Heat Wave To Bring Dangerous Air Quality To LA: The heat wave baking Southern California not only raises the risk of wildfires and heat-related illness but could bring another hardship: bad air quality. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
Scroll down for more heat, air, and water quality news.
Southern California In Top 10 For Alzheimer's In US: Southern California is a hot zone for Alzheimer’s disease, with four local counties already reporting some of the nation’s highest numbers of people diagnosed with the disease and demographic factors suggesting a flood of new patients is coming in future decades, according to a recent report by the Alzheimer’s Association. Read more from the Los Angeles Daily News.
Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage. For today's national health news, read KFF Health News' Morning Briefing.
More News From Across The State
Los Angeles Daily News:
LA County Gets $321 Million To Treat Homeless Who Appear In CARE Court
When a homeless person impacted by mental illness or substance abuse is brought before a CARE Court judge in Los Angeles County later this year, the new Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment program aims to send the homeless person to a treatment facility. (Scauzillo, 7/18)
Sacramento Bee:
CalPERS Health Premium Rates Are Going Up For 2024. Here’s How Much More They’ll Cost
CalPERS health insurance policyholders will officially see their premiums grow close to 11% on average next year. The board of administration for the California Public Employees’ Retirement System approved the new rates Tuesday, during the second day of their offsite meeting in Monterey. The vote was split 6-5. CalPERS provides health insurance for more than 1.5 million people, including roughly 770,000 state and local public employees and retirees, as well as about 770,000 dependents. (Miller, 7/18)
Bay Area News Group:
San Jose's Main Water Utility Failed To Report E. Coli Sample
San Jose Water failed to report and conduct a formal investigation into an E. coli sample discovered at one of its wells, according to San Jose City Councilmember Rosemary Kamei. In an emailed communication sent out Tuesday afternoon, Kamei said the bacteria was detected on May 5 from a routine sample at one of the water utility company’s groundwater sites. The well was immediately taken offline while a follow-up sample was drawn and the water was not delivered to any resident’s homes, Kamei said. (Greschler, 7/18)
Los Angeles Times:
California Will Cap Hundreds Of Orphaned Oil Wells
California state regulators announced on Tuesday their plans to cap orphaned oil wells across the state, including wells in a South Central residential neighborhood near USC that caused health complaints from residents for years. The effort is part of a new push to close problem sites that have posed health risks to communities across the state, oftentimes disadvantaged neighborhoods in close proximity to oil drill sites. California Gov. Gavin Newsom earmarked $100 million in the state budget to address the issue. (Solis and Martinez, 7/18)
Politico:
'Forever Chemicals' Water Testing Results Add To Pressure For Crackdown
Water testing from coast to coast indicates the widespread presence of "forever chemicals," bolstering calls from advocates who want to see the Biden administration accelerate its crackdown on the compounds. Testing conducted by the Environmental Working Group and released Tuesday shows PFAS cropping up in drinking water across 18 states, with the chemicals appearing both in large metro areas and smaller communities. And while some samples indicated only traces of the compounds, others yielded elevated levels of certain chemicals including some set for regulation under an advancing EPA plan. (Crunden, 7/18)
The Wall Street Journal:
Lots Of Tap Water Contains ‘Forever Chemicals.’ Take These Steps To Reduce Your Risk
Toxic “forever chemicals” are all over your home. But filtering your water can reduce your exposure. (Reddy, 7/18)
The Hill:
‘Forever Chemicals’ And Acids Used In Plastic Production Connected To Poor Pregnancy Outcomes: Study
Both cancer-linked “forever chemicals” and certain compounds used in plastic production may be associated with a heightened risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, a new study from the University of California, San Francisco has found. Exposure to these substances — which are all widespread in the San Francisco region — could carry an increased threat of gestational diabetes, life-threatening preeclampsia and pregnancy hypertension in Bay Area individuals, according to the study, published on Wednesday in Environmental Health Perspectives. (Udasin, 7/18)
Capital & Main:
California Centers Respond To Climate Change With Social Change
Low-income neighborhoods are often dangerously hotter than wealthier areas. At “resilience hubs” there is shelter to survive, with programming for communities to thrive. (Sánchez-Tello, 7/18)
AP:
Warming Planet May Have Overwhelming Impact On Infectious Diseases
All of these factors create conditions ripe for human illness. Diseases old and new are becoming more prevalent and even cropping up in places they’ve never been found before. Researchers have begun piecing together a patchwork of evidence that illuminates the formidable threat climate-driven diseases currently pose to human health — and the scope of the dangers to come. “This is not just something off in the future,” Neil Vora, a physician with the nonprofit Conservation International, said. “Climate change is here. People are suffering and dying right now.” (Teirstein, 7/18)
Stateline:
Workers Lack Protections When Wildfire Smoke Makes The Air Dangerous
Millions of American workers have breathed in dangerous levels of air pollution this year as smoke from Canada’s record wildfire season blankets cities across the Northeast. Now experts are calling on federal regulators to adopt standards protecting outdoor workers from worsening air quality, potentially modeled after the few states that have such standards, including California and Oregon. (Dewey, 7/18)
Reuters:
Teladoc Expands Microsoft Tie-Up To Document Patient Visits With AI
Teladoc Health is expanding a partnership with Microsoft to use the tech giant's artificial intelligence services to automate clinical documentation on the telehealth platform, lifting its shares 6% in premarket trade. The integration of AI including Microsoft's services with technology from OpenAI, owner of viral chatbot ChatGPT, will help ease the burden on healthcare staff during virtual exams, Teladoc said on Tuesday. (7/18)
Reuters:
J&J Must Pay $18.8 Million To California Cancer Patient In Baby Powder Suit
Johnson & Johnson's must pay $18.8 million to a California man who said he developed cancer from exposure to its baby powder, a jury decided on Tuesday, a setback for the company as it seeks to settle thousands of similar cases over its talc-based products in U.S. bankruptcy court. (Pierson, 7/18)
Stat:
Cancer Drug Shortages Worry Patients, Doctors Over Survival Odds
Mairéad McInerney will never know if changes in her treatment plan have undercut her odds of surviving stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer. Critical shortages in cancer drugs have forced her to change course not once, but twice. The first time, her physicians flipped the order of her drug regimen because Taxol (paclitaxel), one of two drugs she was supposed to take, was not available, said McInerney, who was diagnosed in December 2022. Instead, McInerney started the other two chemotherapy drugs (Adriamycin and Cytoxan) in the regimen first, which differed from the standard treatment approach, she said. (Huff, 7/19)
California Healthline:
Once The New Over-The-Counter Birth Control Pill Is Available, What About Cost And Coverage?
The Food and Drug Administration’s approval is viewed as groundbreaking, but many details still must be figured out. (Andrews, 7/19)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Dangerous New Strain Of Fentanyl Discovered In S.F.’s Drug Supply
A dangerous new strain of fentanyl — fluorofentanyl — was found in dozens of overdose deaths in San Francisco last year while a concerning new street drug called xylazine — commonly known as “tranq” — was present in more than a dozen cases, according to a new report from the medical examiner. Fluorofentanyl, which can range from half to five times as powerful as prescribed fentanyl, was found in 45 deaths, while xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer not intended for human consumption, was identified in 15 cases. Different kinds of fentanyl were found in 12 cases. All tranq cases also contained fentanyl. (Moench, 7/18)
KCRA:
Signs In Placer County Town Warn Fentanyl Dealers Not To Sell
Drivers through downtown Loomis have noticed a new sign that serves as a stern message to illegal fentanyl dealers. "WARNING: Selling fentanyl in Placer County may result in a murder charge," both sides of a banner reads stretched overhead of Taylor Road. (Zavala, 7/18)
California Healthline:
The Painful Legacy Of ‘Law And Order’ Treatment Of Addiction In Jail
Efforts to improve addiction care in jails and prisons are underway across the country. But a rural Alabama county with one of the nation’s highest overdose rates shows how change is slow, while law enforcement officials continue to treat addiction as a crime rather than a medical condition. (Rayasam, 7/19)
Axios:
Why Mainstreaming Psychedelics Isn't Generating A Fuss
Medical marijuana ignited fiery debates over whether a once-off-limit substance could have positive health effects. But as the Food and Drug Administration advances research into psychedelics like LSD and magic mushrooms, there's little of the same pushback. Why it matters: It's a sign of how formerly taboo compounds have gained a foothold in the health care market — and how the nation is reevaluating approaches to mental health and the addiction crisis. (Moreno and González, 7/19)
ABC7 Los Angeles:
Is Your Medi-Cal Information Updated? Millions Of Californians At Risk Of Losing Coverage
If you get your health insurance through Medi-Cal, there's a chance you could be disenrolled - if the state deems you are no longer eligible. Some 4.6 million people in Los Angeles County have not had to renew their Medi-Cal coverage in three years. Now, many people are getting dropped in the process because of not having their paperwork up-to-date or turned in on time. (Dador, 7/18)
The Hill:
Democratic Lawmaker Warns Of ‘Gray Tsunami’ Coming For Medicare Benefits
Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) discussed the U.S.’s rapidly aging population and its potential strain on Medicare during a Tuesday morning event. Sánchez referred to the growing population of Americans more than 65 years old as a “gray tsunami” during The Hill’s More than Memory Loss: Caring for those with Alzheimer’s event, sponsored by Otsuka. Bob Cusack, The Hill’s editor in chief, moderated the event. (Kelly, 7/18)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento DA To Investigate City’s Homeless Enforcement
Fed up with what he says is inaction by the city to address Sacramento’s homeless problem, District Attorney Thien Ho said Tuesday he is launching an investigation that could lead to criminal or civil filings against city officials. (Stanton and Clift, 7/18)
CapRadio:
‘Safe House’ Opens For Older, Unhoused Sacramentans And Victims Of Abuse, Neglect
Older adults make up the fastest-growing share of California’s homeless population. To meet their needs locally, Sacramento County this spring opened Nottoli Place, a small shelter or “safe house” for adults ages 60 and up who are homeless or victims of abuse or neglect. (Nichols, 7/19)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat:
Napa City Council OKs Plan To Transform Motel 6 Into Housing For Homeless Individuals
The Napa City Council unanimously approved a plan Tuesday evening to lease out Motel 6 on Solano Avenue to be used as transitional housing for homeless residents currently living in encampments. (Booth, 7/18)
CIDRAP:
Study Shows Dogs Can Detect COVID-19 Faster, Better Than Most PCR Tests
A new review of literature on COVID-19–sniffing canines shows dogs outperformed or matched reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests or antigen tests in detecting the novel coronavirus among humans or patient samples containing sweat, saliva, or urine. (Soucheray, 7/18)
AP:
Border Patrol Fails To Assess Medical Needs For Children With Preexisting Conditions, Report Says
Border Patrol does not have protocols for assessing medical needs of children with preexisting conditions, according to an independent report made public Tuesday on the death of an 8-year-old girl from Panama who was in federal custody. The girl’s death was “a preventable tragedy that resulted from” failures in “medical and custodial systems for children” within U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency that includes the Border Patrol, the report found. (Cruz and Gonzalez, 7/19)
The Hill:
Vaping Harms Heart And Lungs: American Heart Association
The use of e-cigarettes was found to have a negative impact on the heart and lungs as the American Heart Association (AHA) calls for further research into the issue. “E-cigarettes deliver numerous substances into the body that are potentially harmful, including chemicals and other compounds that are likely not known to or understood by the user,” volunteer chair of the AHA scientific statement writing committee Jason Rose said in a new scientific statement released Monday. (Sforza, 7/18)
PolitcoPro:
Experts Say The Biden Administration Could Blow Its Biggest Chance To Get Smokers To Quit
The FDA has not approved a smoking cessation tool in more than a decade, leading many experts to question its strategy to help Americans reduce the leading cause of preventable cancer. (Foley, 7/18)