About 80 Californians die every year after contracting Valley fever, a fungal disease that typically affects the lungs. A recent outbreak was traced to a music festival in Kern County.
Ana B. Ibarra / CalMatters
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Why tortillas sold in California could be forced to add a new ingredient
Folic acid reduces the risk of birth defects and the FDA requires that bakers include it in enriched bread. California could extend the mandate to tortillas and foods made with corn masa flour.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Newsom asked for a bill to legalize psychedelic therapy. Lawmakers move to give him one
California could follow Oregon in authorizing the use of psychedelics in therapeutic settings. Growing research characterizes certain hallucinogens as helpful in treating mental illnesses, such as depression and PTSD.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Newsom OK’d a minimum wage increase for health care workers. Now he wants to delay it
About 500,000 California health care workers were expected to see pay increases under a law that set a new minimum wage for their industry. Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to delay the pay bumps until the state budget has a stronger outlook.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California threw a $50 million lifeline to a bankrupt hospital. It’s scrambling to reopen
Earlier this year, the state created a loan program meant to help struggling hospitals stay afloat and to help reopen Madera County’s only hospital. Almost a year after its closure, Madera continues its search for a buyer or partner.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
EXPLAINED: What’s at stake for California if Obamacare is overturned
In early November, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in California v. Texas, a lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.