Strange “Polio Like Syndrome” Cases in CA
Maybe you heard news reports this week about kids in California with a “polio-like syndrome.” Here's a synopsis: Over the last 18 months, 5 kids have been identified by California’s Department of Public Health with a paralysis in one or more limbs. Multiple tests have been run on them. Poliovirus wasn't found, but enterovirus-68 was isolated in 2 of the cases. There are hundreds of enteroviruses (poliovirus is one of them). [...]
Driving Down Cesarean Delivery Rates
There’s widespread agreement within the public health community that the percentage of women who deliver by Cesarean Section these days is too high. In fact, 1/3 of women in the US have cesarean deliveries these days (up from 9.5% in 1990 and 23% in 2008). Last week the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine [...]
Car Seat Safety and Collection Events This Weekend
Tomorrow Rural/Metro will hold two events in the East Valley to help parents make sure they have the right seat for their kids and the seats are properly installed. They will also collect gently used and new car seats so the state can donate them to families in need in Mexico. Rural/Metro is a partner in our child safety seat [...]
USDA Announces New School Nutrition Guidelines
The USDA announced proposed new guidelines for school wellness policies as part of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 this week. The new policies set goals in nutrition, physical activity, and other school-based activities promoting student wellness. Additionally, the school wellness policies include a guideline on food marketing in schools, setting a standard that if an item cannot be [...]
Today’s Arnold v. Sarn “Fairness Hearing” a Success
A few weeks ago the Governor announced a final agreement had been reached in the 32 year old Arnold vs. Sarn case regarding care and services for individuals with serious mental illness. The Settlement is the foundation to end the lawsuit while establishing a blueprint for a successful community-based behavioral health system in Arizona. This morning we had a fairness [...]
Dispensary Agent Collaborative
Last Wednesday we held a Medical Marijuana Dispensary Collaborative. It was modeled after last year’s successful ADVICE Collaborative, which brought dialysis facilities together to share best practices and engage in a dialog to reduce infection control violations and improve patient care. The goal of the meeting was to avoid future deficiencies by ensuring that dispensaries understand our expectations and to help us better understand their challenges. The [...]