• California: San Mateo County last week became the first U.S. county to officially declare loneliness a public health emergency. On Tuesday, the county's Board of Supervisors passed a resolution declaring loneliness a public health crisis and pledged to explore ways to promote social connection in the community. Although the resolution does not directly set aside funds for programs targeting loneliness, it does signal the county's commitment to addressing the issue, said David Canepa, the board's VP. "What we're trying to do is to really get people out of the corners and say, 'Hey, look, there are a lot of people who are feeling like you. You're not alone. And moving forward, here are some of the things that we can do to support you,'" he said. According to Canepa, a county fund subsidized by sales tax could help finance future efforts against loneliness, including infrastructure to make neighborhoods more accessible and partnerships with local social media platforms to encourage residents to socialize. (Bendix, NBC News, 2/2)
• District of Columbia: According to HHS' Office for Civil Rights, the number of reported healthcare breaches that affected 500 or more individuals hit a new high in 2023. In total, 727 healthcare data breaches were reported, affecting almost 133 million people — more than double the number of people affected in 2022. Of the breaches, 58% were due to an attack on a healthcare organization's business associate, and experts estimate that breaches in the United States could have cost an average of $20 million. Going forward, experts say they expect more breaches to occur, especially with artificial intelligence (AI) becoming more commonplace. "I think we're at the beginning stages of an AI-fueled cyber arms race," said John Riggi, national advisor for cybersecurity and risk at the American Hospital Association. To reduce the risk of cyberattacks, Riggi said policy changes and more involvement from the defense and intelligence communities are necessary. "Unless that support from the intelligence community and [the Defense Department] increases to help law enforcement disrupt these groups, I think we will continue to see the same situation in 2024 in terms of increased attacks," he said. (Broderick, Modern Healthcare, 1/25)
• Texas: Tenet Healthcare last week closed a $2.4 billion deal with Novant Health, selling three hospitals, 27 physician clinics, an outpatient center, and a free-standing ED. Under the deal, the facilities that are part of the transaction will use Tenet's Conifer Health Solutions as their revenue cycle management service for 15 years. Novant is also required to partner with United Surgical Partners International, Tenet's ambulatory surgical center network, in all its locations in North and South Carolina. Meanwhile, Tenet also reached an agreement to sell four of its hospitals in Southern California to University of California Irvine Health for $975 million. The deal between Tenet and UCI Health will require regulatory approval and is expected to close in the spring. (DeSilva, Modern Healthcare [1], 2/1; DeSilva, Modern Healthcare [2], 2/1)

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