The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Summer Surge Fuels Sharp Rise In COVID Cases In Sonoma County Senior Care Facilities
The surge of COVID-19 infections this summer has spilled over into some senior care homes in Sonoma County, county health officials said this week. (Espinoza, 9/2)

Los Angeles Times: Post-Labor Day Poses New California COVID Risk. Will The Wave Worsen?
With COVID remaining at stubbornly high levels in California, some doctors are warning that transmission could again accelerate following the busy Labor Day holiday weekend — potentially prolonging a summer wave that has already proved more intense and enduring than some experts had anticipated. Doctors will be closely monitoring the data for any signs of a post-holiday bump, which could materialize due to a few factors. First, Americans were expected to hit the road or take to the skies in potentially record-breaking numbers this year and, with COVID transmission elevated across most of the country, there’s a not-insignificant risk of exposure. Second, the coronavirus has continued to mutate in ways that have allowed it to spread more readily from person to person. (Lin II, 9/3)

CNN: Updated Novavax Covid-19 Vaccines Could Be Available As Early As This Week
The US Food and Drug Administration on Friday authorized an updated version of the protein-based Novavax Covid-19 vaccine for use in people 12 and up. Doses could be available by the end of [this] week. Novavax’s vaccine is based on protein technology, which takes longer to manufacture than mRNA vaccines like those made by Pfizer and BioNTech and Moderna. Protein-based vaccines work by getting the body’s immune system to recognize small modified pieces of the virus it’s targeting. In this case, that means pieces of the coronavirus spike protein. (Hassan, 8/30)

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Vaccines Are Now Pricey Without Insurance As CDC Access Program Expires 
As updated coronavirus vaccines hit U.S. pharmacy shelves, adults without health insurance are discovering the shots are no longer free, instead costing up to $200. The federal Bridge Access Program covering the cost of coronavirus vaccines for uninsured and underinsured people ran out of funding. Now, Americans with low incomes are weighing whether they can afford to shore up immunity against an unpredictable virus that is no longer a public health emergency but continues to cause long-term complications and hospitalizations and kill tens of thousands of people a year. (Nirappil, 9/3)

CNBC: Weight Loss Drugs Cut Covid-19 Deaths, Study Finds
People taking the key component of blockbuster weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy were less likely to die of Covid-19 or suffer adverse effects from the virus, researchers found in a new study. (Reid, 9/2)

East Bay Reporter: SF AIDS Agency Ends Direct Services As Disparity Seen In Local, Federal New Latino HIV Diagnoses
A longtime San Francisco Latino HIV/AIDS nonprofit is hanging on by a thread and has stopped providing direct services after losing city funding at the end of the last budget year. Meanwhile, preliminary data from city health officials shows the number of new HIV diagnoses among Latino men was down in 2023 in contrast to rising rates nationally. (Ferrannini, 8/30)

Los Angeles Times: Chain Pharmacies Look To Cut Costs, Close Locations
These are tough days for pharmacy chains. From Gardena to Venice to Koreatown, storefronts that used to be Rite Aid drugstores sit empty. On Lincoln Boulevard, the outline of the Rite Aid logo can still be seen above shuttered doors. The retail pharmacy chain has closed more than 200 stores since filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2023 and announced plans in July to shut down 18 more locations in California as it struggles to deal with creditors and lawsuits over opioid prescriptions. (Petrow-Cohen, 8/31)

Fresno Bee: 450 Housing Units, 173 Hotel Rooms, 30 Shops. Valley Children's Unveils Development Plans
Valley Children’s Hospital unveiled early plans for the future construction of up to 450 units of housing, 173 hotel rooms and 30 shops. (Including a grocery store.) (Galicia, 8/30)

VC Star: Ventura County Seeks Public's Views On New Ambulance Contract
The County of Ventura is seeking opinions of the public at a meeting Wednesday aimed at gathering views on what should be required in a redesign of ambulance service for the area. (9/3)

Capital & Main: California’s Central Valley Shows The Sickness Of Our Health System
It’s a truism that bears repeating in California: Health care is ultimately about affordability and access. In both areas, the state is wanting. At a time when state leaders have celebrated expanding health care coverage to all Californians, the somber reality is that many people are still reluctant or unable to see a doctor, no matter how much they’re hurting. Too expensive. Too hard to find. (Kreidler, 8/30)

The New York Times: How A Leading Chain Of Psychiatric Hospitals Traps Patients
Acadia Healthcare is one of America’s largest chains of psychiatric hospitals. Since the pandemic exacerbated a national mental health crisis, the company’s revenue has soared. Its stock price has more than doubled. But a New York Times investigation found that some of that success was built on a disturbing practice: Acadia has lured patients into its facilities and held them against their will, even when detaining them was not medically necessary. (Silver-Greenberg and Thomas, 9/1)

Capital & Main: Number Of U.S. Residents Without Health Insurance Rose By 2 Million Under Trump, Fell By 3 Million Under Biden
At the end of the first two years of Joe Biden’s presidency, 3.3 million more U.S. residents had health insurance than did so in 2019, according to a Capital & Main analysis of U.S. Census data conducted with the support of Thomas Data Consulting. That increase led to a 1.2% decline in the national uninsured rate and the lowest rate of residents without health insurance in U.S. history. By contrast, Donald Trump oversaw an increase of 2.3 million uninsured people during the first three years of his presidency and a 0.6% increase in the national uninsured rate. (Lindenfeld, 8/29)

The 19th: Trump Says He Wants IVF Covered By Insurance Or Government
Former President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he would ensure the government or insurance companies would fully pay for people’s IVF treatments, without providing details on how. He also indicated he would vote for a Florida ballot measure that would overturn a six-week abortion ban, though his campaign later said that he has not yet disclosed how he would vote on the measure. (Padilla, 8/29)

Los Angeles Times: Trump Says He'll Vote To Uphold Florida Abortion Ban After Conflicting Message
Former President Trump said he will vote no on a Florida ballot measure that would repeal the state’s six-week abortion ban, a day after he seemed to indicate he would vote in favor of the measure. Trump has said he thinks Florida’s ban is a mistake and said in an interview with Fox News Channel on Friday, “I think six weeks, you need more time.” But then he said, “at the same time, the Democrats are radical,” and he repeated false claims he has frequently made about late-term abortions. (Price, 8/31)

Los Angeles Times: Trump Laments Acceptance Of Transgender People During Moms For Liberty Event
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump lamented the growing acceptance of transgender Americans during an appearance at the annual gathering of Moms for Liberty, a national group that has spearheaded efforts to bar discussion of LGBTQ+ identity and structural racism in K-12 classrooms. Trump said transgender women should not be allowed to play in women’s sports and said access to gender-affirming healthcare should be restricted. He also lashed out at critics who denounced his Monday appearance at Arlington National Cemetery, where he filmed a campaign video and a member of his staff reportedly pushed a federal cemetery worker. (Swenson, Balingit and Weissert, 8/31)

Modern Healthcare: Iranian Hackers Are Targeting Healthcare, FBI Warns
The federal government warned that a group of Iranian cyber actors have conducted a number of attacks against U.S.-based entities, including healthcare organizations. The FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Defense Cyber Crime Center Department said in an advisory the actors are attempting to work with ransomware affiliates to lock networks and find ways to extort victims. (Turner, 8/30)

Fierce Healthcare: HHS Will No Longer Appeal Court's Hospital Web Tracker Decision
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is dropping its appeal of a June U.S. District Court ruling that vacated the government's restriction of third-party online tracking technologies on hospital webpages. The white flag came 10 days after the administration had filed its appeal to the Fifth Circuit. The case had been brought in late 2023 by the American Hospital Association (AHA) the Texas Hospital Association, Texas Health Resources and United Regional Health Care System, which had argued that HHS’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) overstepped its authority with guidance it had issued in 2022. (Muoio, 8/29)

Stat: Abbott's MitraClip Shows Some Benefit In Heart Failure Patients
A study meant to serve as a tie-breaker between two major trials of a heart clip made by Abbott may end up stimulating more debate among cardiologists. Results of the RESHAPE-HF 2 trial, presented at the European Society of Cardiology meeting and published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Saturday, showed that the clip improved health status and lowered hospitalizations due to heart failure, but did not reduce the number of deaths. (Lawrence, 8/31)

Fox News: New Surgical Technology Can ‘Light Up’ Bacteria In Wounds, Helping To Prevent Infections, Study Finds
Up to 5% of people who have surgery can develop an infection — which can prolong healing and lead to dangerous complications, studies have shown. Additionally, chronic wounds affect around 6.5 million patients in the U.S. ... Now, a new medical technology that uses fluorescent light has shown to be effective in detecting missed bacteria, according to new research led by University of Southern California, Los Angeles (USC). (Rudy, 9/3)

Politico: A Fed-Up Gavin Newsom Pushes California Cities On Homelessness 
Gov. Gavin Newsom has recited a consistent message to cities and counties over the years as he tries to leverage billions in state funds to combat homelessness: Get people off the street, or else. ... But Newsom’s persistent need to reiterate the same call also shows the limited power of his office and the fundamental necessity of local officials’ buy-in to execute his vision. The federal count of unhoused Californians has risen by 30,000 people since Newsom took office in 2019, to roughly 181,000 last year. (White, 9/1)

Fresno Bee: A Second Homeless Law In Fresno Takes Aim At Vagrancy, Trespassing At Private Businesses
The ink may scarcely be dry on Fresno’s new ordinance banning homeless camping on sidewalks, parks, railroad rights of way and other public land that will take effect in mid-September. (Sheehan, 8/30)

Bay Area News Group: Number Of Homeless Students In Santa Clara County Schools Has Nearly Doubled Since 2020
Since 2020, the number of homeless students in Santa Clara County has almost doubled, according to the California Department of Education. (Ta, 9/3)

San Diego Union-Tribune: This Barrio Logan School Only Serves Unhoused Students. Can Its Model Work Elsewhere? 
The number of homeless students in San Diego County rose during the last academic year to more than 17,800. That’s more than 3 percent of everyone enrolled and the highest total in at least five years, according to data from the California Department of Education. It’s also higher than the number often cited as the county’s overall homeless population. (Nelson, 9/1)

The Oaklandside: How Small Shelters For Homeless People In California Became Big Business
On a recent weekday morning in Sacramento, early, before a sweltering Central Valley heat enveloped downtown and before Senate and Assembly sessions got underway, several suited-up elected officials gathered in front of the Capitol to promote a bill. The “Interim Housing Act,” penned by South Bay State Senator Josh Becker, would make it easier for local governments to open temporary shelters. Behind the politicians stood two sleek tiny homes. (Orenstein, 8/30)

The War Horse: VA May Owe Millions In Benefits To Vietnam Veterans
In the span of just a few weeks, Marc McCabe traveled this summer to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, California, and Texas. But the 74-year-old wasn’t on an epic retirement trip. As a pro bono veterans advocate, he was searching for Vietnam veterans and surviving family members who may be eligible for disability compensation. McCabe, a former combat corpsman attached to Marine Corps units during the Vietnam War, has survived two bouts of cancer himself. He has been a veteran’s advocate for two decades, but his job has gotten a lot busier thanks to a spate of new legislation that has expanded benefits for millions of veterans exposed to toxic chemicals in war. (Rosenbaum, 8/29)

San Francisco Chronicle: Free Naloxone Vending Machines Added In Marin County
Vending machines that dispense free naloxone, a nasal spray that can reverse the effects of opioid overdoses, have been installed throughout Marin County, public health officials announced Tuesday. The installation ... [is] part of the county’s effort to reduce opioid overdoses, the county’s leading cause of death in residents 55 and under, according to a news release. (Ellis, 8/27)

Reuters: Doctor Charged In Death Of 'Friends' Star Matthew Perry 'Incredibly Remorseful' 
- One of two doctors who are among the five people charged in the ketamine overdose death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry was barred by a federal judge on Friday from practicing medicine and through his lawyer afterward expressed remorse. Dr. Mark Chavez appeared in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles for a brief arraignment on a single felony count of conspiracy to illegally distribute ketamine and was permitted to remain free on $50,000 bond. (Gorman and Garcia, 8/30)

The Wall Street Journal: Behind Matthew Perry’s Deadly Trade With L.A.’s ‘Ketamine Queen’
Six months ago, Jasveen Sangha was in paradise, having drinks by the pool in the coastal resort of Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, accompanied by friends, including the founder of an internet porn production company and the ex-wife of a rock star. In August, Sangha was taken into custody by law enforcement agents and accused of providing the ketamine that killed “Friends” TV star Matthew Perry last year and another man in 2019. Federal prosecutors allege that over roughly five years she had become a large-scale drug trafficker in Los Angeles and was known in certain Hollywood circles as the “Ketamine Queen.” (O'Brien and Ramachandran, 9/1)

Reuters: Drug Distributors Strike $300 Mln Opioid Settlement With US Health Plans 
The three largest U.S. drug distributors have agreed to pay $300 million to resolve claims by health insurers and benefit plans that they helped fuel the deadly U.S. opioid epidemic, according to court papers filed on Friday. The proposed class action settlement with McKesson Corp, Cencora Inc, and Cardinal Health Inc was disclosed in a filing, opens new tab in federal court in Cleveland, Ohio, and requires a judge's approval. Those companies had previously agreed to pay $21 billion to resolve claims by state and local governments accusing them of having lax controls that allowed massive amounts of addictive painkillers to be diverted into illegal channels. (Raymond, 8/30)

Los Angeles Times: California Lawmakers Call For Further Study Of Paraquat
California lawmakers have approved a bill that could help strengthen regulations on the use of paraquat, a powerful weedkiller associated with Parkinson’s disease and other serious health issues. Assembly Bill 1963 was introduced in January by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), and originally sought to sunset the use of paraquat in California beginning in January 2026. However, the final legislation has been amended so that it now will require the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to complete a reevaluation of the herbicide by Jan. 1, 2029, and determine whether to retain, cancel or suspend its registration, or to create new restrictions. The bill passed the Senate 23 to 8 and now awaits a signature from Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Smith, 8/31)

San Francisco Chronicle: Air Quality Alert Issued For Bay Area
Warmer weather is coming to the Bay Area this week, prompting air district officials to issue a Spare the Air alert for Tuesday and Wednesday. Rising temperatures and light winds, combined with vehicle exhaust, will result in a layer of smog settling over the region, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said in an alert sent Monday. (Dineen, 9/2)

San Francisco Chronicle: How SF 49ers’ Ricky Pearsall Survived A Gunshot Wound To Chest
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall was released from San Francisco General Hospital less than 24 hours after being shot in the chest during an attempted robbery in Union Square on Saturday afternoon. It’s a lucky outcome for people shot in the chest, doctors say — and a reflection, in part, on the course of the bullet, which avoided major organs. (Vaziri and Ho, 9/1)

Times of San Diego: Anyone Can Experience A Stress Reaction Like The Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. 
San Diego Padres fans groaned when they saw superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. placed on the injured list in June with a stress reaction — often a precursor to a stress fracture — in his thighbone. It came just as the slugger was in the midst of his best stretch of the season. The injury to his femur has already kept him out for two months and caused him to miss the MLB All-Star Game. Stress reactions are repetitive use injuries, so they are common among athletes. As the name suggests, the injury occurs when repeated stress on a bone causes microscopic damage. For professional baseball players such as Tatis, who play, practice and work out daily with very few days off, the activity that caused the injury continues to be repeated, which means the bone doesn’t have time to heal. (Smith, 8/2)

LAist: Can Better School Health Care Keep Kids In Class?
Poor health is one reason why students miss so much school that they fall behind academically and risk dropping out. UCLA researchers will spend the next five years studying whether school-based health clinics improve student health and academic outcomes in Los Angeles. (Dale, 9/2)

KVPR: The Cost Of Senior Care: Why Aging Farmers Fear The Nursing Home
Cindie Haakenson was relieved when a room opened up at the Heart of America long-term care center this past spring. Her 74-year-old husband, Sherwood, had been suffering from multiple fainting episodes in recent months due to issues with his heart and kidney. Finally, he could receive the 24-hour supervision he desperately needed. But soon a new anxiety crept in: how to afford it. (Kim and Evans, 9/3)