On Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California has entered into an expansive $1.4 billion contract with major diagnostics company, PerkinElmer. The contract aims to establish a new laboratory facility, expand COVID-19 laboratory testing capacity, address supply chain challenges, and reduce the cost of tests for all Californians. Specifically, PerkinElmer will increase the state’s capacity…
Read More »This week, Governor Gavin Newsom issued two executive orders amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Below, we provide a brief summary of the orders. Executive Order N-75-20 On Monday, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-75-20 addressing a series of issues and areas related to COVID-19. Notably, the order authorizes the California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA),…
Read More »On Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency to help ensure the availability of vital resources to respond to numerous wildfires throughout the state which have been exacerbated by the effects of the historic West Coast heat wave and sustained winds. Relatedly, the Newsom Administration announced it secured Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAGs) from…
Read More »Late Sunday, Dr. Sonia Angell announced her resignation as the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Officer. In her announcement, Angell did not indicate the reason for her departure. The Newsom Administration indicated Ms. Sandra Shewry will serve as acting director of CDPH, and Dr. Erica Pan, the current CDPH…
Read More »On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a partnership between Kaiser Permanente and the Public Health Institute (PHI) to strengthen and support contact tracing efforts throughout the state. Kaiser Permanente has committed $63 million in grant funds for PHI’s Tracing Health program which will hire, train, and deploy approximately 500 full-time, culturally and linguistically competent, clinically-based…
Read More »On Monday, a lawsuit was filed in the Sacramento County Superior Court seeking to overturn a law that restricts local jurisdictions throughout California from enacting new taxes on sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) until 2031. Recall, the Legislature passed and then-Governor Jerry Brown signed into law AB 1838 in 2018. The measure represented a deal struck…
Read More »Today, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Executive Order N-73-20 addressing a series of digital device and internet access issues statewide amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As Governor Newsom detailed in a press conference, over 90 percent of California school students are beginning the school year via distance learning. Today’s executive order directs state agencies to pursue…
Read More »This week, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a series of COVID-19 guidance documents relative to youth sports, elementary school in-person instruction waivers, and higher education. Below, we detail these activities: Youth Sports On Monday, CDPH issued guidance on youth sports that establishes a consistent set of rules that apply to all youth…
Read More »Recall, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is seeking a 12-month extension of the Section 1115 Medi-Cal 2020 Waiver that is currently set to expire on December 31, 2020. The extension request was published in late July can may be viewed here. DHCS will hold its second and final public hearing to solicit comments…
Read More »On Tuesday, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued emergency regulations requiring the collection of data on race, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual orientation amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The emergency regulations require providers to continue to collect and report to CDPH race and ethnicity data and collect and report a patient’s gender identity and…
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