Latest Morning Briefing Stories
A Family Wellness Check: California Invests in Treating Parents and Children Together
The state will be the first to offer comprehensive counseling services to parents during pediatric visits as part of Medicaid.
California’s Highest Covid Infection Rates Shift to Rural Counties
As vaccination rates rise across the state, the overall numbers of covid cases and deaths have plunged. But health officials are still reporting nearly 1,000 new cases and more than two dozen deaths a day. So, where does covid continue to simmer in California? And why?
California Lawmakers Push Feds to Allow a Therapy That Pays Meth Users to Abstain
The approach, known as contingency management, has helped thousands of veterans kick the methedrine habit, but a federal government ruling has limited its use. California hopes to challenge that and make the treatment a Medi-Cal benefit.
Unprecedented Lobbying Effort Scores Big Win for California Public Health
After years of unstable funding, California’s 2022-23 budget will include a dramatic new investment in public health. Insiders say a powerhouse lobbying campaign made all the difference.
Without Enough Boots on the Ground, California’s Vaccination Efforts Falter
California’s vaccination rates have stagnated, particularly in Black and Latino inner-city neighborhoods and in rural towns. County health officials, who say trust is their most important commodity, need more money for one-on-one interactions with holdouts, but the state has instead largely funneled money to advertising firms and tech companies.
Doctors’ Lobby Scores ‘Major Victory’ on Bill to Hold Physicians Accountable
Patients and some lawmakers have long blasted the Medical Board of California for failing to discipline negligent or abusive physicians. But the politically powerful California Medical Association, which represents doctors, has mobilized against the latest attempt to give the board more money and power to investigate complaints.
‘It’s a Mission’: Volunteers Treat Refugees Massing at the Border
A growing number of Mexican and Central American migrants are trying to cross into the U.S. at the southern border. Volunteers at one free clinic in Tijuana tend to the health needs of migrants waiting for their immigration cases to come up — and simply trying to survive in packed and dangerous encampments.
Nurses and Docs at Long Beach Center ‘Consider It an Honor’ to Care for Migrant Children
Health care workers find it easy to empathize with Central American children after their painful journeys to the U.S.
Not All Experts Are Ready to Vaccinate Kids Against Covid
Rare reports of minor heart damage have convinced some scientists that further study is needed before racing to extend covid shots to more children.
Collecting FEMA Funeral Money Takes Some Tenacity — And Help
A federal program to help with the funeral expenses for people who died of covid is a challenge for grieving family members who aren’t fluent in English or the ways of a bureaucracy.
Being Vaccinated Doesn’t Mean You Must Go Maskless. Here’s Why.
It won’t hurt to remain cautious, even as California reopens for business in response to mass vaccinations and diminishing cases of covid.
Can a Subscription Model Fix Primary Care in the US?
Medical subscriptions, a $199 million CEO payday and the race to fix primary care in the U.S. One Medical is betting big that a subscription model can fix primary care. But the firm faces competition from CVS, Target and large hospital systems.
Lawmakers Pressure Newsom to ‘Step Up’ on Racism as a Public Health Issue
California Democratic lawmakers are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to approve $100 million per year to fund programs that address health inequality and structural racism.
From Racial Justice to Dirty Air, California’s New AG Plots a Progressive Health Care Agenda
In a candid interview, California’s newly appointed attorney general, Rob Bonta, reflects on his progressive roots and says he will pursue a health care agenda centered on the principle that quality medical care is a right, not a privilege.
Confronting Our ‘Frailties’: California’s Assembly Leader Reflects on a Year of Covid
California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon says covid exposed long-standing health care inequities that must be addressed. He told KHN he wants to get more people insured, boost broadband access so more patients can use telehealth and increase funding to local health departments.
Despite Pandemic, Newsom Declines to Boost Local Public Health Budgets — Again
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has, for the third consecutive year, rejected new state funding for local public health departments. Frustrated legislative leaders and public health officials are trying to change his mind.
Homicides Surge in California Amid Covid Shutdowns of Schools, Youth Programs
California endured a brutal spike in homicides in 2020 across large swaths of the state, registering the largest year-over-year increase in victims in three decades. Experts cite as one significant factor a rise in gang violence fueled by pandemic shutdowns of schools, sports leagues and programs for at-risk youth.
You’ve Added Your Kids to Your Health Plan. What About Mom?
A bill in the California legislature would require state-regulated health plans to cover policyholders’ dependent parents. Advocates say the measure would reduce the number of uninsured people, while business groups warn of premium increases.
Covid Fears Keep Many Latino Kids out of Classrooms
Latinos got hit disproportionately hard by covid-19. When faced with the choice of sending their kids back to school or keeping them in online classes, many Latino parents say their kids are safer at home.
Salesforce, Google, Facebook. How Big Tech Undermines California’s Public Health System.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has outsourced his way through the covid-19 pandemic, tasking his private-sector allies in Silicon Valley and the health care industry with fundamental public health duties such as testing, tracing and vaccination. Among the losers: the state’s weakened public health system.
