Sacramento County Health Digest

Several anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers are advertising abortion pill reversal. California Attorney General Rob Bonta calls the claims false advertising that mislead vulnerable patients.

Outbreaks have wreaked havoc on the state’s river ecosystems for years. But this year was different. Faster, colder river waters led to fewer outbreaks of the harmful algae.

California voters likely will see a mental health ballot measure on the March 2024 election. One would issue a $6 billion bond to create housing for people with mental illnesses.

Cases are on the rise, and so are hospitalizations and deaths. So the federal government's release of new, updated COVID boosters feels like good timing.

Naloxone, a nasal spray that can reverse the adverse effects of opioids, became available in drug stores last week. The drug is sold under the brand names Narcan and RiVive and can be purchased over the counter.

Last week, the San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District said high numbers of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have shown up in traps around South Stockton, Manteca, Escalon and Ripon.

About 5,300 companies would file annual emissions reports. The aim is to hold corporations accountable for the role they play in climate change.

A last-minute legislative deal would raise pay for California health care workers while giving medical providers a guarantee that they won’t have to battle local measures on employee compensation.

The vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer and its partner BioNTech were approved Sept. 11 for people 12 and older and under an emergency use authorization for children ages 6 months to 11 years old.

It’s the first of its kind in the California State University system, and joins just over 20 similar spaces across the country.

Nearly a third of K-12 students statewide were chronically absent in 2020-21, more than three times the pre-pandemic rate. Some school officials fear that pattern is becoming the new normal.

Many Californians have seen short-term health impacts from wildfire smoke. But experts say new research is necessary to understand the longer-term effects of regular exposure.

California wildfires every year emit as much carbon as almost 2 million cars, posing a threat to efforts to battle climate change.

Heat-related illness and deaths are on the rise along with temperatures, and an increase in drug use and homelessness is a significant part of the problem.

In rapid-fire votes in suspense file hearings, lawmakers determined the fate of hundreds of bills on crime, transgender students and more.

If you’re at home right now, the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District wants you to do something really quick: Go outside and flip over that bucket. And while you’re at it, tip the water out of your neglected bird bath.

Doctors and state lawmakers are squaring off again over the future of the Medical Board of California, which is responsible for licensing and disciplining doctors and has been criticized by patient advocates for being too lax.

The first West Nile virus death of 2023 in Yolo County was announced Aug. 23 by the Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency's public health branch. This marks the first reported death in Yolo County since 2018.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to overhaul how California counties pay for behavioral health care is one step closer to going before voters in March—over heavy opposition from patient advocates, service providers and local government officials.

San Francisco physician Paula Braveman reached an important diagnosis: many of the Black patients she treated for things like hypertension or diabetes had something in common. Being Black in America, she concluded, is hazardous to your health.

Sacramento County has confirmed six cases this season, and is investigating eight other probable cases, according to a county public information officer.

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants counties to spend some revenue from California’s so-called “millionaire’s tax” on the state’s homeless crisis. That alarms advocates for programs that are getting that money today.

The link between PFAS and testicular cancer among service members was never directly proven—until now.

A group of four underserved Sacramento-area neighborhoods are the focus of a Sacramento State project that is researching the link between poor air quality and health issues.

To qualify for Leqembi, patients must undergo a PET scan that looks for amyloid plaques, the protein clumps that clog the brains of many Alzheimer’s patients.

Last year California began providing free school lunches to all TK-12 students, regardless of family income. Now, with an influx of state and federal money, school districts are revamping kitchens and training staff so they can provide freshly made, healthy meals.

The first annual Stephon Clark Minority Mental Health Expo, organized by Stephon’s brother Stevante Clark, brought together dozens of advocates, leaders and professionals to raise awareness of the importance of mental health in minority communities.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, California made it a priority to invest in the public health sector. But retaining underpaid staff while also filling new positions is daunting. About 24% of the jobs across the California Department of Public Health were vacant in June.

It took seven years of experimentation for Oobli peach, lemon and mango yuzu tea to hit shelves around Davis and Los Angeles seven weeks ago. It’s a milestone for sweet tea fans who don’t want all that sugar, says co-founder Jason Ryder.

More than 70% of people have been exposed to medical or health-related misinformation, according to a GoodRx Health study. This means many people are struggling to tell the difference between factual information and false information.

How bad is California hunger? A lot depends on your access to food aid, which expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic but is being reduced.

Preparando Estudiantes Para Ser Médicos, or Prep Médico for short, was launched by the UC Davis School of Medicine in 2016 to provide better care to the nearly 40% of California’s population that identifies as Latino.