Latest Morning Briefing Stories

California Hospitals See Massive Surge In Homeless Patients

KFF Health News Original

Homeless patients accounted for about 100,000 visits to California hospitals in 2017, marking a 28% increase from just two years earlier. Health officials attribute the surge to the overall rise in California’s homeless numbers and the large proportion of people living on the streets with mental illness.

States Push For Caregiver Tax Credits

KFF Health News Original

Families often spend thousands of dollars caring for ailing loved ones at home. Lawmakers in California and at least seven other states want to provide some financial relief with state income tax credits.

She Was Dancing On The Roof And Talking Gibberish. A Special Kind Of ER Helped Her.

KFF Health News Original

With mental health beds in short supply, emergency rooms increasingly have become the care of first and last resort for people in the grips of a psychiatric episode. Now, hospitals around the country are opening emergency units that calmly cater to patients with mental health needs.

¿Tiene sentido atrasar las vacunas de los niños?

KFF Health News Original

Muchos pediatras dirán que es mejor un enfoque más gradual de las vacunas que no recibir ninguna, pero ofrecerán algunos consejos difíciles para los padres que lo estén considerando.

Does It Make Sense To Delay Children’s Vaccines?

KFF Health News Original

The renewed squabble over vaccinations obscures a large group of parents who aren’t anti-vaxxers but spread out their children’s vaccines at a more gradual pace than doctors recommend. Pediatricians warn that could leave small children vulnerable to disease.

‘Medieval’ Diseases Flare As Unsanitary Living Conditions Proliferate

KFF Health News Original

Outbreaks of infectious diseases such as typhus and hepatitis A are resurging in California and around the country, particularly among homeless populations. Public health officials warn that such diseases could spread broadly.

California busca liderar movimiento para descifrar los traumas infantiles

KFF Health News Original

La doctora Nadine Burke Harris, flamante cirujana general de California, lidera un movimiento para comprender cómo las experiencias traumáticas infantiles generan enfermedades físicas y mentales graves.

California Looks To Lead Nation In Unraveling Childhood Trauma

KFF Health News Original

The Golden State, in a movement spearheaded by its first-ever surgeon general, stands to become a vanguard for the nation in tracing adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, to the onset of physical and mental illness. But what can a pediatrician, with her 15-minute time slots and extensive to-do list, do about the ills of an absent parent or a neighborhood riddled with gun violence?

Detention Centers In California Lack Oversight And Proper Care, Reports Find

KFF Health News Original

Health and safety problems at immigration detention facilities throughout California pose a serious risk to detainees, according to two reports released Tuesday. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra and California State Auditor Elaine Howle concluded that federal and local governments are failing to adequately oversee the facilities, allowing the problems to persist.

Lonely? Anxious? Depressed? Maybe Your Dentist Can Help

KFF Health News Original

An Oakland dental clinic has started screening its patients for depression, and referring them to a mental health counselor down the hall for immediate care if necessary. The program at Asian Health Services could be replicated elsewhere, and make help for mental health problems more accessible to hard-to-reach populations.

The Measles Success Story In California Shows Signs Of Fading

KFF Health News Original

California’s highly touted gains in vaccinating schoolchildren against measles stalled last year, possibly related to an increase in the number of students who have been exempted from vaccinations on medical grounds.

Hey, Hey! Ho, Ho! Is Striking For School Nurses The Way To Go?

KFF Health News Original

Inspired by Los Angeles teachers, who were promised 300 more school nurses after striking last month, unions in Denver, Oakland, Calif., and beyond are demanding more school nurses or better compensation for them.

More States Say Doctors Must Offer Overdose Reversal Drug Along With Opioids

KFF Health News Original

In an emerging new tactic against the rising toll of opioid deaths, California, Ohio, Virginia and Arizona are among the states requiring physicians to offer patients naloxone when they give them prescriptions for the powerful painkillers. The Food and Drug Administration is weighing a national recommendation to do so.