Monterey County Health Digest

Residents living near farms can now sign up to be alerted when pesticides will be applied by the a new system recently launched by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.

A huge algae bloom is responsible for the deaths of sea lions, pelicans and whales off the California coast.

California uses Medicaid to pay for a range of nontraditional health care services, including housing. The Trump administration wants to scale back those programs.

This interactive map shows kindergartners’ vaccination rates at more than 6,000 public and private schools across California. According to the state health department, at least 95% of students need the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine to maintain herd immunity and prevent outbreaks. Yet in many parts of the state — including areas around Sacramento, Oakland, the Central Valley, and Los Angeles — vaccination rates fall short of that threshold, raising concerns about community vulnerability.

Against the backdrop of a rise in vaccine skepticism, California reported a drop in the rate of kindergartners immunized against measles last year, fueling fears that there may be a resurgence of the once-vanquished disease amid the deadly outbreak in West Texas.

Almost everyone gets nervous during a traffic stop, but people with disabilities also worry about whether an officer understands their condition or could misinterpret their symptoms.

This researcher’s project joins at least 30 others across the University of California system that have been terminated by the National Institutes of Health. Those multi-year awards were worth more than $173 million.

People with special needs often have to drive hours to find a dentist who will see them. New grants are creating more options around California.

The Trump administration clawed back hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to California health agencies, likely affecting investigations into disease outbreaks and other public health services.

‘Everybody’s been denied some form of care,’ said one California mental health advocate. Now, lawmakers are advancing new bills on behavioral health coverage.

The ports of LA and Long Beach are the biggest sources of air pollution in the LA basin. Air quality officials have drafted new rules to help electrify the ports. But community groups representing 400,000 residents say they don’t go far enough or fast enough to clean up their dirty air.

Read on for an update in the cleanup and testing for health risk following the January 16 fire at the Moss Landing battery storage facility.

California is spending billions more than planned for Medi-Cal. Some of the cost drivers include higher enrollment among immigrants without legal status as well as pharmacy costs.

"From Labs to Lives" is a new website and video series launched by UC Davis highlighting the impact of research funded by the federal government. Read on for details.

To cover a budget gap in Medi-Cal — which provides health insurance for roughly 15 million disabled and low-income Californians — Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration is borrowing $3.4 billion from the state’s general fund.

A statement issued March 14 by the Association of Bay Area Health Officials urged residents to get a measles vaccination if they've never received one or need an updated one. Read on to learn more.

California public health officials are closely monitoring two residents who recently tested positive for measles. Officials are on high alert given ongoing measles outbreaks in Texas, New Mexico and abroad.

California is spending more than it expected on Medi-Cal and Republican lawmakers are pointing to coverage expansions that benefited immigrant households.

Officials for the Moss Landing battery storage facility which caught fire on January 16 expect the cleanup to take up to one year. Read on for details.

More flareups are possible at the Moss Landing batter storage facility are possible as crews work to delink batteries and clean up. Read on for more information.

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to see tangible results from the $6.4 billion mental health bond voters approved last year. Moving fast carries a risk of neglecting under-resourced communities.

In 2022 California declared itself a refuge for transgender health care after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law ensuring gender-affirming care for California minors and those living outside the state.

Two years ago, California made a bold announcement that it would manufacture a state-branded, low-cost insulin. Drug manufacturers, insurers, economists and diabetics took notice. It had the potential to disrupt the market, bring down drug costs and save patients’ lives.

Read on to learn more about the lawsuit filed against the Texas company that built the battery storage plant which caught fire in Moss Landing.

Almost 15 million Californians have health care coverage through Medi-Cal, a program that stands to lose billions of dollars if Republicans follow through on proposed cuts.

Phase 1 of the clean up following the fires at the Moss Landing battery storage facility has begun. Read on to learn more about the process and how long it is expected to take.

A new bill by a Bay Area state senator aims to create a special fund to help clean up so-called forever chemicals in California’s water supply. Senate Bill 454 was introduced by Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, on February 18 and, if passed by the state Legislature and signed by the governor, would create the PFAS Mitigation Fund.

AS HOST TO the largest battery storage facility in the world, on a site that just had its fourth fire in four years, the people of Monterey County have grown to realize that Moss Landing is a learning laboratory for California’s green energy transition.

The first lawsuits have been filed following the aftermath of the Vistra battery storage facility fire at Moss Landing as questions about health and safety linger. Read on to learn more.

A local backyard poultry flock has been confirmed by San Mateo County health officials to have been infected with H5N1 bird flu. Read on for more information.

Bird flu was detected in a stray cat in San Mateo County. Read on for more information.

Good. Because it's flu season and cases are surging. Read on to learn more.