This week, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) released a series of recommendations for the incoming Biden Administration and the 117th Congress. In its recommendations, NACCHO highlights the role of local health departments (LHDs) in responding to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the critical services delivered by LHDs nationwide….
Read More »Today, the California Department of Public Health reported a recent increase of a severe form of gonorrhea called disseminated gonococcal infections (DGI), which is an uncommon, but significant complication of untreated gonorrhea. According to CDPH, untreated DGI can lead to joint pain and swelling from infected joints, small, painless red based skin lesions, infection in…
Read More »Today, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a travel advisory amid increasing COVID-19 incidence in many states and countries. California joined Oregon and Washington in issuing the advisory that discourages non-essential travel. Under the advisory, persons arriving in California from other states and countries, including returning California residents, are instructed to self-quarantine for…
Read More »This week, the California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) released its analysis of the proposed statewide ballot initiative to limit the government’s role to an advisory capacity during any health crisis. Recall, paperwork was filed with the California Attorney General’s Office in September to begin the initiative process, which will eventually be required to collect 623,212…
Read More »Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the opening of the state’s new laboratory in Valencia in Los Angeles County to increase the state’s COVID-19 testing capacity and reduce test turnaround time. In partnership with PerkinElmer, the new $25 million lab will begin processing tests starting in November and will work toward full capacity of 150,000 tests…
Read More »On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom and California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly announced that Washington, Oregon, and Nevada have joined California’s COVID-19 Safety Review Workgroup which will be tasked with independently reviewing the safety and efficacy of any vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for distribution. Recall, last…
Read More »This week, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced the COVID-19 Vaccine Drafting Guidelines Workgroup to advise the state on COVID-19 vaccine prioritization and allocation. Building on the state’s COVID-19 Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, the Drafting Guidelines Workgroup is comprised of immunization, geriatrics, ethics, epidemiology, health equity, and pharmacy practice experts. The group is…
Read More »On Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom returned to a Yolo County hotel where he launched in April the state’s Project Roomkey initiative to announce the seventh and final round of awards to provide permanent supportive housing for individuals experiencing homelessness. The seventh round of awards total $129.6 million awarded to nine jurisdictions for 17 projects providing…
Read More »Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday issued Executive Order N-83-20 addressing a series of issues in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The order directs the Department of Transportation to develop and implement a process to issue and administer temporary encroachment permits allowing businesses located on state highways to expand their outdoor dining options onto sidewalks…
Read More »The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) has opened the application process for 2021 Model Practices and Innovative Practice Awards. Each year, NACCHO’s Model Practices Program nationally honors and recognizes outstanding local public health practices and shares them through the Model Practices Database. These practices are rigorously reviewed by a committee of…
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