Bay Area News Group: Children's Hospital Oakland's Pioneering Gene Therapy Aims To Free Patients Of Blood Disease. Is A Cure At Hand?
Born with a deadly blood disease, the Finlayson’s daughters — Ada, 9, and Lily, 12 — are the first patients on the West Coast to receive a new gene therapy offered by UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. (Krieger, 10/25)

Becker's Hospital Review: UCI Health Acquires Oncology Practices
Orange County, Calif.-based UCI Health has acquired radiation oncology centers in Orange County that were previously owned by GenesisCare, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. As part of the acquisition, the health system will rename the Fountain Valley oncology location to UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center-Fountain Valley, according to an Oct. 24 news release from UCI Health. The other center is in Anaheim. (Diaz, 10/24)

EdSource: UC Riverside’s New Health Center At Forefront Of National Student Wellness Trend
A newly built $36 million student health clinic at UC Riverside aims to provide a wide array of medical and mental health services in an attractive building that showcases views of nearby mountains. The two-story Student Health and Counseling Center includes a food pantry, a pharmacy, an outdoor balcony for meditation and waiting rooms that look like hip hotel lobbies. And beyond serving Riverside students, it may become a national model of how campuses are investing more resources to keep their students physically and emotionally well in the post-pandemic era, experts say. (Gordon, 10/25)  

Becker's Hospital Review: Facing Challenges And Finding New Opportunities: Adventist Health CFO
Roseville, Calif.-based Adventist Health is a 26-hospital system serving its home state, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii. The system has more than 400 clinics and 4,500 providers, with staff members totaling approximately 37,000 people. Becker's connected with CFO John Beaman to hear current challenges and strategic initiatives for Adventist. (Thomas, 10/24)

Berkeleyside: Remembering Stephen Fisher, Psychiatrist, Documentarian
As a psychiatrist, Fisher was interested in decriminalizing drug use to support better treatment and expanding services for homeless people. His documentary ‘Veterans Home, Yountville’ appeared on public TV. (Fisher-Golton, 10/24)

Stat: Traditional Chinese Medicine Benefits Explored In New JAMA Study
A traditional Chinese medicine compound used for cardiac benefits might help reduce the incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events and even cardiac death rates, according to a new study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. However, some outside experts expressed skepticism about the result. (Merelli and Herper, 10/24)

San Diego Union-Tribune: In Split Vote, Board Of Supervisors Fails To Back Newsom's Proposed Federal Amendment To Harden Gun Laws
A split county Board of Supervisors failed Tuesday to pass a resolution to back Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal for a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which would harden federal gun laws by adding restrictions to gun ownership. (Figueroa, 10/24)

Capitol Weekly: California Tries New Tack To Support LGBTQ+ Inclusion 
The road to hell is often paved with good intentions, at least according to Senate President pro Tempore and LGBTQ+ community leader Toni Atkins. Which is why Atkins sponsored legislation this year (SB 447) to overturn a California bill adopted in 2016 (AB 1887) that prohibited state-funded travel to other states that had adopted anti-LGBTQ+ laws. (Watts, 10/25)

Stat: New Infertility Definition Includes LGBTQ+ And Single People
Infertility has a new definition in the U.S. — one that could make a big difference to would-be parents who are single or LGBTQ+. Last week, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) issued an expanded description of the condition, stating that infertility involves “the need for medical intervention, including, but not limited to, the use of donor gametes or donor embryos in order to achieve a successful pregnancy either as an individual or with a partner.” (Merelli, 10/24)

The Washington Post: Young Adults Suffer From Anxiety, Depression Twice As Often As Teens 
Young adults in the United States experience anxiety and depression twice as frequently as teenagers, according to a new nationally representative survey by Making Caring Common, a project of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. Thirty-six percent of young adults — ages 18 to 25 — reported anxiety, compared with 18 percent of younger teenagers — ages 14 to 17 — while 29 percent felt depression, compared with 15 percent in the younger age group in the survey. (Lewis, 10/24)

The Washington Post: Is A Lack Of Independence Fueling A Youth Mental Health Crisis? 
For years, Peter Gray, a research professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College, has been closely following two disturbing trends: the dwindling of independent activity and play afforded to children over the past half-century, and the accelerating rise in mental health disorders and suicides among youth during that same period. There are familiar factors that surface in discussions of the youth mental health crisis in America, with screen use and social media often topping the list of concerns. But Gray suspects a deeper underlying issue: The landscape of childhood has transformed in ways that are profoundly affecting the way children develop — by limiting their ability to play independently, to roam beyond the supervision of adults, to learn from peers, and to build resilience and confidence. (Gibson, 10/24)

San Francisco Chronicle: Alaska Air Pilot’s ‘Breakdown’ Spotlights Mental Health Of Aviators
An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot’s attempt to shut down the engines on a San Francisco-bound commercial flight Sunday is drawing renewed attention to airline pilot mental health — a topic long considered taboo in the industry but one that has generated more scrutiny in recent years since the co-pilot of a German jetliner deliberately crashed in the French Alps in 2015, killing himself and 149 others. The off-duty Alaska pilot, Joseph David Emerson, told federal agents he became depressed about six months ago, denied taking medication and talked about having a nervous breakdown and trying psychedelic mushrooms, according to court documents filed Monday. (Ho, 10/24)

San Francisco Chronicle: Feds Claim Alaska Airlines Pilot Accused Of Trying To Bring Down SFO-Bound Plane Was On Magic Mushrooms
An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot accused of trying to shut off the engines of a San Francisco-bound plane on Sunday suggested that he was on psychedelic mushrooms at the time of the incident, and allegedly stated that he “tried to kill everybody,” according to federal court documents. Joseph David Emerson of Pleasant Hill is facing 83 state charges of attempted murder after the alleged attempt to bring the plane down, and court documents made public on Tuesday reveal federal officials will seek additional charges of interference with flight crew members and attendants. He was fired from his job, Alaska Airlines said Tuesday. (Cassidy and Swan, 10/24)

San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego County Advances Its Own Camping Ban 
County officials have moved closer to adopting their own camping ban, following similar measures in the city of San Diego and other area communities, as the number of residents becoming homeless each month continues to outpace the total housed. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors moved unanimously Tuesday to explore increasing limits on where people may sleep outside, although a number of details remain in the air, including the specific places to receive more enforcement. (Nelson, 10/24)

The New York Times: Despite State Bans, Legal Abortions Didn’t Fall Nationwide In Year After Dobbs
In the year after the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to abortion, something unexpected happened: The total number of legal abortions in the United States did not fall. Instead, it appeared to increase slightly, by about 0.2 percent, according to the first full-year count of abortions provided nationwide. This finding came despite the fact that 14 states banned all abortions, and seven imposed new limits on them. Even as those restrictions reduced the legal abortion rate to near zero in some states, there were large increases in places where abortions remained legal. Researchers said they were driven by the expansion of telemedicine for mail-order abortion pills, increased options and assistance for women who traveled, and a surge of publicity about ways to get abortions. (Miller and Sanger-Katz, 10/24)

NPR: Post 'Dobbs' Supreme Court Case, More People Are Traveling To Get An Abortion 
#WeCount, the Society for Family Planning's ongoing tally of abortions in the U.S., indicates the abortion rate has remained relatively steady, but people are traveling to get the procedure. (Simmons-Duffin, 10/25)

Colorado Newsline: Doctor Suing FDA Recruited To Scientific Advisory Board To ‘Repurpose’ Abortion Pill 
One of the anti-abortion doctors suing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to rescind its 2000 approval of a medication abortion regimen on the basis that one of the drugs is dangerous is now consulting on the development of a breast cancer treatment that involves the same drug: mifepristone. It is the family doctor’s latest foray into medical consulting outside his medical certifications. Dr. George Delgado is joining the scientific advisory board of Res Nova Biologics, Inc., which is developing a breast cancer treatment using mifepristone, despite plaintiffs’ arguments in the lawsuit that federal approval was illegally rushed (it was a four-year process) and that the drug’s approved use for first-trimester abortion should be reversed. (Resnick, 10/25)

Military Times: Tricare Won’t Cover Over-The-Counter Birth Control Pill
The first over-the-counter birth control pill available in the U.S. has been Food and Drug Administration-approved since July, but the military’s health insurance isn’t stocking or covering it, according to a letter several senators sent to the Defense Department on Monday. The lawmakers hope that the non-prescription pill will increase access to contraceptives for service members and their dependents. (Myers, 10/24)

KQED: 'It's About Time': Workers At LightHouse For The Blind And Visually Impaired To Vote On Unionizing
Workers at LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired are set to vote on Thursday, Oct. 26, on whether to form a union. If successful, organizers say the nonprofit would be the first organization serving people who are blind or visually impaired to unionize in the Bay Area. LightHouse workers leading the union campaign hope joining the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 29 will improve pay equity and boost job security. (McDede, 10/25)

San Gabriel Valley Tribune: McDonald’s Employees Stage Noon Walkout, Protesting Extreme Heat At Work 
Cooks and cashiers at an East Los Angeles McDonald’s held a lunchtime walkout Tuesday, Oct. 24, claiming kitchen temperatures soared to nearly 100 degrees during last week’s heat wave. (Smith, 10/24)

San Francisco Chronicle: Here Are Some Ballot Measures S.F. Voters Might Face In March
One measure will ask voters if the city should require welfare recipients to submit to regular drug screenings and participate in substance use treatment before receiving aid from the County Adult Assistance Program. (Toledo, 10/24)

The Washington Post: CDC Updates RSV Shot Recommendations Due To Drug Shortages 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health alert Monday in response to limited supplies of an antibody drug designed to protect infants from the respiratory disease RSV. The update comes as RSV cases have started to rise in parts of the United States with the onset of cold and flu season, creating a conundrum for many pediatricians. The CDC is now advising pediatricians and other health-care providers to prioritize administering certain doses of nirsevimab, a monoclonal antibody sold under the brand name Beyfortus, to infants with the highest risk of developing severe respiratory syncytial virus. (Malhi, 10/24)

Politico: ‘On Track’: 3 Percent Of Americans Have Gotten The New Covid Shot, But The CDC Director Remains Confident 
The Biden administration’s campaign to convince Americans to get an annual Covid shot is off to a very slow start. Even so, the nation’s top disease-fighting official says the U.S. remains “on track” to hit last year’s uptake levels, which crested at just 17 percent of the U.S. population. So far, 12 million people, or about 3.6 percent of the population, have gotten the shot in the five weeks since it hit pharmacy shelves — though reporting lags mean it’s likely a bit higher, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Mandy Cohen said. (Cirruzzo, 10/24)

Modern Healthcare: Nursing Homes Face Delays Getting COVID-19 Vaccine
The Health and Human Services Department said Monday it is working to ensure the new COVID-19 vaccine gets to long-term care facilities, following complaints that some nursing homes are struggling to obtain doses for their residents. Trade groups representing long-term care providers and the pharmacies that serve them lay much of the blame on the transition from government distribution of the vaccine to the commercial marketplace, a change that did not give those pharmacies and nursing homes priority access to the vaccine. (Eastabrook and Broderick, 10/24)

The New York Times: Covid Shots May Slightly Raise Stroke Risk In The Oldest Recipients 
The Covid vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna may be linked to a slight increase in the risk of stroke when administered along with a high-dose flu vaccine, according to a new analysis by the Food and Drug Administration. The high-dose flu vaccine is usually given to older people, and the risk association is clearest in adults aged 85 and older. But that increase, if real, seems very small, and it is possible that the risk may stem from the flu vaccine alone. (Mandavilli, 10/24)

CIDRAP: Study: Childcare Centers Not Sites Of Significant COVID Spread
A study today led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine published in JAMA Network Open shows that US childcare centers have not been significant sites of COVID-19 transmission, and the authors suggest that children with COVID-19 in these centers be treated like others with similar non-COVID respiratory illnesses. (Soucheray, 10/24)

Axios: Cruise Ship Passengers Win Carnival COVID Outbreak Lawsuit In Australia
Carnival Cruise Line was deemed "negligent" over a 2020 COVID outbreak aboard the Ruby Princess that resulted in 28 deaths, Australia's Federal Court ruled in a class action lawsuit on Wednesday. Justice Angus Stewart said in a summary that the cruise company "knew or ought to have known about the heightened risk of coronavirus infection on the vessel, and its potentially lethal consequences" before it left Sydney for New Zealand in March 2020, "yet they proceeded regardless." (Falconer, 10/24)

The Washington Post: What’s The Best Diet? A Federal Study Aims To Find Out
The federal government wants you — yes, you — to join a large and ambitious diet study that could change the way we think about the best foods to eat for optimal health. For the most part, nutrition experts know what constitutes a healthy diet. The government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourages people to eat fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seafood, low-fat dairy and lean meat and whole grains, while limiting things such as alcohol, sodium, refined grains and added sugars. (O'Connor, 10/24)

NPR: 'Farm To School' Efforts Expand With A Short-Term Funding Boost 
On a hot, buggy morning in mid August, Derrick Hoffman poked around a densely packed row of bushy cherry tomato plants, looking for the ripest tomatoes. Hoffman and a handful of farm hands were looking for the ones already deepened to the just right shade of red. "Or light orange," Hoffman said. "Because once you put a red one with an orange one, they all turn red. "It's better if they don't all turn red too quickly, Hoffman said, because once these tomatoes leave his 100-acre farm on the outskirts of Greeley, Colo., they have to fit with the lunch service schedule at a local public school. (Solomon, 10/24)