As STD Rates Skyrocket, Kaiser Helps Reach Teenagers On Their Own Level
Kaiser Permanente offers to help school districts put on a play about the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases but in a way to which teenagers can relate.
The Bakersfield Californian:
Kaiser Permanente To KHSD: Please, Let Us Teach Your Kids About STDs
Kaiser Permanente spent months working to bring to Kern County a special production of “What Goes Around,” a play that teaches kids about the risks of sexually transmitted diseases that 10,000 students at schools across Southern California see each year. It’s a curriculum that health practitioners say communicates the dangers of STDs in a hip, casual way that gets to the point with teens – and Kaiser offers it to school districts for free. Although about 50 invited VIPs attended the special showing of the educational play at Cal State Bakersfield’s Dore Theatre Wednesday, just a handful of those people were truly Kaiser's targeted audience: Kern High School District board trustees and administrators, the people who could actually bring the program to the KHSD's 37,000 students. (Pierce, 5/11)
In other public health news —
Capital Public Radio:
Law Enforcement Groups Test New Tool For Identifying Stoned Drivers
As California prepares for the roll out of recreational marijuana, some law enforcement groups and lawmakers say they have found an effective new tool for identifying stoned drivers. California Highway Patrol and Sacramento Police officers used a new mouth swab during a DUI demonstration at the Capitol today Wednesday. (Schilling, 5/10)
San Jose Mercury News:
Allergies Stuffing Up Bay Area, As Rainy Winter Fuels Revenge Of The Pollen
This year’s bountiful rain is responsible for beautiful blooms and teeming plants and pollen counts that are three to four times higher than normal, experts say — which explains the long lines at the pharmacy and long waits to see an allergist... Just how bad is it? The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology National Allergy Bureau pollen counting station in Pleasanton — one of three in the Bay Area — counted 1,000 pollen grains per cubic meter of oak pollen in April, according to Jacobs, around three to four times higher than normal this time of year. (Saplakoglu, 5/10)