California Health Report

10/07/2025

We’ve been selected as a finalist for ’s 2025 Public Service Award! We’re very proud of what we accomplished this year; learn more about our work here: https://buff.ly/9TAO2Yh

Winners will be announced live, in person, at the LION Awards Ceremony & Dinner on Wednesday, September 3, in St. Louis, Missouri.

24/06/2025

California is one of just five states in which the rate of death from drug overdoses is higher in rural areas than in urban ones. But across the state, emergency responders are finding solutions tailored to their communities. Driven by a desire to help patients find long-term help, emergency providers are partnering with local organizations to equip communities to distribute medication. Our latest from rural health reporter Lauren DeLaunay Miller: https://buff.ly/VguQKQW

As the opioid epidemic has spread over the past decade, fueled by the availability of synthetic opioids like fentanyl, no corner of California has escaped unscathed. Even in the rural Eastern Sierra, on the edge of the state’s border with Nevada, rates of opioid use disorder have risen. Here, wher...

20/06/2025

When President Trump first announced tariffs on most foreign imports, Jennifer McLelland checked the packaging on her son’s medical supplies. As a parent of a child with complex medical needs, McLelland argues for tariff exemptions on medical supplies that cannot be purchased from U.S. manufacturers. Read her latest analysis here: https://buff.ly/97BdxDV

18/06/2025

Reporter Lauren DeLaunay Miller spent three summers providing emergency services as part of Yosemite National Park’s Search and Rescue team, working hard on more than 100 rescue missions. Emergency medical services look different in every park, but one thing is now the same: The systems that NPS visitors, residents and employees have come to rely on are on shaky ground. https://buff.ly/H4MZZDF

I spent three summers providing emergency services as part of Yosemite National Park’s Search and Rescue team. I hiked harder and faster than I ever had, eager to reach my patients as quickly as possible. It felt like my fitness determined my patients’ outcomes, and sometimes it did.

30/05/2025

Thousands of families lost their homes that swept through Los Angeles County in early January. Local and state disability advocates said they have been checking in with families and trying to provide support as they adjust to life after the fires. From our Los Angeles Reporter Ricky Rodas: https://buff.ly/cU8BUb7

Wyatt Ahders had a routine. Every week, the 18-year-old would step out his front door and walk to friends’ houses in the neighborhood. Along the way, he’d stop and exchange hellos with any neighbors he passed. 

16/05/2025

Our latest opinion column is from Shari Horne, who writes: Let me introduce you to some people whose lives would be upended if Republicans in Congress carry through with plans to decimate health care funding that covers 15 million Californians. They are my neighbors and friends here in Laguna Woods, a small Orange County community in which 83 percent of residents are over 65.

Let me introduce you to some people whose lives would be upended if Republicans in Congress carry through with plans to decimate health care funding that covers 15 million Californians. They are my neighbors and friends here in Laguna Woods, a small Orange County community in which 83 percent of res...

14/05/2025

Medicaid, which provides health coverage for almost 15 million Californians and about half of the state’s children, could face billions of dollars in federal cuts under a budget proposal from House Republicans. That’s alarmed families like the Pequeños, who rely on Medicaid, called Medi-Cal in California, to pay for medical care and other support for their children with chronic conditions. Check out our latest story from Senior Reporter Claudia Boyd-Barrett. https://buff.ly/CqFFlzO

Medicaid — which provides health coverage for almost 15 million Californians and about half of the state’s children — could face billions of dollars in federal cuts under a budget proposal from Hou…

24/04/2025

People experiencing homelessness face repeated violence and stress from a lack of safety. They often engage in unhealthy behaviors, such as substance use, to cope. A comprehensive strategy to reduce exposure to violence for people who are unhoused can reduce violence in the community as a whole, reduce public spending on emergency medical and other services and increase the chances that individuals can transition off the streets, say Tammy Shaff and Jeremy Cantor in our latest opinion column. https://buff.ly/uNUoDDG

People experiencing homelessness face repeated violence and stress from a lack of safety. They often engage in unhealthy behaviors, such as substance use, to cope. A comprehensive strategy to reduc…

14/04/2025

Thousands of families lost their homes throughout Los Angeles County in early January. Local and state disability advocates said they have been checking in with families and trying to provide support as they adjust to life after the fires. Our latest story from California Local News Fellow Ricky Rodas: https://buff.ly/3sYCjCQ

Thousands of families lost their homes that swept through Los Angeles County in early January. Local and state disability advocates said they have been checking in with families and trying to provi…

08/04/2025

The Sisters Rise Circle is one of about a dozen circles run by Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth, a nonprofit based in Oakland that uses restorative practices to address conflict and promote healing. Organizers launched the circle last fall as part of a response to what they saw as a large, unmet need among the communities and families they serve.

The Sisters Rise Circle is one of about a dozen circles run by Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth, a nonprofit based in Oakland that uses restorative practices to address conflict and promote he…

27/03/2025

"The attacks on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility are easy to understand — they’re just bullying. Telling kids that they aren’t welcome because they’re different is just plain mean," writes Disability Right Columnist Jennifer McLelland.

My son is able to live at home with our family, attend school and interact with the world because we live in a nation where disabled people have civil rights. When I hear President Trump talk about…

26/03/2025

Medicaid — the state and federally funded program that provides health coverage for almost 15 million Californians and about half of the state’s children — could face billions of dollars in federal cuts under a budget proposal from House Republicans.

Medicaid — which provides health coverage for almost 15 million Californians and about half of the state’s children — could face billions of dollars in federal cuts under a budget proposal from Hou…