By Seraphina Eberhardt, Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies East County

May 9. 2025 (San Diego's EastCounty) -- May 2025 marks Mental Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to educating the public about mental health challenges, reducing stigma, and promoting wellness. It was established in 1949 by Mental Health America. The annual observance has been pivotal in bringing mental health to the forefront of national conversations. Over the decades, it has evolved to address various aspects of mental well-being, including the relationship between mental health and substance use.

In East County, mental health and substance use are a concern. Recent data highlights the challenges faced by the community. San Diego’s youth are drinking earlier and more often than their peers statewide. That’s a troubling sign of growing risk. One in four local teens has already consumed alcohol, and nearly 1 in 10 reported recent binge drinking.

Despite improvements in San Diego's air pollution overall, San Diego ranks worst in the U.S. for ozone pollution, per to a new report from the American Lung Association, making our region one of the most polluted areas in the U.S. 

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Los Angeles smog in 2006, before California's clean vehicle emissions laws dramatically cleaned up the air.  Image by David Iliff, CC license

May 4, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – House Republicans have pushed through three bills to repeal California’s Clean Air Act waivers, which have allowed our state to have stricter vehicle emission standards than the rest of the nation, resulting in dramatically cleaner air. 

Governor Gavin Newsom has blasted the measures as both illegal and aimed at “making California smoggy again.” 

Since the Clean Air Act was passed under Republican Richard Nixon’s administration in 1970, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has granted California over 100 waivers for its clean air and climate efforts.

Kennedy also moved to cut funding for various autism programs, and tasked discredited researcher with finding “link” between autism and vaccines 

By G. A. McNeeley 

Photo, left: cc via Bing

April 27, 2025 (Washington D.C.) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, has pledged to find the “cause” of autism, while he and other members of the Trump Administration have reduced funding for autism research at the same time. 

He has also put a researcher in charge of finding the cause of autism. previously disciplined for practicing medicine without a license in a debunked autism study with unapproved treatments that caused harm to patients.

Kennedy, who’s also spread debunked claims about vaccines causing autism, has also suggested “compensating” American families with autism. 

Meanwhile, The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is collecting private medical records from federal and commercial databases to give to Kennedy's effort to “study” autism, according to CBS News. 

April 24, 2025 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Virus that causes polio-like illness found in Bay Area as influenza cases spike (SF Gate)
• Tuberculosis cases in the US rose to their highest levels in more than a dozen years (AP)
• States sue Trump administration for rescinding billions in health funding (AP)
• CDC division responsible for asthma control and lead poisoning prevention effectively eliminated (Stat)
• CDC’s top laboratory on sexually transmitted diseases is shut by Trump administration (STAT)
• RFK Jr. says MMR vaccine ‘most effective’ way to stop spread of measles after Texas child’s death (Fox 5)
• Vaccine critic’s apparent selection to head HHS autism study shocks experts (Stat)
• The CDC Buried a Measles Forecast That Stressed the Need for Vaccinations(ProPublica)
• Utah becomes the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water (ABC)
• CDC’s top laboratory on sexually transmitted diseases is shut by Trump administration  (STAT)
• CDC advisory committees not mandated by law at risk of being terminated (Politico)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• NASA weighs doing away with headquarters (Politico)
• Dire wolf revived after 10,000 years due to biotech company's de-extinction process (MSN)
• Exclusive: Secretive Chinese network tries to lure fired federal workers, research shows (Reuters)
• Trump shifts cyberattack readiness to state and local governments in wake of info-sharing cuts (CSO)
• Dire wolf revived after 10,000 years due to biotech company's de-extinction process (MSN)
• Encrypted messaging apps promise privacy. Government transparency is often the price (AP)
•  Humming along in an old church, the Internet Archive is more relevant than ever (NPR)
• Turned Into a Ghibli Character? So Did Your Private Info (CySecurity News)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

By Seraphina Eberhardt, Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies East County

Stress images cc by SA

April 7, 2025 (San Diego) -- April is Stress Awareness Month, a time to shine a light on one of modern life’s most pervasive issues. Stress is a natural response to life's challenges, but when it becomes chronic or overwhelming, it can have profound implications for our health, both mentally and physically. One of the often-overlooked consequences of long-term stress is its connection to alcohol and substance misuse, a dangerous cycle that many people struggle to break. The relationship between stress and substance misuse can impact our well-being.

Source:  Grossmont Healthcare District

April 3, 2025 (La Mesa) — A new chapter in health education access will begin in East County on April 7 as the Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) unveils its new Mobile Outreach Library (MOL) during a press conference and ribbon-cutting ceremony at District headquarters at 9001 Wakarusa Street in La Mesa at 9:00 a.m. The launch coincides with the beginning of National Library Week and celebrates the District’s continued commitment to bridging healthcare and information gaps for all its residents.

Source: California Attorney General's Office

March 21, 2025 (Oakland) - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a consumer alert to customers of 23andMe, a genetic testing and information company. The California-based company has publicly reported that it is in financial distress and stated in securities filings that there is substantial doubt about its ability to continue, which is a growing concern. Due to the trove of sensitive consumer data 23andMe has amassed, Attorney General Bonta reminds Californians of their right to direct the deletion of their genetic data under the Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA) and California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA). Californians who want to invoke these rights can do so by going to 23andMe's website. 

By Miriam Raftery

March 12, 2025 (El Cajon) – By a unanimous vote, El Cajon’s City Council yesterday voted to adopt an ordinance prohibiting the sale of vaping or e-cigarette devices disguised as other products. 

By Miriam Raftery

County News Service contributed to this report

March 12,2025 (San Diego) -- An autopsy has determined that actor Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. The disease linked to exposure to rodents is rare, often fatal, and has been detected in nine rodents so far this year in San Diego County.

By Karen Pearlman

March 6, 2025 (La Mesa) -- The five-member Grossmont Healthcare District Board of Directors has decided not to renew the contract of CEO Christian Wallis.

Wallis, who was hired by the district in 2021 for a two-year contract at $215,000 per year, was given a two-year extension and a cost of living raise in 2023 to $247,424 annually. He succeeded Barry Jantz, who retired after 16 years of service.

GHD's board made the decision during its Tuesday morning board meeting on March 4 in closed session, after which the district’s legal counsel reported out with a public statement that the board voted 4-1 to not renew Wallis's contract.

GHD released a statement about Wallis's departure on Thursday evening, March 6:

East County News Service

March 3, 2025 (Washington D.C.) – Calling a measles outbreak now in nine states a “call to action,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has posted a message on the agency’s website titled “MMR vaccine is crucial to avoiding potentially deadly disease.” 

Kennedy, a noted skeptic of some vaccines, is now urging all Americans to get vaccinated for measles. The CDC recommends that adults born after 1957 who received the vaccine before 1968 should get a booster shot.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,  164 measles cases have been reported in nine different states, including Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, and Texas.  In Texas, which has 146 cases since January, a child has died of measles and 20 patients have been hospitalized.

By Miriam Raftery

Image: generic cat photo, cc  via Bing

February 26, 2025 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego County Public Health officials are investigating a suspected case of bird flu (H5N1) in a house cat from East County.  Preliminary test results show the cat, which got sick and died in mid-January 2025, was positive for bird flu.  The indoor cat ate a raw pet food that is suspected to be the source of the infection.  

By Seraphina Eberhardt, Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies East County

February 17, 2025 (San Diego) -- The start of a new year often brings the promise of new beginnings. For many, that includes resolutions focused on personal health and well-being, from hitting the gym to adopting healthier eating habits. In recent years, however, more and more of us have embraced a different kind of New Year’s resolution: abstaining from alcohol for the month of January. This annual challenge, known as Dry January, has gained popularity, particularly among the “Sober Curious” movement, which seeks to explore the impact of alcohol on mental and physical health. In San Diego County, it’s more than just a passing trend. It's a growing cultural shift.

By Fernanda Lopez Halvorson, County of San Diego Communications Office

February 11, 2025 (San Diego) -- County public health officials are reminding everyone, particularly families with children and teenagers, that it is not too late to get the flu vaccine. 

By G. A. McNeeley

Photo: screenshot of video courtesy of Sharp Grossmont Hospital

February 6, 2025 (La Mesa) – Aiming to help patients be “discharged with dignity,” Sharp Grossmont Hospital held a clothing drive on February 1st. If you missed the event, you can still donate clothing and shoes at the hospital’s thrift store, Thrift Korral, 8693-A, La Mesa Blvd. in La Mesa.