The American Lung Association says smoking is higher in San Diego County's rural areas than in its cities.

A new report provides detailed information on infection rates in California hospitals.

San Diego County officials say their free prescription drug discount program has been a big hit.

A bill is heading to California Governor Jerry Brown's desk that mandates concussion training for high school coaches.

A program in San Diego relies on a hands-on approach to connecting low-income pregnant women and their children with vital services.

The percentage of women who exclusively breastfeed their newborns varies among San Diego County hospitals.

A new study from UC San Diego tested whether a brief intervention could reduce risky behavior among female sex workers who shoot drugs in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

Eight years after North County voters approved its funding, the new Palomar Hospital in Escondido is scheduled to open for business in mid-August.

Doctors at Scripps Health say recent federal recommendations against using the PSA test to screen for prostate cancer are misleading and potentially dangerous.

San Diego's Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women has been selected to participate in a national program designed to increase breastfeeding rates.

The National Institutes of Health awarded the Scripps Research Institute a major grant to fund work on an elusive target: an HIV vaccine.

There is no cure for food allergies. But that's not stopping some chiropractors from saying they can completely eliminate food allergies through the use of a laser.

Fourth of July crowds at San Diego beaches usually leave mountains of trash behind. This year there was a lot less debris.

Maternity coverage is now the law in California.

A measure that would have allowed state regulators to reject increases in health insurance premiums has fallen just short of qualifying for the November ballot.

Projected savings from eliminating the Healthy Families program might not pencil out.

San Diego's Project Concern International has won a federal grant to expand a program that targets maternal health in the South Bay.

More than two weeks after Election Day, Proposition 29 remains too close to call.

Some cancer patients choose to undergo a particularly aggressive form of treatment. It's not for the faint-hearted.

A state-of-the-art cancer center is opening in the South Bay.

As a part of a nationwide effort to expand mental health services to veterans, San Diego's VA Medical Center will hire more staff.

A bill approved by the State Senate would allow dying inmates in county jails to get compassionate release.

Volunteer trainers were out in force on San Diego streets today to teach people how to perform CPR.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has made a ruling that lays out what insurers must cover under the mental health parity law.

Health officials say rattlesnakes are striking an increasing numbers of San Diegans, with a bite that's more toxic than in the recent past.

Tooth decay is on the rise among preschoolers. Many of them have to go to the hospital to have their cavities filled.

A new survey from the California HealthCare Foundation shows Medi-Cal enrollees generally like the program, but have problems seeing specialists.

State officials are once again pushing the idea of charging people on Medi-Cal co-pays.

A bill in the state senate would reduce the penalty for simple drug possession from a felony to a misdemeanor.

A number of San Diego institutions could benefit from Proposition 29 on the June ballot, which would raise the tax on cigarettes to support cancer research.

The county has unveiled a new campaign aimed at getting kids to adopt healthy behaviors.

A state measure that would require health insurers to get prior approval for rate increases may be on the November ballot.

Emergency responders throughout San Diego County were put to the test today as part of a statewide disaster exercise. At Qualcomm Stadium, crews practiced treating people exposed to a chemical spill.

Gov. Jerry Brown's revised budget calls for new cuts to California's safety net. The plan cuts health-care programs for the elderly and the poor.

San Diego is one of 40 cities nationwide taking part in a groundbreaking study of children's health.

A new survey finds when it comes to providing answers to consumers, California health agencies do a good job.

A bill aimed at increasing access to abortion in California has been shelved for the year.

San Diego's largest private providers of psychiatric care complain Anthem Blue Cross frequently refuses to pay for emergency hospitalizations.

Scripps Memorial Hospital in Encinitas is launching a major expansion project.

A new report says San Diego has some of the nation's most ozone-polluted air.

A bill that could increase the number of abortion providers in California gets its first hearing in the state legislature.

A new UC San Diego study will test the viability of using an anti-HIV drug to prevent people at high risk from becoming infected.

Chronic pain sufferers could get doctor-prescribed medicines sooner under a bill in the California Legislature.

The majority of Californians who work as caregivers for Medi-Cal patients live in poverty or close to it. A new report from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research reveals some disturbing figures.

A new program at San Diego's Sharp Mary Birch Hospitals offers women a chance to donate their baby's cord blood at no cost.

A new patient-friendly medical complex is on the way next to UC San Diego Thornton Hospital in La Jolla.

A new program will try to boost physical activity through written prescriptions for walking.

Aspiring global health researchers can spend up to a year abroad, thanks to a new grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Once threatened with a total cutoff of state funds, programs that provide skilled day-care services for fragile seniors and disabled adults are still alive.

A new research project will explore whether early language comprehension leads to literacy.