuses In Iowa
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, powered by a surge of support from evangelical Christians, dealt a humbling loss to Donald J. Trump in the Iowa caucuses on Monday, throwing into question the depth of support for Mr. Trump’s unconventional candidacy. In the first contest of what so far has been more a populist revolt against the political order than a traditional Republican primary, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida finished a strong third, bolstering his case to consolidate the support of Republicans uneasy about the two top finishers. (Martin, 2/1)

The Washington Post: Clinton And Sanders, All Even After Iowa Voting, Are Poised For A Long Slog
Hillary Clinton and her late-surging rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, remained locked in a dead heat with most precincts reporting in Iowa’s Democratic caucuses late Monday, setting up what is likely to become a prolonged nominating contest. Clinton and Sanders effectively battled to a draw in the Iowa caucuses, splitting the vote in the first presidential selection contest of 2016. (Gearan and Wagner, 2/2)

The New York Times: $1 Billion Planned For Cancer ‘Moonshot’
The Obama administration announced on Monday that it hoped to spend $1 billion to fund a cancer “moonshot” in search of a cure. But in the costly world of biological research, such a sum may be better described as a cancer slingshot, researchers said. “The good news is that the budget is no longer being cut,” said Dr. Peter Adamson, the chairman of the Children’s Oncology Group, which conducts national clinical trials. “But we’re not going to the moon on $1 billion.” (Harris, 2/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Aetna Reports Surge In Profit And A Dark Spot On Results
Aetna Inc. became the latest health insurer to report losses on 2015 Affordable Care Act business, a dark spot as the company unveiled sharply higher profit for the fourth quarter. Though individual health plans are a small share of Aetna’s overall revenue and enrollment, which totaled 23.5 million at the end of 2015, they are drawing outsized attention amid questions about the future of the marketplaces that are at the heart of the federal health law. (Wilde Mathews and Steele, 2/1)

The New York Times: Zika Virus A Global Health Emergency, W.H.O. Says
The World Health Organization declared the Zika virus and its suspected link to birth defects an international public health emergency on Monday, a rare move that signals the seriousness of the outbreak and gives countries new tools to fight it. ... At a news conference in Geneva, Dr. Margaret Chan, the director general of the W.H.O, acknowledged that the understanding of the connection between the Zika virus and microcephaly was hazy, and said that uncertainty placed “a heavy burden” on pregnant women and their families throughout the Americas. She said that the emergency designation would allow the health agency to coordinate the many efforts to get desperately needed answers. (Tavernise and McNeil Jr., 2/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Obama Administration: Victims Of Medical Identity Theft May See Thieves’ Data
People have a right to view and correct medical records that contain the health information of thieves who have stolen their personal data to obtain care, the Obama administration said in a letter to senators. Victims of medical identity theft have had their personal data stolen and used by thieves to get health care, prescriptions, and medical equipment in their name. The victims can wind up with the thief’s health data folded into their own medical charts. (Armour, 2/1)

Los Angeles Times: Why You Should Be Skeptical About An 'Uber For Healthcare'
The worst aspect of the "Uberization" of our economy may not be the transformation of workers who could once earn a living wage into "independent contractors" who can barely make ends meet (though that's bad enough); it may be the spreading myth that any economic function can be shoehorned into the Uber format of service-on-demand at a rock-bottom price. A case in point is the mirage of an "Uber for healthcare." The latest and most prominent promoter of this notion is the conservative healthcare analyst Avik Roy of the Manhattan Institute. In a new issue brief he poses the question directly: "Why isn’t there an Uber of health care?" he asks. "Why can’t we deploy, in health care, the same forces that are improving quality and lowering costs in virtually every other sector of the economy?" (Michael Hiltzik, 2/1)

Los Angeles Daily News: California Medical Board Should Stop Shielding Bad Doctors: Editorial
The California Medical Board should stop shielding bad doctors and instead require that those on probation tell their patients. Last fall, after prodding by Consumers Union, the policy arm of Consumer Reports, the medical board formed a committee to examine the issue of public notification. But last week, David Serrano Sewell, president of the board and chairman of the committee, made clear that he has no intention of making the change. Instead, he only wants to tweak the agency’s website. That’s not an answer. (2/1)

Los Angeles Times: California's New Vaccine Law Is Already A Success
California's new, more stringent law on childhood vaccinations, SB 277, doesn't fully kick in until July 1. But it started protecting the public months ago when parents heard from schools and doctors that they would no longer be able to claim a "personal belief exemption" from immunizations if they wanted to enroll their children. The proof is in the numbers. The percentage of fully vaccinated kindergartners entering the state's schools in 2015-2016 was the highest in a decade: 92.9%, up from 90.4% last year. (2/2)

The Sacramento Bee: Young Poets Get The Message Out On Preventing Diabetes
Dean Schillinger has spent much of his life fighting a losing battle against a preventable epidemic that has taken millions of American lives. Now, for the first time, he has hope. The disease is Type 2 diabetes, an illness that is driven largely by bad diets and sedentary lifestyles and that has ravaged people in poverty and ethnic minorities in numbers far greater than the rest of the population. (Daniel Weintraub, 2/1)

STAT: Suing Over Drug Prices, Although A Clever Ploy, Is Unlikely To Succeed
Everyone wants to pay less for prescription medicines, and Maura Healey believes she has found a way to make it happen: by suing drug companies for violating state consumer protection laws. In a controversial maneuver, the Massachusetts attorney general is threatening to file a lawsuit against Gilead Sciences if the California drug maker doesn’t lower its prices for a pair of costly hepatitis C treatments.Legal experts are calling this a long shot. Consumer advocates believe this is a brilliant tactic. And in truth, both sides have a point. (Ed Silverman, 2/2)

The Sacramento Bee: Another View: Taxing E-Cigarettes Will Backfire On Public Health
California is on the wrong path if it moves forward with a regressive “sin” tax on vapor products, as supported by The Sacramento Bee’s editorial board. The end result will only lead adults back to smoking cigarettes or force them to purchase products out of state or on the black market. The sad truth is that California received $1.52 billion in tobacco excise taxes and settlements in 2014, but only used 4.3 percent on prevention and cessation programs. (Cynthia Cabrera, 2/1)

The Desert Outlook: Life Story: Remembering George Zander
I remember years ago being introduced to the phrase “too cool for words,” when trying to describe something or someone whose greatness was so cool that even the words to describe it had yet to be invented. And, it was apparent that even after the words were invented, they still wouldn’t be enough. That is how I, and many others, feel about George Zander, my friend and mentor. George died Dec. 10, six weeks after he and his husband, Chris Zander, were attacked during a hate crime incident in downtown Palm Springs that shocked many in the Coachella Valley’s LGBT community. He was 71. A public celebration of George's life is planned for March 21 at the Pavilion in Palm Springs. An investigation is underway, but it has not been determined if the attack and George’s death are linked. (Paulina Angel, 2/1)