Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health teamed up on a campaign to increase Covid-19 vaccination rates among children and teens, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from California, Maryland, and Virginia.

• California: Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health have teamed up for the VaxUp Challenge—a campaign to increase Covid-19 vaccination rates among children and teens. For the three-phase initiative, nonprofit and for-profit organizations will work together to test, generate, and scale innovative ideas to boost vaccination rates for those disproportionately affected by Covid-19. "The VaxUp Challenge seeks to incentivize innovation to address barriers to being vaccinated and to increase vaccine confidence, especially among youth, adolescents and their parents in our underserved populations. We see this as essential work in support of Children's Hospital Los Angeles' mission of creating hope and building healthier futures for children," said Omkar Kulkarni, CIO at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. (Diaz, Becker's Hospital Review, 2/1)

• Maryland: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Tuesday announced that he tested positive for a breakthrough infection of Covid-19, adding to a growing list of members of Congress who contracted the virus while vaccinated. According to Hoyer, he is experiencing mild symptoms and will continue to work and cast votes remotely while the House is in session this week. "This afternoon, I tested positive for Covid-19, and I am experiencing mild symptoms. Thankfully, I am fully vaccinated and already received my booster shot," Hoyer said. (Marcos, The Hill, 2/1)

• Virginia: A group of Virginia parents who have children with disabilities on Monday filed a federal lawsuit that challenged Gov. Glenn Youngkin's (R) executive order that made masks optional in schools. The lawsuit, which joins two other suits challenging the executive order, was filed in the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Virginia with representation from the Washington Lawyers' Committee, the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, and several other parties. The lawsuit requests a permanent injunction that would lift the executive order and alleges that Youngkin's order violates the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act, and certain portions of the U.S. Constitution. "The Executive Order shows a reckless disregard for students with disabilities across Virginia," said Kaitlin Banner, the deputy legal director for the Washington Lawyers' Committee. "The order prevents schools from taking reasonable steps to make sure their students can go to school and enjoy the same educational experiences as their friends." (Dress, The Hill, 2/1)