Health
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- Written by: Morgen Wells
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Obesity, a common condition indicated by a body mass index (BMI) over 30, plagues Lake County in increasing percentages.
While California’s adult obesity rate is 24.7 percent, Lake County’s obesity rate is 37.5 percent for women and 33.3 percent for men, according to the State of Obesity, a project of the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
More than half the state is overweight or obese, at 60.1 percent of adults falling into an unhealthy BMI range.
The effects of obesity include an increased risk for coronary heart disease, heart failure, heart attack, high blood pressure, type II diabetes, certain types of cancers, joint pain, gallstones and hypoventilation syndrome (increased carbon dioxide and decreased oxygen in the blood).
While making good dietary choices is an important part of maintaining a healthy weight, research suggests that exercise is an effective combatant of the risks associated with obesity.
Regular exercise can help control weight, improve mood and cognitive function, boost energy and promote better sleep, according to the Mayo Clinic. Weight lifting is a particularly effective tool to fight against poor health.
Regular weight-bearing exercise can improve muscle tone, increase overall metabolic rate, improve circulation, heart and lung function and increase concentration.
Lifting weights also fights osteoporosis, lowers the risk of diabetes and high blood sugar, can reduce back pain, and improve core strength and balance.
Sutter Lakeside Hospital is partnering with City Fitness to sponsor a limited number of free gym memberships for Lake County residents who qualify based on financial need.
City Fitness offers free weights and weight machines as well as group fitness classes, including cycling, cardio kickboxing and Zumba.
“Exercise is a cornerstone in building the foundation of physical and mental health,” said Siri Nelson, Chief Administrative Officer, Sutter Lakeside Hospital. “We strongly believe in partnering with our community to enhance the well-being of Lake County residents. We’re excited to continue collaborating with City Fitness to offer those in need the opportunity to improve their health.”
Applications are available at Sutter Lakeside Hospital Rehabilitation Services located at 5196 Hill Road East in Lakeport and at City Fitness on 871 Bevins St. in Lakeport.
The application deadline for scholarships is Monday, Dec. 22. Recipients will be notified by Dec. 31.
For more information, please contact Valerie Ungewitter at 707-262-5090.
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- Written by: Editor
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – World AIDS Day 2015 is Dec. 1, a day to bring awareness to the fight against AIDS.
Did you know the following facts?
– HIV can affect anyone.
– It is recommended that all teens and adults in the United States get tested for HIV at least once as part of routine health care. Depending on risk, your provider may recommend being tested periodically.
– As many as one in eight people in the U.S. living with HIV is unaware of his or her infection.
– More than one million people are living with HIV in the United States.
A powerful force in reducing HIV and AIDS in Lake and Mendocino Counties is MCHC Health Centers, the only local health organization providing ongoing medical treatment to HIV-infected patients.
Unlike the early days of the AIDS epidemic, effective treatment, care and support services now exist for those infected with HIV, so people can live long, productive lives after they are diagnosed with the infection. And because so much more is known about how HIV is transmitted, people can effectively prevent the spread of HIV.
MCHC Health Centers has been offering HIV care for more than 20 years, funded by a federal Ryan White grant since 1995. In fact, some of the MCHC doctors and nurses who currently care for patients helped start the program at MCHC and were pioneers in the movement.
Patients can receive HIV care at all three MCHC Health Centers sites: Hillside in Ukiah, Little Lake in Willits and Lakeview in Lakeport.
One of the keys to effective care is medical case management, a benchmark of the MCHC Health Centers program. HIV primary care services include comprehensive medical and specialty care, as well as oral (dental) care and behavioral health services. Substance abuse services are also available, both onsite and through referrals to other local programs.
Since its inception, the HIV program has more than tripled the number of patients regularly cared for—more than 200 patients received treatment for HIV in 2014.
MCHC Health Centers is currently working to expand visibility about the program in an effort to increase linkage to care with other local providers and organizations, while reducing the fear and stigma.
Of the people receiving HIV care with us, 95 percent are on anti-retroviral therapy (ART), and 92 percent of our HIV-infected patients are virally suppressed, meaning the virus is no longer detectable in their blood they are unlikely to spread the infection to others.
Ninety-four percent of our HIV-infected patients are fully engaged in care and return at least every six months to be monitored and cared for.
For more information, or to schedule an appointment with an HIV specialist in Lakeport call 707-262-3205; in Ukiah or Willits call 707-472-4627.
MCHC Health Centers offers medical, dental, and behavioral health services to people in Lake and Mendocino Counties.
All MCHC Health Centers sites accept Medi-Cal, Medicare, Covered California insurance, and more.
MCHC Health Centers is a local nonprofit organization providing access to health care for all. Learn more at www.mchcinc.org .
Four local health centers score among the highest of all Northern California family practice clinics
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- Written by: Editor
UKIAH, Calif. – MCHC Health Centers earned the highest scores of all family practice clinics during Partnership HealthPlan of California (PHC)’s annual quality assessment.
PHC is a nonprofit, community-based health care organization that contracts with the State to administer Medi-Cal benefits through local care providers like MCHC Health Centers to ensure Medi-Cal recipients have access to high-quality, comprehensive, cost-effective health care.
PHC measured several quality indicators for 217 public and private medical clinics in Northern California; they measured clinical care, appropriate use of resources, access to care, and patient experience.
Six sites received the top score of 95 (out of 100) – three of those six were MCHC Health Centers’ three sites: Hillside Health Center in Ukiah, Little Lake Health Center in Willits, and Lakeview Health Center in Lakeport. Another one of those top six was Baechtel Creek Medical Clinic in Willits.
“This is a huge accomplishment,” said MCHC Health Centers Medical Director Dr. Tom Bertolli. “This lets people know we are providing top quality care, whether we’re compared to public clinics or private providers.”
PHC’s clinical measures focused on helping patients manage their diabetes, making sure women were screened for cervical cancer, and assessing childhood obesity.
Other measures included providing access to outpatient care, so patients did not have to go to hospital emergency rooms; using resources wisely (i.e., not wasting money, using efficient procedures); and providing patients with a good experience where they felt heard and received the information they needed to make good decisions.
“Because we’re located in small, rural locations, people sometimes assume they aren’t receiving top quality care; these scores prove otherwise. Our health care teams choose to live and work in Lake and Mendocino counties for the same reason everyone else does: it’s beautiful and we like the slower pace of life. We could work in large, metropolitan health centers with well-known reputations, but we choose to be here,” said MCHC Health Centers Associate Medical Director Justin Ebert, PA.
MCHC Health Centers Quality Director Jaisingh Niemer, MD, MPH, spoke highly of PHC and their approach to quality.
“Partnership HealthPlan is aptly named,” he said. “The organization is our partner. They are receptive to the needs of their members and have been excellent to work with as we address the evolving health needs of the populations we serve. As we move forward, we’ll continue to work with them to meet our patients’ needs.”
Dr. Niemer identified some of the reasons MCHC Health Centers received such high scores: to assure access to care for patients who cannot make appointments during regular business hours, for example, MCHC Health Centers offer Saturday Urgent Care Clinics and evening hours during the week, and making sure both new and established patients can be seen in a timely manner.
For clinical excellence in treating diabetic patients, MCHC Health Centers made sure patients not only received regular blood tests for sugars and cholesterol, but that they also received kidney screenings and retinal eye exams. This required investing in special equipment as well as training for staff.
“We are really proud of our team,” said CEO Carole Press. “Our whole staff works together to support each other as they care for our patients, and I believe the patients can feel the difference.”
Press reinforced the organization’s commitment to high quality care, the health of the patient and the community. “Everything we do revolves around providing access to the highest level of care for everyone,” she said.
MCHC Health Centers provides comprehensive health services including primary medical care, pediatrics, dentistry, women’s health, obstetrical care, counseling, psychiatry, chiropractic and specialty care, and looks forward to growing to meet the ever-expanding needs of the communities it serves. Learn more at www.mchcinc.org .
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- Written by: Editor
SACRAMENTO – With the holiday season upon us, California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith this week reminded consumers about the importance of safe food handling to prevent foodborne illness.
“Bacterial pathogens like Salmonella, E. coli and Campylobacter can be present in foods, such as meat and poultry, and can cause illness due to insufficient cooking, inadequate cooling and improper food handling practices,” Smith said. “Properly prepared and handled foods can assure us all a safe meal every day of the year.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths annually in the United States are related to foodborne diseases.
Foodborne diseases can be prevented by simple safety steps in the kitchen. Wash hands with soap and warm water before and after food preparation, and especially after handling raw foods.
Clean all work surfaces, utensils and dishes with hot soapy water and rinse with hot water after each use.
Be sure to cook foods thoroughly and to refrigerate adequately between meals.
Consumers can find more information about Food Safety Tips for Holiday Feasts on the CDPH Web site, www.cdph.ca.gov .
Bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 are responsible for many foodborne illnesses, caused by eating contaminated foods.
Contamination can occur at the farm level, during processing and handling, and as a result of poor food handling practices at home.
Symptoms of foodborne disease can include diarrhea, which may be bloody, vomiting, abdominal cramps and fever. Most infected people recover from foodborne illnesses within a week. Some, however, may develop complications that require hospitalization.
Young children, the elderly, pregnant women and persons with a weakened immune system are at highest risk for potentially life-threatening complications.
Additional resources for information on food safety include the federal Food and Drug Administration Food Information line at 1-888-SAFEFOOD (1-888-723-3366) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854).
Consumers can also access the national Partnership for Food Safety Education’s “Fight BAC” (bacteria) Web page.