Los Angeles Times: After 15 Hepatitis Deaths, San Diego County Declares Local Health Emergency
San Diego County declared a local health emergency Friday night, adding a new level of urgency to a hepatitis A outbreak that has hit hardest among the homeless population, killing 15 people and hospitalizing hundreds. The declaration by Dr. Wilma Wooten, the region’s public health officer, bolsters the county Health and Human Services Agency’s ability to request assistance from the state and provides legal protections for a slate of actions that began unfolding across the city earlier in the day. (Sisson, 9/2)

WBUR: San Diego Declares Health Emergency Amid Hepatitis A Outbreak
Dr. Wilma Wooten, the San Diego Public Health Officer who signed the declaration into law on Friday, says the sanitation precautions are modeled after similar programs in other Southern California cities - including Los Angeles. "We know that L.A. has had no local cases of hepatitis A related to the strain that we're seeing here in San Diego," she said. "It makes sense that, if they're doing it there and they haven't had any cases, it could be beneficial here as well." (Johnston, 9/3)

Los Angeles Times: Lancaster Street Vendor May Have Exposed Consumers To Hepatitis A
Fruit sold by a Lancaster street vendor who was infected with hepatitis A might have exposed consumers to the virus, which can cause serious liver disease, Los Angeles County public health officials said Monday in a statement. The possibly contaminated produce was sold at a stand at West Avenue L and 20th Street West in mid-August, officials said. (Christensen, 9/4)

Los Angeles Times: 3 Californians Have Died Of West Nile Virus This Summer, Officials Say
California health officials said Friday that three people have died of West Nile virus this summer, marking the first deaths in what could be a particularly dangerous season for the disease. (Karlamangla, 9/1)

San Jose Mercury News: California Reports First West Nile Virus Deaths Of 2017
The deceased lived in Kern, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. For reasons of confidentiality, the California Department of Public Health does not provide additional patient details, such as their gender, race, age, day of death or names of hospitals that provided care. But the San Bernardino Sun reported that county health officials described the victim there as an elderly man who lived in the western part of the county and suffered from serious health problems. That’s not an uncommon description for such a victim. (Seipel, 9/1)

The Bakersfield Californian: West Nile Virus Claims Three Lives Statewide, Including One In Kern County
“This serves as a reminder that the threat of West Nile virus should be taken seriously,” Kern County Public Health Services Director Matt Constantine said. “We strongly encourage residents to protect themselves and family members from mosquitoes.” (Pierce, 9/1)

The Bakersfield Californian: Don’t Let Edie’s Death From Valley Fever Be In Vain, Her Sister Pleads Three Ways Valley Fever Could Be Elevated As A Public Health Priority 
Initially, doctors thought Edie Preller had pneumonia, then tuberculosis, or maybe bronchitis. They quarantined her and ran tests. Six months later they discovered that she had inhaled a deadly spore from a fungus that grows throughout the region. The spore caused a disease called valley fever, which spread from her lungs into her brain. Preller had been an in-home health care worker, taking care of other people who were ill. Then, in her 50s, she ended up in a losing battle for her own life, spending her last three years in and out of a hospital. (Pierce and Innes, 9/3)

In other public health news —

Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Sexually Transmitted Disease Rates Skyrocket In Sonoma County 
The rates of sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis have been skyrocketing in Sonoma County since 2008 as the spread of HIV has declined slightly, raising alarms among local health care professionals and county public health officials. The seemingly contradictory trends have local health experts trying to figure out the possible causes. Some point to mobile “hookup” apps that have greatly facilitated consensual and casual sex, or the use of HIV prevention and treatment methods that inhibit the spread of the virus but may be encouraging risky behavior such as no longer using condoms. (Espinoza, 9/3)

East Bay Times: Importance Of Breastfeeding Highlighted At Oakland Festival
Laura Cox is passionate about the importance of breast-feeding. “I feel this is a human rights issue. What we’re discovering is if we don’t breast-feed, we are hurting not only ourselves, but our children,” said Cox, who co-founded the Oakland Breastfeeding Festival, held last weekend at Lake Merritt. “I feel there’s a lot of people out there who didn’t breast-feed because of a lack of education,” said the certified lactation educator and counselor. The festival included speakers and lactation counselors and educators and a communal “latch on.” (Parr, 9/1)

KPCC: Critics Say Republican Budget Threatens Californians' Health 
As Congress works to pass a budget by the end of the month, advocates for the poor warn Republicans' proposed cuts to safety-net programs could hurt Californians' health. .. The Center says it would mean a $2 billion a year hit to CalFresh – formerly known as food stamps. (Faust, 9/4)

San Francisco Chronicle: Blue-Tag Abuse: Disabled-Placard Cheaters Work The Angles
A state audit released in April found that most placard applications lacked proper descriptions of the recipients’ disabilities. It also found that tens of thousands are held by people who are dead or over 100 years old. (Cabanatuan, 9/3)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Meals On Wheels Tests High-Tech Health Checks For Seniors 
Kust after he finished delivering a meal to 70-year-old Anne Stillman of Vista, a question popped up on Christopher Topper’s smartphone screen. Before getting into his truck to head to his next delivery, the Meals on Wheels courier took just a second to respond to the query. "The app asks me if there is a change in condition, meaning, is there anything that needs to be reported about her wellness? Anne looks great, I'm going to hit 'no' and, boom, on to the next client," Topper said just before sliding back behind the wheel. That quick tap puts Meals on Wheels on the edge of a revolution in health care that seeks to take action on potential problems in homes before seniors end up in the back of an ambulance. This kind of work, experts say, is becoming more vital as baby boomers enter retirement age and advances in health care mean that their parents have a better chance than ever of celebrating their 100th birthdays. (Sisson, 9/1)

Sacramento Bee: New Treatment May Help Veterans With PTSD 
The treatment, called stellate ganglion block, has typically been used for pain management, but Dr. Eugene Lipov, an anesthesiologist, said he discovered in 2005 that it has the potential to relieve PTSD symptoms. The 10-minute procedure halts the nerve impulses to the brain that trigger anxiety and jitters in trauma victims, Lipov contends. (Sullivan, 9/4)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Nurses Threaten Strike Against Tri-City 
Nurses at Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside are threatening to strike over what they describe as policies that have caused the hospital to hemorrhage more than 300 experienced nurses over the last two years. The California Nurses Association, a union which represents about 700 registered nurses at the facility, held a rally in front of the hospital Thursday to speak out against hiring practices described as favoring temporary nurses and new nursing school graduates over those who live in the area and who have longer track records of patient care. (Sisson, 9/1)

In other news —

Ventura County Star: Dr. Sherilyn Wheaton Has Been Voted Ventura County's Hardest Worker
If Dr. Sherilyn Wheaton only saw 20 patients a day, no one would deny the physician works hard. But the depth of her commitment to getting things done hits home when you realize through her volunteer work she helps thousands of patients she doesn’t know and will never see. A family practitioner with Primary Medical Group in Ventura and director of the practice’s urgent care center, the Ojai resident won The Star’s 15th annual Hardest Worker in Ventura County contest among a field of eight overachievers extraordinaire. (Cason, 9/1)

East Bay Times: East Bay Family Awarded $12.1 Million Hasn't Seen A Cent
It’s referred to as a 1-in-30,000 pregnancy, quite unusual and very concerning. Brian’s mother was assigned a family practitioner by Contra Costa County Health Services. It was late in the pregnancy and during what should have been a routine exam at the Pittsburg Health Center that an emergency occurred. A C-section was performed on Brian’s mother. Brian’s twin died. And Brian was born with profound brain damage that left him with diminished speech and motor skills. The family sued, alleging medical malpractice. On Sept. 18, 2014, it was awarded a $12.1 million judgment by a Contra Costa jury: $55,000 for past medical care; $9.577 million for future medical care, $2 million for loss of future earnings and $500,000 in general damages with the money to be held in a trust supervised by a judge. (Peterson, 9/3)

In other news from across the state —

The Bakersfield Californian: Kern Medical Center Encourages Community To Think 'Fast Fast Baby' In Stroke Music Video
It's a project by Kern Medical Center staff to educate people in a fun way. They've done it before. Last year, the KMC group made their debut with a music video about Sepsis, a life-threatening immune response to infection. Returning rapper Sage Wexner, the leader of the project, realized, while finishing his four-year residency program at KMC this year, many people in the community aren't aware of the symptoms of a stroke. (Sanchez, 9/3)

The Desert Sun: Cathedral City Considers Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Tax
Looking to promote healthier beverages and combat childhood obesity, Cathedral City could ask restaurants to promote milk or water with kid’s meals and might discuss a tax on sugar-sweetened drinks later this year. A UCLA study shows 42 percent of children in Cathedral City are obese or overweight, the third highest rate in the valley, behind Coachella and Indio, at 48 and 44 percent, respectively. (Kennedy, 9/4)

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento's Troubled Eagle Crest Nursing Home To Close
A large Carmichael nursing home that was targeted for years by government regulators for poor quality care has decided to voluntarily close after state inspectors determined that a female resident was sexually abused multiple times by another resident at the facility. (Lundstrom, 9/2)

East Bay Times: Livermore School District Spends $100,000 On Safer Helmets
The high school football season kicked off this year with an unusual move to outfit every player with a state-of-the-art helmet that reduces the risk of a concussion. The 285 new Riddell SpeedFlex helmets, considered by many to be the gold standard, arrived over the summer, and are being used by the freshman, junior varsity and varsity football teams at Livermore and Granada high schools. ...The decision to make the purchase — at a cost of $104,934— had its start last fall with an appearance by author Jeanne Marie Laskas, author of the book “Concussion,” at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore. In the crowded theater was Craig Bueno, a former Hayward fire chief, current president of the Livermore Joint Unified School District Board of Education, and a volunteer football coach at Granada High School for the past 14 years. (Jensen, 9/5)

San Francisco Chronicle: Map Shows Which SF Neighborhoods Are Hit Hardest By Air Pollution
The most recent figures available from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District — a map based on 2010 data — show that air pollution runs along the city’s highways, and Interstate 80 cuts straight through SoMa, South Park, South Beach and the city’s new high-rise neighborhood, Rincon Hill. (Swan, 9/4)

KQED: Heat Risks High For Bay Area Homeless
With record heat beating down on the Bay Area this holiday weekend, advocates who work with homeless people are redoubling efforts to spread word about places that offer some escape from the heat. (Small, 9/2)

The Hill: Week Ahead: Congress Returns To Take Up Bipartisan Health Care Effort 
The Senate's Health Committee will hold two hearings in the coming week on a bipartisan healthcare bill, with testimony from governors and state insurance officials on Wednesday and Thursday, in addition to two more hearings the following week. The goal is to pass a bill by the end of the month to stabilize the insurance markets for 2018. (Hellmann, 9/5)

Politico: Alexander Sets Ambitious Timetable For Obamacare Fixes
The chairman of the Senate health committee is aiming to break years of stalemate and pass a bipartisan Obamacare repair bill to try to stabilize health insurance markets in the remarkably short span of just three weeks. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) envisions a narrow bill that won't fix everything but would provide some assurances for insurers selling coverage next year. (Haberkorn, 9/1)

The Associated Press: GOP Ability To Dismantle Health Law Expires At Month's End
Senate Republicans will soon run out of time to rely on their slim majority to dismantle the Obama health law. The Senate parliamentarian has determined that rules governing the effort will expire when the fiscal year ends Sept. 30, according to independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee. The rules allow Republicans to dismantle President Barack Obama's health care law with just 51 votes, avoiding a filibuster. (9/1)

The Wall Street Journal: Senate Push On Bipartisan Health Proposal Signals Deeper Rift Between GOP, Trump
A number of Senate Republicans are gathering behind a bipartisan push to shore up the Affordable Care Act, reflecting a growing divide between President Donald Trump and many GOP senators. Republicans brushed off a call by Mr. Trump to continue working on a repeal of the 2010 health-care law after their bill to roll back and replace it failed by a single vote in the Senate in late July. Mr. Trump has called for letting the ACA implode on its own, and on Thursday the administration cut funding for ads and grants to encourage ACA sign-ups, a move that Democrats said would destabilize insurance markets. (Armour and Peterson, 9/1)

Politico: Senate’s Obamacare Fixes Would Build On Heavy Lifting By States
While Congress was busy bickering over repealing the health law, officials in red and blue states worked frantically to soothe anxious insurers, tamp down rate increases and insulate their markets from the ceaseless chaos in Washington. The result is an Obamacare system that’s still vulnerable, but far from the “disaster” President Donald Trump and his top health officials describe. (Cancryn, 9/5)

Los Angeles Times: As Some In Congress Look To Move Past The Obamacare Standoff, States Offer A More Bipartisan Model
With interest growing among congressional Republicans and Democrats in modifying the Affordable Care Act to bolster the nation’s health insurance markets, states are emerging as potential models for bipartisan cooperation. The political battling over the 2010 healthcare law, widely known as Obamacare, may not be over, especially with President Trump continuing to undermine the law. (Levey, 9/3)

Reuters: Bad Blood Over Obamacare Fight Lingers As Congress Returns
When the U.S. Congress returns from summer vacation on Tuesday, for the first time in years gutting Obamacare will not be the main order of business on the healthcare agenda. But leftover hard feelings in the wake of the long, partisan Obamacare wars could poison other issues. (Drawbaugh and Lewis, 9/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Deadline Looms For Insurers To File Rate Proposals
A deadline for insurers to file 2018 prices for health insurance sold through Affordable Care Act exchanges arrives Tuesday, but state regulators are still struggling to make decisions about pricing and coverage amid uncertainty in federal health policy. The upshot is confusion in what is typically an orderly, regimented regulatory process for reviewing insurance offerings that will go on sale to consumers on Nov. 1. (Wilde Mathews, 9/4)

The New York Times: The First Count Of Fentanyl Deaths In 2016: Up 540% In Three Years
Drug overdoses killed roughly 64,000 people in the United States last year, according to the first governmental account of nationwide drug deaths to cover all of 2016. It’s a staggering rise of more than 22 percent over the 52,404 drug deaths recorded the previous year — and even higher than The New York Times’s estimate in June, which was based on earlier preliminary data. (Katz, 9/2)

Stat: Trump Nominates Republican Congressman Tom Marino As Drug Czar
President Trump on Friday nominated Rep. Tom Marino (R-Pa.) to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy as the nation’s “drug czar,” months after he had officially withdrawn from consideration. Marino, an attorney who has served in the House of Representatives since 2011, has a lengthy track record of supporting enforcement-side drug policy as well as improved drug treatment. (Facher, 9/2)

In other national health care news —

Stat: Transgender Patients Fear Losing Care As Trump Rewrites Health Care Rules
Jyn Dao is scared. His bottom surgery — needed to realign the female genitalia he was born with to his male identity — is scheduled. But it’s not happening until January. And like many trans men and women, he’s afraid President Trump will soon revoke protections in federal law that ensure his surgery is affordable. ...The Obama administration made clear that this provision required states to cover transgender care through their Medicaid programs. Now, however, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price has told a federal court that he’s reworking the rule and won’t enforce it in the meantime. (McFarling, 9/5)

The Washington Post: Who Deserves A Liver? Officials Try To Make Organ Transplants Fairer.
His belly swollen, his energy flagging, 45-year-old Jorge Perez Remache waits in his Queens apartment for word that his turn has come to receive a lifesaving liver transplant. Though he has suffered from cirrhosis for 10 years, the chance of that happening is virtually zero. A thousand miles south in tiny Morven, Ga., Katryna Grisson — equally sick, just three years older and, like Perez Remache, on Medicaid — awaits the same miracle. (Bernstein, 9/1)

Stat: Meet The Uber Driver On A Mission To Troll The 'Vaxxed' Anti-Vaccine Road Trip
He’s the protester holding a homemade sign declaring that vaccines save lives. He’s often wearing a T-shirt with the name of the polio vaccine pioneer Jonas Salk, stylized like the logo of a rock band. You might even spot him filming a lighthearted video updating his online followers on his quest to chase down the Vaxxed bus tour, which grew out of a controversial anti-vaccination documentary with the same name. Craig Egan estimates he’s put 7,000 miles on his Toyota Prius subcompact this summer following the bus tour everywhere from the Pacific Northwest to Missouri. And no, he does not mind being called a troll. In fact, he embraces it. He even plans his T-shirts to be as annoying as possible. (Robbins, 8/5)

NPR: Pediatricians Say The Best Way To Beat The Flu Is To Get The Vaccine
The arrival of a new school year and cooler temperatures also means the arrival of flu vaccines in doctors' offices, pharmacies, clinics, work places, and school campuses. With flu season on its way, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued updated recommendations Monday for the flu vaccine — but without the needle-free option so many parents were hoping for. (Haelle, 9/4)

Stat: PSA Saves Lives, A New Analysis Finds. Not Everyone Agrees
An analysis of two influential studies of prostate cancer screening concludes that the much-debated test “significantly” reduces deaths from the disease, suggesting that current recommendations against routine PSA screening might be steering men away from a lifesaving procedure. The analysis, published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine, drew wildly different reactions, as is often the case with research on PSA screenings. Some experts in cancer screening and statistics said its novel approach was “on shaky ground” and used a “completely unverifiable” methodology that they had “never seen before,” but others praised its “intriguing and innovative approach.” There was one area of agreement, however: “I imagine it’s going to generate some buzz,” said biostatistician Ted Karrison of the University of Chicago. (Begley, 9/4)