• California: The California Department of Public Health has detected the bird flu virus in two lots of raw milk from Raw Farm. So far, no cases of illness have been associated with the products, but Raw Farm issued a voluntary recall of the affected lots, and health officials say that consumers should immediately return any of the affected products to the stores where they were purchased. According to NBC News, raw milk is not pasteurized, which means it's not heated to a high temperature to kill any germs or viruses. Public health officials have said that consuming raw milk has serious health risks since there is an increased risk of foodborne illness. A person can contract bird flu when drinking raw milk from an infected cow, when raw milk from an infected cow gets in the eyes, nose, or mouth, or by touching the eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands after contact with raw milk from an infected cow. In a statement, Raw Farm said that the California Department of Food and Agriculture "has placed a quarantine on our herd, and all milk must be sold for pasteurization until the quarantine is lifted." Since October, there have been 29 human cases of bird flu in California. Of these patients, 28 had direct contact with infected dairy cows. (Lenthang, NBC News, 11/28)
• Rhode Island: CVS Health has named Sreekanth Chaguturu as its new president of healthcare delivery. Chaguturu is currently the company's EVP and CMO and will also continue in those roles. He replaces Mike Pykosz, who co-founded Oak Street Health and was CEO of the company at the time of its acquisition by CVS. "Sree and I worked closely together when he started at CVS Health, serving as chief medical officer of CVS Caremark," said CVS CEO David Joyner. "In that role, and as the leader of medical affairs at our company, Sree has served as a trusted advisor to our clients, their members, and CVS Health colleagues, consistently demonstrating our commitment to patients." (Japsen, Forbes, 11/21; Hudson, Modern Healthcare, 11/19)
• Texas: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has sued three doctors for providing gender-affirming care to minors, which was banned in the state in 2023. In announcements of the lawsuits, Paxton noted that healthcare professionals who violate Texas' ban can have their medical license revoked by the Texas Medical Board. According to MedPage Today, several medical groups and professional societies have voiced support for gender-affirming care in recent years. For example, the American Medical Association in 2021 urged governors to oppose state legislation that would prohibit medically necessary gender-affirming care for minors, saying that restricting such care would be "a dangerous intrusion into the practice of medicine." However, 25 states have banned gender-affirming healthcare for minors in the last few years. (DePeau-Wilson, MedPage Today, 11/20) 

As executive turnover continues to increase in healthcare organizations, interim leaders become more critical. In this Q&A, Sue Schade, principal at StarBridge Advisors, shares how to effectively utilize interim leaders to navigate transitions and achieve long-term improvements.