California

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Syphilis Cases in California Drive a Record-Setting Year for STDs Nationwide

KFF Health News Original

New data released Tuesday from the CDC shows sexually transmitted infections reached an all-time high in 2019. The biggest spike was in syphilis cases, which rose 74% between 2015 and 2019. Leading the country in syphilis is California, where men who have sex with men make up half the cases.

Orange County Hospital Seeks Divorce From Large Catholic Health System

KFF Health News Original

Frustration with the standardization of care across 51 hospitals, loss of local control and restrictions on reproductive health care have pitted Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian against the Providence chain.

Doctor Survived Cambodia’s Killing Fields, but Not Covid

KFF Health News Original

Dr. Linath Lim came to the U.S. as a refugee after slaving at work camps under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. Even with little English or education when she arrived, Lim put herself through college and medical school. As an internal medicine doctor in California’s Central Valley, she treated farmworkers and other Cambodian refugees.

California Counties a Hodgepodge of Highs and Lows in Vaccinating Vulnerable Seniors

KFF Health News Original

Like many states, California is seeing huge regional variations in covid vaccination rates for people 65 and older. Remote rural counties are in some cases struggling to give away doses to vulnerable seniors, while metropolitan areas often have more demand than supply.

Colleges and Universities Plan for Normal-ish Campus Life in the Fall

KFF Health News Original

Universities need full dorms and dining halls to make back some of the estimated $183 billion in losses they’ve suffered over a year of remote education. The hope is widespread vaccination will keep covid chaos to a minimum.

For This Hospice Nurse, the Covid Shot Came Too Late

KFF Health News Original

Antonio Espinoza, a hospice nurse in Southern California, ministered to terminally ill patients, including those with covid. He tested positive for covid five days after getting his first dose of vaccine and died a few weeks later.

Tras un año mortal en las carreteras, los estados dicen sí a la seguridad y no a la velocidad

KFF Health News Original

Legisladores de California y otros estados se replantean cómo establecer y hacer cumplir los límites de velocidad, y proponen darle más poder a las jurisdicciones locales para frenar a los conductores en sus comunidades.

Beating the Pavement to Vaccinate the Underrepresented — And Protect Everyone

KFF Health News Original

In poor neighborhoods and desert towns, community activists — some unpaid — are signing up hard-to-reach people for vaccination appointments. Experts say these campaigns are key to building the country’s immunological armor against new outbreaks.

In California, Blue Shield’s Vaccination Takeover Fixes What Wasn’t Broken

KFF Health News Original

Rural Mendocino County had finally figured out its vaccination program. But now the community clinics that helped make it happen are changing course as Blue Shield of California takes over the state vaccine program.

Scientists Seek Covid Treatment Answers in Cheap, Older Drugs

KFF Health News Original

Philanthropies are funding studies of cheap, existing medications like the antidepressant fluvoxamine as covid treatments. But early hype about hydroxychloroquine and other repurposed drugs leaves researchers leery of hasty conclusions.

It’s Not Just QAnon. Democrats and Independents Also Want to Recall California’s Governor.

KFF Health News Original

Gov. Gavin Newsom is painting the effort to remove him from office as a partisan power grab. But among the tens of thousands of Californians who signed the recall petition are Democrats and independent voters frustrated by his pandemic policies, from school closures to vaccine distribution.

Stop Blaming Tuskegee, Critics Say. It’s Not an ‘Excuse’ for Current Medical Racism.

KFF Health News Original

The Tuskegee syphilis study is often cited as a reason Black Americans might hesitate to take the covid-19 vaccine. But many people say that current racism in health care and lack of access deserve more attention to move more Black Americans toward vaccine protection.

So You’re Vaccinated Against Covid. Now What?

KFF Health News Original

The vaccination rollout has been unsteady, but the vaccines seem very effective, raising hopes that the pandemic will subside by later this year if enough Americans get their shots. Meanwhile, remain cautious.

Blue Shield Spent Years Cultivating a Relationship with Newsom. It Got the State Vaccine Contract.

KFF Health News Original

Insurance giant Blue Shield of California has made millions in charitable and political donations to Gov. Gavin Newsom over nearly two decades, largely to his dearly held homeless initiatives. In turn, Newsom has rewarded the insurer with a $15 million no-bid contract to lead the state’s covid vaccination distribution.

‘Super-Sized’ Vaccine Clinic Offers Food Workers Some Relief

KFF Health News Original

Long Beach, which has its own health department, kicked off a vaccination campaign for essential workers by inviting 3,000 food workers to a splashy vaccination event at the city’s convention center.