KPBS: Kaiser Mental Health Workers’ Strike Hits Fifth Week Amid Allegations Of Patient Care Violations 
The strike by Kaiser Permanente mental health workers is in its fifth week. On Friday, the union filed a complaint with the California Department of Public Health alleging patient care violations due to understaffing. Elizabeth Meza, a hospice clinical social worker with Kaiser San Diego for 14 years, said she is concerned about the impact the strike is having on patients and their families. (de Marco, 11/19)

Becker's Hospital Review: California System Pushes To Dismiss Lawsuit Over Alleged Misuse Of $1B
Fresno, Calif.-based Community Health System filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit alleging it misused $1 billion in tax dollars intended to serve low-income patients, Fresnoland reported Nov. 15. The health system filed the motion to dismiss "with prejudice" on Nov. 12, according to Fresnoland. Nonprofit organizations Cultiva La Salud and Fresno Building Health Communities filed the complaint Aug. 7. (Kuchno, 11/19)

Los Angeles Times: Feds Raise Concern About Maternal Care For Black Cedars-Sinai Patients
Federal investigators looking into the treatment of Black pregnant patients at Cedars-Sinai Health System have found evidence that federal laws against discrimination may not have been followed, according to a “letter of concern.” “Our investigation has uncovered evidence that Cedars-Sinai may have engaged in a pattern of inaction and/or neglect concerning the health risks associated with Black maternity patients,” the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights said in its Nov. 12 letter to Cedars-Sinai officials. (Alpert Reyes, 11/20)

Modesto Bee: Modesto CA Hospital Ranked Safest In Area By Leapfrog Group
A Stanislaus County hospital has earned recognition as one of the nation’s safest, according to The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit organization dedicated to evaluating patient safety and care. The group regularly releases Hospital Safety Grade reports for nearly 3,000 general hospitals across the United States. (Rodriguez, 11/19)

Fresno Bee: How Safe Are Merced County Hospitals? Here's How Local Medical Centers Ranked In New Report
Two Merced County hospitals are among the safest in the nation, according to a nonprofit organization that studies patient safety and care. The group regularly releases Hospital Safety Grade reports for nearly 3,000 general hospitals across the United States. (Galan, 11/19)

Capital & Main: Dismissive Doctors, Crowded Clinics And Memory Loss
The doctor wasn’t listening. A receptionist had accused her of making things up. The medicine in the chest patch she wore to maintain her cognition made her so nauseous that she went to the hospital. The Rev. Carolyn Habersham had a sermon to deliver at the end of that week, but her brain had been gradually deteriorating. That made the normal few hours of preparation stretch for days. Habersham said it was her week of revelation. (Sánchez-Tello, 11/19)

Modern Healthcare: Change Healthcare Breach: Clearinghouse Platform Restored
Change Healthcare’s vital clearinghouse platform has been restored after a cyberattack on the UnitedHealth Group subsidiary caused unprecedented billing and payment disruptions for providers nationwide, the company announced on its status webpage. This is a big step for the technology company after its systems were taken offline following a February ransomware attack that caused widespread disruptions throughout the healthcare system. (Berryman, 11/19)

Los Angeles Times: Trump Nominates Mehmet Oz Of TV Fame To Head Medicare-Medicaid Agency
President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday he plans to nominate Mehmet Oz, a celebrity heart surgeon and former daytime television host, as administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Oz, a 64-year-old cardiothoracic surgeon, has no experience running a government agency, and has been accused by many U.S. physicians and other health experts of peddling pseudoscience. (Jarvie, 11/19)

Stat: Dr. Mehmet Oz Tapped To Lead Medicare, Medicaid: Trump Transition
Oz spent the bulk of his medical and academic career at Columbia University, where he was a professor of medicine and a celebrated cardiothoracic surgeon. In 2022, Columbia cut ties with him after facing pressure to do so for nearly a decade. Oz has faced Senate grilling before for his promotion of weight-loss products on his show. He told senators in 2014 that his image and quotes were used unfairly to hawk scam products. This time around, early signs from the Senate are positive. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician who sits on the committee that will handle Oz’s nomination, wrote on the social platform X: “Glad to hear Dr. Oz has been nominated for CMS administrator. It has been over a decade since a physician has been at the helm of CMS, and I look forward to discussing his priorities.” (Zhang, Owermohle, Facher and Bannow, 11/19)

Politico: Trump Picks Dr. Oz To Be CMS Administrator 
Oz has been a major supporter of Medicare Advantage, the Medicare-approved private option that has grown in popularity but has come under intense scrutiny for care denials and alleged overbilling. During his Senate campaign, Oz pushed a “Medicare Advantage for All” plan that would expand the program. “These plans are popular among seniors, consistently provide quality care and have a needed incentive to keep costs low,” Oz said in an AARP candidate questionnaire. In August, he posted a YouTube video to his nearly 2 million subscribers on “the benefits of enrolling” in Medicare Advantage. (Leonard and King, 11/19)

Axios: What To Know About CMS And How Dr. Oz Could Lead It
Dr. Mehmet Oz would be in a position to grant waiver requests from conservative-led states intent on reshaping Medicaid, including imposing work requirements on recipients, which is something the first Trump administration tried to do. (Habeshian, 11/20)

KFF Health News: From Dr. Oz To Heart Valves: A Tiny Device Charted A Contentious Path Through The FDA 
In 2013, the FDA approved an implantable device to treat leaky heart valves. Among its inventors was Mehmet Oz, the former television personality and former U.S. Senate candidate widely known as “Dr. Oz.” In online videos, Oz has called the process that brought the MitraClip device to market an example of American medicine firing “on all cylinders,” and he has compared it to “landing a man on the moon.” (Hilzenrath and Hacker, 7/9)

Stars and Stripes: Sweeping Bill To Expand Veteran Health Care Outside VA Passes House 
The House passed a sweeping package of measures Monday to expand and strengthen private-sector medical care outside the Department of Veterans Affairs. The package will increase coverage for in-home care of disabled and aging veterans, fund mental health counseling for home-based caregivers and better integrate information on private clinicians in the VA’s computer system to facilitate appointments and sharing patient records. The omnibus package — known as the Sen. Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act —was approved 389-9, with support fairly even along party lines. (Hersey, 11/19)

The Hill: Donald Trump Urges Senate To Halt Judicial Confirmations Before Inauguration
President-elect Trump on Tuesday called for the Senate to stop confirming judges before he is sworn into office, amid a frantic effort from Democrats to confirm President Biden’s nominees. “The Democrats are trying to stack the Courts with Radical Left Judges on their way out the door. Republican Senators need to Show Up and Hold the Line — No more Judges confirmed before Inauguration Day!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told colleagues on the Senate floor Monday to confirm as many judicial nominees as they can before the new year, which could mean weekend and Christmas recess votes for the upper chamber. (Gangitano, 11/19)

San Francisco Chronicle: Republican Targets New Transgender House Colleague With Bathroom Bill
A Republican lawmaker is using the election of the first openly transgender member of Congress as a vehicle to introduce a new “bathroom bill” proposal to ban transgender people from using restrooms aligned with their gender identity in the U.S. Capitol. Rep.-elect Sarah McBride, a Democrat, will be the first transgender lawmaker after winning Delaware’s sole House seat. While she and other incoming members were going through orientation, one of her new colleagues, Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, introduced a resolution directly aimed at her. (Stein, 11/19)

The 19th: Congress Has Always Been Hostile To Women Trying To Use The Bathroom
The first woman entered Congress in 1917. It would take 45 years for the seat of legislative power in the United States to give women their own bathroom. Now, bathroom access for women on the Hill could be restricted yet again — but not because of men. South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican who in 2021 stated that she supported transgender equality, has introduced a bill that would ban transgender women from accessing women’s restrooms and facilities in the U.S. Capitol. (Rummler, 11/19)

Fox News: Pro-Life Groups Cautious On RFK Jr. Nomination After Evolving Abortion Views
The nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has rankled some abortion opponents, who are concerned about his past statements expressing a liberal position on reproductive rights. Kennedy, a former Democrat who ran for president as an independent before backing Trump, has said in multiple interviews that while he's "personally pro-life," he does not believe it's the government's role to interfere with a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy. As recently as May, he said a woman should be able to have an abortion when she's full term, although he later walked that statement back and announced support for some restrictions on abortion. (Pandolfo, 11/19)

Vox: Should Democrats Compromise With Republicans On Abortion, If Possible? 
The GOP has signaled some openness to compromise: While campaigning, Trump said he supported abortion exceptions in cases of “rape, incest, and protecting the life of the mother,” and he promised to mandate insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization (IVF). Several Republican lawmakers have backed their own fertility treatment bills. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) backed a Democratic-led IVF measure and speaks openly about his family’s consideration of the procedure. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) has pushed legislation to expand over-the-counter contraception. ... Vox asked six major advocacy groups if they would consider pushing for new federal protections under a Republican-led Congress, be it for IVF, birth control or abortion. (Cohen, 11/20)

Los Angeles Times: Trump Takes A Hard Line On Homelessness. Why L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Hopes To Find Common Ground
President-elect Donald Trump has promised to arrest thousands of homeless people sleeping in American streets and move them to large tent cities on “inexpensive land,” one of several planks of his agenda that would upend a national strategy that focuses on finding people housing on a voluntary basis. ... Homeless advocates, who have fought for decades to remove the stigma around people who lack a place to live, are bracing for a multi-pronged battle against policies they deem inhumane. (Bierman, 11/20)

LAist: Audit Finds LA’s Homelessness Agency Misused Funds, Failed To Monitor Contracts
A new audit finds that a Los Angeles homeless services agency with an $875-million annual budget has routinely paid service providers late, failed to track whether contracts were followed and, in some cases, gave taxpayer funds meant for other purposes to providers who weren’t supposed to receive the money. The findings released Tuesday night by the L.A. County Auditor-Controller’s office highlight long-standing issues at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) and raise new questions about how the agency is spending large pools of public money. (Wagner, 11/19)

Los Angeles Times: Fresno Has A Homeless Problem. So Why Reject State-Funded Housing?
Dez Martinez greeted the homeless dwellers of Santa Clara Street on a recent October afternoon with open arms and a warm smile. As she walked through Fresno’s version of Skid Row, homeless residents waved in greeting from the tents and tarps lining both sides of the street. “I need help,” one man told her as she offered him a hug. She gave him her cellphone number and email. She also offered a warning: He should be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. The city was preparing to sweep the street encampment, and this time would be arresting people under a new ordinance that bans camping in public spaces. (Gomez, 11/20)

Voice of San Diego: New Rules Dictate When Shelters Can Boot Homeless Residents
The city’s housing agency last month set new rules on when homeless residents can get kicked out of city-backed shelters, campsites and parking programs. For years, city-funded shelters established their own rules and the city didn’t track how many people they forced out. Then city officials learned that one of their foremost service providers was booting more homeless residents than others and disproportionately removing Black clients. (Halverstadt, 11/19)

Los Angeles Times: State Drug Task Force Halts $11.9 Million In Fentanyl, Governor Says
Amid an ongoing opioid crisis, a special task force of the California National Guard helped seize 1,542 pounds of fentanyl last month, with a street value of about $11.9 million, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday. The nationwide opioid crisis continues to plague California — even as individual counties record a plateau in deaths related to drug overdoses. (Mendez, 11/19)

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento Narrowly Approves Cannabis Lounge Pilot Program
City council members voted to advance cannabis lounges in Sacramento, setting the stage for a new test case for the region’s industry. The ordinance passed by a 5-4 vote, despite weeks of steady opposition from Councilmember Eric Guerra and public health organizations. Guerra — along with representatives from the American Heart Association and American Cancer Society — raised concerns about the effects of secondhand smoke on the lounges’ patrons, employees and neighbors. (Merrilees, 11/19)

San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego Tragedy Inspired Life Of Blood Donation For Tierrasanta Man 
From helping a friend with sickle cell anemia to making a 512-mile round trip to donate every other Sunday, every one of the dozen Americans inducted into the National Blood Donation Hall of Fame this year has an inspiring story, but none is quite as visceral as Ray Lebron’s. (Sisson, 11/19)

Los Angeles Times: Can You Stay Politically Engaged Without Sacrificing Mental Health?
It’s been two weeks since Donald Trump won the presidential election, but Stacey Lamirand’s brain hasn’t stopped churning. “I still think about the election all the time,” said the 60-year-old Bay Area resident, who wanted a Kamala Harris victory so badly that she flew to Pennsylvania and knocked on voters’ doors in the final days of the campaign. “I honestly don’t know what to do about that.” Neither do the psychologists and political scientists who have been tracking the country’s slide toward toxic levels of partisanship. (Kaplan, 11/20)

NBC News: Biden Unlikely To Ban Menthol Cigarettes, Despite Urging From Health Officials
The U.S. surgeon general said Tuesday that a federal ban on menthol cigarettes would be one of the most effective ways to slash tobacco-related illnesses and deaths among Black people — even as the clock winds down on the Biden administration’s ability to do anything about it. The long-standing promise of a ban on menthol cigarettes, which has been years in the making, is unlikely to move forward before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. (Edwards and Alba, 11/19)

NBC News: Gays Vape At Significantly Higher Rates, Surgeon General's Report Finds
As vaping’s popularity endures, a report issued by the surgeon general’s office Tuesday shows that LGBTQ Americans are among those helping to keep smoke shops in business. The surgeon general’s 837-page report on tobacco use found that 37.8% of gay, lesbian and bisexual U.S. adults have tried electronic cigarettes, compared with just 16.5% of their straight counterparts. Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, include e-cigars, e-pipes, e-hookahs, vaping pens and hookah pens. (Lavietes, 11/19)

CBS News: Lung Cancer Survival Rate Improves But The Disease Still Remains Leading Cause Of Cancer Deaths
The survival rate for people with lung cancer is improving, according to the new State of Lung Cancer report. The American Lung Association report says there have been important advances in early detection and treatments but lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths. ... The new report shows the lung cancer survival rate has improved 26% in the last five years. Temple lung surgeon Dr. Jamie Garfield, who's also a spokesperson for the lung association, says fewer people are smoking — the leading cause of lung cancer. (Stahl and Nau, 11/19)

The Mercury News: Study: Air Pollution Tied To Higher Rates Of Head, Neck Cancer
It’s no secret that air pollution is tied to lung disease and cancer, but a new study sheds light on the significant role of pollution when it comes to head and neck cancer. Mass General Brigham researchers have found that air pollution is linked to higher rates of head and neck aerodigestive cancer. “While there has been substantial research investigating the effects of air pollutants on lung disease, few studies have focused on air pollution exposure as a risk factor for the upper airway, including the development of head and neck cancer,” said study senior author Stella Lee. (Sobey, 11/19)

Becker's Hospital Review: CDC Panel Backs Proposed Mask Guidance
A CDC advisory committee convened last week to revisit the agency's draft infection control guidelines for healthcare facilities, voting in favor of recommendations that remain largely unchanged despite ongoing criticism. The Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee initially approved the draft recommendations in November 2023. After facing pushback from nurses and other industry members, the CDC in January requested additional clarifications from the advisory group on its isolation precautions guideline, including whether N95s should be required and under what specific circumstances. (Bean, 11/19)

The Wall Street Journal: How Science Lost America’s Trust And Surrendered Health Policy To Skeptics
The rise of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from fringe figure to the prospective head of U.S. health policy was fueled by skepticism and distrust of the medical establishment—views that went viral in the Covid-19 pandemic. People once dismissed for their disbelief in conventional medicine are now celebrating a new champion in Washington. Scientists, meanwhile, are trying to figure how they could have managed the pandemic without setting off a populist movement they say threatens longstanding public-health measures. (Whyte, 11/19)

Bloomberg: Scientists Search For Next Pandemic Virus In Remote Jungles
Deep in the Amazon rainforest, where Colombia stretches down to touch Peru and Brazil, Hospital San Rafael is overwhelmed. It’s a sweltering spring afternoon, and the rows of white plastic chairs inside the clinic are packed. They have been for days. Some patients are slumped in their seats, eyes closed, breathing slowly. Others, masks at their chins, yell after children running through the hallway. The humidity makes 90F feel well over 100. A few people are fanning themselves with medical records. (Griffin, 11/20)