Children's Medical Services Available to Qualified Ventura County Residents

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The Ventura County Health Care Agency (VCHCA) has several Children's Medical Services to improve healthcare services for Ventura County infants, children and teens. The programs are described below.

Californa Children's Services (CCS) is for children under age 21 who have chronic medical conditions such as cystic fibrosis, hemophilia, cerebral palsy, heart disease, cancer; traumatic injuries; and infectious diseases that cause major medical problems. CCS is funded with state, county and federal support.

If a child’s condition is eligible, VCHCA can provide lab tests, x-rays, physician services, hospital care, physical and occupational therapy through the Medical Therapy Program (MTP) and obtain certain medical equipment.

To qualify for CCS (as of January 2013), the indvidual must come from a family income of less than $40,000 or whose out-of-pocket medical expenses for a child who qualifies are more than 20% of family income. Or the child has Healthy Families medical insurance coverage.

The Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) program assures access to preventive health care for eligible infants, children, and teens.  CHDP Public Health Nurses assure comprehensive health check ups by certifying physicians and clinics. These health check-ups include a complete health physical examination, growth and development check, all needed shots and lab tests, dental, vision, and hearing screening and appropriate health education information.

Children eligible for CHDP include those with Medi-Cal from birth through 20 y

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The CDC Warns That Turtles and Other Reptiles are Risky Pets Due to Salmonella

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Turtles and other reptiles are risky pets

Turtles are colorful and cute and are often kept as pets. However, many people don’t know that turtles and other reptiles like snakes and lizards can carry harmful germs that can make people very sick. For this reason, turtles and other reptiles might not be the best pets for your family, particularly if there are children 5 years old and younger or people with weakened immune systems in your home.

Turtles and other reptiles  often carry a germ called Salmonella, but appear perfectly healthy and clean. People think Salmonella infections are caused only by contaminated food, but these germs can also be caught by touching animals, including reptiles or amphibians, such as frogs. Salmonella infections can also result from having contact with an animal’s habitat, including the water from containers or tanks where they live.

Salmonella germs can make people sick with diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and sometimes abdominal cramps. This illness is called “salmonellosis.” Some people can become so sick that they need to go to the hospital. In severe illnesses, the Salmonella bacteria may spread to the bloodstream and can lead to death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics.

Young children are at increased risk for Salmonella illness because their immune systems are still developing. They also are more likely to put their fingers or other items that have come into contact with germs into their mouths. So, families with young children should avoid keeping turtles as pets, and turtles should not be allowed in schools or child care facilities with young children.

Since 1975, it has been illegal in the United States to sell or distribute small turtles with shells that measure less than 4 inches in length. This size was chosen because young children are more likely to treat smaller turtles as toys and put them in their mouths. This ban, enforced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, likely remains the most effective public health action to prevent Salmonella infections associated with turtles.

Since 2006, CDC has received reports of 11 multistate outbreaks, including 6 ongoing outbreaks, and more than 535 cases of laboratory-confirmed Salmonella infections linked to contact with small turtles and their habitats. These illnesses resulted in about 85 hospitalizations and one death. Because many people with salmonellosis do not seek medical care or are not tested, it is estimated that 16 times as many illnesses occurred than were reported.

Tips to reduce the risk of illness from turtles and other reptiles:

  1. Don’t buy small turtles from street vendors, websites, pet stores, or other sources.
  2. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water immediately after touching a reptile or anything in the area where they live and roam. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not readily available. Adults should always supervise hand washing for young children.
  3. Don’t let young children handle or touch reptiles or anything in the area where they live and roam, including water from containers or tanks.
  4. Keep reptiles out of homes with young children or people with weakened immune systems.
  5. Reptiles should not be kept in child care centers, nursery schools, or other facilities with young children.
  6. Don’t touch your mouth after handling reptiles and do not eat or drink around these animals.
  7. Don’t let reptiles roam freely throughout the house or in areas where food or drink is prepared, served, or stored, such as kitchens, pantries, or outdoor patios.

For more information on protecting yourself and your family from illness and to learn more about safely cleaning reptile habitats, please visit www.cdc.gov/Features/SalmonellaFrogTurtle.

Million Hearts Launches New Program to Improve Americans' Blood Pressure Control

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Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched the Million Hearts initiative to prevent a million heart attacks and strokes in five years.

Every 6 seconds, someone in the world dies from stroke. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asks Americans to take immediate action to reduce their risk for stroke.

As part of this initiative, the CDC recently launched  the "Team Up. Pressure Down" program to help improve Americans' blood pressure control. Highlights from this program are provided below. For additional details, visit millionhearts.hhs.gov/resources/teamuppressuredown.html.

High Blood Pressure Basics

What is Hypertension?

Did you know? One in three adults in the U.S. has high blood pressure and many of them do not know it. High blood pressure (also called hypertension) increases your risk for a heart attack or stroke.

What is blood pressure? Blood pressure is the force of blood against your artery walls as it circulates through your body. High blood pressure is unsafe because it makes your heart work harder to pump blood. This can cause damage to the arteries and puts you

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CDC Reports High-Risk Behaviors for Skin Cancer is Actually Increasing in Young Adults

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. In 2008, 59,695 people were diagnosed with melanomas of the skin, and 8,623 people died from it. CDC leads national efforts to reduce skin cancer through education. When in the sun, seek shade, cover up, get a hat, wear sunglasses, and use sunscreen.

The CDC recently issued a press release indicating how common high-risk behavior for skin cancer are among young adults. Half of adults under age 30 report being sunburn in the last year.

Young adults are increasing their risk for developing skin cancer, according to two studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute.

One study, of people aged 18-29, found that 50% reported at least one sunburn in the past year, despite an increase in protective behaviors such as sunscreen use, seeking shade, and wearing long clothing to the ankles. Another report found that indoor tanning is common among young adults, with the highest rates of indoor tanning among white women aged 18-21 years (32%) and 22-25 years (30%).

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, and melanoma is the most deadly type of skin cancer.  Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun and from indoor tanning equipment is the most important preventable risk factor for skin cancer. Indoor tanning before age 35 increases a person’s risk of getting melanoma by 75%. Sunburn indic

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Some Eggcellent Advice from the CDC Regarding the 2010 Salmonella Outbreak

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CDC is collaborating with public health officials in multiple states, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to investigate a nationwide increase of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) infections.

Between May 1 to August 25, 2010, approximately 1,470 reported illnesses were likely to be associated with this outbreak.  FDA testing, identified Salmonella in egg farm environmental samples.  Epidemiologic investigations conducted by public health officials in 10 states since April, have identified 26 restaurants or event clusters where more than one ill person with the outbreak strain.  Data from the investigations suggest that shell eggs are a likely source of infections in many of these restaurants or event clusters.  Preliminary information indicates that Wright County Egg, in Galt, Iowa was an egg supplier in 15 of these 26 restaurants or event clusters.  To date, no new restaurant or event clusters have been reported to CDC.  A formal traceback was conducted by state partners in California, Colorado, and Minnesota, in collaboration with FDA and CDC, to find a common source of shell eggs. Wright County Egg in Iowa was found as the common source of the shell eggs associated with three of the clusters.  Through additional traceback and FDA investigational findings, Hillandale Farms of Iowa, Inc. was identified as another potential source of contaminated shell eggs contributing to this outbreak.

Advice to Consumers

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are warning consumers not to eat recalled eggs. It is important that consumers avoid eating recalled eggs.  Some recalled eggs may possibly still be in grocery stores, restaurants and consumers’ homes.  If you

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Our California Legislators are Hard at Work, Counting Your Calories!

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From the good intentions, questionable impact department.  Our Governor signed into law Senate Bill 1420 yesterday, which will require restaurant chains with 20 or more locations to publish the calorie content of their food beginning on 1/1/11. 

The goal was to ensure that we, the ravenous masses, know how many calories we are inhaling so that perhaps we make wiser food choices.  I suppose it may make some of us think twice.  For example, when I see that a Big Mac has 120 calories more than a Quarter Pounder clear as day on that menu, maybe I'll grab the Quarter Pounder.  Yeah, that's it!  I'll go on a Quarter Pounder diet!

The law doesn't apply to chains of 19 or less locations, farmers' markets, grocery stores, commissaries and school cafeterias.  So Mastro's Steakhouse will be at a major advantage as they will not have to tell me I'm eating 3 billion calories in my meal!

The law says that after 1/1/11, "every food facility that uses an indoor menu board shall disclose calorie content information for a standard menu item next to the item on the menu board in a size and typeface that is clear and conspicuous."  All right you brilliant lawmakers, take a look at this Taco Bell menu and tell me how you're gonna fit "clear and conspicuous" calorie information on there!  I already have a hard enough time reading these cluttered menus! 

Perhaps the real goal here is to make menus so incomprehensible that people get fed up and start eating at home!  I heard LensCrafters was a big supporter of this law.

But let's zero in their definition of "standard menu item."  SB 1420 defines this as a food or beverage that is on the menu at least 180 days per calendar year and excludes special orders, alcohol, salad bars and buffets.  Souplantation, you're off the hook!

Loophole Alert!  Hey all they have to do is change the menu every 179 days and the law doesn't apply!  I can see it now.  Carl's Jr., Wendy's and Burger King strike an agreement to swap menus every 179 days just to get around this law.

The law goes on to say that if a menu item is a combination of 2 or more other menu items, then you must show the minimum/maximum calorie counts based on all possible combinations.  El Pollo Loco was shaking in its boots at this one.  Imagine...the kids meal combo has 11 different sides and 3 entrees.  That's 33 different combinations, ignoring beverages!  Uggghhh!

They are letting drive-thru menus off the hook, kind of.  Instead of publishing calories on the drive-thru menu, they can provide a brochure with the calorie counts.  "Hi, I'd like a Double Double and Strawberry Shake please.  But hold on, I would like to review your calorie content brochure prior to placing my order.  Thank you."

Violation of this law will be an infraction, punishable by a fine of $50 to $500.  Watch out for those Calorie Cops!!