Santa Cruz County Health Digest

The first two of eight planned wellness centers in local schools are opening at Harbor High School and Soquel High School.

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 to learn more about the six local health nonprofits who received grants from a total of $229,00 from Dignity Health through Dominican Hospital.

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.

A scheduled service worker strike over health benefits and salaries at Watsonville Community Hospital was averted when a tentative agreement was reached. Read on for details.

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.

Read on for more information about the risk and safety considerations of a battery storage facility being proposed near Watsonville.

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.

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.

Following multiple fire at the Moss Landing battery storage facility, Santa Cruz County residents are voicing opposition to a proposed battery storage facility outside Watsonville. Read on to learn more.

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.

The County of Santa Cruz tested soil, water and plant samples following the fire at the Moss Landing battery storage facility. No significant issues were found. Read on for details.

Read on for details about what the Santa Cruz County chief executive says about the impact of cuts to federal contributions to Medicaid, food assistance and disaster recovery to county operations.

Santa Cruz County is experiencing a bad flu season. Read on to learn what's behind this surge.

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.

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.

Read on for more information about an initiative by Santa Cruz County education officials to open wellness centers at local schools.

HUGE FLAMES BLAZED through the roof of the industrial building. Billowing smoke rose slowly to a plume and moved inland. Teresa Villaruz and her family watched from their car on Highway 1.

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.

An update on the progress of battling the battery storage facility fire at Moss Landing.

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.