Winter Flu Season Unusually Slow In Ventura County, But Doctors Warn Cases Could Ramp Up
Officials are crediting the type of dominant strain, a better vaccine match and new rules regulating health care workers for the low numbers. In other local news, Sharp Healthcare and UCSD team up on liver transplants; Coachella Valley students talk violence and mental health; and theaters are offering a sensory-friendly environment for those with autism.
The Ventura County Star:
Ventura County Flu Lull Could Still Be Followed By Storm
The hacking, phlegm and fever of flu may hit record levels this year in Ventura County. In a good way. "There's just hardly been anything," Dr. Robert Levin said of flu cases that are at their lowest number for late January in his 18 years as Ventura County public health officer. (Kisken, 2/1)
Modern Healthcare:
Sharp Partners With UC San Diego On Liver Transplants
Sharp Healthcare has formed a joint venture with nearby University of California at San Diego to create a single program for liver transplants. The collaboration will allow the larger health system to more seamlessly send its end-stage liver disease patients to UCSD for transplantation, and keep more liver transplant patients in its network. (Kutscher, 2/1)
The Desert Sun:
Valley Students Explore Mental Health And Violence Link
Students with the Coachella Valley High School Health Academy want to open up the conversation about the myths and the facts related to mental health and violence, and learn what we as a community can do about it. “In recent news, mass shootings have taken the lives of so many innocent people. Later, we find out that the people committing these shootings suffer (or suffered) from depression and other various types of mental health issues,” said Kimberly Bravo, a senior and captain for the Coachella Valley High School Health Occupations Students of America community awareness team. “The question we ask ourselves is, ‘Why didn’t anyone hear these individuals’ cries for help?’ Oftentimes, people who are ignored resort to violence or even take their own lives, because they are frustrated with themselves and do not see an end.” Bravo wants to change that. (Zabata, 2/1)
The Sun:
For Those On Autism Spectrum, Theaters Hosting Sensory-Friendly Screenings
On a Saturday morning at AMC Covina 17, Anika Perez got up and out of her seat midway through “Norm of the North” to hop, flap her hands and hum. And the 9-year-old girl was not a bother to anyone. Perez, who has autism, was one of a dozen people who turned out for the Sensory Friendly Films showing precisely because the conventional rules, such as silencing phones and refraining from talking, don’t apply. (Barrera, 2/1)