Daily Edition for Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Trump Decree Says There Are No Transgender People, Only Women And Men: President Donald Trump signed executive orders Monday asserting that the U.S. government recognizes only two sexes that are “not changeable.” Read more from the Los Angeles Times and Advocate. He also cleared the way to ban transgender people from the military. Read more from The 19th.
Amid Wildfire Trauma, L.A. County Dispatches Mental Health Workers to Evacuees
By Molly Castle Work
Catastrophic wildfires are common in California, and mental health specialists have become a key part of local governments’ response to extreme weather events, which scientists say are becoming more intense and frequent due to climate change. Los Angeles County has been modifying its approach with each disaster.
Dogs Paired With Providers at Hospitals Help Ease Staff and Patient Stress
By John Daley, Colorado Public Radio
Some hospitals are bringing in dogs to spend entire shifts with doctors and nurses. The trained canines help staffers cope with the stress of their work amid high levels of burnout.
Days From Trump Inauguration, Journalists Weigh California, Federal Health Policies
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on regional media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Daily Edition for Friday, January 17, 2025
Stomach Virus Circulating Among Wildfire Evacuees: Health officials confirmed Thursday that a stomach bug is circulating among people at the wildfire evacuation center in Pasadena. They have been unable to determine the cause of the virus. However, norovirus is circulating throughout the wider Los Angeles County population. Read more from the Los Angeles Times and Palm Springs Desert Sun. Keep scrolling for more on the wildfires.
Junk Food Turns Public Villain as Power Shifts in Washington
By Stephanie Armour and David Hilzenrath
Some Trump insiders are ready to take on the food industry. It remains to be seen whether their entrée will result in any meaningful change in government oversight of “Big Food” — or in American health.
La comida chatarra es la nueva villana de Washington
By Stephanie Armour and David Hilzenrath
Los candidatos a las principales agencias de salud están apuntando a los alimentos ultraprocesados, que representan aproximadamente el 70% del suministro de alimentos de Estados Unidos.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Hello, Trump. Bye-Bye, Biden.
With just days to go before the official launch of a new administration, the GOP-led Congress is putting together plans on how to enact incoming President Donald Trump’s agenda, with a particular emphasis on cutting spending on the Medicaid program. Meanwhile, the Biden administration makes major moves in its last days, including banning a controversial food dye and ordering cigarette companies to minimize their nicotine content. Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Harris Meyer, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News “Bill of the Month” feature, about a colonoscopy that came with a much larger price tag than estimated.
Daily Edition for Thursday, January 16, 2025
First Covid, Now Wildfires: California Teens Say Their Mental Health Is Suffering: The disaster has again disrupted the education and nutrition of thousands of children. In Pasadena alone, five school sites have been destroyed or severely damaged. “The pandemic took a really hard toll on my mental health, and getting back into a regular schedule and going to a campus ... was really healing,” said Kira Weibel, a senior at Aveson Global Leadership Academy. “And now all of it’s gone.” Read more from the Los Angeles Times. Scroll down for more news about the wildfires.
Childhood Vaccination Rates, a Rare Health Bright Spot in Struggling States, Are Slipping
By Daniel Chang and Sam Whitehead
Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia — states with some of the worst health outcomes — also have some of the highest childhood vaccination rates. But doctors and health officials worry a rising tide of vaccine skepticism is causing those public health bright spots to dim.
