US Judge Names Receiver To Take Over California Prisons’ Mental Health Program
By Don Thompson
A federal judge has named a receiver to run California’s troubled prison mental health system. Colette Peters, a reformist with a rocky tenure as director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, will have four months to develop a plan to adequately care for tens of thousands of prisoners.
Daily Edition for Thursday, March 20, 2025
University of California Announces Hiring Freeze: Harm to academic and scientific research. Worse patient care at health centers. Those are some of the impacts officials fear will result from an across-the-board hiring freeze announced Wednesday by the 10-campus University of California in response to threatened cuts in federal funding and worries about state budget support. Read more from EdSource, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Bay Area News Group.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, March 19, 2025
El Cajon Bans Vaping Devices That Look Like Pens, USB Drives: In what could be the first of its kind in the nation, a ban against selling vaping devices disguised as other things was unanimously approved by the City Council on Tuesday. The devices can be disguised as pens, fidget spinners, smart watches, hand-held electronic games, USB drives, staplers, and beverage containers. Read more from The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Amid Plummeting Diversity at Medical Schools, a Warning of DEI Crackdown’s ‘Chilling Effect’
By Annie Sciacca
Enrollment of underrepresented groups at medical schools fell precipitously this academic year after the Supreme Court’s 2023 ban on affirmative action. Education and health experts worry the Trump administration’s anti-DEI measures will only worsen the situation, even in states like California that have navigated bans on race-conscious admissions for years.
Tribal Health Leaders Say Medicaid Cuts Would Decimate Health Programs
By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
As Congress mulls significant cuts to Medicaid, Native American tribes are bracing for potentially devastating financial fallout. That’s because Medicaid is the largest third-party payer for Native American health programs, funding that has helped address chronic underfunding of the Indian Health Service.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Madera Hospital Reopens Today: Madera Community Hospital will reopen to patients Tuesday morning, state legislators announced Monday. The hospital will begin seeing patients at 10 a.m., putting an end to a more than two-year closure that displaced patients and health care workers. Read more from The Fresno Bee and the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative.
Her Case Changed Trans Care in Prison. Now Trump Aims To Reverse Course.
By Bram Sable-Smith
President Donald Trump ordered a halt to gender-affirming medical care for transgender prisoners in federal custody, and to housing trans women in female prisons. The new policies raise alarms for a formerly incarcerated trans woman. She said the order denies lifesaving medical care and creates a road map for rape.
Congressman Blames Trump for Ending Telehealth Medicare Benefit. That’s Not Quite Right.
By Suz Redfearn
Rep. Ro Khanna of California warned of Trump administration “cuts” to Medicare telehealth access hitting March 31. But if Medicare recipients lose telemedicine benefits that day, it will be because Congress failed to act.
Daily Edition for Monday, March 17, 2025
SF Launches One-Year Effort To Reform Homelessness And Mental Health Services: San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is expected to sign an executive directive today that lays out how he wants to make near- and long-term improvements to city systems that assist people who are unhoused or mentally ill. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle. Keep reading for more on the housing crisis.
Checking the Facts on Medicaid Use by Latinos
By Paula Andalo and Isabel Rubio, Factchequeado
Republicans’ moves to scale back Medicaid are leading to more misinformation about immigrants, especially Latinos, circulating on social media platforms. The misconceptions include the myths that Latinos covered by Medicaid don’t work and that they use Medicaid significantly more than others.
