California Gets Low Marks On Children’s Health And Welfare Report
Oakland-based child advocates Children Now said it's "alarming" how poorly California's children are doing when the state has so many resources.
The Mercury News:
California Failing Youngest And Poorest Children, Study Says
Among findings in the 2018 California Children’s Report Card, only half of California’s 3- and 4-year-olds attend preschool — now considered a critical launchpad for a child’s learning — and just one-quarter of infants and toddlers have access to licensed child care. Only 14 percent of low-income children are in publicly funded child care. (Noguchi, 2/1)
In other public health news —
KPBS:
When A Tragedy Occurs, San Diego's TIP Volunteers Respond With Emotional Support
When tragedy strikes, survivors are often overwhelmed. They don’t know what to do. They don’t know who to ask for help. That’s when people from the nonprofit Trauma Intervention Programs, or TIP, jump into action. TIP volunteers are specially trained to provide emotional first aid to people who have experienced a sudden death in the family, or other traumatic event. (Goldberg, 2/2)
Ventura County Star:
When Will Flu Season 2018 End?
The number of flu deaths this season in Ventura County has climbed to 35, public health officials said. Doctors and officials at several sites report the deadliest flu season in at least a decade may be diminishing, although others say their volume of feverish, aching patients remains high. Fatalities linked to flu this season are starting to slow but nearly equal the 36 flu deaths recorded in the county over the previous five seasons combined. (Kisken, 2/1)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Post-Fire Health Survey Now Open To North Bay Residents
Researchers at UC Davis hope to enlist thousands of Northern California residents in an online survey designed to gather the personal experiences, household circumstances and health effects from devastating wildfires that burned over 245,000 acres in six counties and killed 44 people. About 140 people signed up in advance to take the survey, which went live Thursday. But the push to get the word out is just beginning, with particular focus in hard-hit Sonoma and Napa counties, said Irva Hertz-Picciotto, an epidemiologist and director of the UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center. (Callahan, 2/1)