April Dembosky

To get a new drug for postpartum depression, some insurers want women to try other drugs first and even electroconvulsive therapy. It could be a test for California's new mental health parity law.

Syphilis cases in California have contributed to soaring national caseloads of sexually transmitted diseases. Experts point to the advent of dating apps, decreased condom use and an increase in meth.

2019 was the worst year on record for syphilis. Reasons range from drug use to dating apps to underinvestment in contact tracing, as well as the surprising role of pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV.

Gov. Gavin Newsom says he wants the state to fully reopen for business on June 15. But it will have to meet vaccination goals and keep hospitalizations low for that to work.

The Tuskegee syphilis study is often cited as a reason why Black Americans might hesitate on the COVID-19 vaccine. But many say it's current racism in health care and Tuskegee is used as an excuse.

The Tuskegee syphilis study is used to explain why Black Americans are hesitant to get a COVID-19 vaccine. But many say Tuskegee is used as an excuse not to address current racism in health care.

California is battling over getting vaccines to essential farmworkers, who are hard to reach. Prioritizing them could slow overall efforts, but advocates say equity demands they must be prioritized.

The state has a law strictly regulating nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in hospitals. But the governor recently said hospitals could lift those limits in pandemic times, and nurses are crying foul.

With hospitals overwhelmed, California has suspended its unique law limiting nurse-to-patient ratios. Nurses are protesting, and worry it could lead to the law being changed or scrapped.

Could earlier access to the vaccine for some groups, like Native Americans, be a form of reparations for historical injustice?

California says it wants to consider "historic and contemporary injustices" as a factor in who gets priority after health care workers for a COVID-19 vaccine. Experts warn of legal problems.

When a Latina woman went to a Bay Area hospital, a doctor was dismissive of her COVID symptoms. Is unconscious bias one reason people of color are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus?

Research shows that doctors' unconscious bias can hurt patients of color. Some hospitals are trying to train doctors and stop disparate treatment.

Sex educators and sexologists have some advice for coronavirus socializing. And it's kind of like in the bedroom: people must build trust, communicate their values and needs, and seek consent.

Sex educators and sexologists have some advice for safe coronavirus socializing. Just like in the bedroom, overcommunicate about your needs and seek consent.

California is paying to train a huge contingent of contact tracers by July. Many of the new recruits are librarians: they're curious, tech savvy, and great at talking to strangers.

Motor vehicle deaths are typically the biggest source of donor organs nationwide. But as the coronavirus forced most Californians indoors, traffic crashes and other lethal mishaps declined.

Increasing evidence suggests people who smoke are more likely to become severely ill and die from COVID-19 than nonsmokers. Some people are using that as inspiration to quit.

Planned power outages in Northern California are entering their third day. People who depend on electricity for medical devices are struggling to cope.

State lawmakers are expected to pass a bill requiring campus health centers to provide pills used for medication abortions. If the measure becomes law, it will be the first of its kind in the U.S.