The three local hospitals managed by Tenet Healthcare – Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio, and Hi-Desert Medical Center/Hi-Desert Continuing Care Center in Joshua Tree – along with their region-wide outpatient health care centers have come together under one umbrella as Desert Care Network. The goals of the union… Read more »
Medical News
The Coachella Valley now has a website for health and wellness resources offering everything from hiking trails to adaptive sports; education to legal services; and weight management to food assistance. Created by the Desert Healthcare District & Foundation (DHCD) in partnership with the City of Palm Springs, CV HIP (Coachella Valley Health Information Place) brings… Read more »
Many people tend to smoke marijuana because they think that it’s safer than smoking cigarettes. It’s an herb and it’s natural, but how safe is it? On April 20 of this year (the unofficial day celebrating all things cannabis), local doctor Eric Presser, MD, was invited to KATU-TV in Portland, Oregon, to discuss marijuana and… Read more »
Is there a mental health crisis developing in America, or just a popular topic in the media? National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) 2017 statistics document a nearly 13% rate of depression affliction in teenagers, and nearly 7% in adults; hardly an epidemic, but concerning, nonetheless. Every day, we all are faced with issues that… Read more »
Every year more than 750,000 people suffer a stroke, the most common disability for Americans. A stroke occurs when the blood flow to the brain is interrupted. There are two basic types: an ischemic stroke, most often due to a blood clot blocking a blood vessel, and a hemorrhagic stroke, occurring when a blood vessel… Read more »
You may find it surprising to learn that the number of children 17 and under in the Coachella Valley exceeds the number of adults 65 and over.1 While schools and services are being built to support this growing demographic, our greatest need may be in medical care–especially in the east valley where the ratio of… Read more »
Traditionally, when someone lost all of their teeth, removable dentures were the only option to restore a smile. With dentures come some compromises; they can be ill-fitting and uncomfortable, making chewing difficult. Today, technology has advanced and better options are available ranging from better fitting and more esthetic dentures to implant-supported porcelain bridges that look… Read more »
While there are over 5.7 million people living with Alzheimer’s today, there are 16 million more caring for loved ones affected. Added to that number are the many paid health professionals who provide care and support for the 24/7 management often required. In the Coachella Valley, it is estimated that over 50,000 are affected by… Read more »
Have you ever been told by your eye doctor that you have keratoconous [ker-uh-toh-koh-nuhs], a type of astigmatism that cannot be fully corrected with glasses or soft contact lenses? To understand keratoconus, you must first understand that the eye has many components that all work together to help you see including the cornea, lens, and… Read more »
Choosing a career is one of the most difficult choices a student has to make. The Palm Desert Health Academy provides real world experience for students to help them make decisions for their future. As students, we have learned that it is important to have a firm idea of what it takes to enter the… Read more »
Like many personal improvement expressions “Live Your Passion,” the title of this issue’s front page feature, is alluring in its simplicity, powerful in its promise, but difficult to achieve. Difficult, but not impossible. Identifying where we are and the personal energy we have left to contribute to achieving new goals in our life is a… Read more »
Strokes present in two manners. The first is ischemic stroke caused by a blockage of a large or small blood vessel to the brain. The second form, hemorrhagic stroke, is caused by bleeding of a blood vessel into the brain or on the surface of the brain as in subarachnoid spaces. Hypertension is the most… Read more »
Sixteen years after the approval and use of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test for generalized population screening by the FDA, an opinion editorial in The New York Times by the discoverer of PSA (and co-author of this article), Richard J. Ablin, directed attention to the shortcomings of the PSA test contributing to overdiagnosis and overtreatment… Read more »
When sexual intimacy with your partner causes pain, it can have a deep psychological impact. You may feel alone and uncertain where to turn. Many will suffer in silence, as the topic can be difficult to discuss. The pain can lead to a disinterest in sex and eventually you may avoid physical intimacy altogether with… Read more »
Congratulations on making the most difficult decision of your life: the decision to get sober. The journey of addiction and dependency can be a long and arduous road fraught with challenges in every aspect of life. Long-gnarled tentacles take hold wreaking havoc and then, ah…the early days of recovery are the calm after the turbulent… Read more »
The Desert Healthcare District (DHCD) is a leading organization connecting local residents to health providers, facilities, programs, and services. Each year they grant an average of $4 million to nonprofit, community-based and provider-based organizations to assist residents – especially the underserved – in accessing vitally needed resources, such as primary and behavioral health care, housing,… Read more »
As an alumni of La Quinta High School’s Medical Health Academy (’03), Andrew Kehl set his sights on using his new medical knowledge to help others. Deliberately enlisting in the U.S. Air Force as a firefighter, he finished his emergency medical technician (EMT) credential and responded to over 400 medical emergencies where his skills were… Read more »
In summer 2018, the Alzheimer’s Association will launch the first-ever U.S.-based study to examine the effects of lifestyle interventions for seniors at high-risk for cognitive decline. The 2-year clinical trial will enroll 2,500 participants from health systems across the country, and intervention categories will include: healthy nutrition physical activity social interactions and intellectual challenges frequent… Read more »
Each Friday, patients at JFK Memorial Hospital receive a visit from Zane, a six-year-old standard poodle, trained as a therapy dog. Owner Sherri Halstead wanders from room to room, gently knocking on each door to ask the patients if they would like to spend a few minutes with Zane. For most, he offers the irresistible… Read more »
This is the final pillar of a six-part series on brain health from Deborah Schrameck, NC, PT, of the Eisenhower Wellness Institute. For previous articles click here. My final pillar on brain health is “stimulation,” more commonly known as “use it or lose it.” In the Jan/Feb 2011 issue of Desert Health, the article Alzheimer’s… Read more »