California Weekly Roundup: Saving Her Voice After Oral Cancer

Plus: Medi-Cal updates; California's 911 system; poverty in San Francisco; infant botulism cases; flu season; immigrant health care; and more

View in browser Not a subscriber? Sign Up Visit KFF Health News for the latest California headlines California Weekly Roundup THIS WEEK'S FEATURE Cancer Stole Her Voice. She Used AI, Curse Words, and Kids' Books To Get It Back.  (APRIL DEMBOSKY) By April Dembosky, KQED   When doctors told her they had to remove her tongue and voice box to save her life from the cancer that had invaded her mouth, Sonya Sotinsky sat down with a microphone to record herself saying the things she would never again be able to say.   "Happy birthday" and "I'm proud of you" topped the phrases she banked for her husband and two daughters, as well as "I'll be right with you," intended for customers at the architecture firm she co-owns in Tucson, Arizona.   But one of the biggest categories of sound files she banked was a string of curse words and filthy sayings. If the voice is the primary expression of personality, sarcasm and profanity are essential to Sotinsky's.    Fighting invasive oral cancer at age 51 forced Sotinsky to confront the existential importance of the human voice. Her unique intonation, cadence, and slight New Jersey accent, she felt, were fingerprints of her identity. And she refused to be silenced.   While her doctors and insurance company saved her life, they showed little interest in saving her voice, she said. So she set out on her own to research and identify the artificial intelligence company that could. It used the recordings Sotinsky had banked of her natural voice to create an exact replica now stored in an app on her phone, allowing her to type and speak once again with a full range of sentiment and sarcasm.   "Your voice is your identity," said Sue Yom, a radiation oncologist at the University of California-San Francisco, where Sotinsky got treatment. "Communication is not only how we express ourselves and relate to other people, but also how we make sense of the world." Read the full story.  Follow KFF Health News online as we break down the health care headlines: Top Health Headlines From Around California Medi-Cal The Future of Medi-Cal Commission: Health Care Leaders Launch The Future Of Medi-Cal Commission To Develop Bold Vision And Concrete Plan To Modernize, Protect Medi-Cal In The Face Of Unprecedented Federal Cuts At a pivotal moment for the 15 million Californians who rely on Medi-Cal, the Commission brings together a group of health care leaders to develop a 10-year roadmap for the program. (Roth, 11/18)   The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: 'A Threat To Latino Health': Sonoma County Clinics Brace For Fallout From Medi-Cal Cuts Health care leaders are warning of a looming crisis that will soon destabilize federally subsidized community clinics, punching a hole through a crucial safety net for tens of thousands of Latino and immigrant families in Sonoma County. (Espinoza, 11/18) Health Industry The Sacramento Bee: CA Spent Over $450 Million On A New 911 System. It's Now Scrapping The Flawed Design Cal OES, which oversaw the project, said the system as it's designed contains flaws that add unnecessary risk to 911 dispatchers. (Melhado, 11/23)   The San Diego Union-Tribune: Sharp Nurses Set To Begin Three-Day Strike Wednesday Barring a last-minute breakthrough, 5,700 registered nurses at Sharp HealthCare will strike on Wednesday, remaining on picket lines through Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, not returning to their jobs until 7 a.m. Saturday. (Sisson, 11/24)   Orange County Register: Hospital Openings In Irvine Mean Lots Of New Hiring In Region  City of Hope and UCI Health-Irvine will open their doors in early December, with Hoag following suit next year. What does it take to staff such a hospital boom? (Le, 11/23)   The Fresno Bee: Home Births Rise In Madera As Services Disappear, Increasing Risks For Moms And Babies "I feel like the Central Valley in general is a birth desert," says Lacy Lisbon, a Fresno-based midwife. (Valencia, 11/24)   VC Star: Bi-Annual Safety Rankings Show Which California Hospitals Made The List A national nonprofit released its biannual safety rankings of hospitals across the U.S. for fall 2025. Which California hospitals ranked among the safest? (Araujo, 11/18)   CalMatters: He Built A Nursing Home Empire Despite State Investigations. Now, Lawsuits Are Piling Up California nursing home owner Shlomo Rechnitz received a batch of state licenses in 2023. Today, his companies are facing half a dozen lawsuits over patient care. (Wiener, 11/20)   Marin Independent Journal: West Marin Pharmacy To Receive $500K Federal Earmark When President Donald Trump signed legislation this month to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, it meant $500,000 for the West Marin Pharmacy in Point Reyes Station. (Halstead, 11/23) Hunger and Poverty The Fresno Bee: Clovis Creates First-Ever Emergency Fund After SNAP Cuts The Clovis City Council passed the proposal but decided to discuss further guardrails for the future use of the funds. (Zhong, 11/21)   Bay Area News Group: SNAP Food Benefits Have Resumed, But New Work Requirements Could Push Millions Off Assistance Food banks are scrambling to keep up with a continued surge in demand as Bay Area families are still recovering from lapses in federal food benefits triggered by the government shutdown. (Varian, 11/24)   The Washington Post: Poverty Spikes In The Land Of The Tech Billionaires  Hundreds of thousands more people struggle in the San Francisco area as the cost of living climbs and the safety net disappears. (Thebault, 11/19) Public Health Bloomberg: 2024-25 Baby Botulism Cases Under Investigation In California The California Department of Public Health is investigating six additional cases of botulism in the state in infants who were given ByHeart formula before the start of the current outbreak in August, a department spokesperson told Bloomberg. (Edney, 11/22)   San Francisco Chronicle: 'Highly Volatile': Bay Area Sheriff Shuts Down Illegal, Hazardous Cannabis Extraction Lab Sonoma County law enforcement shut down a hazardous cannabis extraction lab that officials said created a life-threatening environment for staff and the surrounding area. (Park, 11/21)   KQED: California Doctors Urge Ban On Engineered Stone As Silicosis Cases Surge  Medical and occupational safety experts warn that current regulations won't protect hundreds of workers. (Romero, 11/21)   The Fresno Bee: The 'Forever Chemicals' Pollute Fresno More Than Any Other County In California Fresno is the top county in California for the use of pesticides containing PFAS, which can contaminate drinking water, soil and produce, linked to various health issues, according to a new Environmental Working Group analysis. (Fannin, 11/18)   Los Angeles Times: California Braces For Early, Sharper Flu Season As Virus Mutation Outpaces Vaccine, Experts Say California could see an early and especially sharp start to the annual flu season, as a combination of low vaccination rates and late mutations to the virus may leave the state particularly exposed to transmission. (Lin II, 11/25)   Times of San Diego: New UCSD Phage Therapy Targets Deadly Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Researchers at the University of California, San Diego are developing alternatives for antibiotics, such as bacteriophages. (Hernandez, 11/22) Homelessness The Sacramento Bee: How Drugs Have Claimed The Lives Of Homeless While In Sacramento-Run Shelters Six have died from drug overdoses in Sacramento city and county shelters in the last two years. Would changes in policy help prevent them? (Clift, 11/24)   LAist: How An Overloaded Homelessness System Left This LA Family Living In Their Car L.A. County is proposing cuts to homeless services next year, at a time when families have already been struggling to find shelter. One family shares their story. (Yu, 11/24) Immigrants and Farmworkers The San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego Congress Members Find Nearly Empty ICE Detention Facility During Scheduled Inspection Members of the San Diego Democratic congressional delegation were granted access to inspect an immigration detention facility inside the Edward J. Schwartz federal building in downtown San Diego on Monday, after having been turned away on two previous occasions. (Mendoza, 11/24)   LAist: 15 People Have Died During Detention, According To ICE. SoCal House Members Want Answers The death toll is the highest since the agency began publicly reporting detainee deaths in 2018. (Replogle, 11/21)   Los Angeles Times: California's Child Farmworkers: Exhausted, Underpaid And Toiling In Toxic Fields State officials are failing to protect the health and safety of thousands of young field laborers, an investigation has found. (Lopez, 11/20) Mental Health EdSource: How Schools In San Diego County Improved Suicide Prevention San Diego County Office of Education has invested $7 million in the Creating Opportunities in Preventing and Eliminating Suicide initiative, which introduces a suicide risk screener for students who may be at risk of self-harm or suicide. (Sanganeria, 11/25)   CapRadio: Need A Paw? Sacramento State's Emotional Support Dog Duke is the newest member of the Student Health Counseling and Wellness Services. He is a three-year-old hypoallergenic Newfoundland doodle mix who serves as an emotional support dog on campus Monday through Friday. (Davis, 11/18)   VC Star: Seniors Pedal Away Isolation In Camarillo Virtual Reality Program Older adults pedal away isolation and see the world without leaving Camarillo in new virtual reality program. (Kisken, 11/26) After the Wildfires Boise State Public Radio News: Researchers Find 'Concerning' Protein Changes Among Firefighters Who Responded To L.A. Blazes The tragic Los Angeles fires were a historically destructive disaster, but they also presented a unique opportunity to study the toxic exposures faced by firefighters. New findings point to a heightened risk for serious diseases like lupus. (Woodhouse, 11/19)   Los Angeles Times: A Disabled Mom Survived The Eaton Fire. The Recovery Is Killing Her  New research on the aftermath of wildfires has found what one expert called "a slow-burning bureaucracy," leaving disabled people especially vulnerable. Jessica Newman is among those struggling to navigate the system a year after being displaced by the Eaton fire. (Sharp, 11/24) Other California News Pasadena Star News: LA County Juvenile Hall Reopens To Same Problems That Forced It To Close Young people at the newly reopened Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall are once again urinating in bags, plastic gloves and the corners of their rooms because there is not enough staff to escort them to the restroom overnight, according to court testimony. (Henry, 11/23)   The Fresno Bee: Fresno Moves To Limit Kratom Sales And Youth Access  Leaders in Fresno want to ban the sale of a supplement they say is too readily accessible to young people visiting local convenience store counters. (Miller, 11/19)   San Francisco Chronicle: Treatment For Fentanyl Addiction Is Easier Than Ever To Get In S.F. Why Are So Few Sticking With It? While it's important to cut barriers for people starting treatment for fentanyl addiction, the full benefits cannot be realized unless someone stays engaged. (Angst, 11/20) This Week's 'KFF Health News Minute' Some American cities such as L.A. and Houston have more traffic fatalities than homicides, and though most children and adults would benefit from annual covid shots, few are getting them. Listen to Sam Whitehead ▶️ Have questions or feedback? Contact editor Lauren Zamarron at LaurenZ@kff.org. 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) 2025 KFF. All rights reserved.   KFF, 185 Berry Street, Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94107, United States Unsubscribe Manage preferences