Bird flu tests are hard to get. So how will we know when to sound the pandemic alarm?
If the government doesn’t prepare to ramp up H5N1 bird flu testing, the US could be caught off guard again by a pandemic, experts warn.
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Ketamine therapy for mental health a ‘Wild West’ for doctors, patients
While it’s legal for doctors to prescribe ketamine, the FDA hasn’t approved it for mental health treatment.
Record number of Californians visiting emergency rooms for dog bites
The rate of ER encounters for dog bites in 2022 was almost 50% higher in counties with fewer than 200,000 people.
Labor deal in flux as Newsom revisits SB 525, the $25 minimum health wage
The governor’s latest budget asks the state legislature to add an annual trigger making the minimum wage increases contingent on state revenues.
California offers lifeline to 17 troubled hospitals
California’s new lending program for distressed hospitals will provide Madera Community Hospital with interest-free loans of up to $52 million if it can agree on a viable reopening plan with...
Patients in Santa Clara County may see refunds, debt relief from charity care settlement
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, along with other units of county-owned Santa Clara Valley Healthcare, will also adopt procedures to ensure patients are informed of their eligibility for charity care,...
Got milk in school? Farmers fight health advocates over the creamy ‘whole’ variety
It has been over a decade since whole milk was served in schools through the National School Lunch Program, after U.S. government dietary guidance effectively banned it. But dairy farmers,...
About all those drug price TV commercials — Congress has noticed, too
At least nine bills introduced in Congress take aim at pharmacy benefit managers, the middlemen that channel prescription drugs to patients.
Silicon Valley luminaries give RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine message a boost
The views of the leader of a broad anti-vaccine movement who is now running for president are unchallenged in public forums run by several prominent Silicon Valley figures.
Raincoats, undies, school uniforms: Are your clothes dripping in ‘forever chemicals’?
The full health risks of wearing apparel made with PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” are still unknown. But states are taking action so clothing makers will remove them.