Researchers have been saying it for years: engaging outdoor activity improves both mental and physical health. You probably recognize some widely recorded benefits of being in the great outdoors. Have you ever felt better – less stressed or overwhelmed – after taking a quiet walk? Have you ever stepped outside and appreciated the feeling of… Read more »
Community Health
First 5 Riverside (Riverside County Children & Families Commission) has launched a program to help child care providers throughout the county improve nutrition, physical activity and family habits through free training and materials. Working with those who care for children throughout the day, the program aims to help create healthy habits for babies, toddlers and… Read more »
One main health concern for parents of babies and toddlers is whether their kids are receiving an adequate and nutritionally balanced diet. Parents have many dietary questions, such as when to introduce solids, appropriate food choices for baby, and the correct protein and nutritional needs of a toddler. There is not one perfect way to… Read more »
There is a movement taking place in the Coachella Valley and someone you know is taking part. It’s innovative, exciting and game changing. It’s large scale, long-term and countrywide. Most importantly, it is certain to positively impact you, your neighbors, your kids, and our entire desert community. The goal of the movement is to improve… Read more »
You donate to your favorite charity in hopes that they will one day find a cure for that chronic disease which has plagued your family, or maybe even you, for years. You read about research teams hard at work discovering new ideas, developing promising drugs, and creating hope. On the way to finding a cure,… Read more »
Today, less than 10% of visually impaired people can read braille. One might therefore question the purpose of the Braille Institute which was established in 1919. However, when you consider that macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss among people ages 50+1 and our growing baby boomer population, you clearly see the need… Read more »
Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Phil Jackson said, “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” As individuals on a quest for wellness, assembling your health team is vital. In creating this team, you may want to consider combining practices of both Western and Eastern medicine.… Read more »
Kids and teens from the Boys & Girls Club of Indio are learning about gardening and nutrition through hands-on experience. Last summer, they worked with Marriott International and the University of California Cooperative Extension to build raised garden boxes which they filled with seedlings. This year, they expanded their gardens to add a larger… Read more »
There is a new group in the Coachella Valley created to address the issues of substance abuse in our community. As part of the Clinton Health Matters Initiative and led by the California State University San Bernardino Palm Desert Campus, the Substance Abuse Advisory Committee (SAAC) has identified four areas of focus: alcohol abuse, marijuana… Read more »
May is here and many of our local residents have left, or will be going back to their main homes all over the country and Canada. I actually get a little sad saying “good-bye until next season,” although I realize there are more year-rounder’s than ever here in the Coachella Valley. And many of us… Read more »
Last Spring, I had a neighborhood garden with some friends at a friend’s house. Although just 10 minutes away, once planted, I didn’t visit it very often. My husband and I wanted to plant more than herbs in our backyard garden, so last November we looked at the area around our pool. The soil was… Read more »
As spring flowers blossom and release pollen, our allergies awaken, resulting in a variety of symptoms. For us desert dwellers the winds can not only blow these allergens around, but also dry our sinuses, causing sneezing, congestion, watery eyes and a runny nose. Spring is traditionally the main season when allergies blossom because of new… Read more »
Desert Regional Medical Center’s Chief Nursing Officer, Mary Anne McCrea knows that nurses can be the best at taking care of others, but often the worst at taking time to care for themselves. Her staff of over 800 work twelve hour shifts and often don’t stop to nourish their own bodies. So when integrative practitioner… Read more »
Buying a pack of cigarettes while picking up your blood pressure meds or inhaler sounds crazy, right? Unfortunately many people just can’t quit – regardless of health issues directly related to their smoking habit. CVS is proactively taking steps to help smokers quit by no longer selling tobacco products. “As one of the largest retailers… Read more »
The Health Assessment Resource Center (HARC) recently released their 2013 report on the health of our community. Not only is the information fascinating and easy to digest, it is also the comprehensive data many organizations use to secure grant funding and status. The survey results, which are available to everyone, have brought $7.1 million to… Read more »
On April 3-6 the Riverside County Fairgrounds in Indio will be transformed into a temporary mash unit providing much needed medical care for members of our community. Over the four-day event, dubbed the Coachella Valley Expedition, more than 500 health care professionals, along with 700 supporting individuals, will volunteer their time to provide medical, dental,… Read more »
How many prescription drugs are you taking? One or two? You are not alone. Nearly 7 in 10 Americans are on at least one prescription drug, and more than half take two, according to a recent report by the Mayo Clinic and the Olmstead Medical Center.1 20 percent of us are on five or more.… Read more »
CV Link, the planned multi-use path connecting all nine Valley cities, is estimated to deliver an overall economic benefit of $1.47 billion including $152 million in health care costs through 2035. The 50-mile path will run from Palm Springs to Coachella and offer a safe alternative for outdoor exercise. Health advocates see the link as… Read more »
This past December, Women Leadership Forum’s Young Women Leaders (YWL) gathered for a volunteer day at F.I.N.D. Food Bank. The girls learned about food insecurity which affects 90,000 members of our community, as well as the value of nutritious food –for those they were serving, as well as their own circle of family and friends.… Read more »
It has been an exciting time to be part of the American Heart Association Coachella Valley team as we continue to ramp up our community health efforts. In October, we launched a free heart-healthy monitoring program for seniors in east Coachella Valley called CHECK, CHANGE, CONTROL. It is a four-month bi-lingual (English and Spanish) blood… Read more »
