Anonymous $4M Donation Will Help Underserved Women Receive Care
The money will go toward Sutter Health's efforts to fight breast cancer, such as screenings and patient support.
East Bay Times:
Sutter Dedicates Anonymous $4 Million Gift To Breast Cancer Battle
An anonymous donor’s $4 million gift to Sutter Health will save Bay Area women’s lives, Sutter Health officials say confidently. The grant will allow Sutter to expand the level of care provided at its Carol Ann Read Breast Health Center in Oakland to Sutter’s Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley and Delta Medical Center in Antioch, the latter of which “is very underserved,” Read Center Medical Director Eileen Consorti said. Women have a one-in-eight chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes, and African-American women face a 41 percent higher mortality rate from the disease, said Julie Petrini, Sutter CEO of hospitals. (Hedin, 11/3)
In other health care news from across the state —
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento Officials Open New Community Health Clinic For Low-Income Residents, Named For Late Health Advocate Steve Thompson
With a bit of sentimental fanfare, city and county officials opened a new community health clinic Thursday for low-income residents of Sacramento’s housing projects near Broadway. The clinic, open to individuals and families living in the Alder Grove and Marina Vista neighborhoods, will offer weekday and Saturday appointments for primary care, including pregnancy and well-baby exams, immunizations, screenings, prescriptions and lab tests. With no nearby clinic, residents in the area were traveling long distances for health care or “taking their kids with sniffles to the emergency room,” said Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna, who allocated $150,000 in tobacco litigation funds to refurbish a clinic that had been closed for 15 years. (Buck, 11/3)
The Mercury News:
Los Gatos Surgeon Comes Up With A New Approach To Treat Stroke Patients
For Dr. David Chang, a vascular surgeon from Cupertino whose office is in Los Gatos, innovation is a way of life. With more than 10 patents to his name over the course of 16 years of professional practice experience, Chang’s biggest achievement to date is the development of a minimally invasive technique to treat blockages in the carotid artery at risk of causing a stroke. The procedure, which Chang calls “transcarotid artery revascularization,” or TCAR, replaces a technique previously used by surgeons known as “transfemoral carotid angioplasty.” (Sarwari, 11/3)
Capital Public Radio:
Calaveras County Teens Assess Marijuana Impacts
In 2009, 52 percent of 9th graders and 41 percent of 11th graders believed using marijuana regularly was harmful. Those figures are down to 44 percent of 9th graders and 26 percent of 11th graders... Making the decision to use marijuana may have more to do with students having a casual attitude towards it. They believe at least half of their classmates smoke marijuana regularly and they suspect that most of them are upperclassmen... According to data from the Calaveras County Office of Education, 8 percent of 9th graders and 22 percent of 11th graders used marijuana on a daily basis last year. These latest figures show a decrease in usage compared to 2009 when 13 percent of 9th graders and 34 percent of 11th graders say they used marijuana on a daily basis. (Johnson, 11/3)
Sacramento Bee:
Dental Offices Offer Cash For Candy, Give Care Packages To Troops
In the days after Halloween, leftover candy seems to linger indefinitely. It shows up in office break rooms and on receptionists’ desks, tempting passers-by to dig into the big plastic bowl just one more time. Local dentists are encouraging another tradition. They’re encouraging patients and others in the community to skip the extra Snickers and bring it to their office instead, where people will receive $1 for every collected pound of candy. (Caiola, 11/3)