San Joaquin County Health Digest

On January 17, San Joaquin County Hospital nurses went on a one-day strike as contract talks stall. Read on for details.

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.

Read on for information about how long wait times at a Stockton VA clinic led to a new national law to improve veteran health care.

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.

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.

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.

San Joaquin County is home to one of the largest flocks of chickens infected with H5N1 bird flu according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Read on to learn more.

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.

In anticipation of the expansion of the Kaiser Permanente West Yosemite Avenue campus, the Manteca City Council approved zoning changes to make it easier. Read on to learn what that entailed.

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.

Read on to learn more about the growing impact of H5N1 bird flu on San Joaquin County poultry farmers and the local agriculture sector.

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.

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 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.

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.

Learn more about the two human cases of the H5N1 bird flu detected in San Joaquin County.

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 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.

Are food recalls on the rise? Yes. Read on to learn more.

Learn more about the expanding recall of raw milk products following detection of bird flu in tested samples.

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.

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.

Learn how health officials and California dairies are responding, or not, to the explosive spread of bird flu through dairy herds across the state.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is urgently preparing to protect reproductive rights from the incoming Trump administration—and the looming possibility of Project 2025-inspired policies.

Bird flu has been detected in chickens at a San Joaquin County farm. Read on to learn more about where and about this highly pathogenic virus.

Bird flu has been spreading among dairy workers in California’s Central Valley, jumping from cows to people. A new suspected case in the Bay Area came from an unknown source.

The invasive Aedes aegypti mosquitos have been detected in more areas of Santa Clara County, prompting officials to hold meetings to discuss their response to the threat posed by the species. 

An October 29 ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrated the opening of the new Community Medical Centers Lodi East facility.

A strain of bird flu that imperiled California poultry and cattle has jumped to people. In humans, the symptoms are mild and the virus has not been transmitted among people.

As the number of people infected with mosquito borne diseases increases, the San Joaquin County Mosquito Control and Vector District broke ground on a research and surveillance facility on October 15.

The Mercury News explains the Proposition 35 to renew the existing tax used to fund Medi-Cal health services.

The summer COVID surge in California may be finally abating, but people are still advised to get update vaccines in anticipation of a resurgence in the fall and winter.