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 »
The Clinton Health Matters Initiative (CHMI) is making significant progress, thanks to the united efforts of numerous Valley organizations and non-profit groups. One of the primary groups within the initiative is the Healthy Eating and Food Quality Workgroup whose goal is to enhance nutritional education and access to healthy food for all members of our… Read more »
Good health is a conscious choice often brought on by a strong passion for change. Choosing to go into health care often starts with the same passion, but is directed at helping others. And with the many changes and challenges facing today’s health care system, launching into medicine with that sincere passion and purpose is… Read more »
We often meet people who consider themselves ‘conscious eaters,’ but rarely do we meet someone whose passion is converting others. In her own personal effort to address America’s obesity issues, Registered Dietitian Sarah Gaete is teaching the value of nutrition to as many people as she can. She is passionate about getting others to make… Read more »
Desert Health® was recently honored with the Clinton Foundation’s Clinton Health Matters Initiative (CHMI) Official Pledge Maker Seal for their efforts to increase the number of doctors and practitioners volunteering at Coachella Valley’s Volunteers in Medicine (CVVIM). The Desert Health® pledge supports the CHMI goal of increasing access to health care for members of our… Read more »
Let’s face it. We drink a lot. It’s part of the pleasure – and often the perils – of living in a resort community. The numbers speak for themselves. According to HARC’s 2010 survey, the Coachella Valley has a higher prevalence of people who binge drink than the national benchmark. Surveys show that 21.3 percent… Read more »
