El Dorado County Local News: Health


All Local Health News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: A smoky blanket of particulate matter hovers over San Francisco’s skyline.
Getting Acquainted With AQI

Learn what's getting into Californians’ lungs and why it matters.

Image caption: The California mental health crisis is tied to both homelessness and rising crime.
UPDATE: California’s Mental Health Crisis: How We Got Here

How the California mental health crisis emerged out of the state’s history of deinstitutionalization and laws designed to protect the mentally ill, as well as the communities around them.

Image caption: From nitrates to arsenic to “forever chemicals,” California’s water supply faces a serious pollution threat.
Dirty Water: California Faces a Water Contamination Crisis

Almost one million California residents are forced to drink from contaminated water supplies, or pay for bottled water. Economic inequality makes the crisis worse. What is the state doing to fix it?

Image caption: Though life expectancy has declined in recent years, Californians still live longer than most Americans.
Want to Live a Long, Healthy Life? Move to California

Life expectancy in California exceeds all but three other states, but how long you live depends on which county you live in. They're not all equal. Why? The answer may lie in political policies.

Image caption: A jigsaw puzzle of resources can help El Dorado County residents find mental health.
Finding a Light in the Dark

If you or a loved one is struggling with mental health during these uncertain times, help is available.

Image caption: Access to abortion in California is limited in many areas, though state laws protect a woman’s right to choose.
Abortion Rights in California, Explained

California has historically been ahead of the rest of the country in expanding the legal right to abortion services. Here’s what state laws say today, and how we got here.

Image caption: Mosquitos kill about 725,000 people every year, worldwide.
Taking a Bite Out of the Mosquito Population

The pesky mosquito can be deadly as well as annoying. Here’s how local governments in California have been waging war on mosquitoes for more than a century.

Image caption: California will soon be getting a new hotline number as an alternative to 911 for mental health crises.
988, the New Mental Health Emergency Number, Explained

California will soon add a new emergency hotline service with the number 988. Here’s the story behind that new service, and the original 911 number.

Image caption: States have expansive powers to protect the health of the general public.
The State’s Broad Power to Protect Public Health, Explained

Since long before the COVID-19 pandemic, states have possessed broad authority to protect public health, even to suspend laws and commandeer private property. Here’s why, and how it works.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/16/2025
The LA fires have left domestic workers and day laborers jobless. They may soon be hired for wildfire cleanup work, where they can be exposed to ash and other toxins.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/14/2025
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ambitious plan to produce a cheap, generic insulin for the 3.2 million Californians with diabetes is behind the schedule he announced and unlikely to make it to market for several years, industry experts say.

California Local Pin Marker From Local News Matters...

01/13/2025
A presumptive case of H5N1 bird flu has been identified in a child who resides in San Francisco, the city’s Department of Public Health announced.The child had a fever and conjunctivitis but did not need to be hospitalized and has since made a full recovery, public health officials said Friday.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

01/10/2025
Image for display with article titled Lake Tahoe Unified School District to Host Community Conversation on Mental Health

Join Lake Tahoe Unified School District for the next Community Conversation on January 14, 2025, at 6 p.m. at the LTUSD District Office, 1021 Al Tahoe Blvd. South Lake Tahoe. Local mental health experts will be discussing resources available to LTUSD students as well as current trends being seen on our campuses. Parents will have an opportunity to ask questions and discuss concerns.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/09/2025
The Newsom administration on Friday is expected to release its next budget proposal. Health care advocates want the governor to fix a Medi-Cal rule that discourages seniors from getting coverage.

Folsom Telegraph logo From Folsom Telegraph...

01/02/2025
Image for display with article titled Free Aging, Caregiver Educational Series Coming to Placerville

The El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency, Area Agency on Aging Family Caregiver Support Program presents a free, four-part educational series on senior caregiving in January.
The series will provide supportive information for people who care for or plan to care for a family member or friend aged 60 and older.

California Local Pin Marker From CapPublicRadio...

12/26/2024
Following news of the death of pet cats from eating bird flu infected raw food or raw milk, CapRadio has information about how to protect your feline friends.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/25/2024
A new state law will keep medical debt off your credit report, sparing a hit to your all-important credit score. This is a big deal for California where millions struggle with unpaid medical bills. It takes effect Jan. 1, 2025.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/19/2024
For California nurses seeking help with alcohol or drug abuse, the road to recovery through a program managed by their licensing board can be fraught, writes CalMatters health reporter Kristen Hwang.

California Local Pin Marker From California Healthline...

12/19/2024
Keith Poulsen's jaw dropped when farmers showed him images on their cellphones at the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin in October. A livestock veterinarian at the University of Wisconsin, Poulsen had seen sick cows before, with their noses dripping and udders slack.

California Local Pin Marker From CapPublicRadio...

12/18/2024
As the first serious case of bird flu in a human is reported and more dairy herds across the state are infected, California Governor Newsom declared a state of emergency. Read on to learn what that entails.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/18/2024
California doctors are asking the state to create a ‘safe harbor’ program for addiction recovery. They say the current system discourages doctors from participating because they regard it as punitive.

California Local Pin Marker From Georgetown Gazette...

12/12/2024
Learn how the El Dorado County Superior Court is accepting petitions for local individuals suffering mental illness or addiction under the recently passed Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) act. Read on to learn more.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/11/2024
Gov. Newsom launched an ambitious program that uses Medi-Cal to help Californians access housing, healthy food and more. Now, its fate is in the hands of President-Elect Trump.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/09/2024
California has an aggressive mandate for zero-emission trucks, which are powered by electricity or hydrogen. But trucking companies face big obstacles — and people are still breathing dangerous diesel exhaust.

Folsom Telegraph logo From Folsom Telegraph...

12/05/2024
Image for display with article titled Folsom Moves forward With Sutter Health at Broadstone

Despite traffic fears, city officials approved the $80 million Broadstone Crossing Phase II project with a Sutter Health care center at Iron Point Road and East Bidwell Street.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/02/2024
California Democrats have passed two dozen laws to protect abortion access since the Supreme Court in 2021 overturned Roe vs. Wade. New bills are on the table.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/02/2024
Birth centers are midwife-run facilities that deliver babies outside of hospitals. They have struggled to stay in business in part because of strict state licensing requirements.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

11/26/2024
Image for display with article titled Lead Lines and Faucet Fixes: STPUD Sends Out Notice to Residents After Annual Report

While the water delivered to those living in South Lake Tahoe is guaranteed to contain no lead in it, the lines bringing H2O to your home could be leaching lead into it anyway. South Lake Tahoe Public Utility District recently put out a notice for residents to find and check their lines to ensure they're not made of either lead or galvanized metal, which could put people at risk for lead consumption.