From the Los Angeles Times. Scores of California hospitals, under pressure to reduce infections that kill an estimated 12,000 patients every year, say they have managed to cut costs and save lives through an initiative that has nurses and doctors redou… more »

From the Orange County Register. A bill that would require that dogs and cats adopted from a shelter or reclaimed by their owners get a microchip implanted is on its way to the governor's desk to be signed into law. In California, only about 11 percent… more »

From the Siskiyou Daily. "Due to its potential health risks, federal, state and tribal agencies are urging swimmers, boaters and recreational users to avoid contact with blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) now blooming in Copco and Iron Gate reservoirs on… more »

From the Sacramento Bee. Dick Floyd probably would have been the first to tell you that you should not emulate Dick Floyd. He cussed too much, he smoked too many cigars and unfiltered cigarettes, and he gambled too much on football and baccarat. Floyd,… more »

From the East Bay Express. The Repeal Cannabis Prohibition Act of 2012 would allow adults to legally possess up to three pounds of pot and grow a ten-by-ten-foot garden. It puts the California Department of Public Health in charge of administering the… more »

From the UCLA Newsroom. When apartment tenants light up a cigarette, it's not just their smoking-averse neighbors who suffer. Landlords are also sucking it up - in increased cleaning costs. But by implementing complete smoke-free rules throughout their… more »

From the Sacramento Bee. The California Department of Public Health says cases of whooping cough remain high in 2011 compared with many past years but are declining from mid-2010, when the largest epidemic since 1950 struck the state. Public health dep… more »