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TEHACHAPI VALLEY HEALTHCARE DISTRICT
PURPOSE OF INQUIRY:
In response to numerous complaints regarding various individuals and organizations involved in the operation of the existing hospital and in the construction and financing of the new hospital, the County Services and Special...
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I spent most of my night Thursday in Kern Medical Center's emergency department — not because I was sick or hurt but because I wanted to find out about the people who work there and the patients who go there for care.
(Look for the story soon in The Californian.)
While I was shadowing,...
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The Bakersfield Planned Parenthood office received its first shipment of Proper Attire condoms -- male condoms marketed to women -- about a week ago, said one of its officials.
They come with a slogan: No entry without Proper Attire.
The idea is to make women more comfortable...
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The amount of beef being recalled is staggering.
As In-N-Out Spokesman Robert Emmers said, "Once you read it (the list), you really won’t want a hamburger."
Roughly 143 million pounds of raw and frozen beef products were recalled Sunday after footage of cattle being abused at...
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Andy has been diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia. We met with Dr. Rooks today in Fountain Valley, CA. He wants Andy in for the TPO surgery on both hips in 9 days. Andy will also have to be double plated on each side. Until then Andy is not allowed to do anything other than walk on a leash outside to...
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I've become a bit obsessed recently with a show on BBC America called "You are What You Eat." The show's host, Holistic nutritionist Gillian McKeith, works with unhealthy eaters to break a lifetime of bad habits in eight weeks. They really seem to be glowing and healthy even after 2...
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If you saw Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser speak last night at Cal State Bakersfield, you probably left a little smarter and a little more grossed out by hamburgers.
Some things he mentioned that I checked up on:
Schlosser mentioned that McDonald's is marketing beef in China by...
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Cigarette smoking is responsible for about one in five deaths annually, or about 438,000 deaths per year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It is also the leading preventable cause of death.
The county released the findings today of their...
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Did any of you get to see "Away from Her" as part of last Friday's FLICS at the Fox Theater?
It was very good, and I urge any of you who haven't seen it to give it a viewing.
Here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
Fiona and Grant are an Ontario couple who have been married for over...
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Eric Schlosser is an out-and-proud carnivore.
His favorite meal: cheeseburger, French fries and a chocolate shake.
But that doesn't mean the "Fast Food Nation" author goes easy on the burger-and-fries industry. If you know anything about him or his New York Times bestseller, you know...
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The debate over who's to blame for obesity — society or the individual — is an interesting one many of you have been involved in on this blog.
It makes me think of this passage from Fed Up! Winning the War Against Childhood Obesity by Dr. Susan Okie. The first sentence is a little...
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When I first saw this bit of news, I thought it was out of The Onion.
A Mississippi bill wants to make it illegal to feed the obese.
From the text of House Bill No. 282:
Any food establishment to which this section applies shall not be allowed to serve food to any person who is obese, based on...
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The GOP candidates didn't talk about health care much in their last debate, so I culled some comments from some of the last few go-arounds.
Some of the themes they hit upon include personal responsibility, government-controlled health care and the role of inflation in the health care crisis....
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Super Tuesday is only a handful of days away. Do you know who you are going to vote for?
Unfortunately, I missed the past couple debates. So to help anyone like me get up to speed, below are excerpts about health care from the Democratic debate last night.
(Excerpts from the last Republican...
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As if we need another reason not to eat red meat. The Humane Society released a video today that shows inhumane treatment of cows at a Chino slaughterhouse. The footage was taken by an undercover animal welfare activist who was employed at the slaughterhouse
Be warned, this video is graphic. It...
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If the governor's health care proposal is one of the patients it is trying to help, that patient is gasping for air, bleeding out on the table.
In other words: The Senate Health Committee voted down the proposal yesterday.
From the L.A. Times:
Lawmakers called the plan, which passed the...
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The Californian gave Brooke Stanley, one of the teens featured in the Weighed Down series, an audio recorder to use between interviews.
We used one of the audio entries in her photo slideshow.
Attached are some more of her thoughts, including her opinions on surgery, gym class and going to the...
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After a year of work, "Weighed Down," The Californian's project examining obesity and the young people it affects, is complete.
Look for the stories today through Monday in the newspaper, or read all the stories online right now.
We would love to hear your thoughts on the...
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Want to know more about obesity, nutrition, fitness and bariatric surgery?
Here are some places to turn to for more help.
What is obesity?
National Institutes of Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Information on women and obesity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human...
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Consider this:
"As obscene as it sounds, a generation or two ago, black people were considered to be inherently ugly, stupid, unsanitary, lazy and enslaved by creature comforts. Today, fat people are assumed to be inherently ugly, stupid, unsanitary, lazy and enslaved by creature...
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The previous post on Fast Food Nation and obesity provoked such a discussion that I decided to expand that into this post as well.A lot of the conversation so far has focused on fast food's role in the rise in obesity rates.Well, here are the points made by groups on either side of the debate....
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One cool thing about a presidential election is all the neat interactive Web toys developed throughout the race.
To help you decide where you stand on health reform compared to the candidates, take the HealthCare08 PoliGraph.
Click the "Plot Your Stance On The Graph" button...
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In a county obese with burgeoning waistlines, choosing Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal as the next “One Book One Bakersfield...One Kern” installment seems all too fitting.
This latest "One Book" effort kicks off Thursday.
Here are some facts...
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Some of you might have seen the protester on Truxtun Extension Monday afternoon. And I'm not talking about the "Shame On" demonstrators.
For a few hours, Jean Hughes stood across from Truxtun Lake in the chilly temperatures with a sign saying “Dr. Michael Thorpe Poor...
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Public Service Announcement Details Disturbing Facts
Did anyone hear this public service announcement yesterday? www.publicnewsservice.org
It warned of the dangers to health from particulate matter (PM 2.5). Although it referred to Los Angeles, we have exactly...
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Welcome to Weighed Down, the blog that will accompany the Californian's upcoming series of stories exploring obesity.
Overweight and obesity has exploded over the last 30 years, becoming an epidemic facing over 60 percent of Kern County residents alone.
To see how obesity affects people's...
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Growing up the daughter of an OB/GYN's medical assistant, I have grown accustomed to the mountains of swag drug reps drop off at doctors offices.
Yeast infection medication calculators. Birth control lunch bags. Mountains and mountains of pens for every infertility, pregnancy, multivitamin,...
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It is remarkable how many conservatives can be so passionately and uncharitably opposed to the concept of a country ensuring the availability of education, health care and enough food and shelter for all its citizens despite their economic status.
I guess they think that the...
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Does the governor's proposed budget cuts kill the hope of health reform in California?
One local person thinks so.
"He (Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger) strongly and eloquently verbalizes his support for full access," said Clinica Sierra Vista CEO Steve Schilling. "But I'm...
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As Baby Boomers age, taking care of elderly relatives will become a greater task.
To help people with relatives suffering from Alzheimer's, the Alzheimer's Disease Association of Kern County is hosting a workshop on caregiving.
Starting tomorrow, "Alzheimer's, The Basics in...
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This is an invitation to an Advocare Nutrition Meeting.
We will be giving information on the top Energy, Wellness,
Weight loss and Sports performance systems. And
Highlighting the new Commit 2 Fit program.
This free informational meeting will be held
Tuesday January...
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Many of you will probably agree with me that employers need to provide better benefits to their workers, ALL of their workers they hire, not just full-time, but part-time as well. Many employers do not provide benefits that should be considered necesary, such as health insurance, vacation,...
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Not sure how Clinton feels about universal health coverage? Wanna find out what Huckabee's stance on private health care is all about?
Well, the Association of Health Care Journalists, of which I am a member, has compiled a break down on all the candidates' health plans and opinions. Along...
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But, what have they really done?
Our valley Agricultural businesses will benefit more than most if our air quality improves. Crops will yield more and be able to resist disease better because of improved plant health. With less dust, soot, and other common pollutants both valley...
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Law Now Applies to all Trucks
Beginning January 1, 2008, in the State of California, all trucks above 5 tons gross weight will no longer be allowed to idle longer than 5 minutes unless they are stuck in traffic. There were already state laws against excessive idling but an important...
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Don't Breathe Too Deeply
The last two nights have shown dangerously high levels of PM 2.5. The worst pollution has occurred around midnight. I used to carol as a teenager during those hours. You couldn't pay me to do that now. I had enough trouble breathing indoors...
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Most Californians are in favor of the new health care bill recently approved by the Assembly.
A Field Poll found:
By a nearly three-to-one margin (64 percent to 23 percent), California voters are inclined to favor a major health care reform plan backed by Republican Gov. Arnold...
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You can get gift cards to almost any store or Web site, for almost any good or service, so I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone created a gift card for something that leads to half of all bankruptcies — health care.
A Pittsburgh health insurer is selling Healthcare Visa...
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MRSA has been given a pretty scary nickname: superbug.
But MRSA — otherwise known as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, which also doesn't sound too fun — shouldn't keep parents up late at night worrying, state and local officials said today.
Several of these...
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California just got one step closer to health care reform.
Legislation that would provide coverage to a lot of uninsured Californians was approved today by the state Assembly.
The $14.4 billion health care reform plan has the support of Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, but will not...
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It looks like the Kern High School District board isn't the only one debating freedom of choice in public schools.
The San Diego Unified attorneys are taking a second look at a policy that requires school staff to tell parents and guardians if they learn a teen is pregnant.
Some schools...
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It looks like Kern Medical Center's beleaguered OB/GYN department will grace the pages of The Californian yet again.
A former KMC OB/GYN resident has filed a claim against the county, the hospital and several other medical residents for damages she says she suffered after the residents...
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If you were dying and Dr. Gregory House was a real person — and not the main character in Fox's "House" — would you want him treating you?
Would you excuse his reckless, sometimes illegal actions and terrible bedside manner for his lifesaving diagnosis?
That question...
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If 80 percent of people with West Nile virus have no symptoms, that means at least 690 Kern County residents were infected by the mosquito-borne virus year.
This figure assumes that every person who felt sick went to the doctor, who then reported the case to the state, so this number is...
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Most of you probably won't admit it within earshot of an employer, but you know you've played hooky from work by calling in sick a time or two.
CareerBuilder.com recently released its annual survey on absenteeism and found that 32 percent of workers admitted to calling in sick when they were...
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KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in North America. KaBOOM! brings together parents, community leaders and corporate partners to facilitate the group planning and design of new community playspaces. Our goal is...
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Unregulated Ammonia Emissions are to Blame
PM 2.5 measurements for November have never been worse. Compared to just a year ago, there was a 66% increase in average 24 hour readings of the deadly particulates this past month. The graph shows the comparison between this November...
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Supervisor in Kern Sees Green
For several years we have known that the worst air in the nation is often found infiltrating the lungs of local residents.
Today, in oil rich Kern County, a Supervisor, Michael Rubio, has moved the county to agree to purchase the cleanest, most fuel...
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Chew on this (as you prepare for the most gluttonous, overindulgent holiday of the year): Condors fans will soon be able to take advantage of an All-You-Can-Eat Pavilion in Rabobank Arena.
As if Kern County needed another excuse to overeat.
Here's the news release:
BAKERSFIELD, Calif....
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Another World AIDS Day comes around, but is the community any wiser?
I spoke yesterday with Audrey Chavez, director of the Bakersfield AIDS Project, about World AIDS Day and where Kern stands in fighting the infectious disease. (Read "Observe World AIDS Day at many local events" in...
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