Health

New California rules target flavors in kids’ medication, leading pharmacies to end service

Parents say flavored medication can help ensure their kids finish a prescription. Far fewer California pharmacies are offering that service as they await new rules from a state regulator.

By Shreya Agrawal • November 29, 2023

Health

Vast stretches of California lose maternity care as dozens of hospitals shut labor wards

As maternal mortality rates are steadily worsening across California, a CalMatters analysis finds that maternity wards are closing at an alarming rate.

By Ana B. Ibarra, Kristen Hwang and Erica Yee • November 15, 2023

Outlines of the Madera Community Hospital sign being covered by a tarp at the Emergency Room entrance of the hospital on Jan. 2, 2023. Madera County Sheriff Tyson Pogue announced a state of emergency for the county when the hospital shut its doors due to bankruptcy. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Health

More than 40 California hospitals closed maternity wards in a decade. Is yours one of them?

Hospitals all over California are closing their maternity wards, including in dense cities like Los Angeles and in more remote communities in the Sierra Nevada.

By Kristen Hwang, Ana B. Ibarra and Erica Yee • November 15, 2023

Health

Minimum wage hike for California health workers will cost billions. Workers say they need it

More than half a million California health care workers are expected to see a pay increase in January thanks to a law raising the minimum wage for their industry. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the law without a clear estimate about how much it would cost the state.

By Shreya Agrawal • November 13, 2023

Health

California’s ‘tripledemic’ season is off to a mild start. What to know about flu, RSV and COVID

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

By Shreya Agrawal • November 6, 2023

A medical personnel working on her computer in the corridor of Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister on March 30, 2023. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Health

Despite high Black maternal death rate, California hospitals ignored training about bias in care

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

By Kristen Hwang • October 27, 2023

Mental Health

California mental health agency on the hot seat as lawmakers review ‘groundbreaking’ 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.

By Jocelyn Wiener • October 17, 2023

Kaiser Permanente employees on strike on Oct. 4, 2023.

Health

Kaiser unions went on strike twice in 12 months. The latest walkout led to a ‘historic’ deal

Unions at Kaiser Permanente put pressure on the health care giant to raise pay and address what they called understaffing during two strikes over the past year. The results reflected labor’s power in California.

By Kristen Hwang • October 17, 2023

Kaiser Permanente employees on strike on Oct. 4, 2023. The workers held a demonstration in front of the Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento location demanding higher wages and more staffing. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Health

New California law raises minimum wage to $25 for health care workers

More than 400,000 Californians are expected to get a pay increase under the new law, which gradually raises the minimum wage to $25 an hour for health care employees.

By Ana B. Ibarra • October 13, 2023

Johanna Wonderly helps her children Caitlyn, 5, Cassie, 9, and Cara, 7, with their homework on Oct. 11, 2023. Photo by Jyotsana Bhamidipati for CalMatters

Health

Families fume over Newsom’s veto of children’s hearing aid bill, call his plan ‘a nightmare’

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.

By Kristen Hwang • October 13, 2023

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