Fires In California Triggering Mental Health Issues In Survivors Of Last Year’s Blazes
"The orange-tinged sky is just enough to set off my anxiety and feelings of fear," Santa Rosa resident Danielle Bryant says. Meanwhile, Dr. Elia Cole, a new resident physician in the area, talks about the resilience she's noticed from those who have experienced the fires.
KQED:
California Wildfires Bring Fresh Terror To Survivors Of Last Year's Flames
There are 18 wildfires now blazing across California, which means many of the state's residents are waking up to the smell of smoke and hazy skies. The Carr fire near Redding has scorched at least 145,015 acres and killed seven people, and three fires in Mendocino County are all less than an hour away from Santa Rosa — where some neighborhoods burned to the ground last year. (McClurg and Snow, 8/5)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Kaiser Permanente Launches New Residency Program
[Dr. Elia] Cole is one of six new resident physicians in the fledgling [family medicine residency] program, which received its accreditation in February 2017. The six physicians, three of whom are from California, started the three-year residency program in late June and began seeing patients in July. By 2020, the program will host 18 residents, who upon graduation will be given the option to go wherever they want work. Dr. Tricia Hiserote, a Kaiser family medicine physician and director of the residency program, said a national shortage in primary care physicians will undoubtedly make doctors like Cole a hot commodity. (Espinoza, 8/5)
In other public health news–
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Can Stand-Alone Psychiatric Hospitals Fix San Diego's Treatment Crisis?
[W]ith underfunding and staffing shortages seriously challenging the nation’s remaining psychiatric bed capacity, the idea of consolidating behavioral health units into a larger, more efficient mental hospital is starting to gain traction. Such is the case in San Diego County: Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside recently announced it intends to close its inpatient psychiatric units next month. That has added urgency to an ongoing debate over how best to replace and enhance the region’s supply of beds for those with mental health emergencies. (Sisson, 8/4)
Los Angeles Times:
Oceanside School District Suspends Sex Ed Program For Youngest Students After Parents Complain
Oceanside school officials have shelved a sex education program for the district’s youngest students after parents complained the material was too graphic, undermined their religious values and promoted “premature sexual interest, experimentation, and engagement.” The district suspended the program for elementary school students earlier this summer, and plans to replace it with a new curriculum designed by teachers and school officials, in collaboration with parents. (Sullivan Brennan, 8/5)