Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CalMatters: ‘There Is Nothing Else’: Californians Face Eviction As Insurer Cancels Assisted Living Benefit
Thousands of California families are facing abrupt cancellations of coverage for assisted living as insurer Health Net adjusts the benefits it provides. (Hwang, 8/17)
The San Diego Union-Tribune: El Cajon Leaders Considering Potential Acquisition Of Kaiser’s Vacant Hospital Lot
Citing longtime delays, officials are mulling their legal options to force progress on Kaiser Permanente’s vacant 25-acre site long planned for a regional hospital. (Elsmore, 8/17)
The Oaklandside: Healthcare Jobs Are Booming In California. This OUSD Program Is Building A Pipeline
The district received a $500,000 grant from Sutter Health to expand training opportunities for EMTs, nursing assistants, and emergency room technicians. (McBride, 8/17)
Southern California News Group: Locally Trained Midwives Are ‘Untapped Resource’ Amid OB-GYN Shortage
Cal State Fullerton offers one of the only midwife training programs in the state, and the only master's program for nurse-midwives on the West Coast. (Fobar, 8/14)
Daily Democrat: Corner Drug Co. In Woodland Turns Vandalized Storefront Into Opportunity For Unity
“To the person that did this: we can fix a window but you will always be broken,” wrote Erik Daniells, owner of the Corner Drug Co. Pharmacy. (Heeden, 8/17)
The Oaklandside: Alameda County Officials Approve $1.5M For Gender-Affirming Care, LGBTQ Health
The Board of Supervisors greenlighted the funding amid federal threats to transgender care. (Wolfe, 8/14)
Bay Area Reporter: Point Of Pride Opens Trans Health Funding
Trans people in need of gender-affirming and wellness services can now apply to the Point of Pride’s Thrive Fund. (Laird, 8/18)
Capital & Main: Mental Health Workers Say Algorithmic Triage Is Hurting Patients
Workers and policymakers are pushing for safeguards around AI’s use in health care through collective bargaining and legislation. (Romeo, 8/18)
TheSan Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego Congressional Reps Ask For Investigation Into USS Abraham Lincoln Deployment
The Democratic legislators are asking for a review of the conditions on the aircraft carrier as well as information about the sailors' access to mental health support. (Lunetta, 8/17)
The Sacramento Bee: Bill For Health Inspections Of Detention Facilities Halted
Senate Bill 995, known as the Masuma Khan Justice Act, would have mandated adherence to occupational safety and health regulations in an effort to address reported deficiencies in access to mental health and medical care. (Williams, 8/17)
The Orange County Register: CalOptima’s Street Medicine Program Expands To Four More OC Cities
Starting as soon as next summer, providers will drive through neighborhoods in Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Seal Beach and Westminster, reaching out to and treating unhoused individuals in those communities from vans outfitted with medical equipment. (Wang, 8/18)
Palo Alto Daily Post: City May Put The Homeless In City Buildings During Inclement Weather
Palo Alto City Manager Ed Shikada wants to expand a program that allows the homeless to sleep in more city-owned buildings, churches or nonprofit spaces during storms and also when it’s hot. (Cartwright, 8/17)
Manteca/Ripon Bulletin: Homeless Numbers In SJ County Plunge 30 Percent In 2 Years
San Joaquin County’s homeless population is down 30 percent since 2024. (Wyatt, 8/13)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Deep Cuts To Special Education Programs Mark New Era At Santa Rosa City Schools
Starting this school year in Santa Rosa, the roughly 100 students who had been enrolled in a special day class for students with special needs will be relocated, and the special day classes will cease to exist. (Gutierrez, 8/15)
EdSource: A Canceled Grant Program Deemed ‘Discriminatory’ By Trump Spurs Cuts At California Colleges
Across California colleges, programs previously funded by Hispanic-Serving Institutions grants are shutting down, as the Trump administration has declared those grant programs discriminatory. (Burke, 8/18)
Santa Cruz Sentinel: Cabrillo College Human Services Program Receives Statewide Accreditation
The Human Services program offers pathways in general human services, as well as drug and alcohol studies to prepare students for careers in behavioral health, social services, addiction treatment, child welfare and other fields. (Gillette, 8/14)
Healdsburg Tribune: A Safe Space For Students Under Stress
The High School Wellness Center faces a significant threat due to school district budget cuts that have eliminated the full-time intake coordinator position. This role is essential for keeping the center open during school hours to meet the needs of Healdsburg students. (8/12)
KQED: Kennedy High Clears Toxic-Vapor Test In Time For First Day Back
State testing shows no sign that classroom air is polluted with a carcinogenic dry-cleaning solvent found in soil beneath the Richmond campus. (Ali-Ahmad, 8/17)
The Mendocino Voice: Potter Valley Elementary School’s Water Fix Finally Comes Together
Bacteria made the school’s well unsafe. The district paid the price while the state spent hundreds of thousands on studies. (Coryell, 8/17)
Santa Monica Daily Press: Santa Monica Teen Launches Program Pairing Teens With Seniors
This fall, 15-year-old New Roads School sophomore Kyleigh Belle Butler will launch the Belle's Moments program at two senior living communities — Ivy Park Santa Monica and Westmont Culver City — pairing student volunteers with residents in an effort to reduce loneliness among older adults. (Alin, 8/17)
VC Star: Camarillo Woman Who Woke Up Paralyzed Helps Others Regain Power
Julienne Dallara struggled with denial when she was suddenly paralyzed 30 years ago. Now she advocates for the disabled. (Kisken, 8/17)
Imperial Valley Press Online: ‘They Just Ignore Me’: 15-Year Fight For Sidewalk Ramps Highlights Accessibility Divide In El Centro
In a neighborhood home to many elderly residents, the absence of ADA-compliant ramps has turned routine trips to nearby Zapata Park or medical appointments into hazardous obstacle courses. (Bojorquez, 8/15)
San Francisco Chronicle: California Keeps Childhood Vaccine Rules Despite Trump Order
California will keep its childhood vaccine recommendations, school rules and insurance coverage despite Trump’s order calling for fewer shots. (Ho, 8/13)
San Francisco Chronicle: COVID Is Surging In California. Should You Get Vaccinated Now?
California’s COVID activity is again peaking higher in summer than winter, prompting officials to urge some residents not to wait for the fall vaccine update. (Ho, 8/13)
Santa Barbara Independent: Sutter Health Confirms Measles Case At One Of Its Facilities In Santa Barbara County
According to Independent sources, at least one cancer patient had been exposed to a measles patient at the Ridley Tree Cancer Center and was instructed to immediately go to the Cottage Hospital Emergency Department for immunoglobulin infusions — injections of concentrated antibodies. Another three Ridley Tree cancer patients were reportedly exposed to an unvaccinated individual. (Welsh, 8/14)
VC Star: Connection Found In Ventura County, Santa Barbara County Measles Cases
A Ventura County resident and a Santa Barbara County resident who each tested positive for measles were on the same international flight, state officials confirmed. (Kisken, 8/18)
Chico Enterprise-Record: Butte County Confirms First West Nile Death Of The Year
The first person who died locally this year from the West Nile virus, confirmed by Butte County Public Health, was between 80 and 90 years old. (Hutchison, 8/13)
Appeal-Democrat: Health Officials Confirm Human West Nile Infections In Yuba And Sutter Counties
Yuba County confirmed the first case of West Nile Virus within its borders this year on Friday. Today, Sutter added that it had a case, too. (8/17)
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Salmonella Outbreak Grows To 21 Cases, Seven Hospitalizations
A Ramona poultry ranch was named as source of raw eggs used to make mayonnaise linked to infections. (Sisson, 8/17)
San Francisco Examiner: San Francisco Sees Fewest Overdose Deaths On Record In July
There were 34 accidental overdose deaths recorded in July — 34.6% fewer than in the same month last year — bringing this year’s total so far to 296, a reduction of nearly 30% in the total number of deaths so far in 2026 compared with the same period last year. (Gurevich, 8/14)
The San Diego Union-Tribune: UCSD Receives $12 Million Grant To Study Link Between Meth Use And HIV
Studies have shown that methamphetamine use significantly increases the risk of HIV infection, especially among men who have unprotected sex with other men. (Sisson, 8/17)
Bay Area News Group: Marin Fall Election Includes Bundle Of Ballot Measures
The biggest pitch is Measure CC, a citizen-led initiative seeking to raise $372 million over the next 30 years to modernize MarinHealth Medical Center. (Rosenfeld, 8/13)
Southern California News Group: Audit: Former OC Health Care Chief Dismissed Staff Concerns About Contracts Linked To Andrew Do
A new independent audit on contracts linked to ex-Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do called out former OC Health Care Agency Director Dr. Clayton Chau and former CEO Frank Kim for doing little to investigate staff concerns over potential conflicts with an organization employing Do’s daughter. (Saavedra and Wang, 8/12)
Santa Monica Daily Press: Santa Monica Approves $9.2M Human Services Grants Program
Operating for more than 50 years, the program is the city's single largest source of funds for local nonprofits and underwrites a social safety net serving residents from infancy to old age. (Alin, 8/17)
Manteca/Ripon Bulletin: 67% Yes Vote: Ripon Fire Parcel Tax Passes
Ripon Consolidated Fire District will be doubling its frontline firefighting personnel and be able to reduce response times to many emergency calls starting as early as February. (Wyatt, 8/15)
Bay Area News Group: Meta Goes On Trial In Oakland Over Alleged Harms To Children, With Up To $1.4 Trillion At Stake
States want the company to remove allegedly addictive features, limit minors’ use and delete data collected from children under 13. (Baron, 8/18)
