The Pulse - ehagedorn's Blog - Bakersfield.com http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn en-us By breast or by bottle? http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/33064 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/33064 <p>Breasts can be very polarizing &mdash; even when it has to do with breastfeeding, a natural practice. </p> <p>Remember <a href="http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/4168">the dust-up over the 2006 Babytalk magazine cover</a> that showed a baby nursing? </p> <p>&quot;In this country, breasts are highly sexualized, and people sort of forget they&rsquo;re there to feed our species,&quot; said Karen Farley, program manager of the <a href="http://www.calwic.org">Californian WIC Association</a>.</p> <p>A new study by Farley's organization and the <a href="http://lactation.ucdavis.edu/">University of California-Davis Human Lactation Center</a> ranked Kern County 46th of 50 counties with 24.4 percent of new mothers breast-feeding their children without using formula. (Read <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/story/542100.html">&quot;Breast is best, but report says Kern just can't kick the bottle&quot;</a> in today's <em>Californian</em>.)</p> <p>The researchers are pushing for more breast milk and less formula, arguing that breast milk has myriad health benefits. (The <a href="http://www.4woman.gov/Breastfeeding/index.cfm?page=227">National Women's Health Information Center</a> has a lot information on breast-feeding.)</p> <p>On the other hand, breast-feeding can be painful at first and difficult for moms who go back to work.</p> <p>What did you do? The breast or the bottle? And why?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> Thieves reach new moral low with Red Cross theft http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/32910 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/32910 <p>First, a trailer was stolen from <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/opinion/columnists/marylee_shrider/story/446840.html">Houchin Blood Bank in May</a>.</p> <p>And now, <a href="http://www.kernredcross.org/Home.asp">the local chapter of the Red Cross</a> is suffering after thieves took $1,300 worth of diapers, toiletry kits, flashlights, water, chairs and cots from two trailers Friday night. (Read <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/538741.html">&quot;Low blow: Supplies stolen from Red Cross&quot;</a> in today's <em>Californian</em>.)</p> <p>What's next? Swiping an elderly person's cane? Pilfering toys from Toys for Tots?</p> <p>&quot;Who knows why they took it?&quot; Kern Red Cross CEO Lorraine Castro asked hypothetically, standing in the northeast Bakersfield facility's warehouse Tuesday.</p> <p>Many people assume the national organization supplements the local chapters, but it's the other way around, Castro said.</p> <p>Local chapters, like Kern, pay the national branch along with raising money for local families, which is why this thievery hurts so much.</p> <p>Roughly 30 families burned out of their homes were helped in June and July by the Red Cross, she said. And it usually costs about $1,000 to help each family.</p> <p>&quot;Kern County has to have the Red Cross,&quot; Castro said. &quot;If we didn't show up, no one would.&quot;</p> <p>Merced and Mariposa counties' chapter just closed after nearly 100 years in operation, she added. Keeping the organization's doors open continues to be precarious.</p> <p>Castro is hoping residents donate money to replace what was stolen.</p> <p>Donation checks should be made out to American Red Cross Kern Chapter and mailed to P.O. Box 1226, Bakersfield, CA, 93302.</p> <p>Anyone with information about the incident was asked to contact the Kern County Sheriff's Department .</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> Web site wants stories of health care woe http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/32581 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/32581 <p>A new Web site aims to collect tales of health care troubles due to the Medi-Cal cuts and the budget impasse.</p> <p><a href="http://mycastory.org/home">MyCAStory.org</a> features videos, photos and stories from California residents.</p> <p>According to the site, &quot;Our purpose is to share the stories behind the numbers of everyday Californians struggling to raise families, survive, and succeed despite the looming threat of budget cuts to the state programs and services on which they rely. These are the stories behind those numbers.&quot;</p> <p>This is the product of <a href="http://www.cafoodbanks.org/">California Association of Food Banks,</a> <a href="http://www.sfihsspa.org/">San Francisco's IHSS Public Authority</a> and <a href="http://www.health-access.org/">Health Access California</a>. </p> <p>Health Access has been busy trying to get the word out about these cuts. The group has put on a local press conference with hospital leaders and has commissioned two studies showing the unintended effects of these cuts. (Read <a href="http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/32084">&quot;Health leaders worry about fate of Medi-Cal&quot;</a> for more information.)</p> <p>No Kern County residents have contributed to MyCAStory.org yet. If you do, let me know.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>


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 mycastory.png ehagedorn BCHS coach talks about practice preceding player's death http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/32517 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/32517 <p>For the first time, Bakersfield Christian football coach Doug Barnett is speaking about the practice Patrick Allen participated in two days before he died.</p> <p>The school and Patrick's parents believe he died from a heat-related illness. The coroner's report is pending toxicology tests.</p> <p>The following is from reporter Maggie Creamer, who met with the school's officials today.</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">Since Bakersfield Christian High School varsity football player Patrick Allen died on Aug. 14, the school has been reviewing its policies, President Daniel Cole told <em>The Californian</em> Tuesday.<br /> <br /> Cole and athletic director/football coach Doug Barnett said in future seasons, they will pass out a handout with specific instructions for parents to keep kids healthy. They also will devote more time in the spring and early summer to talk about hydration.<br /> <br /> Barnett said on the day Patrick died, the team started a light practice at 4:30 p.m. wearing full pads. That morning, they had practiced in shells. <br /> <br /> Barnett said when Allen was at practice, he did not complain or exhibit signs of heat stroke.<br /> <br /> He said he is constantly checking the air quality and alerts from the California Interscholastic Federation.<br /> <br /> Also, Barnett meets with coaches three times a year to review policies and refresh coaches on strategies to keep athletes healthy.<br /> <br /> The players are advised to drink water whenever they need it.<br /> <br /> &quot;They are constantly getting water,&quot; he said. &quot;They have to drink at least every 10 minutes.&quot;<br /> <br /> Also, a certified trainer is on campus whenever there athletes practice, Barnett said.<br /> <br /> At the beginning of last week, the coaches shortened practice to allow players time to grieve, he said.<br /> <br /> Now, the team is back to its normal routine and getting ready for the season.<br /> <br /> Cole said they met with a grief trauma team after Patrick's death to find out the best way to let students grieve.<br /> <br /> &quot;We want to get the kids close to normalcy as quickly as possible,&quot; Barnett said.</p> <p>(For more information, read <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/story/531779.html" target="_blank">&quot;Death of young football player 'is going to open everyone's eyes'&quot;</a> from Monday's <em>Californian</em>. Scroll down the page for links to other related stories.)</p> BCHS football player's cause of death http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/32459 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/32459 <p>A heat-related illness seems to be the most likely cause of Patrick Allen's death.</p> <p>Allen, who played on Bakersfield Christian High School's football team, died Aug. 16, two days after suffering leg cramps, vomiting and loss of consciousness following practice in 104-degree heat.</p> <p>(Read <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/story/531779.html">&quot;Death of young football player 'is going to open everyone's eyes'&quot;</a> in today's <em>Californian</em>. Scroll down the page for links to other related stories.)</p> <p>While the coroner's report is pending toxicology tests, his parents and school officials have blamed the heat.</p> <p>Brendon McDermott, a certified athletic trainer with the University of Connecticut's Department of Kinesiology, agreed, saying &quot;it sounds like it would be heat releated.&quot;</p> <p>He did offer two other, albeit less likely, causes of death, though.</p> <ul> <li><span class="minusOne"><a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000473.htm">Rhabdomyolysis</a> is the breakdown of muscle fibers resulting in the release of muscle fiber contents into the bloodstream, which can be harmful to the kidneys and frequently results in kidney damage. This can be caused by the heat, among other things and can result in weakness, muscle ache and fatigue. <br /> </span></li> <li><span class="minusOne"><a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000394.htm">Hyponatremia</a> is a metabolic condition in which there is not enough sodium in the fluids outside the cells. </span><span class="minusOne">When sodium levels drop in the fluids outside the cells, water will seep into the cells to balance the salt levels. The cells will swell as a result of the excess water, and brain swelling causes most of the symptoms of hyponatremia. You might have heard about this condition when a woman died after participating in </span><a href="http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/4235">&quot;Hold Your Wee for a Wii,&quot;</a> a Sacramento radio promotion that involved drinking copious amounts of water to win a Nintendo Wii.</li> </ul> <p><br /> McDermott, a member of the <a href="http://www.nata.org/">National Athletic Trainers' Association</a>, is chair of the writing group that is revising NATA's position statement on fluid replacement.</p> <p>I'm also posting some letters I've received following today's story. If I receive more and get the author's OK to post them, I will.</p> <p>Feel free to share your thoughts regarding this post and the issue of heat illness in high school sports.</p> <p><br /> &nbsp;</p>


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Patrick Allen.JPG Local doc, patient in The New York Times http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/32162 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/32162 <p><a href="http://www.drshah.com/aboutthedoctors.html">Dr. Darshan Shah</a>, one of the most well known plastic surgeons in Bakersfield, was quoted in a recent New York Times story on smoking and plastic surgery.</p> <p>The story, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/fashion/14SKIN.html?pagewanted=2&amp;ei=5070&amp;en=4f2cdeb98f6c3478&amp;ex=1219723200&amp;emc=eta1">&quot;Want a Face-Lift? First, Better Stop Smoking,&quot;</a> ran Thursday in the newspaper. </p> <p>&ldquo;Nicotine causes the tiny blood vessels in the skin to clamp down or constrict, which reduces blood supply to the skin,&rdquo; Shah said in the story.</p> <p>It goes on to say:</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">Margaret Pyles, 42, a human resources director for youth homes in Bakersfield, first went to Dr. Shah in 2004, looking to have a breast reduction. He told her that she needed to quit a minimum of 30 days before the surgery. A pack-a-day smoker since 16, she couldn&rsquo;t face battling her addiction yet again.</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">But once her back pain grew constant, and her abdominal muscles too flabby for her taste, Ms. Pyles went back to Dr. Shah last month for a breast reduction and lift as well as a tummy tuck and liposuction. But not before she quit smoking with the help of Chantix and a hypnotist Dr. Shah recommended.</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">Both helped her overcome nicotine, she said, but fear really kept her on track. &ldquo;I was afraid the anesthesia would go wrong, or I&rsquo;d wake up coughing my head off and split my guts open,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;And I was able to stop.&rdquo;</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">Ms. Pyles, who has not lit up again, is thrilled that her desire to turn back the clock may help prolong her life. &ldquo;I was so focused on wanting the breast reduction more than I wanted the cigarette,&rdquo; she said.</p> <p>For more info on the dangerous mix of smoking and surgery, read <a href="http://www.plasticsurgery.org/media/press_releases/Smoking-and-Elective-Plastic-Surgery.cfm">this article</a> on the American Society of Plastic Surgeons' Web site. </p> <p>Also, Shah has an <a href="http://www.drshah.com/smoking_and_surgery.html">article</a> on his site about this hazard. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>


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shah.jpg Health leaders worry about fate of Medi-Cal http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/32084 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/32084 <p>The failed vote in the Assembly last night to pass a budget has some health leaders worried that the cuts to Medi-Cal won't be restored.</p> <p>Here's an <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/cal/la-me-budget18-2008aug18,0,2107593.story">excerpt</a> from an L.A. Times story about the vote:</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">Assembly Republicans on Sunday blocked a proposed spending plan that would have closed the state's $15.2-billion shortfall with the help of tax hikes on the wealthy and corporations.<br /> <br /> The failure of the Democratic plan means the state will continue to operate with no budget more than a month and a half into the fiscal year, heightening uncertainty for schools, health care providers and other services.</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">The move by GOP lawmakers came as little surprise on the Assembly floor since Republicans have long said they would vote against the tax proposal. But as public pressure mounted on lawmakers to take action on the budget, and back-room negotiations continued to falter, Democrats decided to bring the measure to the floor Sunday night.<br /> <br /> The Assembly heard nearly four hours of debate during which 49 members spoke. In the end, the plan garnered a 45 to 30 plurality, but fell short of the 54 votes, or two-thirds majority, it needed. No Republican voted for it.</p> <p>Several statements have graced my inbox about the vote.</p> <p>From Jeanette Pruett, systems change advocate from the <a href="http://ilckc.org/">Kern Independent Living Center</a>, in a statement sent out by <a href="http://www.health-access.org/">Health Access California</a>:</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">I&rsquo;m very disappointed that the Assembly&rsquo;s budget compromise was not passed. Without a balanced and fair budget like the one proposed, our community will suffer. We&rsquo;ll lose health coverage for kids, see big cuts in health care for everyone and watch other vital social services get slashed.</p> <p>From Anthony Wright, executive director of <a href="http://www.health-access.org/">Health Access</a>:</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">We appreciate the Assembly leadership's attempt to raise the revenues needed to prevent the worst of the proposed cuts to health care and other vital services &mdash; cuts that not only will make millions of Californians pay more and get less care, but also harm the health system we all rely on. The cuts would also hurt our economy, resulting in lost federal matching funds, wages, and jobs into the billions. The budget considered tonight already had tough cuts &mdash; including denying a quarter-million children health care &mdash; and yet it is being held up by those who want more cuts now and a deceptive limit to make ongoing cuts into the future. That's the wrong direction.</p> <p>From a joint statement from the <a href="http://www.cmanet.org/">California Medical Association</a>, <a href="http://www.chwhealth.org/index.htm">Catholic Healthcare West</a>, <a href="http://www.health-access.org/">Health Access</a>, <a href="http://www.seiu.org/">Service Employees International Union</a> and <a href="http://www.aarp.org/">AARP</a>:</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">The Assembly voted on a budget today that would have restored many of the deepest cuts to our health care system, sought prudent sources of new revenue and rejects a risky spending limitation which would automatically force future cuts in health care. It is far from ideal, but it was a step in the right direction. We all want a balanced budget, but thankfully those who supported this version of the budget understand that doing so by crippling the health care safety net upon which we all rely doesn&rsquo;t make sense. California&rsquo;s health care system has already been cut to the bone. Additional cuts now to our health care system would cause a ripple effect across California communities putting lives on the line in fewer, overcrowded ERs, crippling local economies with billions of lost federal funds and economic activity, adding to the millions already uninsured and leaving hundreds of thousands of seniors and children without access to care. We encourage all Californians who continue to struggle with this tough economy to join us in urging our leaders in Sacramento to pass a balanced budget that protects California families, patients, employers and local governments.</p> <p>If I receive any more statements, I will be sure to post them.</p> <p>Health Access has been busy trying to get the word out about these cuts. Read <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/525054.html">&quot;Medi-Cal cuts hurt everyone, not just the poor, study says,&quot;</a> which ran over the weekend and describes two studies the group commissioned.</p> <p>For more information about the cuts, read the posts:<br /> <a href="http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/31109">Bakersfield nurse practitioner on TV</a><br /> <a href="../../../home/Blog/ehagedorn/30938" target="_blank">Medi-Cal cuts impact people with private insurance too </a> <br /> <a href="../../../home/Blog/ehagedorn/29804" target="_blank">Tax hikes vs. funds for health care, education</a><br /> <a href="../../../home/Blog/ehagedorn/28762" target="_blank"> 'Access to vital health care is at stake for all Californians'</a><br /> <a href="../../../home/Blog/ehagedorn/27750" target="_blank"> Mercy president: Budget cuts put lives at risk</a><br /> <a href="../../../home/Blog/ehagedorn/26064" target="_blank"> Calif. sued over Medi-Cal rate cuts</a><br /> <a href="../../../home/Blog/ehagedorn/19635" target="_blank"> Is health reform dead?</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> A trip to the food bank http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/31916 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/31916 <p>A lot has changed since manager Gary Romriell started working at the <a href="http://www.capk.org/tefap.html">Community Action Partnership of Kern Food Bank</a> over 10 years ago.</p> <p>I toured the facility with Romriell this morning at the <a href="http://www.co.kern.ca.us/health/">Public Health Services Department event</a> to promote healthy food.</p> <p>(Read <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/story/523936.html">&quot;Food bank offers healthy alternatives for low-income families&quot;</a> on Bakersfield.com.)</p> <p>He pointed out that a truckload of canned chicken cost $32,000 in 1995 but totals $88,000 today.</p> <p>Tuna has gone from $24,000 to $44,000. Ground hamburger has risen from $42,000 to $65,000.</p> <p>The rising costs have made it more difficult for the food bank to bring in ample food, he said.</p> <p>Here are some other facts from Romriell:</p> <ul> <li>The food bank serves 69 pantries and 25 senior centers, among several other partners.</li> <li>It delivers food to 350 people who are homebound.</li> <li>In 1996, 1,600 households were served through people walking into the food bank. Now it serves more than 2,600 households.</li> <li>The average size of the families served has gone from 4.5 people to 5.5 people.</li> <li>The food bank receives over four million pounds of food per year.</li> </ul> <p><br /> The food bank prefers monetary donations over food donations due to the discounts it gets, he said. With $1, the food bank can buy 10 pounds of food.</p> <p>To donate or to find out how to organize a food drive, call the food bank at 398-4520 or send donations to Community Action Partnership of Kern Food Bank, P.O. Box 134, Bakersfield, CA 93302.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> 35.350366 -118.980662 The Pulse is on Twitter! http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/31826 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/31826 <p>Always the giddy follower of the latest and greatest of the Web, The Pulse now has a <a href="http://www.twitter.com">Twitter</a> page!</p> <p>To read it go to <a href="http://twitter.com/The_Pulse">http://twitter.com/The_Pulse</a>.</p> <p>For those unfamiliar with Twitter, it is like a mini-blog. Users post short bursts of info that are 140 characters or less. These are called &quot;tweets.&quot; </p> <p>If you're familiar with <a href="http://www.facebook.com">Facebook</a>'s &quot;update status&quot; tool or even <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com">Bakersfield.com</a>'s &quot;friend updates&quot; tool, it's sort of like that. </p> <p>The Pulse will use Twitter to post breaking news, interesting quotes, links to interesting health stories, links to local health stories, tidbits of info and all sorts of other stuff I haven't even thought of yet. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. </p> <p>If you're on Twitter, send me a message and I'll follow you, which means I will get updates when you post something new. </p> <p>And feel free to follow me. I like followers. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>


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 twitter.png ehagedorn I want some belated birthday cake http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/31791 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/31791 <p>The Pulse is now 2 years and 10 days old!</p> <p>(I was a little late this year with the birthday wishes, but it's the thought that counts, right?)</p> <p>This is my 264th post.</p> <p>In the past year, I've written a lot about West Nile virus, valley fever, the uninsured, health reform, MRSA and state budget cuts to health care. In that time, this blog was also turned into an occasional column that appears in the Eye Street section of <em>The Californian</em>.</p> <p>Looking forward, what do you want from this blog?</p> <p>Is there any topic that you would like to see covered more? Less?</p> <p>I'll be listening to your answers while chomping on my make-believe blog birthday cake!</p>


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candle2.jpg Drug testing your kids http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/31594 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/31594 <p>Have you ever drug tested your kids?</p> <p>This press release made me think about those home drug test kits often seen in Walgreen's and CVS.</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">A new home-based hair follicle drug test kit called <a href="http://www.hairconfirm.com/">HairConfirm</a>&trade; Prescription can detect drug and prescription use as well as usage frequency for up to 90 days, equipping parents with a valuable new tool for combating substance abuse. Developed by Biotech Company Confirm BioSciences, the test overcomes the limitations of two- or three-day saliva or urine screenings that enable users to escape detection by avoiding drug use for a short period. It is also the first home hair test to report the amount of each chemical detected as well as whether the results indicate low, medium or high usage.</p> <p>Drug testing seems like the high-tech replacement for searching a kid's room. Do you trust home drug tests?</p> <p>Supposedly, the tests are easy to cheat. U.S. News and World Report has <a href="http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/2008/08/06/5-ways-teens-might-cheat-on-drug-tests8212and-how-to-catch-them.html?PageNr=1">a good story on the ways teens might cheat on drug tests</a>. </p> <p>What red flags would tip you off that your kid needs to be tested, or at least watched closely? <br /> &nbsp;</p> Bakersfield nurse practitioner on TV http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/31109 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/31109 <p>Commercials decrying the effects of the 10 percent state cuts to Medi-Cal hit the airwaves recently.</p> <p>I saw one for the first time last night.</p> <p>And among the health providers featured in the TV spots is Bakersfield nurse practitioner Carmen Morales-Board, who works at Kern Medical Center.</p> <p>Here's how one of the commercials goes:</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;"><b><font><font class="subhead-gray">Morales-Board</font></font></b><font><font class="subhead-gray">: In <st1:city w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:city>, a 10 percent budget cut for doctors and hospitals is just a number on a spreadsheet.</font></font></p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;"><b><font><font class="subhead-gray">Licensed vocational nurse Kit de Young, Visalia</font></font></b><font><font class="subhead-gray">: But around <st1:city w:st="on">Fresno</st1:city>, more across-the-board cuts would be just devastating...</font></font></p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;"><b><font><font class="subhead-gray">Dr. Virgil Airola, Fresno</font></font></b><font><font class="subhead-gray">: Threatening the only Level One trauma center between <st1:city w:st="on">L.A. </st1:city>and <st1:city w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:city>...</font></font></p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;"><b><font><font class="subhead-gray">de Young</font></font></b><font><font class="subhead-gray">: Putting people across the <st1:place w:st="on">Central Valley</st1:place> at risk. </font></font></p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;"><b><font><font class="subhead-gray">Morales-Board</font></font></b><font><font class="subhead-gray">: But if our legislators do their jobs...</font></font></p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;"><b><font><font class="subhead-gray">Airola</font></font></b><font><font class="subhead-gray">: Then doctors and nurses can keep doing ours.&nbsp;Stop the health care cuts.</font></font></p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;"><b><font><font class="subhead-gray">Morales-Board</font></font></b><font><font class="subhead-gray">: Or we&rsquo;ll all pay the price.</font></font></p> <p>The commercials were produced by the California Health Care Partnership, which the spots define as &quot;a coalition of doctors, nurses, hospitals, health care providers, seniors and consumers.&quot;</p> <p><font><font class="subhead-gray">The California Health Care Partnership put on the press conference at Mercy Hospital Monday where local health care providers spoke about the cuts. (Read <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/story/508946.html">&quot;Privately insured to make up difference in Medi-Cal cuts, hospitals warn,&quot;</a> which was published Tuesday.)<br /> </font></font></p> <p>I couldn't find a Web site for the group. According to <a href="http://www.seiuca.org/California_Health_Care_Partnership_Launches_TV_Ads_in_Fresno.aspx">a press release on the Service Employees International Union's site</a>, <font><font class="subhead-gray">the coalition includes the AARP, California Medical Association, SEIU, Catholic Healthcare West, Kaiser Permanente and Health Access.</font></font></p> <p>For more information about the cuts, read the posts:<br /> <a href="http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/30938">Medi-Cal cuts impact people with private insurance too </a> <br /> <a href="../../../home/Blog/ehagedorn/29804" target="_blank">Tax hikes vs. funds for health care, education</a><br /> <a href="../../../home/Blog/ehagedorn/28762" target="_blank"> 'Access to vital health care is at stake for all Californians'</a><br /> <a href="../../../home/Blog/ehagedorn/27750" target="_blank"> Mercy president: Budget cuts put lives at risk</a><br /> <a href="../../../home/Blog/ehagedorn/26064" target="_blank"> Calif. sued over Medi-Cal rate cuts</a><br /> <a href="../../../home/Blog/ehagedorn/19635" target="_blank"> Is health reform dead?</a></p> Medi-Cal cuts impact people with private insurance too http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/30938 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/30938 <p>Local health care providers scratched their heads this morning over what would make residents take the cuts to Medi-Cal more seriously.</p> <p>The impacts won't only be felt by the poor, they said.</p> <p>Like many government programs, Medi-Cal took a 10 percent cut July 1 to help make up for the budget shortfall.</p> <p>But coupled with the fact that <a href="http://www.statehealthfacts.org/mfs_hl.jsp">California pays the least per Medi-Cal patient of any state</a>, these reductions cut too close, many said, sometimes not even breaking even with the actual cost of care.</p> <p>(Read <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/story/508946.html">&quot;Privately insured to make up difference in Medi-Cal cuts, hospitals warn&quot;</a> on <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com">Bakersfield.com</a>.)</p> <p>The local health care providers &mdash; which included hospital CEOs, community members and physicians &mdash; made several points in their press conference at Mercy Hospital this morning:</p> <ul> <li>Some doctors will stop taking Medi-Cal patients, which means more people will use the emergency room as primary care, lengthening wait times for everyone.</li> <li>For doctor's offices that treat patients with Medi-Cal and private insurance, doctors might have to squeeze in more patients to make up for the shortfall.</li> <li>Hospitals often provide communities with employment, philanthropy and redevelopment. If a hospital loses funds, all of these could be impacted.</li> <li>Private insurance rates would go up to make up for the loss in funds.</li> <li>Rural hospitals would be hit harder, pushing some residents to go to urban hospitals instead.</li> </ul> <p><br /> What would make you get outraged over these cuts and contact a legislator? Are there too many fiscal problems at the moment &mdash; statewide and personally &mdash; to pick one to get passionate about?</p> <p>For more information, read the posts: <br /> <a href="http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/29804">Tax hikes vs. funds for health care, education</a><br /> <a href="http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/28762"> 'Access to vital health care is at stake for all Californians'</a><br /> <a href="http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/27750"> Mercy president: Budget cuts put lives at risk</a><br /> <a href="http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/26064"> Calif. sued over Medi-Cal rate cuts</a><br /> <a href="http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/19635"> Is health reform dead?</a></p> <p>Also, read <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/story/507014.html">&quot;Pharmacists face turning away high-risk Medi-Cal patients,&quot;</a> which ran Saturday in <i>The Californian.</i></p> KMC OB/GYN controversy resumes http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/30744 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/30744 <p>Just when you think the dust has settled, someone comes in with a broom &mdash; or in this case, a lawsuit &mdash; and brings everything back up.</p> <p><a href="http://www.kernmedicalcenter.com/body.cfm?id=93">Dr. Leonard Perez</a>, <span class="text"><font color="#000000">the former chairman of Kern Medical Center's OB/GYN department, is suing the county for breaching his contract by firing him in October.&nbsp;</font></span></p> <p>He is seeking more than $10,000 in damages from loss of salary, income and benefits.</p> <p>The claim is attached to this post.</p> <p>KMC's OB/GYN department has been plagued with controversy since before I came to <i>The Californian</i> almost two and a half years ago.</p> <p>The department has been on Supervisor Michael Rubio's radar since his first day with the board, for controversial contracts and overpayment. A former OB/GYN resident filed claims with the county twice after she said other physicians sexual harassed her and inappropriately accessed her medical records. The department has a long history of infighting.</p> <p>(For more on this and a time line, read the post, <a href="http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/18470">&quot;KMC OB/GYN woes continue.&quot;</a>)</p> <p>Not all exhibits were included with the copy of Perez's claim that was available at the county building, so it's hard to understand what part of the contract was breached.</p> <p>According to the Oct. 18 notice of termination, which did accompany the claim, Perez was &quot;responsible for creating and perpetuating conflict and discord among the faculty and residents...As faculty, you have failed to meet your obligations to the residents.&quot;</p> <p>The notice also says Perez's contract states, &quot;County may terminate this Agreement at any time for cause,&quot; which the county says it did.</p> <p>A review board, which convened after his firing, found that while Perez was a &quot;poor administrator,&quot; the evidence didn't support his termination. The board concluded that to remain at KMC Perez would have to agree to no administrative or teaching duties.</p> <p>And after CEO Paul Hensler sent Perez two unanswered certified letters seeking his decision, Perez's lack of communication left Hensler &quot;no choice but to uphold the decision of your department chair to terminate your employment.&quot;</p> <p>So the debacle continues.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>


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 leonardperez.jpg KMC Pinpointing health alerts on global map http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/30561 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/30561 <p>I just came across a neat tool. </p> <p><a href="http://www.healthmap.org/en">HealthMap.org</a> plots global disease alerts on a worldwide map. It gets feeds from the <a href="http://www.who.int/en/">World Health Organization</a>, <a href="http://news.google.com/">Google News</a> and <a href="http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1000:">ProMED</a>, among others, and specifically tracks dozens of diseases, like <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007263.htm">avian influenza</a>, <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007186.htm">West Nile virus</a> and <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000594.htm">HIV/AIDS</a>. </p> <p>The United States has a flurry of update flags on it, but that might just be because the U.S. media tracks health more than press in other countries. </p> <p>At the moment, Bakersfield isn't pinpointed. </p> <p>Other flags in California give links to news about <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/18/content_8565124.htm">West Nile virus in Los Angeles</a>, <a href="http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews+articleid_2407275~title_Confusion-Over.html">salmonella</a> and <a href="http://apex.oracle.com/pls/otn/f?p=2400:1001:4262598880892593::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1010,73089">bovine tuberculosis</a> north of Fresno, <a href="http://www.kcbs.com/pages/2558929.php?">norovirus outbreak in Santa Rosa</a> and <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-prison9-2008jul09,0,5893607.story">hepatitis C out of Sacramento</a>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>


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Picture 2.png Bakersfield native chronicles eating disorder struggle http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/30511 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/30511 <p>Reading Lily Berger's story of battling an <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/eatingdisorders.html">eating disorder</a>, I was surprised to see that the disorder began so early in her life.</p> <p>The Bakersfield native detailed her struggle on <a href="http://www.northwestvoice.com/home/Blog/lapetitemoi/30422">the Northwest Voice's Web site</a>. It's a shocking read that delves deep into why she felt compelled to purge.</p> <p>Here's an <a href="http://www.northwestvoice.com/home/Blog/lapetitemoi/30422">excerpt</a>:</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">This takes us about 14 years back. At this point in time, I was Lily Berger, age 8. I was short, with blonde hair and bright green eyes...and I was hyper beyond all means. I had already become the school outcast and &quot;freak&quot; by age 5. Although my mother was sure I had ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder), she was too concerned about making me a zombie with medication to take me to be tested. So my over-excitement continued. I lost friends, irritated adults, and exasperated my parents. I quickly realized, at age 8, that I needed desperately to calm myself down in any way possible. I had noticed that when I didn't eat lunch, or didn't have a full meal, I would start to drag in energy after awhile. It made me less of an annoyance, less &quot;obnoxious,&quot; as my mother would often describe me. And so it began. Throw away a juice box here, a sandwich there. But I was hungry often, and resorted to eating other things that actually looked appetizing- plastic sporks, paper, dirt. I thought it was normal, since I had heard of other kids making &quot;mud pies.&quot;</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">&nbsp;</p> Medical school in Bakersfield? http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/30504 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/30504 <p>I had heard talk about a medical school coming to <a href="http://med.ucmerced.edu/default.asp">UC Merced</a>.</p> <p>But if one local politician has his way, that medical school would reside in Bakersfield, possibly next to Kern Medical Center.</p> <p>I just spoke to <a href="http://www.co.kern.ca.us/bos/dist5/">Supervisor Michael Rubio</a>, who said his staff will give UC officials a proposal in early August to house the facility in Kern.</p> <p>UC Merced's current plan is to create a hybrid program, with students spending the first two years at the Merced campus and the final two years in Fresno or remote clinics, Rubio said.</p> <p>He is proposing a more conventional medical school program.</p> <p>One idea is to put the school on the Mt. Vernon Avenue campus, where KMC resides, in new buildings.</p> <p><a href="http://med.ucmerced.edu/default.asp">UC Merced's Medical Education and Health Sciences site</a> lists this as their reason for a valley med school:</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">The San Joaquin Valley, which runs from Stockton to Bakersfield, is rich in cultural diversity and is the nation&rsquo;s leading agricultural region. However, the area is seriously medically underserved. Access to health care is 31 percent lower in the Valley than in the rest of California. A projected statewide shortage of physicians coupled with a rapidly growing population provides a daunting outlook for health care access in the Valley in the future.</p> <p>What do you think about putting a med school in Bakersfield? Is this the best place for it? What would it do for the community?</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> 35.383042 -118.967379 Trespassing or protecting public health? http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/29893 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/29893 <p>Mosquito abatement employees go onto private property without permission from time to time.</p> <p>This has been done locally to treat abandon pools teeming with mosquitoes (see the photo).</p> <p>A Pennsylvania businessman, though, considers this trespassing.</p> <p>From the <a href="http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_9804191?source=email"><i>York Daily Record</i></a>:</p> <p><span id="iy_style_article"> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">James Yelton, president of Authentic Wood Floors on Seven Valleys Road, said last week he didn't want the two officials to take the tests because there was dangerous equipment on the property.</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">&quot;There's just too much liability,&quot; he said.</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">According to state police, Thomas Smith, coordinator of the county's <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007186.htm">West Nile virus</a> program, and Dianne Whitten, of the local Penn State Cooperative Extension, arrived on Yelton's property June 16 without his permission.</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">They were looking for mosquito larvae, police said, and they took samples from pools of standing water.</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">Smith, whom Yelton described as polite, had asked for permission but was denied, Yelton said.</p> </span><span id="iy_style_article">The two could face fines of $2,500 and up to a year in prison. </span><span id="iy_style_article"><br /> </span></p> <p>Should abatement officials be able to go onto private property without permission to &quot;abate a public nuisance,&quot; as the county solicitor put it?</p> <p>On a related note, two more West Nile-infected birds have been found in Bakersfield.</p> <p>During the last week of June, a great-tailed grackle was found in the northeast near Highway 178 and Miramonte Drive, and a hummingbird was found in the southwest near Stine Road and Ming Avenue, said Richard Takahashi, entomologist with the Kern Mosquito and Vector Control District.</p> <p>Still, we're way below the total we had at this point last year, which was 66.</p> <p>(Read <a href="http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/story/494297.html">&quot;Two birds positive for W. Nile, though total way below last year's numbers&quot;</a> on Bakersfield.com)</p> <p>Mosquito abatement employees have been working nights and weekends to control and monitor the mosquito population, Takahashi said.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>


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Caption: Mosquito larvae bloom in an abandoned swimming pool in northwest Bakersfield.
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Caption: Mosquito larvae bloom in an abandoned swimming pool in northwest Bakersfield.
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Caption: An abandoned pool behind an empty home in northwest Bakersfield is a mosquito breeding ground.
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Title: mosquitopool.JPG
Caption: An abandoned pool behind an empty home in northwest Bakersfield is a mosquito breeding ground.
Credit: TBC

 mosquitolarvae.JPG Mosquito larvae bloom in an abandoned swimming pool in northwest Bakersfield. TBC mosquitopool.JPG An abandoned pool behind an empty home in northwest Bakersfield is a mosquito breeding ground. TBC Tax hikes vs. funds for health care, education http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/29804 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/29804 <p>Would you be in favor of tax increases if it meant more money for schools and health care?</p> <p>A Democrat-controlled Assembly committee approved a new state budget last night based on a $9.7 billion tax increase, <font class="columntext">the first state budget proposal based on a major tax increase since 1991.</font></p> <p>According to the <a href="http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20080709-9999-1n9budget.html"><i>San Diego Union-Tribune</i></a>, it would give schools $2.3 billion more than a proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to freeze school funding and restore $1.5 billion in cuts to health and welfare programs.</p> <p>Democrats say the plan would avoid large reductions in Medi-Cal funding for low-income residents.</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">(Assemblyman John) Laird (D-Santa Cruz) said the tax increase is designed to spare middle-income Californians. The big increase is a $5.6 billion income tax hike for the wealthy. Several business taxes also would be raised.</p> <p style="margin-left: 40px;">Republican legislators, who must provide a handful of votes in each house for the two-thirds approval needed to pass a budget and tax increases, have vowed to oppose tax increases.</p> <p>The tax increases include $5.6 billion from imposing a 10 percent rate for taxpayers with joint returns above $321,000 an an 11 percent rate above $642,000, along with $1.1 billion from suspending businesses' ability to carry a portion of their tax-deductible losses into the following fiscal years for three years.</p> <p>What's your opinion on this?</p> <p>The CEOs of local hospitals have come out against the cuts to Medi-Cal, saying, &quot;Our community hospitals and the lives of all Californians are in jeopardy.&quot;</p> <p>(Read the post, <a href="http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/28762">&quot;'Access to vital health care is at stake for all Californian.'&quot;</a>)</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> Protect yourself against 'seasonal amnesia' http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/29767 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/ehagedorn/29767 <p>It seems like every summer people freak out about the heat like they've never felt it before, like it's not an eventuality.</p> <p>Guess what, people. Bakersfield is hot. It's kind of our thing.</p> <p>This seasonal amnesia happens back East during the first snow of winter. Motorists forget that snow is slippery. People talk like they'll never dig themselves out. Meteorologists' arm movements demonstrating the oncoming fronts of pressure get even more erratic.</p> <p>But lo and behold, the months pass. The season ends. And mild temps are with us yet again.</p> <p>To help overcome this seasonal amnesia, here's some tips on protecting yourself from the heat (and the poor air quality due to the smoke), courtesy of <a href="http://bepreparedcalifornia.ca.gov/EPO/BeInformed/NaturalDisasters/ExtremeHeat/TipsPrevHeatIllness.htm">the state Department of Public Health</a>.</p> <p>&ldquo;Children, the elderly and people with heart, circulation or breathing problems are especially vulnerable to both heat and smoke,&rdquo; said Dr. Mark Horton, director of the California Department of Public Health, in a release.&nbsp; &ldquo;Individuals should regularly check on neighbors, particularly elders, and seek medical help if you see or experience signs of heat-related illness, including nausea, headache, vomiting, unusual fatigue or problems breathing.&rdquo;<br /> &nbsp;<br /> Air conditioning provides protection in areas that are hit with both heat and smoke because it provides cool, filtered air. Residents who do not have air conditioning should visit friends or family member&rsquo;s homes, a public place such as a library or shopping mall or seek out a public cooling center. <br /> &nbsp;<br /> <a href="http://www.co.kern.ca.us/pio/coolingcenters.asp">Kern County has opened several cooling centers.</a><br /> &nbsp;<br /> If air conditioning is not available and it is not possible to relocate, some precautions against smoke and heat-related illness are:</p> <ul> <li>Lower body temperature by using cold compresses, misting and taking cool showers, baths or sponge baths.</li> <li>Drink plenty of fluids. Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink. However, if your doctor has told you to limit the amount you drink or you are taking water pills, ask your doctor how much you should drink during the heat.</li> <li>Avoid drinks with alcohol or large amounts of sugar, as these can promote dehydration.</li> <li>Avoid physical exertion.</li> <li>Wear lightweight and light-colored clothing.</li> <li>If you have to be outside in a smoky area, wearing a mask called a &ldquo;particulate respirator&rdquo; can help protect your lungs from wildfire smoke. Choose a mask that has two straps and has &ldquo;NIOSH&rdquo; and either &ldquo;N95&rdquo; or &ldquo;P100&rdquo; printed on it and follow the manufacturer&rsquo;s instructions carefully. It is harder to breathe with a mask on, so take frequent breaks if you are working and check with your doctor before using a mask if you have heart or lung disease.</li> <li>Do not use bandannas (wet or dry), paper or surgical masks or tissues held over the mouth and nose. These will not protect your lungs from wildfire smoke. <br /> &nbsp;</li> </ul>