Monterey County Local News: Health


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

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: These organizations in Monterey County provide lifelines to those in crisis.
Finding Piece of Mind

Are you struggling with your mental or emotional health? Help is available in Monterey County.

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.

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.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

07/25/2024
After years of delay, a new California regulation to protect indoor workers from extreme heat is now in effect.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

07/23/2024
Image for display with article titled Lake San Antonio to Reopen; Cause of Fish Die-Off Remains Unknown.

On Monday, July 22, the County of Monterey announced that Lake San Antonio, which the county Parks division closed on July 10, will reopen Wednesday, July 24 at 6am.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

07/17/2024
California State Hospitals can bill patients for the care they receive during confinement. The charges often run in the tens of thousands of dollars, putting vulnerable people in debt for years.

King City Rustler logo From King City Rustler...

07/10/2024
Image for display with article titled Officials Investigate Why Lake San Antonio Fish Have Gone Belly-Up

Monterey County officials are closing Lake San Antonio to visitors Wednesday and asking all campers to vacate following a mass fish dieoff that county staff first noticed last week.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

07/10/2024
Taking advantage of new state funds, some California healthcare providers are starting to offer what their homeless patients really need: housing.

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

07/09/2024
The Monterey County Office of Education has responded to the Monterey County Civil Grand Jury report, titled “Fentanyl: Our Youth in Crisis.”

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

07/04/2024
The Monterey County Sheriff agreed with some findings and recommendations but disputed other aspects of the recently released Monterey County Civil Grand report.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

07/03/2024
Image for display with article titled A Data Breach Comes to Clinica De Salud and the FBI Warns Health Care Organizations Are a Target.

Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas fell victim to a cybersecurity attack on March 11, and on May 1, a team of experts hired by Clinica determined that “certain data was accessed or acquired.”

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

07/02/2024
The response to the Monterey County Grand Jury findings and recommendations about the Monterey County Health Department has been released.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

06/25/2024
Even when suicidal, California firefighters struggle to find medical help and navigate the workers’ comp morass to pay for it.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

06/25/2024
Almost 400 suppliers, two-thirds in communities of color, don’t meet safety and reliability standards. Fixing them would cost billions.

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

06/20/2024
The $4.7 million in funding will be used to support mental health resources in district schools.

California Local Pin Marker From Monterey Herald...

06/19/2024
Funding of $5.7 million was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to two Central Coast health centers.

Salinas Valley Tribune logo From Salinas Valley Tribune...

06/13/2024
Image for display with article titled Second Bat Tests Positive for Rabies in Toro Park

A bat found on June 7 near Portola Drive and Anza Drive in the Toro Park area of unincorporated Monterey County has tested positive for the rabies virus.

Salinas Valley Tribune logo From Salinas Valley Tribune...

06/06/2024
Image for display with article titled Local Organizations Team Up to Help Monterey County Youth Learn Healthy Lifestyle Habits

More than 130 Monterey County elementary school students and their teachers attended Healthy Youth Field Day, presented by Montage Health Foundation and Aspire Health, at Cardinale Stadium, home of Monterey Bay Football Club.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

06/06/2024
Over the last decade, nearly 50 maternity wards have closed across California, with more than half shutting down in just the last four years.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

06/04/2024
For families seeking affordable health insurance, the state’s health insurance marketplace, Covered California, can provide major relief. But if they’re not careful, they can get hit by an unexpected federal tax bill.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

05/15/2024
Image for display with article titled Over $2.9 Million in Opioid Settlement Funds Awarded to Monterey County Have Yet to Be Used.

Six years ago, the County of Monterey signed on as a lead plaintiff in a landmark class action lawsuit brought by the State of California against major pharmaceutical companies.

Monterey County Weekly logo From Monterey County Weekly...

05/15/2024
Image for display with article titled Monterey County Schools Receive Nearly $40 Million to Implement Community Schools.

For the past couple of years, the state has pushed to transition K-12 campuses into community schools, designed to serve not only as a space to learn but a hub where parents and students can get support for needs like housing, mental health and more.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

05/15/2024
Image for display with article titled Newsom Releases Billions for Mental Health Housing Ahead of Schedule: ‘Time to Deliver’

California voters narrowly passed Proposition 1, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s measure to fund mental health housing. He’s prodding counties to use the money quickly.

Join Us Today!