Category: California

In a Murky Sea of Mental Health Apps, Consumers Left Adrift

Venture capitalists have poured billions into the digital mental health space, sensing an area of unmet demand that is ripe for disruption. The problem for consumers is separating the apps that might help from those that offer little more than distraction — or could actually do harm.

Nurses and Docs at Long Beach Center ‘Consider It an Honor’ to Care for Migrant Children

Health care workers find it easy to empathize with Central American children after their painful journeys to the U.S.

‘It’s a Mission’: Volunteers Treat Refugees Massing at the Border

A growing number of Mexican and Central American migrants are trying to cross into the U.S. at the southern border. Volunteers at one free clinic in Tijuana tend to the health needs of migrants waiting for their immigration cases to come up — and simply trying to survive in packed and dangerous encampments.

Being Vaccinated Doesn’t Mean You Must Go Maskless. Here’s Why.

It won’t hurt to remain cautious, even as California reopens for business in response to mass vaccinations and diminishing cases of covid.

Doctor on Call? Lawmakers Debate How Much to Pay for Phone Appointments

Phone visits became an option for many Medicare and Medicaid patients during the pandemic. Now policymakers are deciding whether they’re worth the money.

Lawmakers Pressure Newsom to ‘Step Up’ on Racism as a Public Health Issue

California Democratic lawmakers are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to approve $100 million per year to fund programs that address health inequality and structural racism.

Can a Subscription Model Fix Primary Care in the US?

Medical subscriptions, a $199 million CEO payday and the race to fix primary care in the U.S. One Medical is betting big that a subscription model can fix primary care. But the firm faces competition from CVS, Target and large hospital systems.

With Restrictions Tightening Elsewhere, California Moves to Make Abortion Cheaper

California lawmakers are debating a bill that would eliminate out-of-pocket costs that often prevent people from obtaining abortions, proponents say.

Newsom Wants to Spend Millions on the Health of Low-Income Mothers and Their Babies

Democratic legislators back measures that would end the “pink tax” on diapers and menstrual products, provide mental health support, and pilot a guaranteed-income program.

From Racial Justice to Dirty Air, California’s New AG Plots a Progressive Health Care Agenda

In a candid interview, California’s newly appointed attorney general, Rob Bonta, reflects on his progressive roots and says he will pursue a health care agenda centered on the principle that quality medical care is a right, not a privilege.