After 12-year-old Yahushua Robinson died after exercising in 107-degree temperatures last summer in Lake Elsinore, a bill making its way through the Legislature would require the state Department of Education to set threshold temperatures for when it’s too hot or too cold for students to exercise or play sports outside, among other guidelines.
Kaiser Health News
Posted inHealth & Wellness
California is investing $500M in therapy apps for youth. Advocates fear it won’t pay off.
California launched two teletherapy apps as part of the governor’s $500 million foray into health technology with private companies. But the rollout has been so slow that one company has yet to make its app available on Android, and social workers worry youths who need clinical care won’t get referrals.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California bans controversial ‘excited delirium’ diagnosis
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed into law a bill that prohibits California doctors and medical examiners from attributing deaths to “excited delirium,” a term often applied to Black men in police custody.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
California confronts the threat of ‘tranq’ as overdose crisis rages
California officials are stepping up efforts to combat the spread of xylazine, a powerful animal sedative that’s increasingly being used by people, often with devastating results. It’s mostly been an East Coast phenomenon, but “tranq,” as it is known, is beginning to appear in the Golden State.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Paxlovid has been free so far; next year, sticker shock awaits
The government soon will stop paying for the COVID drug that has proved to be the most effective at keeping patients alive and out of the hospital.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
A work-from-home culture takes root in California
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that working from home for some portion of the week has become the new normal for a large segment of Californians, with high-income employees with college degrees more likely to have access to this hybrid work model.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Abortion bans are motivating midterm voters, poll shows
A new KFF poll shows Democrats and those living in states where abortion is illegal say the issue has made them more motivated to vote. It also shows that 70% of Republicans oppose total abortion bans.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Addiction experts fear the fallout if California legalizes sports betting
If California voters approve one or both sports-wagering initiatives on the November ballot, psychiatrists anticipate more cases of problem gambling and gambling addiction. They’re especially concerned about online betting, a very addictive way to play.
Posted inLatest News
Is COVID ‘under control’ in the U.S.? Experts say yes
PolitiFact has been tracking this campaign promise since 2020. Experts are now saying it’s fair to describe the COVID pandemic as “under control.”
Posted inHealth & Wellness
COVID still kills, but demographics of its victims are shifting
Californians were far less likely to die from COVID-19 in the first seven months of 2022 than during the first two years of the pandemic. Still, the virus remained among the state’s leading causes of death in July, outpacing diabetes, accidental death, and a host of debilitating diseases. Kaiser Health News breaks down who’s at risk.