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Tahoe Truckee Region Health Articles



Image caption: Like last year, three different respiratory viruses threaten to infect Californians this season. How bad will it be?
COVID, Flu and RSV: California’s Outlook for the ’23/24 ‘Tripledemic’

New vaccines for RSV and an updated booster for COVID-19 give Californians more tools to protect themselves from respiratory viruses this fall.

Image caption: How does social media affect the minds and well-being of children? According to California and other states, not well.
California Sues Meta For Damaging Kids’ Mental Health

California and 32 other states are suing Instagram’s parent company, Meta, saying that their apps are damaging to children. Is there evidence for those claims? Here’s why social media is under attack.

Image caption: Californians continue to set clocks back every fall, and ahead each spring.
Daylight Saving Time, Explained

After a 2018 vote authorizing the state legislature to make daylight saving time year-round, Californians are still changing their clocks twice per year. How did we get here?

Image caption: Gov. Newsom has signed a bill moving the state toward a single-payer health care system. Not all single-payer backers are happy.
California Takes One Small Step Toward Single-Payer Healthcare

California took the first step toward a single-payer health care system when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 770 this month, but the move is not enough for many backers of universal health coverage.

Image caption: Only 17 percent of California hospitals comply with a state law requiring racial bias training for maternity staff.
Hospitals Ignore Bias Training as Black Maternal Deaths Remain High

Black women are three times more likely than any other women to die during or immediately after pregnancy. California passed a 2019 law requiring hospitals to train labor and delivery staff on bias in medicine.

Image caption: Warehouse storage is just one aspect of the highly complex logistics industry that keeps supply chains running.
Logistics: the Crucial Industry You’ve Never Heard Of

Logistics is one of the largest industries in California and keeps the state economy running. But it also comes with a heavy cost to the environment. Here are the facts on the most important industry you don't know much about, …

Image caption: California passed a 2020 law requiring coverage a wider range of mental health conditions. But insurers may not be following it.
Senate to Probe Health Insurers’ Compliance With Mental Health Law

A 2020 California law expanded the number of mental health conditions that insurers must cover. Now, lawmakers are reviewing whether the law is working as intended.

Image caption: Research shows kids with hearing loss suffer developmental setbacks if they cannot use hearing aids.
Newsom Vetoes Hearing Aid Coverage for Kids—Again

More than 30 states require insurers to provide some level of coverage for kids’ hearing aids. California isn’t one of them, and Gov. Newsom for the second time has vetoed a bill to close that gap.

Image caption: Gov. Newsom calls bringing down price of insulin “a priority,” then vetoes a bill to do just that.
Why Did Gov. Newsom Veto Bill to Cap Copay on Insulin?

Gov. Gavin Newsom has made lowering the cost of prescription drugs a signature health care issue, but he rejected a bill to cap what diabetics pay for insulin. His reasoning: California is working on a different solution.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo LOCAL NEWS
Poisonous mushroom causing illness in Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. There's a mushroom sprouting in the Lake Tahoe Basin that's poisonous and may cause health issues for both humans and pets, according to a press release from Barton Health. "Barton has...

Image caption: To pay for the cost of foster child care, counties routinely appropriate Social Security benefits meant for orphans and disabled kids.
Newsom Vetoes Bill to Stop Counties Swiping Foster Kids Benefits

States across the United States are banning the practice of billing kids for the cost of their foster care. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar effort in California, citing costs to the state.

Image caption: New law represents departure from long-standing mental health treatment practices in California.
Californians’ Mental Health: Newsom Signs Law to Overhaul System

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature mental health policies allow the involuntary treatment of more Californians with severe mental illnesses. Some fear the new laws will infringe on the civil liberties of people confined against their will.

Image caption: More than 9 million Californians who rely on Kaiser for healthcare would be affected by the scheduled Oct. 4 labor action.
Kaiser Strike Over Worker Pay Could Hit Dozens of California Hospitals

Kaiser Permanente provides health care to more than 9 million Californians. A strike this week could affect patients at dozens of hospitals.

Tahoe Guide logo LOCAL NEWS
Health fair offers screenings, car seat checks

Truckee Lions hosts a free Community Health Fair on Sept. 30 at the Truckee Community Recreation Center with child safety seat inspections and installation; free dental checks and fluoride treatments; free health and vision screenings, free flu shots; free glasses …

Image caption: Many Planned Parenthood workers say they have heavier workloads and tougher working conditions since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Planned Parenthood Workers Unionize After Roe v. Wade Overturn

Planned Parenthood clinics in Southern California saw a sharp increase in abortions after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. Now, workers at the clinics are creating a union.

Image caption: Fewer and fewer Californians every month have health insurance due to thinning of enrollment in the state's free health plan for low-income people.
Thousands of Californians Lost Medi-Cal. Here’s What to Do Now

About 300,000 Californians have lost Medi-Cal coverage since the state resumed eligibility checks. You have options if you get a notice about your coverage.

Image caption: Voters will decide whether to spend funds previously earmarked for mental health care on housing of the homeless.
Newsom’s Mental Health Plan Heads to Voters. What Does it Say?

California collects a special tax on high incomes to fund mental health services. Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to change how the money is spent so a share of it can be used to fund housing for homeless people with mental …

Image caption: A new contract with their union is designed to ease a shortage of California prison doctors and psychiatrists.
Some of California’s Best-Paid Employees to Get $40K Bonuses

California prisons are badly understaffed when it comes to doctors and psychiatrists. A new contract attempts to boost retention with substantial bonuses.

Image caption: New COVID boosters are on the way that will help to protect against rising cases and new variants.
COVID Cases on the Rise Again: Here’s What You Need to Know

It’s a confusing time in the COVID pandemic. A new booster is on the way, but cases are rising and you might want more protection now.

Image caption: In a recent poll, 60 percent of Californians supported use of psychedelics for therapeutic purposes.
How Some Psychedelic Drugs Could Be Decriminalized in California

Psychedelics are having a moment. A nationwide push to bring magic mushrooms and other psychedelics into the mainstream is gaining traction, and some Californians want in.

Featured

A smoky blanket of particulate matter hovers over San Francisco’s skyline.
Getting Acquainted With AQI
Learn what's getting into Californians’ lungs and why it matters.
States have expansive powers to protect the health of the general public.
The State’s Broad Power to Protect Public Health, Explained
Since long before the COVID-19 pandemic, states have possessed broad authority to protect public health.
California will soon be getting a new hotline number as an alternative to 911 for mental health crises.
988, the New Mental Health Emergency Number, Explained
Here's the story behind that new service, and the original 911 number.
Mosquitos kill about 725,000 people every year, worldwide.
Taking a Bite Out of the Mosquito Population
How local government tries to control the world’s deadliest wild animal—the mosquito.
Access to abortion in California is limited in many areas, though state laws protect a woman’s right to choose.
Abortion Rights in California, Explained
But even in California, access to abortion services in many areas remains limited.
The California mental health crisis is tied to both homelessness and rising crime.
UPDATE: California’s Mental Health Crisis: How We Got Here
The making of Gov. Newsom's plan to help get mentally ill Californians into treatment.
Though life expectancy has declined in recent years, Californians still live longer than most Americans.
Want to Live a Long, Healthy Life? Move to California
Californians live longer than people in all but three states, but not all counties are equal.
From nitrates to arsenic to “forever chemicals,” California’s water supply faces a serious pollution threat.
Dirty Water: California Faces a Water Contamination Crisis
In a state that declares water a “human right,” more than 2 percent of its residents have no drinkable water.