health

Sally K., thirty-eight weeks pregnant, waits for her check-up at the Best Start Birthing Center in San Diego on March 20, 2024. Photo by Ariana Drehsler for CalMatters

Health

They delivered 5,600 babies. They blame California rules for putting them out of business

Birth centers are popular options for families who want to deliver a baby outside of a hospital. Nineteen of them closed in California in the past decade, deepening the state's maternity care crisis.

By

Kristen Hwang

• August 26, 2024

Mountains in the background of a forested valley with a dirt road running through it.

Health

A soil fungus that can kill is on the rise in California: What to know about Valley fever

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.

By

Ana B. Ibarra

• August 2, 2024

A bartender making a cocktail. Photo via iStock Photo

Politics

He used to run a nightclub. Now he’s pushing for new laws to fight drink spiking

Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, who owns restaurants that serve drinks, has introduced several bills adding requirements for bar owners and drink servers to do more to prevent drink spiking.

By

Ryan Sabalow

• July 1, 2024

An abandoned RV made into a home for house Lewis Brown in a homeless encampment near Highway 180 in west Fresno on Feb. 11, 2022. Photo by Larry Valenzuela for CalMatters

Commentary

California should be able to ‘prescribe’ housing to treat homelessness

What if California "prescribed" housing to homeless people? As the state seeks a Medicaid waiver to help unhoused patients find and pay for housing, writing a prescription for housing could soon be possible.

By Dalma Diaz • June 20, 2024

LAUSD Board Member Tanya Ortiz Franklin helps students on the first day back at school for LAUSD students following the COVID-19 remote school period in Los Angeles on Aug. 16, 2021. Photo by Lucy Nicholson, Reuters

Education

Trump-appointed judges revive lawsuit against L.A. schools’ COVID vaccine mandate

Courts recently have tossed lawsuits challenging expired COVID-19 rules. A panel on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals restored a case against the Los Angeles Unified School District, allowing employees to sue to prevent future vaccine mandates.

By

Carolyn Jones

• June 7, 2024

The morning after giving birth, Detranay Blakenship holds her child, Myla Sqmone Grace Thimbrel, while recovering at Martin Luther King Community Hospital in Los Angeles, on March 23, 2024. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters

Health

Money-making L.A. hospitals quit delivering babies. Inside the fight to keep one labor ward open.

Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital is losing money, but it's committed to keeping open its labor ward. Its decision runs counter to nearby hospitals that are walking away from maternity services.

By

Kristen Hwang

,

Ana B. Ibarra

and

Erica Yee

• June 6, 2024

Diapers are stored in the basement at the Eastern Iowa Diaper Bank in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Dec. 14, 2020. Photo by Liz Martin, The Gazette via AP Photo

Commentary

California has helped fund diaper banks for years. Families need that support to continue

For years, California has supported diaper banks. But with the funding set to expire and the state facing a massive budget deficit, an Orange County service provider is calling on California leaders to honor their commitment to families.

By Hiram Rodriguez-Franco • May 20, 2024

Jackie’s oldest son, Raphael, in Monterey Park on Sept. 29, 2023. Raphael saw and experienced the domestic violence in his mother’s relationship when he was a young teenager. Raphael is now in college and plans to work towards being a Dermatologist. His mother, Jackie, is a family advocate for Los Angeles Defense Lawyers, helping families navigate the system. Photo by Alisha Jucevic for CalMatters

Health

Should California doctors report domestic abuse to police? Here’s how physician lawmakers voted

Pending legislation would lift requirements for California’s doctors to report all domestic abuse cases to police. The Assembly’s three physicians had different opinions.

By

Ryan Sabalow

• May 17, 2024

Commentary

Menstrual health isn’t part of California sex education. Why that needs to change

Many young Californians aren't properly taught about periods and feel isolated without a trusted source of information. A bill that would update a 2016 law to include age-appropriate facts about menstruation in sex education has garnered wide support, especially from teens.

By Sriya Srinivasan • May 9, 2024

A nurse checks on a patient in the Emergency Room unit of Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital in Hollister on March 30, 2023. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Health

A new California rule tries to hold down your health care costs. Here’s how it works

California now is one of nine states with regulations limiting health care cost increases. Consumers won’t necessarily notice the changes, but supporters say they will make a difference over time.

By

Kristen Hwang

• April 26, 2024