�鶹Ů��

Oregon has seen a record-high number of cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, this year, prompting concern about the risks posed to vulnerable populations. On December 10, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) recorded 1,475 reported annual cases of whooping cough, breaking the state's record of 1,420 that was set in 1950. (Laws, 12/11)

Santa Clara County has certified a voter-approved increase in sales tax to help fund local hospitals — one of the first counties to adopt such an approach to offset major cuts in federal health care spending. The county Registrar of Voters certified Measure A, which passed with 57% of the vote in the Nov. 4 election and will raise local sales tax by five-eights of a cent (0.625%) for five years. The Board of Supervisors approved the results of the election on Tuesday. (Ho, 12/11)

The San Francisco Fire Department will soon be fully equipped with new gear made free from chemicals known to cause cancer, making the city the largest in the country to reach such a milestone. Standing in front of dozens of SFFD recruits sporting the new yellow-striped uniforms, Mayor Daniel Lurie and Fire Chief Dean Crispen celebrated the achievement as the result of a collaborative, years-long push for safer equipment and better health outcomes for firefighters. (Bauman, 12/11)

A civil rights attorney filed a class action lawsuit against the city of Fresno alleging the homeless community has been criminalized and unduly prosecuted after the city adopted its anti-camping ordinance. (Miller, 12/11)

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ $117 billion state budget proposal for 2026-27 includes $4.1 billion for health care, with major investments in cancer research, emergency medical innovation and public health infrastructure. The largest slice is a $277.5 million package for cancer research. (Mayer, 12/11)

Connecticut will spend $70 million to partly offset the looming loss of $295 million in enhanced federal tax credits that subsidize health insurance premiums for tens of thousands of residents under the Affordable Care Act, Gov. Ned Lamont said Thursday. (Pazniokas and Hagen, 12/11)

Three Northeast Ohio hospitals — University Hospitals, MetroHealth System and Summa Health —collectively spent $1.23 billion to benefit their communities in Northeast Ohio in 2024, according to reports recently released by the health systems. (Washington, 12/12)

Advocates and state agency directors pitched recommendations to lawmakers Tuesday on how to prioritize legislative funds for the health and well-being of women, children and families during the upcoming legislative session. The nine-member Senate Study Group on Women, Children and Families, chaired by Sen. Nicole Boyd, a Republican from Oxford, was formed in 2022 after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The group’s mission was designed to make the state safer for moms and babies. (Paffenroth, 12/11)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Epic Systems Corp. for antitrust violations, accusing the healthcare software company of leveraging its control over patient medical records to maintain dominance in the market. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in state court in Texas, claims that the software giant is the dominant provider of electronic health records, or EHS, in the US and uses that position to run an “anticompetitive playbook” that harms competitors and prevents hospitals and patients from accessing key data. (Mekelburg, 12/11)