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After receiving criticism as being lax, the Pennsylvania Department of Health has increased the number of citations given for inadequate staffing in Philadelphia-area nursing homes over the last two years. The agency cited facilities 12 times last year for violations of staffing rules, up from six in 2016 and no more than two in any of the previous eight years. (Brubaker, 3/16)

Most of the leading Democrats in the crowded field running to take on veteran Republican lawmaker Peter Roskam of Wheaton have made personal health crises central to their campaigns, seizing his longtime opposition to the Affordable Care Act in what they see as a rare shot at flipping a suburban district that has long favored the GOP. (Skiba, 3/16)

For a while, Vincent Neill and his family parked their weathered RVs on a stretch of roadway in Canoga Park, where the kids had friends down the street. But then business owners began to complain, he said. So Neill, his wife and their seven children relocated their caravan of vehicles to a Chatsworth manufacturing zone. (Reyes, 3/15)

This year 37,103 students vied for 33,167 medical residencies nationally, the most ever offered, according to the National Resident Matching Program. Students across the country all received their much anticipated letters at noon. They are entering medicine as the country faces a looming shortage of doctors. The United State will be short 40,800 to 104,900 physicians by 2030, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Specialty care will face the largest gaps. (McDaniels, 3/15)

When Michelle Cook received a call from her primary care physician’s office Wednesday urging her to move an annual physical up two weeks earlier than scheduled, she was taken by surprise. She was told that if she didn’t have her preventive care visit completed before the end of March — before the April 6 date she had originally planned — she might not be able to get it done at all, at least, not at that physician’s office. Or she might have to pay the full cost, out-of-pocket. (Rice, 3/16)

She was one of 12 siblings growing up in Portland, and dental care wasn't a priority. As a kid, she had several molars pulled rather than repaired. In her 20s, an abusive ex punched her in the mouth, she said, knocking out several front teeth. [Connie] Lorenzo has worn dentures ever since – until this month, when she received free dental implants, valued at more than $40,000, through the Second Chance program at Beacon Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons. (Swindler, 3/17)

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Friday that at least seven people in Johnson County and Miami County have contracted measles and released a list of nine public places where others might have been exposed. (Marso, 3/16)

An unnerving case of a St. Paul nurse practitioner reusing syringes and exposing 161 patients to infection risk shows that unsafe injection practices still occur in U.S. health care. But the reasons remain a mystery. In an era when contact lenses and mobile phones are disposable, researchers said they aren’t sure why any health care providers deviate from long-standing practice and reuse syringes. But they do know the consequence: More than 150,000 people have been tested in the United States since 2001 for exposure to viruses such as HIV and hepatitis C due to unsafe injections by health care providers. (Olson, 3/17)

Alka-Seltzer Plus packages sold after Feb. 9, 2018, at retailers including CVS, Walgreens and Walmart are a part of the Bayer company’s voluntary recall. ... The affected Alka-Seltzer Plus packages can be identified by checking the Bayer logo located on the lower left corner of the carton’s front. (Cohen, 3/16)

From its 20,000-square-feet underground storage facility off of 31st Street, Giving the Basics distributes hygiene products all over the city via 315 agencies, schools and police departments. Soon, thanks to a nearly $1 million donation from Peter and Veronica Mallouk, Giving the Basics will open a second 24,000-square-feet location on the Kansas side. (Frese, 3/19)

The Colorado CovenantCare at Home facility in Westminster will shut down May 17 and lay off at least 67 employees, the company said.In a statement, shared by spokesman Randy Eilts, the company said competition was to blame. ...CovenantCare at Home is part of Covenant Retirement, “one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit retirement housing organizations” with 16 locations nationwide, according to the company. It also has a retirement facility at 9153 Yarrow St. in Westminster. That retirement community will not be impacted, nor will the agencies operating in St. Charles, Ill. and Turlock, Calif. (Chuang, 3/16)

For the first time, the Florida Department of Health in Orange County has issued an assessment of the Hispanic population, showing several areas of need and highlighting health disparities in the community. (Miller, 3/16)

With the population of people living on the street at a record high, Sacramento City Hall is focusing on sheltering the homeless. But advocates for months have consistently pushed for action on another front: providing places for people to relieve themselves. (Lillis and Hubert, 3/19)

A three-judge panel upheld that a physician recommendation for cannabis under California's Compassionate Use Act is equivalent to cards issued under Arizona's Medical Marijuana Act. ... The question centered on a 2016 case in which state police pulled over Stanley Kemmish Jr., who had a California medical marijuana card. Kemmish was indicted on one count of possession of narcotic drugs, and one count each of possessing marijuana and drug paraphernalia. (Wingett Sanchez, 3/16)