California Weekly Roundup: A Push For Tighter Safety Standards For Cosmetic Surgery

Plus: Sutter Health to combine with Allina; KP health worker strike; federal vaccine policies; mental health treatment beds; Meals on Wheels; and more ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­  

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Sign Up Wednesday, March 18, 2026 Visit KFF Health News for the latest California headlines California Weekly Roundup THIS WEEK'S FEATURE Cosmetic Surgery Investigation Prompts Warnings for Patients, and a Push for Tighter Safety Standards (NIC ANTAYA FOR KFF HEALTH NEWS) By Fred Schulte   An investigation into cosmetic surgery chains by KFF Health News and NBC News has prompted consumer warnings from industry groups representing plastic surgeons and a call for more transparency around physician disciplinary actions in California.   The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, which represents 12,000 doctors, is now warning patients to "do their homework" before getting liposuction, a Brazilian butt lift, a "Mommy Makeover," or other cosmetic procedures.   "Plastic surgery is real surgery with real risks, and the risk of complications is never zero," said Scott Hollenbeck, immediate past president of the plastic surgeons group.   And in an exclusive interview, TJ Watkins, a member of California's medical licensing board, called for greater transparency in the secretive process for disciplining physicians, saying the board should alert the public about doctors under investigation for alleged misconduct.   Hollenback and Watkins were reacting to the "Body Shops" series, which examined allegations of disfiguring injuries or even deaths tied to cosmetic surgeries.   One story revealed that California plastic surgeon Heidi Regenass had three patients die within a few months after liposuction and fat transfer operations, according to medical malpractice lawsuits filed in California courts.   Read the full story. More From KFF Health News Reckoning With State and Federal Cuts, Los Angeles Safety-Net Clinics Push for a New Tax (KFF HEALTH NEWS) By Bernard J. Wolfson Across California, health providers, advocates, local officials, and state legislators are eyeing tax increases to offset a loss of more than $900 billion in federal Medicaid dollars as a result of the GOP's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. In Los Angeles County, community clinics have banded together in support of a half-cent sales tax. Follow us online for more KFF Health News coverage: Top Health Headlines From Around California Health Industry San Francisco Chronicle: Sutter Health To Combine With Midwest Provider Allina Sutter Health, Northern California's largest hospital system, is poised to combine with Allina Health, a major provider based in Minneapolis that will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Sutter, the two organizations said Tuesday. (Ho, 3/17)   The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Pediatric Unit Is Closing At Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. What Comes Next? Children won't be turned away, but experts and physicians say it's still a huge blow that narrows options for North Bay families. (Espinoza, 3/14)   Victorville Daily Press: St. Mary Medical Center Apple Valley Advances To Level 3 Trauma Center It's expected to improve access to timely trauma care for High Desert residents. (De La Cruz, 3/18)   Los Angeles Blade: The Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center Opens Full-Service Health Clinic Saturday marked the opening of the center's new health clinic and another step forward in its "righteous rebellion" for trans equality. (Song, 3/16)   Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta County Health Care Crisis Linked To Politics, Report Finds A report on rural California health care in 2025 blamed political differences and politicizing of medical services for some of Shasta County's health care troubles. (Skropanic, 3/13)   Los Angeles Times: Ending A Corporate Tax Break Pitched To Offset Federal Healthcare Cuts  A corporate tax policy that costs California billions in lost revenue each year could be eliminated as the state struggles to resolve a budget deficit. (King, 3/17) Hospice and Senior Care Southern California News Group: A California Building Where 89 Hospices Are Registered Pulled Into National Fight Over Fraud  A political battle over suspected hospice fraud in California has pushed a Van Nuys office building into the national spotlight after records revealed 89 hospices are registered there. (Henry, 3/16)   J Weekly: 'Shark Tank' Digital Windows Offer Seniors Realistic Vistas Originally conceived as a design element for offices and homes, the "digital windows" have also been installed at senior care facilities, including Rhoda Goldman Plaza and the Frank Residences in San Francisco and The Redwoods in Mill Valley. (Corrigan, 3/17) Health Care Workers and 911 San Francisco Chronicle: Thousands Of Kaiser Nurses To Join Northern California Strike This Week Over AI More than 23,000 Kaiser nurses plan a one-day Northern California strike Wednesday in support of mental health workers protesting AI use. (Ho, 2/16)   Monterey Herald: Cal State Monterey Bay Gets $15M Gift From Montage For School Of Nursing The funding will establish the Montage Health Helen Baszucki School of Nursing and support the development of two new programs – a four-year pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science in Nursing. (Herrera, 3/16)   The Appeal-Democrat: Bi-County Ambulance Celebrates 50 Years Bi-County Ambulance began in 1976 as a small, locally focused operation with a simple mission: to provide reliable, compassionate care when neighbors needed it most. (3/12)   The Bakersfield Californian: 'We're On Fire For This': New Portable Electrocardiogram Gives Even EMTs The Ability To Diagnose Heart Attack Hall Ambulance emergency medical technicians Jonathan Martin and Joshua Ovalle were on a call at a patient's home. (Mayer, 3/16)   inewsource: Chula Vista Police Will Use AI For 911 Calls, Dispatch The city of Chula Vista will start using artificial intelligence for some of its work related to 911 calls and police dispatching. (Niebla, 3/13)   East Bay Times: AI Now Answering San Diego Sheriff's Office Nonemergency Line If it sounds like you are talking to a chatbot when you call the San Diego Sheriff's Office nonemergency line, good catch. It likely is one. (Figueroa, 3/16) Public Health San Francisco Examiner: Local Experts: Ruling On Federal Vaccine Policies Is A Win For Science A federal judge overturned the vaccine-related decisions made by RFK Jr.'s vaccine panel over the last year, a bittersweet win for one local expert who worries "a lot of damage has already been done." (Gurevich, 3/18)   Los Angeles Times: Long Covid Leaves Thousands Of L.A. County Residents Sick, Broke And Ignored Six years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, doctors are still treating long COVID patients with complex symptoms and unknown futures. (Purtill, 3/14)   San Francisco Chronicle: Raw Cheddar Cheese Sold At Bay Area Grocers Tied To E. Coli Outbreak A raw cheddar cheese sold at Bay Area grocery stores is now at the center of an E. coli outbreak that has hospitalized two people. (Vaziri, 3/16)   Redding Record Searchlight: Paraquat Spill Near California-Oregon Border A widely used and extremely toxic herbicide caused a scare near the California-Oregon border after a big rig spill on Highway 97. (Skropanic, 3/17)   The Hill: California Man, 25, Dies After Being Bitten By Rattlesnake While Biking Locals who frequent the Quail Hill trails were concerned after hearing of the man's death. Many said snakes can often be spotted in the area. (Chow, 3/12) Environmental Health VC Star: Heat Wave Beach Plans In SoCal? Think Again As Bacteria Warnings Hit The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is urging people to avoid swimming, surfing and playing in the water to escape the heat. (Ward, 3/14)   Santa Monica Daily Press: UCLA Tests LA County Soil For Fire, Industrial Contamination UCLA researchers have tested 700 soil samples across Los Angeles County,  finding widespread lead contamination. (Alin, 3/16)   CalMatters: California Proposes New Air Quality Powers Amid Trump Rollbacks When a package arrives at your door, it has likely traveled through a chain of ports, railyards and warehouses throughout the state. All those ships, trains and trucks leave behind a trail of diesel exhaust as they go, driving some of the highest asthma rates in communities. (Reyes-Velarde, 3/16)   The Desert Sun: 2 California Cities Among Hardest Places In US To Live With Allergies Two California cities, San Diego and San Francisco, rank among the top 20 "Allergy Capitals" for 2026, a new report finds. (Segura, 3/13) Mental Health CalMatters: 10 Projects From Newsom's Mental Health Bond Were Supposed To Open In 2025. That Didn't Happen None of the projects expected in 2025 under Gov. Gavin Newsom's mental health ballot measure have opened, CalMatters has found, even though the governor says the bond is exceeding its goals. (Kendall, 3/16)   San Francisco Examiner: SF Receives $100 Million In Another Round Of Prop. 1 Funding San Francisco is tapping into state funding to launch three new projects aimed at expanding treatment-bed capacity. (Gurevich, 3/13)   Voice of OC: Why Can't Orange County's Brand New $86 Million Mental Health Facility Open? Orange County's brand new campus set up to house mentally ill patients is finished with construction in Irvine, but can't open its doors amid a lawsuit between county leaders and the nonprofit that helped build it. (Biesiada, 3/12)   The Sacramento Bee: CA Lawmakers Pushes Forward Bill To Curb Mental Health Diversion For Public Safety Opponents of the measure say the drive to restrict the diversions neglects statistical success. (Graham, 3/17)   The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Sonoma County Families Face Uncertainty Amid Police Shift On Mental Health Holds Increasingly, police are refusing to carry out involuntary mental health holds even when recommended by professionals. (Endicott and Espinoza, 3/14)   EdSource: Seeking More Help For Students In Crisis, Cal State Weighs Options For After-Hours Mental Health Care But Cal State and the union for counselors disagree about hiring an outside vendor to provide it. (DiPierro, 3/13) Substance Use Daily Breeze: San Pedro's Former Little Sisters Could Face Big Transition Under New Proposal  Plans to convert a former church-affiliated home for the elderly into a drug and alcohol recovery facility in San Pedro are drawing opposition from neighborhoods. (Littlejohn, 3/17)   The Bakersfield Californian: State Awards $27 Million For Arvin Area Substance-Use Treatment Facility To Young Nonprofit A local nonprofit was provisionally awarded $27 million last week to construct a 100-bed substance-use disorder treatment center near Arvin. (Segall, 3/16)   Daily Bulletin: Ontario Plans To Ban Flavored Tobacco, Nitrous Oxide And Kratom Sales  Ontario plans to ban the sales of flavored tobacco products, nitrous oxide, and Kratom. (Cannon-Tran, 3/17) Other California News San Francisco Chronicle: San Francisco's Homelessness Chief Shireen McSpadden Steps Down She joins other high-profile department heads who've left roles since Mayor Daniel Lurie took office in January 2025. (Morris and McFadden, 3/16)   The San Diego Union-Tribune: Homeless Deaths Are Dropping. This Group Is Part Of The Reason Why. Last year, homeless people in San Diego County died while suffering from HIV, hypothermia, undernourishment, sleep apnea and pneumonia, according to data from the Medical Examiner's Office. (Nelson, 3/15)   Daily Democrat: Meals On Wheels Yolo County Names Liane Moody As New Executive Director  Moody will replace Joy Cohan, who's retiring April 3. (Heeden, 3/18)   Capital & Main: From Invisibility To Inclusion: A 'Generational Shift' On Menopause Care  New California legislation aims to expand access to medical care but excludes millions on Medi-Cal. (Aguilera, 3/16)   Capital & Main: 'My Lungs Had Nothing Left.' Inside The Epidemic Killing Countertop Stonecutters. A new California law aims to protect workers from silicosis, an incurable lung disease that has killed 29 people in the state and sickened hundreds. Experts say it isn't enough. (Norris, 3/13)   San Francisco Chronicle: Stanford Has The Highest Disability Rate Of Any School In The Country Here's where every school ranks. (Hodgman and Lee, 3/13) Helping Hands The Orange County Register: Huntington Beach Father With Terminal Cancer Watches Daughter Graduate In Special Ceremony  Friends arranged the ceremony over the weekend, making sure Bill Kerwin, a local coach and school district staffer, enjoyed seeing the major life milestone happen. (Wang, 3/17) This Week's 'KFF Health News Minute' Looming Medicaid cuts could mean states stop covering dental care for adults, and a growing number of U.S. nurses are moving to Canada. Listen to Katheryn Houghton ▶️ KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.   (c) 2026 KFF. 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