Kristen Hwang / CalMatters
Reporter, CalMattersKristen Hwang reports on health care and policy for CalMatters. She is passionate about humanizing data-driven stories and examining the intersection of public health and social justice. Prior to joining CalMatters, Kristen earned a master’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in public health from UC Berkeley, where she researched water quality in the Central Valley. She has previously worked as a beat reporter for The Desert Sun and a stringer for the New York Times California COVID-19 team.
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Birth centers are midwife-run facilities that deliver babies outside of hospitals. They have struggled to stay in business in part because of strict state licensing requirements. -
The number of congenital syphilis cases has ballooned to rates not seen in two decades. Public health workers say the increase coincides with a decline in funding for public health and a drop in the rate of women accessing prenatal care. -
While monkeypox vaccines are targeted to the state’s largest cities, where case numbers are highest, other communities are struggling to respond. In the Central Valley, public health officials are waiting for resources and trying to get information to residents seeking help. -
Hospitals, public health agencies and other providers have no systematic way to share patient data among themselves, limiting their ability to monitor trends and work efficiently. Under the state’s new data-sharing requirement, a doctor or case worker could get immediate access to a patient’s full medical history, and patients could view their own records easily. -
Newsom unveiled a “SMARTER” preparedness plan, including stockpiling masks and tests. But has the state learned lessons from its erratic handling of the pandemic?
