Keeping yourself, your family and co-workers healthy may be
easier than you think, as long as you think ahead. Though flu
season is an annual reminder of the need to adopt simple,
infection-fighting habits and make use of preventive care
programs, the fact is, reducing and eliminating the spread of
infectious diseases is a year-round concern.
There are simple things – many of them the same things we do
during flu season when our awareness is heightened – we can do
all year long that will keep ourselves, our families and our
co-workers healthy and infection-free.
Californians for Patient Care recommends adopting the following
behaviors:
Wash your hands frequently: Don’t limit your
frequent hand-washing to flu season – wash them several times a
day year-round. Influenza and whooping cough are year-round
dangers. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your healthcare
professionals to wash their hands during an office visit or
consultation.
Get recommended vaccinations: The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention provides recommendations on
vaccinations for both children and adults. Californians for
Patient Care suggests you refer to these vaccination
schedules and talk to your healthcare provider about
getting your vaccinations up-to-date.
If you’re sick, stay home: Schoolchildren and
employees are used to hearing this suggestion, but it’s also
applicable to anyone visiting someone in the hospital. Most
patients admitted to the hospital have weakened immune systems
(due to their illness), so the last thing they need is a
well-meaning, but sick friend or relative coming to visit, and
potentially prolonging their stay.
Take medications as prescribed: It is
important to take all medications as prescribed by healthcare
professionals. Doing so gives your system enough time to battle
the illness you’re suffering from, but failing to do so may
keep your system to further infection.
There are also several resources we encourage you to use to so
that you can make informed decisions about your health risks and
healthcare options:
Wash your hands frequently: Don’t limit your
frequent hand-washing to flu season – wash them several times a
day year-round. Influenza and whooping cough are year-round
dangers. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your healthcare
professionals to wash their hands during an office visit or
consultation.
If you’re sick, stay home: Schoolchildren and
employees are used to hearing this suggestion, but it’s also
applicable to anyone visiting someone in the hospital or
nursing facility. Most patients receiving care in a hospital or
nursing facility have weakened immune systems, so the last
thing they need is a well-meaning, but sick friend or relative
coming to visit, and potentially prolonging their stay.
Compare hospitals and providers:
Hospitals: If you know you will be admitted to a
hospital and have time to select the facility, do some
research. First, understand which hospitals are covered by
your insurance. Then, ask your healthcare professional for
opinions and recommendations. Finally, check to see how
each hospital fares in the statewide hospital evaluation
system by going online to CalHospitalCompare.org.
If you are trying to assess which caregiver is best for
you, consult with reputable research organizations
that provide analyses, like Care About Your
Care.
Medications
Take medications as prescribed:
It is important to take all medications as prescribed
by healthcare professionals. Doing so gives your system
enough time to battle the illness you’re suffering from,
but failing to do so may keep your system to further
infection.
Know your medications: Always
keep an updated list of medications being taken. Having
this available helps healthcare professionals avoid
dangerous drug interactions and should help ensure that the
correct drug is prescribed for your health condition.
Confirm any directions your healthcare provider gives
you: Physicians and other healthcare professionals
give patients specific directions to provide the best chance at
recovery. If you don’t understand a healthcare provider’s
directions, ask for clarification and then write them down. If
you can’t remember the directions when you get home, just call
to confirm them.
SACRAMENTO – December 5, 2011 – The following statement is
attributed to Carmella Gutierrez, president of Californians for
Patient Care:
“Californians for Patient Care (CPC) is pleased to note the call
to action from the California Department of Public Health, the
California Hospital Association, the California Medical
Association, the California Association of Physician Groups, the
Association for Professionals in Infection Control and
Epidemiology’s (APIC) California Chapter and the California
Association of Health Facilities, urging all healthcare workers
to voluntarily receive the flu vaccine. While we support the
effort, it does not go far enough and unnecessarily puts
vulnerable patients at risk. Californians for Patient Care is
proud to join the many other healthcare organizations –
including the American Academy of Family Practitioners, the
American Academy of Pediatrics, the Society for Healthcare
Epidemiology and APIC — that have previously called for mandated
flu vaccines for all healthcare professionals.
Douglas Lott sees it in the faces of many young people sitting in
his Sacramento dentist’s chair.
“I have more people unable to pay for treatment,” Lott said. “The
hardest hit are the younger kids, who … don’t have a steady job,
or insurance, or are in college. When you tell them they need a
root canal or crown for $2,500, they have a look on their face
like it’s not real.”
But Sacramento’s double-digit jobless rate and bleak economic
conditions are all too real, and they’re affecting dentists along
with their patients. Like many small businesses, Sacramento area
dental practices are getting drilled by the economy, state budget
cuts and insurance plan changes.
