Health
UKIAH, Calif. – MCHC Health Centers is pleased to announce that board-certified podiatrist Dr. Aderonke Ojo has joined its medical staff and will be seeing patients in Ukiah, Willits and Lakeport.
A podiatrist is a foot and ankle doctor who helps patients with a variety of ailments, including nail fungus, calluses, warts, bunions, hammertoe, plantar fasciitis, heel pain, diabetic foot evaluations and care, Achilles’ tendonitis, flat feet and more.
Dr. Ojo is a medical podiatrist, though she can refer patients for surgery, if necessary.
Originally from Nigeria, Dr. Ojo is a self-described “go-getter” who lets nothing get in her way when it comes to helping her patients. She not only focuses on eliminating their foot pain, but also helping them overcome shame about their feet.
As a young girl, she suffered serious burns on her feet. In addition to her pain, she was often embarrassed about how her feet looked. So when her patients don’t want to take off their shoes and socks, even for a medical evaluation, she understands.
“I think it helps that I can relate,” she said. Her warm, engaging personality helps put patients at ease.
“I love what I do! I fell in love with podiatry when I saw how much we could make people better. If you can’t walk, what can you do? My mission is to get people walking comfortably again,” she said.
She quipped, “When people asked me how I got here, I say, ‘My feet.’ I know it’s not what they mean, but if you think about it, it’s true.”
She went on to say that at some point in every journey, it is usually our feet that get us where we need to go. “Without healthy feet it is hard to have a healthy life,” she said.
Dr. Ojo shared a story of an elderly man who had gout. He was in terrible pain and could no longer work. He visited the clinic where she was working, and she told him he could be pain-free within days. He was amazed and thrilled when that was exactly what happened.
Dr. Ojo encourages people experiencing any foot or ankle pain to come in for an evaluation. Unlike other areas of the body, the feet get very little rest, she explained, so problems usually get worse instead of better until they are treated.
“We always do conservative treatment first. With children who have flat feet, for example, we do custom-made orthotics to realign the joints and make the body function better,” she said.
Once the body is properly aligned, the pain usually goes away. Children can then learn to stop pronating or supinating and spend the rest of their lives without that type of pain.
“Dr. Ojo’s medical training and experience make her a great fit for our health centers,” said MCHC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jerry Douglas. Dr. Ojo completed her undergraduate education UC Davis in 1997, then attended the New York School of Podiatry to earn her DPM.
She went on to complete an internship and residency at New York Coney Island Hospital and quickly become board-certified in podiatry.
She has been in practice for 10 years, both in private practice and working for Indian Health.
She is joining MCHC Health Centers as part of a personal move, one that brings her closer to her fiancé, a software engineer who lives in Lakeport.
When she’s not busy caring for patients, Dr. Ojo enjoys reading and writing poetry, shopping and dancing.
“I love to dance,” she said. “Oh, and I love to crack jokes. If you don’t have a sense of humor, what do you have? I love to laugh.”
If you or someone you love has foot or ankle pain, contact MCHC Health Centers and Dr. Ojo will be happy to see them.
MCHC Health Centers provides comprehensive health services including primary medical care, pediatrics, dentistry, women’s health, obstetrical care, counseling, psychiatry, and specialty care, and looks forward to growing to meet the ever-expanding needs of the communities it serves.
MCHC Health Centers includes Hillside Health Center in Ukiah, Little Lake Health Center in Willits and Lakeview Health Center in Lakeport.
Learn more at www.mchcinc.org.
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News Reports
SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health announced Thursday the highest annual number of new valley fever cases on record in California was reported in 2017.
From January through December 2017, 7,466 new cases of valley fever were reported to CDPH, making 2017 the highest annual incidence reported in California since coccidioidomycosis became individually reportable in 1995.
It was also the second consecutive record year for reported valley fever cases.
Consistent with previous years, the highest coccidioidomycosis incidence in 2017 were reported in counties in the Central Valley and central coast regions, including Kern, Kings, San Luis Obispo, Fresno, Tulare, Madera and Monterey counties.
Nearly 64 percent of the 2017 case-patients resided in one of these counties, with 37 percent residing in Kern County.
“With the continued increase in valley fever, people living and working in the Central Valley and central coasts regions should take steps to avoid breathing in dusty air,” said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. “If individuals develop flu-like symptoms, such as cough, fever, or difficulty breathing, lasting two weeks or more, they should ask their health care provider about valley fever.”
Valley fever, also known as coccidioidomycosis, or cocci, is caused by breathing in the spores of a fungus that grows in certain types of soil.
The fungal spores can be present in dust that gets into the air when it is windy or when soil is disturbed, such as through digging in dirt during construction.
Most infected people will not show signs of illness. Those who do become ill with valley fever may have flu-like symptoms that can last for two weeks or more.
While most people recover fully, some may develop more severe complications which include pneumonia, or infection of the brain, joints, bone, skin or other organs.
There is currently no vaccine, but antifungal medications are available. Individuals should specifically ask their health care provider about valley fever if they think they may be infected.
While anyone can get valley fever, those most at-risk for severe disease include people 60 years or older, African-Americans, Filipinos, pregnant women, and people with diabetes or conditions that weaken their immune system.
People who live, work, or travel in valley fever areas are also at higher risk of getting infected, especially if they work outdoors or participate in activities where soil is disturbed.
A person can reduce the risk of illness by avoiding breathing in dirt or dust in areas where valley fever is common.
In these areas, when it is windy outside and the air is dusty, stay inside and keep windows and doors closed.
While driving, keep car windows closed and use recirculating air conditioning, if available. If individuals must be outdoors, they should consider wearing a properly fitted mask when the air is dusty (such as an N95 respirator mask which is widely available in retail stores), and refrain from disturbing the soil whenever possible.
Employers should train workers about valley fever symptoms and take steps to limit workers’ exposure to dust, such as watering down the soil before digging.
It is unclear why there has been such a large increase in reported valley fever cases in California since 2014.
Possible contributing factors include heavy rainfall after years of drought as well as other climatic and environmental factors, increased number of susceptible people in areas where the fungus is present, and increased awareness, testing and diagnosis by health care providers.
It is unknown if or how the relatively dry 2017-2018 winter in California will impact the number of valley fever cases this year.
For additional information on valley fever, please visit the CDPH Web site.
From January through December 2017, 7,466 new cases of valley fever were reported to CDPH, making 2017 the highest annual incidence reported in California since coccidioidomycosis became individually reportable in 1995.
It was also the second consecutive record year for reported valley fever cases.
Consistent with previous years, the highest coccidioidomycosis incidence in 2017 were reported in counties in the Central Valley and central coast regions, including Kern, Kings, San Luis Obispo, Fresno, Tulare, Madera and Monterey counties.
Nearly 64 percent of the 2017 case-patients resided in one of these counties, with 37 percent residing in Kern County.
“With the continued increase in valley fever, people living and working in the Central Valley and central coasts regions should take steps to avoid breathing in dusty air,” said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. “If individuals develop flu-like symptoms, such as cough, fever, or difficulty breathing, lasting two weeks or more, they should ask their health care provider about valley fever.”
Valley fever, also known as coccidioidomycosis, or cocci, is caused by breathing in the spores of a fungus that grows in certain types of soil.
The fungal spores can be present in dust that gets into the air when it is windy or when soil is disturbed, such as through digging in dirt during construction.
Most infected people will not show signs of illness. Those who do become ill with valley fever may have flu-like symptoms that can last for two weeks or more.
While most people recover fully, some may develop more severe complications which include pneumonia, or infection of the brain, joints, bone, skin or other organs.
There is currently no vaccine, but antifungal medications are available. Individuals should specifically ask their health care provider about valley fever if they think they may be infected.
While anyone can get valley fever, those most at-risk for severe disease include people 60 years or older, African-Americans, Filipinos, pregnant women, and people with diabetes or conditions that weaken their immune system.
People who live, work, or travel in valley fever areas are also at higher risk of getting infected, especially if they work outdoors or participate in activities where soil is disturbed.
A person can reduce the risk of illness by avoiding breathing in dirt or dust in areas where valley fever is common.
In these areas, when it is windy outside and the air is dusty, stay inside and keep windows and doors closed.
While driving, keep car windows closed and use recirculating air conditioning, if available. If individuals must be outdoors, they should consider wearing a properly fitted mask when the air is dusty (such as an N95 respirator mask which is widely available in retail stores), and refrain from disturbing the soil whenever possible.
Employers should train workers about valley fever symptoms and take steps to limit workers’ exposure to dust, such as watering down the soil before digging.
It is unclear why there has been such a large increase in reported valley fever cases in California since 2014.
Possible contributing factors include heavy rainfall after years of drought as well as other climatic and environmental factors, increased number of susceptible people in areas where the fungus is present, and increased awareness, testing and diagnosis by health care providers.
It is unknown if or how the relatively dry 2017-2018 winter in California will impact the number of valley fever cases this year.
For additional information on valley fever, please visit the CDPH Web site.
- Details
- Written by: California Department of Public Health
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