October 27, 2009 (La Mesa)--Grossmont Hospital Chief of Staff Michael Musicant M.D. recognized that the pace and structure of the medical practice today is stressful and tends to isolation of practitioners, compared to 30 years ago. So he set up a "Happiness committee" dedicated to getting staff together around social projects. Six have been organized so far. One donated back packs to needy school kids. Another exhibited art created by thephysicians, attracting attendance by 170 doctors and their families.
On Tuesday, September 17, about 150 Doctors, staff, and family gathered on the lawn behind the mental rehab facility as the sun set, enjoying two hours of music of all sorts performed by Grossmont Hospital physicians.
October 27, 2009 (La Mesa)--A volunteer citizens group that is overseeing how the taxpayer-supported Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) is spending millions of dollars in voter-approved bonds for construction projects at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa has issued a special mid-year report on construction progress, including the recent completion of the hospital’s Emergency and Critical Care Center (ECCC) expansion.
October 22, 2009 (San Diego) – “I’m worried,” Supervisor Dianne Jacob told East County Magazine when asked about H1N1 (swine flu) vaccinations. “These should have been here yesterday.”
Jacob expressed concern over the fact that San Diego has only received 28,000 doses of the vaccine, yet the County has 12 million people. She added that she is now receiving hourly updates on the situation.
October 18, 2009 – The House and Senate are grappling with several versions of major healthcare reform measures that could dramatically transform our nation’s healthcare system. Four of the five measures would include a public option, which give Americans a choice between private health insurance or opting for coverage under a government-run system similar to Medicare.
Where do your Congressional and Senate representatives stand? All have now taken a firm position either for or against the public option. Here are statements directly from San Diego County’s five Congressional representatives and California’s two U.S. Senators. If you wish to contact your Congressman or Senator to voice your views, you can find their contact information in our Citizens Action Center.
October 14, 2009 (Warner Springs) – A boil water order has been issued by the County of San Diego, Department of Environmental Health for customers of the Los Tules Mutual Water Company drinking water system inWarner Springs, CA, effective immediately. The water system has tested positive for contamination by Total Coliform bacteria.
MEAT SOLD TO LOCAL RESTAURANTS & CATERERS, USDA WARNS—BUT COMPANY REFUSES TO RELEASE NAMES
October 14, 2009 (San Diego) – San Diego Meat Company is recalling approximately 925 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E-coli, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced yesterday.
According to the USDA, the meat was distributed to local restaurants and caterers. However San Diego Meat Company refused a request today from East County Magazine to provide names of local food establishments that may have received contaminated beef.
October 14, 2009 (Otay) – Assemblymember Mary Salas, Chair of the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee, will host a Veterans Health and Resource Fair at Southwestern College 900 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista, CA 91910. Over thirty representatives from health organizations and Veterans service organizations will be in attendance offering information, body mass index, blood pressure checks, and glucose screenings.
October 11, 2009 (Washington D.C.)– On Thursday, the House of Representatives approved an amendment to H.R. 1016, a bill to secure timely funding for veterans’ health care delivered through the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
“Today, the House of Representatives took action to respond to years of chronic underfunding of VA medical care,” said Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego), Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs and author of the bill. “Over the last 23 years, 20 VA budgets have been passed late – and our veterans pay the price with fewer doctors, longer waiting times, and more restricted access for the 6 million veterans using VA health care."
New measure follows city’s recent award for excellence in community health and wellness programs
October 9, 2009 (La Mesa) – A whopping 60% of La Mesa 5th, 7th and 9th grade students sampled and over half of all adults in California are overweight or obese, putting them at risk for stroke, high blood pressure, or other serious medical problems. To combat obesity, the League of California Cities has adopted a resolution encouraging cities to embrace policies that foster healthier lifestyles and communities, including a healthy diet and exercise.
On Tuesday, La Mesa’s City Council will consider whether to adopt the measure which calls for a redevelopment plan that would include community gardens, design plans to make La Mesa more accessible via bicycles and walking, improve access to fresh foods, and more. The proposed resolution also calls for promotion of employee wellness and urges the City to set an example for other area businesses by establishing an employee wellness program. Read the full text of the resolution here.
October 6, 2009 (San Diego) -- The first allotment of H1N1 flu vaccine has arrived in San Diego County and will be administered starting today. (View video) According to state guidelines, the initial doses of H1N1 nasal spray vaccine are designated for children 2-18 years of age who are healthy and healthy household contacts of infants younger than 6 months.
26,000 doses of nasal spray vaccine will be available at various primary care physicians’ offices throughout the county. An additional 2,000 doses are being offered at County public health centers. (See locations at the end of this article).
September 27, 2009 (San Diego) – Want to learn more about healthcare reform options? San Diego’s League of Women Voters presents a luncheon featuring keynote speaker Gerald Kominski, Ph.D., professor at UCLA School of Public Health and Associate Director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Dr. Jeoffrey Gordon from California Physicians Alliance will also speak, summarizing the political climate for healthcare reform in Congress.
Ex-Senator Kuehl Leads New Effort to Win Healthcare for All Californians
By Miriam Raftery
September 27, 2009 (San Diego) –Speaking to the San Diego League of Women Voters last week, former state Senator Sheila Kuehl shared some startling facts:
California law used to require insurance companies to be nonprofits. Since that law changed, premiums have skyrocketed much faster than costs of medical care.
Iinsurers are routinely refusing to pay doctors for services—forcing doctors to spend $78 million a year suing insurance companies, according to the American Medical Association.
Insurers are canceling policies when people get sick, claiming applications were filled out wrong. Many are refusing to sell policies (or canceling existing ones) due to pre-existing conditions—even toe fungus or use of asthma inhalers years ago.
Kuehl authored two bills passed by the California Legislature which would have provided healthcare for all Californians—including dental, eyecare and medical coverage. But both were “terminated” with vetoes by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now a statewide coalition has launched a campaign to win public support for a new single-payer healthcare bill in California. View the video.
September 22, 2009 (La Jolla) Health reform advocates today held a “Big Insurance: Sick of It” rally as part of a nationwide day of action. Locally, a rally was staged in front of the San Diego office of Anthem Blue Cross, the California subsidiary of insurance giant Wellpoint. Protestors demanded that Anthem Blue Cross sign a pledge to support real reform and end what the activists called “bad health insurance industries practices.”
More than 75 exuberant protestors called for an immediate end to such practices as denying coverage based on pre-existing medical conditions, arbitrary caps on payments, and terminating policies (in many cases, after people are sick with a costly-to-treat illness). Advocates for reform also charged that Anthem offers incentives to its employees to deny patient care or reject claims.
September 24, 2009 (El Cajon) – A women’s health fair will be held on Saturday, October 3 at Andres Restaurant, 1235 Morena Blvd. in San Diego (www.andresrestaurantsdc.com). Proceeds will benefit the Chase Avenue Family Health Clinic in El Cajon.
The health fair is sponsored by San Diego Wedgies Chapter of the Blue Thong Society (www.bluethongsociety.com). Pledging to “blend the generations and fight frump,” Blue Thong Society describes its members as “fun, fabulous, smart, and sassy women of all ages who have blazed new trails and broken the molds since birth. We’ve worked, rebelled, rock ’n rolled, raised families and never failed to stand up for what we believe in. Now we’re ready for our ‘next rally’: a time for us, our girlfriends, and to give back to our communities while having fun!”
September 18, 2009 (La Mesa)-- Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) and Sharp Grossmont Hospital, East County’s largest hospital, have jointly announced that construction is now completed on the top three floors of the Emergency and Critical Care Center – the first infrastructure improvement project that was financed by voter-approved bonds at the publicly owned hospital.
Sharp Grossmont Hospital’s Senior Resource Center offers free or low-cost educational programs and health screenings each month. The Senior Resource Center also provides information and assistance for health information and community resources. For more information, call 619-740-4214. For other programs, call 1-800-827-4277 or visit our web site at www.sharp.com.
Sept. 3 – Did you know that 60 percent of the general population is eligible to give blood, but only five percent of people actually donate on a yearly basis?
The free market just doesn’t work in medicine. You can’t be an informed consumer. I never saw someone with severe chest pain jump off the table and say, Doctor, I’m going to the cheaper guy down the street.” -- Howard Dean. M.D. , on a recent book tour in San Diego
August 6, 2009 (San Diego) – Violence, arrests and racial slurs have disrupted town hall meetings on healthcare reform in Florida, Pennsylvania and other states, where mobs opposed to healthcare reform attempted to shout down and drown out supporters.
July 30, 2009 (San Diego) – Four women, all with underlying health conditions, have died from the panedemic H1N1 influenza virus (formerly called swine flu), the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency reported yesterday. To date, San Diego County has had 735 confirmed cases, including 12 deaths.
July 25, 2009 (El Cajon)--The City of El Cajon is now accepting applications for the position of Paramedic/Firefighter. Deadline for the applications is August 7, 2009. Applications are being accepted for entry-level and lateral Paramedic/Firefighter.
July 23, 2009 (Washington DC) – On July 17, the House Education and Labor Committee voted unanimously to accept an amendment offered by Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) aimed at protectingt small businesses from employer mandates included in comprehensive health care reform legislation currently under consideration in the House.
A review by Bill Pogue
October 27, 2009 (La Mesa)--A volunteer citizens group that is overseeing how the taxpayer-supported Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) is spending millions of dollars in voter-approved bonds for construction projects at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa has issued a special mid-year report on construction progress, including the recent completion of the hospital’s Emergency and Critical Care Center (ECCC) expansion. 
Pregnant women, children, healthcare workers and infants’ caregivers urged to get vaccinated
October 22, 2009 (San Diego) – “I’m worried,” Supervisor Dianne Jacob told East County Magazine when asked about H1N1 (swine flu) vaccinations. “These should have been here yesterday.”
By Miriam Raftery
October 14, 2009 (Warner Springs) – A boil water order has been issued by the County of San Diego, Department of Environmental Health for customers of the Los Tules Mutual Water Company drinking water system inWarner Springs, CA, effective immediately. The water system has tested positive for contamination by Total Coliform bacteria. 
October 14, 2009 (San Diego) – San Diego Meat Company is recalling approximately 925 pounds of ground beef products that may be contaminated with E-coli, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced yesterday.
October 14, 2009 (Otay) – Assemblymember Mary Salas, Chair of the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee, will host a Veterans Health and Resource Fair at Southwestern College 900 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista, CA 91910. Over thirty representatives from health organizations and Veterans service organizations will be in attendance offering information, body mass index, blood pressure checks, and glucose screenings.
October 11, 2009 (Washington D.C.)– On Thursday, the House of Representatives approved an amendment to H.R. 1016, a bill to secure timely funding for veterans’ health care delivered through the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
October 9, 2009 (La Mesa) – A whopping 60% of La Mesa 5th, 7th and 9th grade students sampled and over half of all adults in California are overweight or obese, putting them at risk for stroke, high blood pressure, or other serious medical problems. To combat obesity, the League of California Cities has adopted a resolution encouraging cities to embrace policies that foster healthier lifestyles and communities, including a healthy diet and exercise.
October 6, 2009 (San Diego) -- The first allotment of H1N1 flu vaccine has arrived in San Diego County and will be administered starting today. (
September 27, 2009 (San Diego) – Want to learn more about healthcare reform options? San Diego’s League of Women Voters presents a luncheon featuring keynote speaker Gerald Kominski, Ph.D., professor at UCLA School of Public Health and Associate Director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Dr. Jeoffrey Gordon from California Physicians Alliance will also speak, summarizing the political climate for healthcare reform in Congress.
September 27, 2009 (San Diego) –Speaking to the San Diego League of Women Voters last week, former state Senator Sheila Kuehl shared some startling facts:
Story and photos by Leon Thompson
September 24, 2009 (El Cajon) – A women’s health fair will be held on Saturday, October 3 at Andres Restaurant, 1235 Morena Blvd. in San Diego (
September 18, 2009 (La Mesa)-- Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) and Sharp Grossmont Hospital, East County’s largest hospital, have jointly announced that construction is now completed on the top three floors of the Emergency and Critical Care Center – the first infrastructure improvement project that was financed by voter-approved bonds at the publicly owned hospital.
By Miriam Raftery
Sharp Grossmont Hospital’s Senior Resource Center offers free or low-cost educational programs and health screenings each month. The Senior Resource Center also provides information and assistance for health information and community resources. For more information, call 619-740-4214. For other programs, call 1-800-827-4277 or visit our web site at 
By Howard Dean, M.D.
July 30, 2009 (San Diego) – Four women, all with underlying health conditions, have died from the panedemic H1N1 influenza virus (formerly called swine flu), the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency reported yesterday. To date, San Diego County has had 735 confirmed cases, including 12 deaths.
July 25, 2009 (El Cajon)--The City of El Cajon is now accepting applications for the position of Paramedic/Firefighter. Deadline for the applications is August 7, 2009. Applications are being accepted for entry-level and lateral Paramedic/Firefighter. 
July 23, 2009 (Washington DC) – On July 17, the House Education and Labor Committee voted unanimously to accept an amendment offered by Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) aimed at protectingt small businesses from employer mandates included in comprehensive health care reform legislation currently under consideration in the House.
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