Source: Grossmont Healthcare District

 April 16, 2016 (La Mesa) -- In honor of National Donate Life Month in April, the Grossmont Healthcare District’s Dr. William C. Herrick Community Health Care Library, 9001 Wakarusa St. in La Mesa, will host “Dispelling Myths About Organ and Tissue Donation,” a free presentation from 10 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 27. The program is part of the library’s Wellness Wednesday series, normally held on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

East County News Service

April 5, 2016 (Sacramento) -- At a time when many states are eroding reproductive rights for women, California just increased it.

By Meg Jensen

Photos:  New state laws ban abortions even for serious deformities that would result in a chlid doomed to pain, suffering, or death. Shown: Microcephalic fetus with brain deformity, conjoined twins,  infant with two faces.

April 4, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – Media headlines have been filled the past few days with news about Donald Trump’s changing stance on abortion. The Washington Post reports Trump took five different stances in three days, after stating on MSNBC that he believed there should be “punishment” for women who have abortions (but not for the men who impregnate them).  

Though Trump later shifted his stance following stinging criticisms, the truth is that in many Republican-controlled states, women who seek abortions or obtain them are already been punished with laws that restrict access even in extreme cases such as to end a miscarriage in progress or help a mother prevent carrying to term a fetus so severely damaged that it could not survive, or would face a brief life filled with suffering.

April 1, 2016 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• U.S. urges waiting period before conception after Zika infection (Reuters)
• Mosquitoes could spread Zika in dozens of U.S. cities (CBS)
• Why cancer in the liver is no longer a death sentence (Daily Mail)
• How Potent Is That Pot Brownie? Dry Ice And A Blender Might Crack The Case (NPR)
• U.S. warns of Zika risk in Cuba  (CBS)
• That Cabernet Might Not Be Good For Your Health After All (NPR)
• Report Reveals Infection Rates For Individual San Diego Hospitals (KPBS)
• Hospital mergers within state borders drive up costs (Marketplace)
• Study says patients can manage complex care at home — and cut costs (Marketplace)
• Liberia closes part of border with Guinea after Ebola cases (San Diego Union-Tribune)
•  Children of Anti-Vaxxers Are Biggest Victims of Measles Outbreaks (Slate)
• San Diego Neurologist Says Gut Health Is Crucial (KPBS)
• From daredevil to chicken: Scientists find off-switch for risky behavior  (Ars Technica)
• A 'Forgotten Disease' Is Suddenly Causing New Worries (NPR)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Post mortem on 13 beached sperm whales found their stomachs full of plastic (IFL Science)
• Bogota's Bus Rapid Transit System Eyed By U.S. Urban Planners (KPBS)
• Automatic Braking Systems To Become Standard On Most U.S. Vehicles (NPR)
• Number of U.S. cyber incidents jumps in 2015 (Reuters)
• Nike's self-lacing shoes: Another product born of innovation (CS Monitor)
• FBI Warns About Car Hacking. Encryption Security Helps Prevent That. (Reason)
• Why the government can’t actually stop terrorists from using encryption (Washington Post)
• How cleaner air could actually make global warming worse (Washington Post)
• FCC Chair: Proposal Would Let Consumers Determine Value Of Internet Privacy  (NPR)
• Yellowstone supervolcano eruptions were even bigger than we thought (CS Monitor)
• Japanese Fleet Kills 333 Whales In The Antarctic (NPR)
• Are smart cars only as good as the roads they're driving on? (Marketplace)
• FBI agrees to unlock another iPhone (BBC)

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

East County News Service

March 30, 2016 (La Mesa) - The citizens group overseeing the spending of millions of dollars in taxpayer-approved bonds for new and improved patient care facilities at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa has issued its 2015 Annual Report to the Community.

East County News Service

March 26, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) – By a unanimous vote, San Diego Supervisors voted last week to adopt an immediate 45-day moratorium on medical marijuana collectives with a possibility of making the ban permanent.

Open House on March 25^th Will Show Off New Family Practice, Build Out of 2^nd Floor

East County News Service

March 25, 2016 (El Cajon) - Borrego Health announced the completion of the build-out of its flagship East County location in El Cajon, commonly known as Centro Medico El Cajon.   The completed project will increase capacity by up to 40%.  The El Cajon location currently sees 250 to 275 patients per day. 

March 23, 2016 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Cuba’s had a lung cancer vaccine for years, and now it’s coming to the U.S. (Huffington Post)
• The Poignant Cry Of Babies With Birth Defects Linked to Zika (NPR)
• Big pharmacies are dismantling the industry that keeps US drug costs even sort-of under control (Quartz)
• The Gendered Brain (Slate)
•  Here's What Food Grown Near Chernobyl Is Like, 30 Years After The Nuclear Disaster (IFL Science)
• How Gut Bacteria Are Shaking Up Cancer Research (Bloomberg)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Huge Underwater Methane Craters Discovered In The Arctic (IFL Science)
• CO2 levels spiked as world leaders negotiated historic climate deal (CS Monitor)
• WATCH: Shadow Of The Moon Crosses Earth During Solar Eclipse (NPR)
• Scientists discover plastic-loving bacteria in recycling plant (CS Monitor)
• Tree planting 'can reduce flooding'(BBC)
• These tiny birds can fly over 1,000 miles – nonstop (CS Monitor)
• Obama Administration Set to Expand Sharing of Data That N.S.A. Intercepts (New York Times)
• Skype co-founder launches ultra-private messaging, with video (Reuters)
• Nevada Solar Power Business Struggles To Keep The Lights On (NPR)

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

Beginning a relationship with a dentist early in your child’s life can help safeguard the child’s oral health.

East County News Service

March 21, 2016 (San Diego/La Mesa) – Did you know that it is recommended that children visit a dentist for the first time by their first birthday? Many parents don’t bring their children to the dentist until the age of two or later, but the American Dental Association recommends all children begin a relationship with a dentist when the first tooth erupts, or by the age of one.

“Parents often tell us they never thought to bring their infant or toddler to our office because he or she didn’t have very many teeth, so they didn’t think about it,” says Dr. Santiago Surillo, a San Diego children’s dentist. “They are often surprised to learn that dental decay can set in before a tooth even erupts. Beginning a relationship with a dentist at a young age can set your child up for a lifetime of good oral health.”

East County News Service

March 18, 2016 (Lakeside) - With Lakeside Health Awareness Month at its half way point, some great promotions have been going on to promote health, fitness and wellness to the citizens of Lakeside.

East County News Service

Photo: Creative commons image at http://bacterialandviraldiseases.wikispaces.com/Mumps

March 14, 2016 (San Diego) -- Three more undergraduate students at the University of San Diego have been diagnosed with mumps, bringing the total number of cases at the school since February to five, according to the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency.

Grossmont Healthcare District

Photo (from left to right): Barry Jantz, CEO, Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD); Scott Evans, senior VP and CEO, Sharp Grossmont Hospital (SGH); Michael Emerson and Bob Ayres, GHD board members; Chris Crawford, SGH laboratory director; Kenneth Schell, SGH pharmacy director.

March 13, 2016 (La Mesa) -- An important milestone was recently celebrated in the progress of the taxpayer-funded construction of a new Heart and Vascular (H&V) Center at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa.

East County News Service

March 13, 2016 (San Diego) – Supervisors will hear a report with options for enacting a moratorium banning future medical marijuana collective facilities on Wednesday, March 16^th.

In February, nine speakers addressed Supervisors during public comment with concerns over marijuana dispensaries.  The Supervisors asked the Chief Administration Officer to craft options now available for regulating medical marijuana collectives in light of “a recent California Supreme Court decision that allows local municipalities to ban marijuana facilities, newly adopted State laws pertaining to medical marijuana, and ballot initiatives slated for the November ballot,” according to the agenda.

By Steve Lauria

March 7, 2016 (Lakeside) -- This Saturday, March 12^th, will be the 11^th annual It’s How We Live health and community fair at Lindo Lake Park in Lakeside. The event will start at 9 a.m., right after the Lakeside Unified School District’s Run For the Arts, a fundraiser for the District’s arts program.

By Janis Russell

Photos by Carol Sonstein and Janis Russell

March 9, 2016 (San Diego) - Many turned out to support Council of Community Clinics as they rebranded into Health Center Partners (HCP) and the subsidiary Health Quality Partners on March 2. HCP is an association of 17 community health care locations in San Diego, Imperial and Riverside Counties, including an Alpine location in East County.