In the summer of 2015, the newly formed UCR School of Medicine welcomed its first eight family medicine residents. With goals of attracting more doctors to the valley and increasing access to health care, the program is now entering its third year with a total of 24 residents. Has the program helped our community? The… Read more »
Concerned about the recent closure of Roy’s Desert Resource Center, an emergency homeless shelter located in north Palm Springs, and the increasing number of homeless in the Coachella Valley, the Desert Healthcare District (DHCD) Board of Directors voted to establish a collective fund with up to $2 million as a challenge grant for a West… Read more »
At 93.8%, Nebraska boasts the highest graduation rate according to U.S. News & World Report while Florida laments the lowest, at 65.8% (Oct. 2016). California doesn’t make the top ten (at 82%), though so many people want to visit, yet can’t afford to live here. How could California improve its educational rankings, to increase the… Read more »
Two local teens from the First Tee® of the Coachella Valley were selected among hundreds of applicants to attend the organization’s national events. Dana Condon (17) of Palm Desert and Caroline Wales (14) of La Quinta will join more than 90 junior golfers (ages 14 – 17) from across the country at The First Tee®… Read more »
As I write this, the final bands at Coachella weekend 2 are playing in the background, and I am reminded that when this issue arrives, all the festivals will have moved out and another season will have come to an end. It’s time to “come home” to our inner sanctums, catch up on that much… Read more »
I am writing in my role as the new CEO of the Desert Healthcare District/Foundation. I am not brand new to the Desert (my husband I have had a weekend home here for two years), but I share an experience with the many residents with whom I have been fortunate to speak in the last… Read more »
In January, Health Assessment and Research for Communities (HARC) released its latest data on the health of the Coachella Valley. HARC has been tracking community health for the past ten years. This latest data marked their fourth survey and revealed an interesting picture of health in our region. Mental/Behavioral Health Local concern and attention on… Read more »
There is little doubt that abuse of opioids – often beginning with a necessary prescription – has reached crisis proportions in the U.S. and beyond. That includes right here in our backyards, in the Coachella Valley and the greater Inland Empire. Based on the most recent data available, as of 2014, there were 6.14 opioid… Read more »
A couple of years ago 28 students and staff at Coachella Valley High School were evaluated by emergency crews after reporting symptoms ranging from stomach aches and nausea to headaches and sore throats. The culprit was an organic herbicide used on nearby agricultural fields. We have been told over and over that organic is better… Read more »
How do we reverse the chronic disease epidemic plaguing our country? Indio High teacher, Jason Tate, says to start with the next generation. He knows the value first hand. Over the past ten years, he has been teaching the biology of nutrition and recently created a Health & Wellness Academy at Indio High where pre-med… Read more »
On July 1, 2016, a new law signed by Governor Jerry Brown went into effect that required all children enrolled in public or private schools to have met a set number of vaccinations to attend school. This effectively removed the right of parents to personally deem their children vaccine exempt because of personal or religious… Read more »
One of the great celebrations in our world is the anticipation of a new life being born. At the moment of birth, and the first moments thereafter, life can be filled with heightened emotions, confusing paperwork and plentiful reactions from those surrounding the new mother, father and baby. Many of us have come to see… Read more »
While breast, prostate and lung cancers are the most prevalent forms of cancer in the United States,1 skin cancer is the most common type in the Coachella Valley according to the recently released data from HARC.2 This may come as no surprise with our love of the outdoors and our radiant desert sun. Because of… Read more »
A recent study by the National Small Business Association determined that 93 percent of small business owners recognized that the health of their workers impacts their business’s bottom line.1 However, when it comes to implementing an employee wellness program, most of them don’t know where to start. Fortunately for employers in the Coachella Valley, a… Read more »
Five highly respected local cancer support nonprofits —American Cancer Society (ACS), Desert Cancer Foundation, Gilda’s Desert Cities, Pendleton Foundation, and Susan G. Komen Inland Empire —are dedicated to serving all those in the Coachella Valley whose lives have been impacted by cancer. They understand that patients as well as their families will need a great… Read more »
Summer is a time for vacation, families, barbeques and friends. But our toasty temps often keep friends and family – and even many of us – far away from June through August. This summer we were thrilled to have our 7-year-old granddaughter come stay with us for a week. It was the first time she… Read more »
Have any of you wondered about this column’s title, The Paradigm Shift in Medicine Today? What is the paradigm shift it references? Why does this matter? And, why would this be important to me? A paradigm shift is an expansion of perspective to include more information. The revelation that the world was round and not… Read more »
As a licensed marriage and family therapist, I have worked with many people on a one-on-one basis. I have also led many group therapy sessions and facilitated numerous support groups. Quite often I am asked: What is the difference between group therapy and support groups? Aren’t they pretty much the same? But if not, which… Read more »
The Flint water crisis has been one of the most publicized water contamination disasters in several decades. Concerns have surfaced, however, regarding water purity and safety in other parts of the country. In the Coachella Valley, there is apprehension over hazardous chemicals that include chromium-6. Chromium-6 is the carcinogenic agent that was cause for the… Read more »
The average adult human body is made up of 0-65% water, averaging around 57-60%. We need fluid for our systems to properly function; while we must all be alert to our hydration practices, older adults and those living with Alzheimer’s or other dementia need special attention. “Organs pull water from the brain, shrinking it and… Read more »
