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I just came across a neat tool.
HealthMap.org plots global disease alerts on a worldwide map. It gets feeds from the World Health Organization, Google News and ProMED, among others, and specifically tracks dozens of diseases, like avian influenza, West Nile virus and HIV/AIDS.
The United...
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Reading Lily Berger's story of battling an eating disorder, I was surprised to see that the disorder began so early in her life.
The Bakersfield native detailed her struggle on the Northwest Voice's Web site. It's a shocking read that delves deep into why she felt compelled to purge.
Here's an...
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I had heard talk about a medical school coming to UC Merced.
But if one local politician has his way, that medical school would reside in Bakersfield, possibly next to Kern Medical Center.
I just spoke to Supervisor Michael Rubio, who said his staff will give UC officials a proposal in early...
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Air District Not Doing Job
We had promises of steady and continued improvement two years ago. We also had promises of attainment of the federal health standard by 2024 which was too long in many peoples' minds. They didn't tell us our air would actually get worse before it...
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Mosquito abatement employees go onto private property without permission from time to time.
This has been done locally to treat abandon pools teeming with mosquitoes (see the photo).
A Pennsylvania businessman, though, considers this trespassing.
From the York Daily Record:
James Yelton,...
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Would you be in favor of tax increases if it meant more money for schools and health care?
A Democrat-controlled Assembly committee approved a new state budget last night based on a $9.7 billion tax increase, the first state budget proposal based on a major tax increase since 1991.
According to...
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It seems like every summer people freak out about the heat like they've never felt it before, like it's not an eventuality.
Guess what, people. Bakersfield is hot. It's kind of our thing.
This seasonal amnesia happens back East during the first snow of winter. Motorists forget that snow is...
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Scientists reported Tuesday that when they surveyed volunteers 14 months after they took 'magic mushrooms,' most said they were still feeling and behaving better because of the experience.
One volunteer felt like her heart was ripping open, but she still described the 'trip' as a joyful...
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Do mosquitoes serve any purpose besides endlessly annoying us and infecting us with malaria, Dengue fever and West Nile virus?
A reader posted that question in my last blog post, and because it's such a good one, I looked into it some more.
As reader CatherineBaker wrote, "They say...
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The weather of this past week may cause West Nile virus problems from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.
First, let's start locally.
The hotter it gets the faster mosquitoes breed and the faster the virus replicates.
It reached 110 degrees Saturday, according to Weather.com. And while...
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Kern isn't No. 1, and in this case, that's a good thing.
The state Department of Public Health just announced the first human case of West Nile virus in the state this year — in Tulare County.
“The first human West Nile virus infection of 2008 underscores the importance of taking...
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Here's another letter to the editor forwarded to me on the budget cuts to Medi-Cal.
This one is signed by the CEOs of Bakersfield Memorial Hospital, Kern Medical Center, San Joaquin Community Hospital and Mercy Hospitals of Bakersfield.
What do you think? Does this spur you to action?
This...
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Coming up on Ricky's Retreat, the Bakersfield AIDS Project's headquarters, I was a bit taken aback to see the lawn blanketed in shoes.
Seven hundred eighty-four pairs to be exact.
There were high heels, cowboy boots, slippers, flip flops — you name it.
The "visual representation of...
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I just got this press release. Do you have "spring fever"?
Hi Emily,
Ah, spring, when a young man’s fancy turns to love… or just more sex.
The notion of “Spring Fever” is readily associated with cold weather hermits pouring outside to once...
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Mercy Hospitals is hosting an upcoming free skin cancer screening.
This event made me think of a recent post, "Health screenings aren't always recommended." It's not that I think screenings aren't helpful, but people need to be aware of the pros and cons of screening.
Yes, there are...
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Gay marriage is on a lot of people's minds today.
And, at least for the wedding party, it will improve their minds' health, according to some psychiatrists.
For Gay Marriage Day '08, I dug this story out of Psychiatric Times:
Numerous studies exploring the relationship between mental health...
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It seems like if you wait long enough a study will come out finding something healthy in your junk-food-of-choice.
Case in point: Drinking up to six cups a day of caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee won't shorten your life span, a new study shows. In fact, coffee might even help the heart,...
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A year ago today, news was breaking of Kern's first human case of West Nile virus of the year -- the first human case in the state.
Today, I'm working on a story about our first infected mosquito pool.
Positive mosquitoes often precede positive humans. Fingers crossed, maybe this year won't be...
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I've spent several hours this week weeding through inspections and complaints against local hospitals and nursing homes.
(Read "State investigating Kern Valley nursing home again," which ran Wednesday in The Californian.)
That is why this recent story from the Riverside...
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Right now I'm lying on my couch, looking like a chipmunk, watching "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."
I had no idea getting my wisdom teeth removed would be so boring.
(And for the record, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" is the only thing on besides "The Princess Diaries 2."...
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This was a blog entry I wrote a year ago on another site, and I think it'd be great to hear what others have to say about it..
The Healthcare System
I think it's safe to say that the nation's current Healthcare system is beyond screwed. Insurance companies have a chokehold on the...
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Houchin Blood Bank certainly wouldn't find a spot on VH1's "Best Week Ever."
Let's start with the dire blood shortage. The blood bank is in need of all blood types.
Houchin strives to have 600 units of blood available daily, said Tracy Hunter, Houchin’s community relations...
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Will Kern County be ground zero for West Nile virus again this year? Are we doing anything to prepare?
Find out for yourself.
County directors from Public Health Services, Environmental Health Services and the Kern Mosquito and Vector Control District, among others, will talk about their West...
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Several health care bills are working their ways through the Assembly and Senate — many incorporating ideas originally introduced in the governor's health care proposal and other older bills.
According to California Healthline and the L.A. Times, some aim to curb the insurance industry...
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Russell Judd, president of Mercy Hospitals, submitted a letter to the editor about the state's cuts to Medi-Cal.
I would love to hear your thoughts.
For more info about the cuts, read "Calif. sued over Medi-Cal rate cuts" and "Is health reform dead?"
Budget Cuts Put...
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Kids with perfect attendance freak me out.
I'm not talking about the kids with one stellar year but rather the ones who don't miss a day of school their entire school career.
Californian columnist Robert Price talked to one of these kids recently. (Read "13 years without missing school?...
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I feel like this week has been all about strokes.
I toured HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital on Wednesday for a story I'm doing about a local choir director who has come back from a stroke. And last night, I had the honor of writing about the Hinojosa family.
Gilberto Hinojosa, 54, suffered a...
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Listening to your parents talk to you about sex probably ranks high on the lifetime ick-o-meter.
I can remember my mom launching into it while I was sitting with her and a bunch of her friends in our kitchen. She said, "You're becoming a young woman now." I said, "Oh no,"......
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A new report ranks Kern fourth for its teen birth rate.
Sad, yes, but not necessarily a big surprise is the gist of the comments I've heard. (Read "Kern fourth in teenage pregnancy" on the front page of today's Californian.)
Besides breaking the rates out by county, the Public Health...
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A Fresno broker is using West Nile virus and green pools to sell homes.
Talk about spin.
From the Blogging Broker blog:
Help beautify Fresno by purchasing a home with a green pool through Lazarus Realty. I will *pay for the cost of draining, cleaning and refilling the pool. When complete you...
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A local man is selling tacos tomorrow to benefit the family of a Bakersfield teen battling a severe case of valley fever.
Eugene Alonzo, owner of L.A. Tacos, will be selling his special-recipe tacos from noon to 6 p.m. at Sports Authority at 4821 Ming Ave.
All proceeds will go the family of...
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I've heard from several people that Bakersfield is not a friendly town toward cyclists.
Take Arin Resnicke, for instance. This avid Bakersfield cyclist has not only been hit by a pizza delivery driver but has had objects thrown at him, insults shouted at him and a group of guys hit him with...
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Researchers at the University of Washington are looking for people who have tested positive for West Nile virus.
And considering Kern County had the most cases of any county in the country last year, this area seems to be a good place to look.
Below is an e-mail I got about the study. If you...
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A large coalition of California medical organizations is suing the state over the planned 10 percent cut to Medi-Cal.
Locally, this cut will mean Kern Medical Center will lose $4 million per year in Safety Net Care Pool Funds and $1 million per year in outpatient Medi-Cal funds, KMC CEO Paul...
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Using common sense never hurt anybody.
Here are some tips from Canadian Living on how to avoid West Nile virus:
Fill any holes in the ground around your property with dirt. When it rains, mosquitoes breed in these damp, wet spaces.
Turn over any unused flowerpots in your garden. They...
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I get loads of press releases for the latest supplement, latest treatment, latest surgery, latest fad, etc.
And I got this one a couple of weeks ago:
Enter Heidi Roizen. A former Silicon Valley software company CEO and venture capitalist with a love for boardroom snacking, Heidi was tired of...
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Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hasn't given up on passing a health plan that covers all Californians.
According to the Associated Press, his staff is working to fix the previous plan.
"Now we'll try again," Schwarzenegger said. "We will continue on, keeping the stakeholders...
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Today The Californian held its health fair for employees.
And like most health fairs, this one included several free tests. You have the crack-out-the-calipers body fat test. The slip-this-up-your-arm blood pressure test.
And the it's-just-a-little-prick cholesterol and blood sugar tests.
I...
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A Massachusetts bill aims to add weight and height to the list of characteristics people cannot use to discriminate with.
From the Chicago Tribune:
Currently, people can seek protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but they must prove their obesity is a disability and, in some...
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I admit my pinkish purple bicycle has gotten a bit dusty sitting on my porch for the last few months.
Yes, I know...pink.
I don't fancy myself as a pink-kind-of-girl, but, hey, I got the bike for free from Bike Bakersfield. And the hardy Schwinn got me around the bike path several times last...
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In reporting the story yesterday about Kern being No. 3 for its concentration of fast food and convenience stores, I came across a couple of buzz words.
Fast food jungle. Food desert.
Considering we live in neither a jungle nor desert — well, most of us anyway — I came up with my...
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For once, we're not among the worst.
A new study has found that women's life expectancy declined significantly in 180 U.S. counties from 1983 to 1999.
And, happily, Kern County isn't among those.
Most of the counties are in the deep South and Appalachia, according to the study, which was done...
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Testing done by a Chicago newspaper found trace amounts of the bug repellent DEET in the city's drinking water.
"In this age of West Nile virus, Lyme disease and other insect-borne health threats, millions of Americans have made slathering and spritzing themselves with the powerful...
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Read about Carlos Ortiz Jr's
donation of life - a wonderful story!
(click picture below to read now)
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A representative from the county Public Health Services Department recently went to a San Diego meeting of the minds of valley fever experts.
As relayed to me by interim Public Health Officer Dr. Claudia Jonah, these are the main points to come out of the meeting:
1. Skin test screening
The...
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Paige Atkison's fundraiser at The Ice House last weekend was a success, her mother says.They raised $5,275 to go toward Operation Smile, which cares for children with cleft lips and palates in the Third World. (Read "A good time and a good cause at the salon Saturday" that ran in last...
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Monday March 31st was the last day I smoked a cigarette!!! It's been a tough week. But I made it through without physically hurting anyone... so far.. lol!!!
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Kern stands alone.
The county’s above average number of meningococcal infections aren’t being seen in other counties, state health officials told me today.
Twenty-one Kern County residents have suffered meningococcal infections since Dec. 10, local officials announced Wednesday....
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Almost every health official and expert I've talked to has said roughly the same thing about drug-resistant staph infections: They're a big problem.
One expert even called it an "epidemic."
The state recently made these infections, known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus...
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Dead, infected birds are usually a harbinger of the West Nile virus season.
I've had a couple of people call me with frustrations over the state's dead bird hot line, 877-WNV-BIRD (877-968-2473).
One woman last week told me an operator of the hot line said the state wasn't picking up birds yet....
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