Why Is January The Deadliest Month For Californians?
More people die in Southern California during January than any other month, and doctors can't draw a straight line to any one cause.
Orange County Register:
The Deadliest Month Of The Year In Southern California? It’s January (And It’s Not Clear Why)
More people die in Southern California during January than any other month, according to CDC data that shows the number of deaths and their causes over the last five years. ...These numbers beg the question: Why are the winter months so dangerous? And why is January the deadliest?
No straight line can be drawn between cause and effect to explain this phenomenon. Yet doctors and medical professionals who see these numbers manifesting in the form of crowded emergency rooms and deceased patients admit: It gets pretty bad in January. (Bharath, 1/24)
In other public health news —
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sebastopol’s Ceres Community Project Sees Food As Medicine
Founded in 2006 by Cathryn Couch, Ceres is a pioneer in the “food as medicine” approach that now is capturing the attention of health professionals, researchers and insurers nationwide. The premise is that medical outcomes and treatment costs of chronically ill, low-income people improve when they receive daily nutritious meals. Over the past 12 years, more than 3,000 Ceres volunteers have helped about 4,000 families, most of whom otherwise wouldn’t have had healthy food, said Couch. ...In the world of public health, people are taking notice, too. Debbie Mason, CEO of the Healthcare Foundation of Northern Sonoma County, said she acutely understands the need sick people have for wholesome and healthy food, and that she appreciates Ceres because the model is one that can be replicated anywhere. (Villano, 1/24)