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Insurance commissioner files brief supporting mental health ruling
California Healthline

November 11, 2011

On Thursday [November 10, 2011], Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones (D) filed an amicus brief supporting a federal court panel’s decision that California’s Mental Health Parity Act requires health insurers to fully cover certain severe mental health conditions, Lake County News reports.

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HEALTH: State’s child obesity rate could be dropping
The Press-Enterprise

November 11, 2011

California could be gaining control over its childhood obesity struggle, even though more than half the state’s counties, including San Bernardino County, still show increases in children being overweight and obese.

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INLAND: Report shows Hispanics affected by asthma
The Press-Enterprise

October 26, 2011

The American Lung Association Tuesday [October 25, 2011] released a report indicating that biological, environmental, political and cultural factors affect Hispanics and asthma rates.

Of California’s estimated 13 million Hispanics, about 1.4 million of them have asthma, according to the American Lung Association in California. Asthma is a severe, life long and life-threatening disease that has no cure.

Almost 97,000 Hispanics in Riverside  County and about 143,000 in San Bernardino County have asthma, the association found.

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Providence, doctors join to study and improve care, cut costs
Los Angeles Times

October 7, 2011

One of Southern California’s largest hospital systems is teaming up with hundreds of doctors in a new alliance designed to better manage patient care, improve medical outcomes and reduce costs.

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California receives $22 million in community transformation grants, Merced County to benefit
California Healthline

September 29, 2011

We can expect a healthier California.

More than $103 million in federal funds was awarded Tuesday as part of a new initiative to help improve communities and combat chronic diseases nationwide.

California’s slice of the pie will be $22 million – and some of those funds will trickle down to Merced County.

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Planners include public health in community development
The Press-Enterprise

September 21, 2011

Two Riverside planners beginning Thursday [September 22, 2011] will lead a UC Riverside Extension course to teach the importance of considering health when designing communities.

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Health care providers focus on initiatives to fight chronic conditions
CaliforniaHealthline

August 12, 2011

Health care providers in California increasingly are focusing on ways to manage patients’ chronic health conditions by using team-based initiatives to engage patients in their own health, HealthyCal reports.

More than 16 million Californians, or 44% of the state’s population, have chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease or obesity. About half of them have more than one such condition.

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RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Program helps uninsured, low-income patients
The Press-Enterprise

June 14, 2011

Uninsured and low-income Riverside County residents with HIV now can see a dentist in the western part of the county rather than go to San Bernardino or the desert to get treatment.

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Demand grows for Palliative Care
Kaiser Health News (KHN)

March 29, 2011

If you’ve never heard of palliative care, you’re not alone. In a recent survey, only 24 percent of people said they were familiar with the term. Palliative care isn’t nearly as well known as, say, hospice care; in fact, people often confuse the two. Its use is growing fast, however, and 59 percent of hospitals with more than 50 beds now have palliative care programs. Hospitals like this type of care because it appears to be cost-effective and may improve health outcomes. Patients — once they know about it – like it because it may make them feel better.

News

Doctor’s cookbook fights childhood obesity, one recipe at a time
Los Angeles Times

November 4, 2010

Free toys and fatty foods are a bad combo meal. At least that’s what San Francisco supervisors decided when they voted Tuesday to ban Happy Meals and other fast-food fare from offering a free toy with meals that contain more than set levels of calories, sugar and fat.

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Kids don’t have to fear flu shot needles
The Sacramento Bee

November 4, 2010

Before arriving at the flu clinic, prepare your child by telling him exactly what is going to happen. If your child is healthy and does not have asthma, you can ask if he wants a shot or the nasal spray influenza vaccine. Empowering your child by giving him the option of choosing how the vaccine will be administered can make the entire situation less stressful. If he opts for the shot, be honest and say it’s going to hurt, perhaps like a pinch, perhaps a little more. Reassure him that everything is going to be OK. Let him know that the flu shot will help avoid becoming sick.

Once at the flu clinic, reassure your child if she is scared that it’s normal to be scared, and that the process will only take a couple of minutes. Comfort your child by saying, “I’ll hold on to you,” or other reassuring words. It’s important to keep the muscles near the injection site relaxed; that way, the shot will hurt less.

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Before your kids get flu vaccine, doctors offer some tips
The Sacramento Bee

November 4, 2010

Flu season is here, and so are a number of free and low-cost clinics offering vaccines.

The vaccine is critical for school-age children who are especially vulnerable when it comes to catching and spreading the flu, said Anthony Russell, a pediatrician with Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento.

Lots of kids, however, don’t like shots. So Russell offered tips for parents dealing with needle anxiety:

Before arriving at the clinic, prepare your children by telling them exactly what is going to happen. If your children are healthy and do not have asthma, you can ask if they want a shot or the nasal spray influenza vaccine.

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Mental health services to get funds
vcstar.com

November 1, 2010

State schools chief Jack O’Connell announced Friday that he will release $76 million in federal funds to help maintain mental health services for students, despite a recent decision to eliminate a state program supporting those efforts.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger used a line-item veto to slash the funding for the state program earlier this month. It has been administered by county mental health departments since the mid-1980s, providing special education students with services ranging from individual counseling to residential placements. About 600 students with disabilities receive the services in Ventura County.

News

Diabetes may affect as many as 1 in 3 Americans by 2050
USA Today

October 28, 2010

The future of diabetes in America looks bleak, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report out today, with cases projected to double, even triple, by 2050.

According to the report, one in 10 U.S. adults have diabetes now. The prevalence is expected to rise sharply over the next 40 years with as many as one in three having the disease, primarily type 2 diabetes, according to the report, published in the journal Population Health Metrics.

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Obesity costs U.S. $168 billion, study finds
USA Today

October 20, 2010

Nearly 17% of U.S. medical costs can be blamed on obesity, according to new research that suggests the nation’s weight problem may be having close to twice the impact on medical spending as previously estimated.

General Information

6 in 10 Adult Californians Obese or Overweight
Media Health Leaders

October 7, 2010

Californians are following the same trend as the rest of the nation with increased weight gain and diabetes cases, according to a report from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. In fact nearly six in 10 adults and nearly three in 10 adolescents in the Golden State are overweight or obese. And nearly 8 in 100 adults have diabetes.

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