The Health Connection is a blog about health care in Merced County by Merced Sun-Star reporter Yesenia Amaro.
A local cancer center is relocating to a new site that will make patients feel at home. El Portal Comprehensive Cancer Center will start seeing patients at its new location, 3303 M St. on Feb. 4, said Dr. Alireza Mahmoudieh, radiation oncologist at El Portal. The new 10,000-square-foot facility has state-of-the-art equipment and additional space, which will allow the center to expand its services and treat more patients. Also, an improvement that has staff excited at the new facility is n...
More...A California lawmaker is reintroducing a bill to help improve breast cancer detection. Senate Bill 1538 being reintroduced by Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, would require women to be informed of the density of their breast. It’s harder to detect cancer in women with dense breast because dense breast tissue reads white, just as an abnormality or cancer would in a mammogram. Last year, a similar piece of legislation, Senate Bill 173 sponsored by Simitian, was passed by the state’...
More...Mia Sanchez might be young, but she knows how devastating cancer can be. She wants to make a difference for those suffering from it. “Oh I’m just a little girl in a great big world hoping for a cure for everyone who hurts and so I pray, pray, pray each and every day that cancer goes away.” That’s the song that the 8-year-old sings with a miniature guitar everywhere she goes to raise money for cancer. She bought the guitar from money she saved from her birthday. ...
More...It’s nice to be able to put my Spanish-speaking skills to use at work every now and then. Most recently, I was able to have a conversation in Spanish with a visiting physician from Mexico, Dr. Carlos Cabrera. Our Spanish conversation came after the official interview, which was done in English since he’s a fluent English speaker. Cabrera, who lives in Merida, the capital of the state of Yucatan, Mexico, was visiting Merced late last week. During his stay in the city, he gave p...
More...We can expect a healthier California. More than $103 million in federal funds was awarded Tuesday as part of a new initiative to help improve communities and combat chronic diseases nationwide. California’s slice of the pie will be $22 million – and some of those funds will trickle down to Merced County. “We can assure that California will put this money to really good use,” Diana Dooley, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said during a pre...
More...A little late, but better late than never. Thank you to all of you who contacted me about a past blog I wrote about doulas and midwifes. Many people who are willing to share their story about using a doula or midwife contacted me and emails are still coming in. I’m still reviewing some of them. I already wrote back to a few of those who contacted me. If you haven’t heard back from me, you will soon--and thank you for being patient. I sometimes get caught up with my...
More...Merced County Public Health officials are asking people to call its environmental division if they become aware of an establishment selling products that have been linked to the salmonella outbreak in California. The salmonella outbreak has left one person death and others ill. Earlier this week, the outbreak had been linked to possible consumption of ground turkey meat. On Thursday, Arkansas-based Cargill Meat Solutions, Inc., announced the voluntary recall of 36 million pounds of fres...
More...A person who suffered adverse childhood experiences can undergo serious health effects throughout life, even dying up to 20 years earlier than a person who never underwent those experiences, said Dave Lockridge, executive director for Adverse Childhood Experiences Overcomers (ACE) in Merced County. Abuse, neglect and household dysfunctions are among some of the 10 categories of adverse childhood experiences, he said. "The effects of adverse childhood experience if not dealt with, can affect ...
More...The birth of a child is always memorable for most women. Not only because they finally get to see their babies for the first time after carrying them inside their wombs for nine months, but also for the labor experience, and of course, the pain. At least I know this from talking to family members and friends who have given birth. I'm not a mother so I wouldn't know from my own experience. For a while now, I've been trying to work on a story about midwives or even doulas in Merced County...
More...The percentage of adult Americans using a seat belt has increased in recent years, but the results could be better, according to a study released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 2002 and 2008, the percentage of adults using a seat belt rose from 80 percent to 85 percent, the study found. However, one in seven adult drivers reported not using a seat belt on every trip. The consequences: Millions of Americans are being injured in car crashes because of the...
More...The Merced County age-adjusted percentage of adults diagnosed with diabetes in 2008 was 7.8 percent, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That figure rose from 6.3 percent in 2004. Our neighboring county of Mariposa had a 7.1 percent in 2008, up from 6 percent in 2004.
More...Research has shown that boys and men of color have worse health outcomes than their white counterparts— in California as well as across the country. According to a 2009 report titled “ The Socioeconomic, Health, Safety, and Education Disparities Faced by Boys and Men of Color in California, ”
More...I want to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving. I also want to share a report that I found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website that provides tips on how to safely prepare your holiday meal. Food safety is important because of the potential of foodborne illness— any illness that is related to food ingestion.
More...Who am I? What do I want to do during my stay in Merced? As I look at my desk calendar, it’s hard to believe that I’ve almost been with the Merced Sun-Star for two months now. That means that I only have 16 more months go to, and that I have to make the most out of that time. I began to work as the health care reporter for the Sun-Star in late September.
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