Suzanne Potter, California News Service

February 28, 2023 (Sacramento) -- Two million children and adults in California could lose health-insurance coverage over the next year - as the state winds down the continuous-coverage requirements in place during COVID, according to a new report from Georgetown University. The pandemic health emergency officially ends May first, but on April first California will start re-determining eligibility for 50-million people on Medi-Cal.

Mike Odeh, senior director of health with the non-profit Children Now and report lead author, said recipients must make sure the program has their current address.

"The state has been proactive in asking families to make sure that their contact information is up to date. And we know that they have launched a campaign," Odeh said. "So families can visit keepmedicalcoverage.org to sign up for email and text message alerts with updates about medical renewals."

Children who are still eligible could lose coverage if the renewal notice goes to the wrong address or if there is an administrative error. During the pandemic emergency, the state was required to keep all Medi-Cal recipients on the program. But now the income requirements will kick in once again. More than 56% of kids in California and 52% nationwide are covered under Medicaid or CHIP.

East County News Service

February 21, 2023 (San Diego) -- The County of San Diego has confirmed five hepatitis A cases, including one death, with illness onset between Jan. 10, 2023 and Feb. 6, 2023. Three of the cases were persons experiencing homelessness (PEH), including the person who died. Of the five, there are no known direct contacts and the five cases do not meet the definition of an outbreak as the County normally sees two to three cases per month.

“As a long-time healthcare advocate, I understand the importance of being out in front and transparent with the public about potential threats to the public health,” said Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas. “The disease is 100 percent preventable, and we want to ensure everyone living in our communities, including people experiencing homelessness, have the information they need to live a healthy and safe life.”

Source:  City of La Mesa

Updated Feb. 19: Photo, left, La Mesita Park fitness plaza, courtesy City of La Mesa

February 10, 2023 (La Mesa) – In celebration of Heathy Heart week, a ribbon cutting will be held for the City of La Mesa’s newest outdoor fitness plaza on February 14, 2023, at 12:15 p.m. at La Mesita park, 8855 Dallas Street. Funding for the equipment was made possible through a $40,000 Age-Friendly Communities Grant provided by the San Diego Foundation, in addition to a $10,000 Greenfields Outdoor Fitness Grant in celebration of the California Park and Recreation Society’s 75th Anniversary.

February 8, 2023 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Being overweight can cause similar changes in the brain as having Alzheimer's, new study suggests  (NBC)
• House votes to end COVID vaccine requirement for foreign air travelers (New York Post)   
• Sewage from planes is a key Covid tracking tool, reports say, as CDC talks to airlines about wastewater testing  (NBC)
• Can humans and pets catch bird flu? What to know about the outbreak. (Washington Post)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Musk Pledged to Cleanse Twitter of Child Abuse Content. It’s Been Rough Going. (New York Times)
• We need native seeds in order to respond to climate change, but there aren't enough  (NPR)
• ‘We hacked the hackers’: Law enforcement disrupts Hive gang (Washington Post)
• The hidden environmental costs of transitioning to electric vehicles  (NPR)
• The world is creating more single use plastic waste than ever, report finds (CNN)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

East County News Service

Information and photo courtesy of County News Service

February 8, 2023 (Campo) -- A deer mouse collected from an open nature area in Campo during routine monitoring has tested positive for the potentially deadly hantavirus.

This is the first case confirmed this year in San Diego County. Finding hantavirus in wild rodents is not uncommon in San Diego County, last year there were 11 cases locally.

Fourth healthcare facility in San Diego area to unionize in 2023

East County News Service

February 7, 2023 (La Mesa) -- Healthcare workers at Sharp Grossmont Hospital have voted to join SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), a union of more than 100,000 healthcare workers across California. The election took place February 1-3 and covers 1,500 frontline workers at the facility, making it among the largest number of workers at a California hospital to go union in a decade.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

January 29, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) -- We certainly have had our share of wind lately. Not to mention the unusually cold weather. This could affect your health!

January 23, 2023 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• The CDC issues an advisory about a surge in strep throat cases in kids  (NPR)
• New 988 mental health crisis line sees ‘eye-opening’ rise in calls, texts, chats in first 6 months, data shows (CNN)
• As the pandemic enters its 4th year, there's still much to learn about long COVID (NPR)
• New Tech Targets Epileptic Seizures With Lasers, Robots And Precision Surgery : Short Wave  (NPR)
• FDA no longer requires all drugs to be tested on animals before human trials  (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Ozone layer is on track to recover in next 40 years, United Nations says  (NPR)
• NASA's Webb telescope has discovered its first exoplanet  (NPR)
• NTSB head warns of risks posed by heavy electric vehicles  (NPR)
• Seattle's schools are suing tech giants for harming young people's mental health  (NPR)
• Scientists Have Reached a Key Milestone in Learning How to Reverse Aging (Time)
• Here’s how the Air Force and Scripps Oceanography measure atmospheric rivers (KPBS)
• A biotech firm says the U.S. has approved its vaccine for honeybees  (NPR)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies

January 10,  2023 (Lemon Grove) -- Since the passage of Proposition 64 legalizing cannabis for recreational use, cities and counties across California have been attempting to meet the desires of the electorate while also balancing public health and safety. Local Control, the ability for cities and counties to regulate whether or how cannabis operations exist in their jurisdictions, was included in the original proposition. It often brings the fight for or against cannabis to city hall steps.

Chrysler and Dodge vehicles are latest on recall list

Suzanne Potter, California News Service

January 8, 2023 (San Diego) -- It's a brand-new year, and consumer auto safety groups are hoping to avoid further deaths from faulty Takata air bags by raising awareness about the ongoing recall.

East County News Service

December 23, 2022 (San Diego) -- An incarcerated person has used a lifesaving medication available in the common housing areas of all county jails to assist another incarcerated person in medical distress. This is the eighth time an incarcerated individual has administered Naloxone since the San Diego County Sheriff's Department made the nasal spray accessible to the incarcerated population at county jails in June 2022. 

By Gig Conaughton, County of San Diego Communications Office

December 17, 2022 (San Diego) - Bivalent COVID-19 vaccination boosters are now approved and available in San Diego County for children as young as six months of age. The County Health and Human Services Agency is urging parents to protect their children, and themselves, by getting vaccinated with the new booster.

December 4, 2022 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Marine veterans sue over alleged toxic water exposure at Camp Lejeune: "Poisoned as a result of their service" (CBS)
• RSV straining children’s hospitals across California (Los Angeles Times)
• Almost Twice as Many Republicans Died From COVID Before the Midterms Than Democrats (Vice)
• Covid Killed Half as Many San Diegans During Year Two of the Pandemic, But More Young People (Voice of San Diego)
• States differ on how best to spend $26B from settlement in opioid cases (NPR)
• The pandemic isn't over yet, but thousands of public health workers lost their jobs  (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Lava, vog and "Pele's hair": The hazards posed by Hawaii's volcano eruption  (CBS)
• Notpla: UK plastic-alternative developer among £1m Earthshot Prize winners (BBC)
• Teenagers led a group of hackers who breached some of the world's biggest tech companies. The government wants to know how they did it. (CBS)
• Elon Musk suspends Kanye West from Twitter, unveils plan to incentivize advertisers to return (CBS)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

Seasonal Affective Disorder Effects Over 3 million People in the U.S.

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

November 28, 2022 (San Diego) -- Feeling an onset of sadness? Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of mood disorder associated with seasonal changes. Commonly seen as depression arising during the winter months, it happens due to a disturbance in the circadian system of the body.

November 22, 2022 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Energy bills: patients prescribed heating as part of health trial (BBC)
• Omicron variants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 now dominant in U.S. (NPR) 
• Devices, loud venues could cause hearing loss in 1 billion young people  (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• Is this really the end of Twitter? (BBC)
• After crypto exchange FTX collapsed, Washington policymakers debate how to respond  (NPR)
• To save water, Arizona farmers are growing guayule for sustainable tires (Pop Science)
• Google settles location-tracking case for $392 million   (NPR)
• James Webb images thrill and surprise scientists  (NPR)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.