By Miriam Raftery

Photo via Centers for Disease Control

September 3, 2024 (La Mesa)  - If you or your children visited Rady Grossmont Pediatric Unit in La Mesa on August 20,  or Rady Children’s Hospital Emergency Room in San Diego on August 25, you may have been exposed to measles. 

A 13-month-old unvaccinated infant who contracted measles while traveling overseas was seen at these locations. The child is the fourth case of measles locally this year.  Measles is a serious illness that spreads easily, so anyone with symptoms is urged to contact their healthcare provider.  

Source: Sharp Healthcre

August 18,2024 (La Mesa) -- Hospice care is a vital service that offers support, comfort and compassion for people with life-limiting medical conditions. But despite its importance, many myths and misconceptions surround hospice, often deterring people from seeking the help they need.

“More than 1.5 million people receive hospice care each year in the United States, but it’s still a service many people don’t know they’re eligible for or don’t think can help them,” says Suzi K. Johnson, vice president of Sharp Hospice and Palliative Care.

From when and where to seek care to how much it costs patients, Johnson addresses the five most common misconceptions about hospice.

Source: San Diego County News Service

August 4, 2024 (Spring Valley) --The County’s Tuberculosis Control Program is working in close collaboration with Grossmont Union High School District to notify students, staff and volunteers potentially exposed to tuberculosis (TB) for four months during the second semester of the 2023-24 school year at Mount Miguel High School in Spring Valley.

The dates of potential exposure are from Feb. 1 to June 4, 2024.   

TB is an airborne disease that is transmitted from person-to-person through inhalation of the bacteria from the air. The bacteria are spread when someone sick with TB coughs, speaks, sings or breathes. People with frequent and prolonged indoor exposure to a person who is sick with TB should get tested.  

Effective treatments are available to cure people who are sick from active TB. It is especially important for people with symptoms of active TB and those who are immunocompromised to see a medical provider to rule out active TB disease and to discuss treatment. 

July 18, 2024 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

Children receive first doses of new malaria vaccine, hailed as major milestone (CNN)

Tampons contain lead, arsenic and potentially toxic chemicals, studies say. Here’s what to know (CNN)

Mystery of Gulf War Syndrome Finally Solved by Immunologists (Newsweek)

SCIENCE AND TECH

Cave discovered on Moon could be home for humans  (BBC) 

'Unprecedented' Sea Level Rise Is Making Earth's Days Longer (Newsweek)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

Update:  Nadia Farjood has denied filing an FPPC complaint against Miller.  It is unclear who filed the complaint, but the FPPC found no wrongdoing by Miller.

June 29, 2024 (La Mesa) – Brenda Miller is a candidate for the Grossmont Healthcare District board of directors in district 3. She’s a nurse with masters and PhD degrees in nursing plus over 40 years of healthcare experience, ranging from hospitals to hospice care. Currently she’s a hospital administrative supervisor at Palomar Healthcare and a nursing program instructor at Cal State San Marcos. Now, she wants to bring her expertise as a nurse and teacher to improve healthcare for patients and conditions for healthcare workers in the Grossmont Healthcare District, which oversees Grossmont Hospital.

She says, “Nurse leaders to sit at the table where healthcare decisions are made.” 

ECM interviewed nurse Miller on our radio show aired on KNSJ.  Scroll down for highlights, or click the audio link to hear the complete interview.