July 28, 2015 (La Mesa)--Hospital food that’s not only healthy, but also savory, full of fresh ingredients, and visually stunning?  That’s what two celebrated San Diego chefs plan to cook up when they redesign the kitchen menu at Sharp Grossmont Hospital. These culinary experts collective experience includes cooking up feasts for heads of state, rock stars and other celebrities, starring on cooking shows, serving as top chefs at resorts and top hotels, plus winning a Culinary Olympics competition.

As the new executive chefs at Sharp Grossmont, Larry Banares and William Sauer bring their extensive culinary talents to the Sodexo team at Sharp Grossmont, which operates food and nutrition services at the La Mesa hospital. 

July 22, 2015 (San Diego's East County)-- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Poor sleeping patterns link to cancer (BBC)
• Teenager 'in 12-year HIV remission' (BBC)
• Government Watchdog: Billions in Funding for Obamacare's Exchanges Not Tracked
• Well, Many Functions Remain Incomplete (Reason)

• Fast-tracking doctors to lessen student loans (APM Marketplace)
• UCLA Health Says 4.5M May Be Affected In Data Breach (NPR)
• Nice Kids Finish First: Study Finds Social Skills Can Predict Future Success (NPR)
  

By Miriam Raftery

July 21, 2015 (San Diego’s East County)—Over 300 million people worldwide are color-blind. But now, scientific advances have made it possible for the vast majority of those to see vibrant colors using special glasses—and a cure is also in the works for even the most severe forms or color blindness.

County of San Diego

July 19, 2015 (San Diego)--The County Department of Environmental Health has issued a General Advisory for the coastal waters of San Diego County due to recent rainfall. Swimmers, surfers, and other ocean users are warned that the levels of bacteria can rise significantly in ocean and bay waters, especially near storm drains, creeks, rivers, and lagoon outlets that discharge urban runoff.

July 16, 2015 (San Diego's East County)-- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Genetic Tweaks Are Restoring Hearing In Animals, Raising Hopes For People (NPR)
• States Make Laws To Protect Patients From Hidden Medical Bills (NPR)
• Biohackers Aim To Make Homebrew Insulin, But Don't Try It Yet (NPR)
• Trial over fate of frozen embryos underway in San Francisco (Reuters)
• Planned Parenthood says secret video distorts tissue donation program (CS Monitor)
• Even Mild Mental Health Problems In Children Can Cause Trouble Later (NPR)
• Why Sit-Down Meals May Be Just As Unhealthful As Fast Food (NPR)
• Smoking 'may play schizophrenia role' (BBC)
• Cancer immunotherapy approved in UK (BBC)
• 10 Drugs That May Cause Memory Loss (AARP)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• The future of travel? A tube called Hyperloop (Reuters)
• Why webcam indicator lights are lousy privacy safeguards (CS Monitor)
• Crazy paving: Rotterdam to consider trialling plastic roads (BBC)
• Is Google Photos storing your pictures without your knowledge? (CS Monitor)
• Malware And Hacking Forum Darkode Is Shut Down; Dozens Arrested (NPR)
• HostGator stops sending private encryption keys in plain text (CS Monitor)

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

East County News Service

July 13, 2015 (Ramona)—The County has approved building permits for two medical marijuana collectives in Ramona, the Ramona Sentinel reports. But before the facilities can open their doors to dispense or grow medical marijuana, they must first obtain approvals from the Sheriff’s Department.

CDC warns against snuggling chickens or ducks, bringing poultry inside home

Photo credit: USDA FlickR.com, Creative Commons image by Alice Popkorn

July 10, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – Across the nation, people have flocked to owning backyard chickens and other poultry.  But now the Centers for Disease Control  has issued a warning not to cozy up to your backyard birds.  That’s because four separate Salmonella outbreaks linked to backyard flocks have sickened 181 people in 40 states, including several cases  in California.

In  one outbreak, CDC conducted interviews and found that 86% of the ill people had conducted with chiceks, chickens, ducks or ducklings before falling ill. Moreover, the CDC reports, “Many ill people in these outbreaks reported bringing the live poultry into their homes, and others reported kissing or cuddling with the live poultry. These behaviors increase a person’s risk of a Salmonella infection.”

Who knew that chicken snuggling was so popular?

Safety tips for you and your pet

By Carl Person and Karen Singleton

Photo: California Fish & Game Dept.

July 9, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) --With the arrival of warm weather, we love to be outdoors and take our pets with us to explore and enjoy the beauties of nature. Trails and parks abound in southern California and offer a wide array of different habitats, from low deserts to high Alpine pine forests. Daily, people and their pet companions converge on these sites by the droves. The exhilaration of being in these pristine outdoor environments often makes us forget that, within these treasured getaways, there is a potential for disaster.

July 10, 2015 (San Diego’s EastCounty) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

·         CDC: Some anti-depressants linked to birth defects (USA Today)

·         Farewell, Low-Fat: Why Scientists Applaud Lifting A Ban On Fat (NPR)

·         It Turns Out We Really Didn't Know What People Are Dying From (NPR)

·         Curb Your Appetite: Save Bread For The End Of The Meal (NPR)

July 2, 2015 (Ramona) – The San Diego County Fire Authority and CAL FIRE are making a major upgrade to fire and emergency medical services at the County’s Intermountain fire station. Starting July 1, new, around-the-clock paramedic service will be offered for the first time ever. The station is located east of Ramona along CA-78, a main route to Julian.

June 30, 2015 (La Mesa)--Sharp Grossmont was honored with a 2015 Women’s Choice Award® as one of America’s best hospitals for cancer care. Sharp Grossmont is just one of 331 hospitals to have earned the award by meeting the highest cancer care accreditation standards of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer and other robust criteria that consider female patient satisfaction.

By Miriam Raftery

June 29, 2015 (Washington D.C.)—In a setback to advocates of public health, the U.S. Supreme Court has blocked an administrative order by the Obama administration’s Environmental Protection Agency that would have limited toxic mercury emissions from oil- and coal-fired power plants.

By Miriam Raftery

Update July 1, 2015: The Governor has signed this bill, stating "the science is clear" on the benefits of vaccinations.

June 28, 2015 (Sacramento) – A bill that would eliminate the personal belief exemption for childhood vaccines in California has passed the Assembly and now goes to the Senate for concurrence in amendments.  The Assembly voted 46-30 to pass the measure, Senate Bill 277, the Sacramento Bee reports.

If the amendments are approved by the Senate and the bill is signed by Governor Jerry Brown, then children who have not been vaccinated for diseases such as measles, mumps and whooping cough would not be allowed to attend public schools in California, unless a child has a medical condition such as an allergy or immune system disorder that could raise the risk of complications.

San Diego State Senators Marty Block and Lorena Gonzalez, both Democrats, are cosponsors of the bill.  Republican Senator Joel Anderson voted against it in an earlier Senate vote and Democrat Ben Hueso did not cast a vote. Among local Assemblymembers, Democrats Toni Atkins, Mary Salas and Shirley Weber voted in favor, while Republicans Brian Jones and Rocky Chavez voted no.

By Miriam Raftery

June 25, 2015 (Washington D.C.) –The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a landmark ruling to uphold nationwide federal subsidies in all 50 states to help people buy healthcare under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. 

Opponents had argued that the subsidies should be available only to people in states that set up healthcare exchanges .  Currently 8.7 million Americans receive the subsidies, but the vast majority of those – 6.4 million—are in states that did not set up exchanges. Those 6.4 million people would have lost their subsidies if plaintiffs had prevailed in the case, King v. Burrell.

Chief Justice John Roberts voted with liberal justices to support the law.  Writing the majority decision, Roberts concluded, “Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets, not destroy them.”

June 24, 2015 (Lakeside)--The County of San Diego, Department of Environmental Health (DEH) has issued a Boil Water Order and Public Notification for Louis Stelzer County Park located at 11470 Wildcat Canyon Road, Lakeside, effective immediately.  The water system serves a ranger station, volunteer pad, park drinking fountains and public restrooms.

The drinking water system has tested present for total coliform bacteria.