Los Angeles Times: UCLA Doctors Identify 'Alarming' New Strain Of XDR Shigella
Three men sought help at clinics or emergency rooms in Los Angeles County over a three-month period this year, each reporting severe diarrhea and a recent history of sexual contact with other men. Stool cultures revealed that all three were infected with Shigella sonnei, a strain of Shigella bacteria that is resistant to five of the antibiotic classes most commonly prescribed for such infections. But upon further analysis, the UCLA researchers analyzing the samples realized they were looking at something altogether new. (Purtill, 12/18)

USA Today: Hydroxychloroquine Study Retracted; Drug Isn't Treatment For COVID
A discredited study that set off a flurry of interest in using an antimalarial drug to treat COVID-19 has now been formally withdrawn. A scientific journal on Tuesday retracted the March 2020 study that introduced the world to hydroxychloroquine early in the COVID-19 pandemic – and confirmed that the attention was undeserved from the start. The antimalarial drug was briefly touted as a possible treatment for the novel coronavirus at a time when little else was available. (Cuevas, 12/17)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Plans For Mental Health Hub At UCSD East Campus Hospital Fizzle 
Negotiations to add 40 mental health care beds at UC San Diego East Campus Medical Center, formerly Alvarado Hospital, have fallen through, with some disagreement on which side is responsible for the derailment. (Sisson, 12/17)

Stat: FDA Deputy Commissioner Namandjé Bumpus To Leave Agency 
Namandjé Bumpus, principal deputy commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, is leaving the agency. Commissioner Robert Califf shared the news with staff Tuesday morning, according to an email reviewed by STAT. (Lawrence, 12/17)

Axios: A Third Of Psychologists Won't Take Insurance: Survey
Just over a third of U.S. psychologists say they don't accept any type of health insurance, according to the American Psychological Association's latest annual provider survey. The lack of mental health professionals in insurer networks can make it difficult for Americans to access counseling or other behavioral care. (Goldman, 12/18)

San Francisco Chronicle: SF Drug Overdoses Tick Up In November, But Still Down 20% For The Year
Accidental drug overdose deaths in San Francisco ticked up in November compared with October, but are still down more than 20% for the year compared with 2023 — a potentially hopeful sign that the downward trend in overdose fatalities is continuing to hold. Forty-six people died from overdoses in November, according to preliminary figures released Tuesday by the Office of the Medical Examiner. That’s up compared with the 35 people who died in October. (Ho, 12/17)

Stat: How The Criminal Justice System Fights Medications For Opioid Use Disorder
James Mannion knew what he needed.For nine months, while incarcerated in a county jail in Portland, Maine, he pleaded for a medication called buprenorphine. Mannion, a barber, recreational fisherman, and father of two, was once a regular heroin user, but had used the medication to eliminate the cravings and withdrawal he experienced whenever he tried to quit opioids cold turkey. Buprenorphine had worked before for Mannion, just as it has worked for millions of others, helping him to avoid using far more dangerous illegal drugs like heroin and fentanyl. (Facher, 12/18)

AP: Most US Teens Are Abstaining From Drinking, Smoking And Marijuana, Survey Says 
Teen drug use hasn’t rebounded from its drop during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the results from a large annual national survey released Tuesday.About two-thirds of 12th graders this year said they hadn’t used alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes or e-cigarettes in the previous 30 days. That’s the largest proportion abstaining since the annual survey started measuring abstinence in 2017. ... The only significant increase occurred in nicotine pouches. About 6% of 12th graders said they’d used them in the previous year, up from about 3% in 2023. (Stobbe, 12/17)

Stat: Major Report Finds Moderate Drinkers Had Lower Mortality 
A major report on alcohol’s health effects — which will inform the 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans — found moderate drinkers had lower all-cause mortality, and a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, than those who never drank. The findings are sure to cause a stir, especially once a separate panel of experts releases its own alcohol report in coming weeks. (Cueto, 12/17)

CalMatters: Troubled California Teens Gain Protections Under A New Law Championed By Paris Hilton
Beginning Jan. 1, hundreds of state-licensed residential treatment centers for children and youth up to age 21 operating in California must comply with a new law that brings greater transparency — particularly when they use restraints and seclusion rooms. (La, 12/18)

KQED: 'How To Kill A Cop': Death, Despair And Corruption In California's Most Violent Prison
A KQED exclusive analysis of hundreds of internal California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation use-of-force records, dozens of leaked documents and videos, and interviews with current and former officers revealed a culture of cover-ups at New Folsom prison that enabled the abuse of incarcerated people, officer-on-officer harassment and at least two homicides at the prison. (Lewis and Small, 12/16)

Bay Area News Group: Despite Media Hype, Experts Unfazed By Elevated Radiation At Albany Bulb 
A recent study found elevated levels of radiation at a former dump turned busy community space, but experts say the public has little to worry about. (Lopez, 12/18)

Modern Healthcare: Telehealth, Doctor Pay Win, PBMs Lose In Government Spending Bill
Congress reached a government funding deal Tuesday, with a significant healthcare package that includes an extension of Medicare telehealth policies, boosts for doctors' pay, and a raft of new restrictions on drug market middlemen. Lawmakers rushed to finalize text of what's known as a continuing resolution so they could pass government funding before it runs out on Friday night. The bill would last until March 14 for general funding, though the healthcare provisions last longer. (McAuliff, 12/17)

Military Times: Plan Would Cover All Health Care Costs For Thousands Of Vets Overseas
More than 17,000 disabled veterans living outside the United States could get all of their medical costs covered under a proposal unveiled in Congress this week. The plan has little chance of being passed into law this year, but could be the basis for major reforms in overseas veterans health care next session. It would mean hundreds to thousands of dollars in financial relief to struggling veterans, all of whom have received a 100% disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs. (Shane III, 12/17)

Stat: Congressional Task Force Recommends Health AI Regulation Priorities
Artificial intelligence can reduce the health care sector’s administrative burden while improving clinical diagnostics and speeding up drug discovery, according to a congressional task force that offered recommendations for lawmakers to consider in the next session. (Trang, 12/17)

The Hill: Tuberville: Kennedy And Trump Agree On States Deciding On Abortion
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said on Tuesday that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told him he has come to an agreement with President-elect Trump on the issue of abortion, concluding the matter will be left to the states to decide. Speaking to reporters after his meeting with Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Tuberville recounted their discussion on abortion and recalled asking Kennedy about his past positions in support of abortion rights. (Fortinsky, 12/17)

NBC News: Medication Abortions May Be More Painful Than Women Expect, Study Finds
Many women are surprised by how much pain they experience during a medication abortion, a study published Tuesday in the journal BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health found. More than 60% of abortions in the U.S. are medication abortions, meaning a person takes two drugs, often at home, to end a pregnancy. The study, which surveyed women in the U.K., found that many don’t feel prepared for the amount of pain they may feel during the procedure. (Sullivan, 12/17)

The 19th: Air Pollution May Impact Success Of IVF, Study Finds
More people are turning to IVF to have children than ever before. But new research, out last month, finds that the success of in vitro fertilization — a delicate process that works less than half the time — could be affected by air pollution. (Kutz, 12/17)

CNN: FDA Places Its Most Serious Warning On Menopause Drug Due To Risk Of Liver Injury
The US Food and Drug Administration has placed its most serious warning – a so-called black-box warning – on a drug used to relieve menopausal hot flashes. The FDA says women who are taking Veozah may need more frequent blood testing to check for markers of liver problems. (Goodman, 12/17)

Politico: Trump Taps Brooks To Lead HHS Landing Team
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped John Brooks to lead his HHS landing team, three people familiar with the selection granted anonymity to discuss government transition efforts told POLITICO. The elevation of Brooks, a former senior Medicare official during Trump’s first term who went on to advise former HHS Secretary Alex Azar on drug pricing policy, lends policy heft to a Trump health team that has faced scrutiny over its top nominees' lack of government experience. (Lim and Cancryn, 12/17)

Modern Healthcare: Mass Deportations, Visa Restrictions Threaten Post-Acute Staffing
Anxiety over President-elect Donald Trump's potential immigration policies is rippling through the nursing home and home health industries, where more than one-third of workers are foreign-born. Providers and trade groups fear the possibility of mass deportations and tougher visa requirements could make it harder for nursing homes and home care companies to recruit and retain nurses and nurse aides from outside the U.S. (Eastabrook, 12/17)

CBS News: Trump Could Target Affordable Care Act And Medicaid To Help Pay For Lower Taxes, Experts Say
The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, remains popular with the public, garnering the approval of 54% of U.S. adults, according to a recently released Gallup poll. But experts say that may not insulate the federal health insurance program from change as President-elect Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans look to renew $4 trillion in expiring tax cuts. (Gibson, 12/17)