UCSD launched ASCEND, a free 80‑hour online course to meet California’s new counselor training rules; early graduates say it helps turn recovery into a career.

A western harvest mouse trapped near the Los Peñasquitos Ranch House tested positive for hantavirus, county officials say. The county urges safe wet-cleaning and offers a hotline.

An analysis of millions of California pregnancies reveals a sharp rise in prenatal opioid use over the past decade, with newborns increasingly born into withdrawal and requiring intensive medical care. The surge is fueling calls for expanded maternal treatment programs.

A San Diego family says Rady Childrens canceled their 15-year-olds mastectomy amid federal moves to penalize hospitals that offer gender-affirming care to minors. The family is seeking answers.

San Diego County’s MMR coverage is about 94%, leaving dozens of schools below the 95% herd‑immunity threshold. Local pockets remain vulnerable.

A Holland America cruise that left Fort Lauderdale in late December returned after a norovirus outbreak that sickened 94 people. Officials say the ship was sanitized and is being monitored.

A UC San Diego‑led paper finds pharmacists and female pharmacy technicians face elevated suicide risk, with researchers pointing to workplace stress and gaps in care.

San Diego Blood Bank has agreed to merge with Vitalant; the deal will make the local nonprofit a Vitalant subsidiary this summer while CEO Doug Morton remains during the transition.

The San Diego Blood Bank is celebrating National Blood Donor Month by urging donations during a winter shortfall, offering a special T-shirt as an incentive.

San Diego's public‑health lab found H3N2 subclade K in four local samples as flu activity rises. Officials say vaccination and early treatment remain the best defense.

The Sycuan Band has opened a new Dehesa health center that consolidates medical, dental, behavioral‑health and pharmacy services for tribal members and East County residents.

San Diego is experiencing a rise in hepatitis B cases and a decline in newborn vaccinations, prompting health officials to reaffirm the importance of the early HBV vaccine, which has significantly reduced infections since 1991.

A $10 million lead gift from Price Philanthropies kickstarts UC San Diego’s East Campus Behavioral Health Hub, aimed at adding beds, outpatient care and a training pipeline.