Posts Tagged ‘public health’
California voters rejected increased regulations for dialysis clinics: What comes next?
Nearly 64% of Californians voted “No” on Proposition 23, a measure that would have expanded regulation for dialysis clinics in the state. Though official ballot results are not certified by the Secretary of State’s office until December 11, 2020, tallied ballots show over 10 million people voted to reject the measure. Proposition 23 would have…
Read MoreCancer, not heart disease, is now leading cause of death in Oakland
Despite cancer deaths declining over recent years, cancer has surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death in Oakland and Alameda County.
Read MoreStudy allows families to try food as medicine
A new study from UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland and All In Alameda researched the effects of providing “food prescriptions” to prediabetic children and their families.
Read MoreEnvironmental barrier gives students at one Oakland school a chance at fresh air
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and several Bay Area-based organizations have planted a vegetation barrier to try to reduce air pollution at an East Oakland elementary school.
Read MoreOakland city councilmembers propose soda tax for November ballot
The proposed tax would charge an extra 1 cent per fluid ounce of sugary beverages, just like the one approved in Berkeley in 2014. The revenues from the tax would go to the city’s General Purpose Fund and are estimated to range from $6-12 million annually.
Read MoreLack of parents’ time, insurance, and trust leaves some Bay Area children unvaccinated
Local health officials are urging parents to immunize their children against pertussis—the scientific name for whooping cough—and other vaccine-preventable diseases. But that is a tall order in a region where some families still have limited access to healthcare, and more parents are filing Personal Belief Exemptions.
Read MoreLegal at last, but strapped for cash, needle exchanges seek federal funding
In places like Oakland, where local authorities treat syringe exchange as an accepted public health practice, groups like HEPPAC no longer face the risk of arrest. Today their challenge is going mainstream, and needle exchange programs are now reaching for the biggest government seal of approval of all—federal funding.
Read MoreLinking public health to city planning
Many of Oakland’s community health problems can be traced to a history of bad city planning and land use, an expert from the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) said last Wednesday during a panel discussion at the American Institute of Architects East Bay offices in downtown Oakland. Sandra Witt, the County’s deputy director of…
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