Monterey County Local Health News Articles and Digest

Education Health

California Universities Are Required to Offer Students Abortion Pills. A Lot Just Don’t Mention It

02/04/2024
One year after California became the first state to require its public universities to provide the abortion pill to students, basic information on where or how students can obtain the medication is lacking.

From Los Angeles Times...

Health Sustainability

As Climate Hazards Converge, More Californians Are Living in Harm’s Way

02/02/2024
When wildfire smoke and extreme heat combine, they create “a synergistic effect” or an “additional burden” on people’s health, researchers say.

From California Healthline...

Health Animals

Possibility of Wildlife-to-Human Crossover Heightens Concern About Chronic Wasting Disease

02/01/2024
Each fall, millions of hunters across North America bag deer. Over the winter, people chow down on the venison steaks, sausage, and burgers made from the animals.

From Los Angeles Times...

Health Elections & Politics Crisis & Personal Support State of California

Your Guide to Proposition 1: Newsom’s Overhaul of California’s Mental Health System

01/31/2024
Gov. Gavin Newsom crafted the measure to reform California’s mental health system, including a $6.4-billion bond for new facilities.

From California Healthline...

Health Sustainability State of California

Back From COP28, California Climate Leaders Talk Health Impacts of Warming

01/31/2024
As Californians increasingly feel the health effects of climate change, state leaders are adopting sweeping policies they hope will fend off the worst impacts.

From CalMatters...

Health Crisis & Personal Support

Bill Would Let Therapists and Social Workers Decide When to Confine Mentally Ill Californians

01/29/2024
A pending bill would extend the so-called 5150 confinement authority to county-designated psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, licensed marriage and family therapists, and clinical counselors.

From California Healthline...

Health Elections & Politics

How Fringe Anti-Science Views Infiltrated Mainstream Politics

01/28/2024
Rates of routine childhood vaccination hit a 10-year low in 2023. That, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, puts about 250,000 kindergartners at risk for measles.

From CalMatters...

Health Crisis & Personal Support

Gavin Newsom Raised Millions for His Mental Health Ballot Measure. His Opponents Have $1,000

01/28/2024
The March ballot measure would raise billions for mental health care, but some clinics fear it would strip them of revenue they need for services they provide today.

From KFF Health News...

Health Animals

A Record Number of Californians Are Visiting Emergency Rooms for Dog Bites

01/25/2024
Those pandemic puppies are growing up to be a public health concern.

From California Healthline...

Health Seniors

Senate Probes the Cost of Assisted Living and Its Burden on American Families

01/25/2024
A U.S. Senate committee launched an examination of assisted living, holding its first hearing in two decades on the industry as leaders of both parties expressed concern about the high cost and mixed quality of care facilities.

From Monterey County Weekly...

Health

Kaiser Permanente Is at Work on a Salinas Location, and Eyeing a Spot in Marina.

01/24/2024
Image for display with article titled Kaiser Permanente at Work on Salinas Location, Eyeing Spot in Marina

Kaiser Permanente insurance is accepted at Watsonville Community Hospital. And that’s critical to Kaiser’s plans to open at least one clinic in Monterey County.

From California Healthline...

Health Crisis & Personal Support

988-Hotline Counselors Air Concerns: More Training Needed to Juggle Calls

01/23/2024
In the year and a half since its launch, 988—the country’s easy-to-remember suicide and crisis hotline—has received about 8.1 million calls, texts, and chats. Curiosity is growing about the people taking those calls.

From Santa Cruz Sentinel...

Health Crisis & Personal Support

California Panel Holds Up Studies on Psychedelics. Some Researchers Want It Gone

01/19/2024
At the Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, scientists are eager to explore whether a psychedelic chemical found in a toad could help people with depression. But research has been put on hold by the state.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

Public Safety Health Transportation Elections & Politics Government

Can Traffic Deaths in Los Angeles Be Reduced With a Ballot Measure?

01/16/2024
Image for display with article titled Can Traffic Deaths in Los Angeles be Reduced? Ballot Measure Aims for ‘Healthy Streets’

City council rejected the “Healthy Streets L.A” initiative. Now it’s up to Angeleno voters.

From KFF Health News...

Health Seniors

America’s Health System Isn’t Ready for the Surge of Seniors With Disabilities

01/16/2024
The number of older adults with disabilities that affect their performance of daily tasks will soar in the decades ahead, as baby boomers enter their 70s, 80s, and 90s.

From KFF Health News...

Health Elections & Politics

What Would a Second Trump Presidency Look Like for Health Care?

01/15/2024
On the campaign trail, former President Donald Trump is again promising to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act—a nebulous goal that became one of his administration's splashiest policy failures.

From CalMatters...

Families & Children Health Sports

Parents’ Rights Groups Mobilize as California Advances a Ban on Youth Tackle Football

01/15/2024
The Assembly has until the end of January to decide the fate of the youth tackle football bill, which would prevent kids under 12 from playing the sport to protect them from brain trauma.

California Local Pin Marker From California Local...

COVID-19 Public Safety Health Transportation Crime & Justice Government

Death on the Roads: Traffic Fatality Crisis Far From Over

01/14/2024
Image for display with article titled Death on the Roads: California Traffic Fatality Crisis Far From Over

California in 2024 has implemented two new, potentially important traffic safety laws

From King City Rustler...

Health

Mee Memorial Doctor Named Chief Medical Officer

01/12/2024
Image for display with article titled Mee Memorial Doctor Named Chief Medical Officer

Noah Hawthorne will serve as chief medical officer of Mee Memorial Healthcare System, overseeing medical staff, physician recruitment and provision of care.

From Salinas Valley Tribune...

Families & Children Health Community Service & Support

State Recognizes Gonzales Health Clinic for Focus on Pediatric Care

01/10/2024
Image for display with article titled State Recognizes Gonzales Health Clinic for Focus on Pediatric Care

California Public Health Department issued a Certificate of Achievement to Taylor Farms Family Health and Wellness Center for successfully vaccinating more than 76% of infant and toddler patients.

Monterey County Local News: Health