New Clinic Will Address African-Americans’ Health Needs
The Roots Community Health Center will focus on closing the health disparity gap that has plagued the county.
The Mercury News:
A New Health Care Clinic For African-Americans Opens In San Jose
When it opens its doors on Monday, the Roots Community Health Center on The Alameda will be the first primary care service provider in the South Bay aimed at improving the health and well-being of African-Americans. ... Santa Clara County is home to about 55,000 African-Americans, but the black community here — like those nationwide — continues to face serious health disparities compared with other racial and ethnic groups. (Seipel, 5/3)
In other health news from across the state —
The Mercury News:
Palo Alto Secondary Schools Get New Mental Health Provider
Counseling and Support Services for Youth, which serves eight of 12 elementary schools in the Palo Alto Unified School District, is being recommended to the school board by the School-Based Counseling Proposal Review Committee. The committee of more than 20 district staff members, mental health specialists and students reviewed three organizations that answered the district’s request for proposals. (Lee, 5/3)
Orange County Register:
Costa Mesa Adopts New Sober-Living Rules To Protect Evicted Residents
The City Council’s 3-2 vote Tuesday night to adopt the new rules puts additional requirements on sober-living operators to ensure evicted residents don’t end up homeless — making Costa Mesa unique among Orange County cities. Costa Mesa is home to 20 percent of the county’s state-licensed sober living homes but has only 3 percent of the county’s population, officials say. In addition, evicted sober-living residents are becoming the fastest contributor to the city’s homeless population, straining city resources, officials say. (Casiano Jr., 5/3)
Orange County Register:
Former Orange County Lab Owner Convicted Of Healthcare Fraud
A former Aliso Viejo man has been convicted of healthcare fraud for submitting bills to insurance companies that sought reimbursement for tests that were never performed. A jury on Tuesday found Michael Mirando, 40, who resides in Portland, Oregon, guilty of 15 felony counts of healthcare fraud, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. (Puente, 5/3)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno State Student Has Bacterial Meningitis
A Fresno State student has been diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and 72 students who might have been exposed are being given antibiotics, county health officials said Wednesday afternoon. The health center at California State University, Fresno notified the county Department of Public Health of the diagnosis on Monday, said Dr. Ken Bird, health officer for Fresno County. (Anderson, 5/3)
Ventura County Star:
Healthy Thousand Oaks Family Credits March Of Dimes
By late that night, the Thousand Oaks resident and her husband Anthony were in the maternity ward of Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center, where doctors furiously tried to stave off a premature birth. But contractions persisted, and the 27-year-old gave birth the next day to baby Abigail in an emergency Caesarean section...[Jen] Francis said the support of her family, who lives close by, helped everyone get through the ordeal. She is also grateful to the March of Dimes, which developed the medication for NEC. And because of their gratitude to the organization, the Francis family was the Ventura County March for Babies Ambassador Family at a recent fundraiser at California Lutheran University. (Flans, 5/3)
East Bay Times:
People Needed To Foster Dogs Training In Antioch, Oakley
Jalina is a diabetic alert dog, provided by Dogs4Diabetics, a Concord-based charity. [Miranda] Bennetts and Jalina have been together for four years now. Bennetts is a senior at Freedom High School, and when she goes off to college, Jalina will go with her...Now, Dogs4Diabetics is looking to expand its program. This summer, the charity will be moving to a new location in Concord that is three times the size of its current facility. It will be able to train more dogs to provide to clients. As a result, it is looking for volunteers to foster the dogs during their training and is specifically recruiting people in the Antioch-Oakley-Brentwood area. (Esper, 5/3)