Kristen Hwang
CalMatters ReporterKristen Hwang reports on health care and policy for CalMatters. She is passionate about humanizing data-driven stories and examining the intersection of public health and social justice. Prior to joining CalMatters, Kristen earned a master’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in public health from UC Berkeley, where she researched water quality in the Central Valley. She has previously worked as a beat reporter for The Desert Sun and a stringer for the New York Times California COVID-19 team.
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California relaxed its COVID-19 isolation guidelines just as infections for the respiratory virus increased. Symptom-free people can go to work or school. -
Black women are three times more likely than any other women to die during or immediately after pregnancy. California lawmakers passed a law in 2019 requiring hospitals to train labor and delivery staff on unconscious bias in medicine. -
It’s a confusing time in the COVID pandemic. A new booster is on the way, but cases are rising and you might want more protection now. -
To fight the skyrocketing cost of insulin, California is using multiple tactics, including making its own generic versions. -
A ruling that suspends federal approval for medication abortion will not be easy for California abortion access advocates to overcome. Unless it’s reversed on appeal, the drug will likely be pulled from pharmacy shelves. -
Some California COVID testing sites are set to close as the state prepares to end the state of emergency in February. -
The state’s new Medi-Cal contracts are part of an overhaul to improve patient care. But some say the new providers aren’t fully prepared to handle more Medi-Cal patients. -
A year after ramping up to vaccinate 6 million low-income residents, community clinics are in dire final straits waiting for state money. Some are cutting services. -
The CDC said half of Californians live in high-risk counties. But the agency apparently relied on outdated numbers of COVID infections and patients. Newer data indicates only 19 counties are in the CDC’s riskiest category. -
As the state’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate kicks in Thursday, several large hospital systems say 90% or more of their employees are vaccinated. But they don’t have to provide data to the state unless asked.
