Healthcare

Changes Afoot At Los Alamos Visiting Nurse Service

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Debbie Weber, Wendi Wolfe and Rick Reiss. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
 
By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post

Changes are afoot at Los Alamos Visiting Nurse Service. A longtime employee is retiring, and a former employee is returning to take the helm of the not-for-profit home health and hospice agency.

“Our Board is happy to announce the appointment of our new executive director Wendi Wolfe, RN-NE,” said Board President Rick Reiss during an interview Monday with the Los Alamos Daily Post. “We are impressed with her credentials, her service to the Read More

Vote To Put Patients First Makes History

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House Democrats News:
 
SANTA FE ― Monday, a bipartisan bill to ensure patients get the right medication at the right time made history, and passed the House Floor.
 
Senate Bill 11, sponsored by Representatives Elizabeth Thomson (D-Albuquerque), Monica Youngblood (R-Albuquerque) and Senators Elizabeth Stefanics (D-Cerrillos) and Gay G. Kernan (R-Hobbs), would improve “step therapy”, the practice used by insurance companies to cut costs by requiring patients to try more affordable treatment options before more expensive ones.
 
SB 11 would allow doctors to skip treatments
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Udall, Lujan Grisham Introduce Bill To Help Native Students Access Healthy Foods

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U.S. SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― U.S. Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs; Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.); and U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.) reintroduced legislation in the Senate and House to give Tribes an important tool to address the pervasive and serious problem of child hunger and nutrition-related diseases.
 
The Tribal Nutrition Improvement Act of 2018 acknowledges that Tribes better understand the needs of their communities and are better positioned to ensure children
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Cancer Caregivers Support Group Starts Wednesday

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Los Alamos Council on Cancer President Diane Hammon announces a new cancer caregivers support group, which kicks off Wednesday. Photo by Maire O’Neill/ladailypost.com

 

 

By MAIRE O’NEILL

Los Alamos Daily Post

maire@ladailypost.com

 

On a day when all kinds of love is celebrated throughout the world, a unique love will be recognized 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Valentine’s Day in Los Alamos with the kick-off of a support group for families and friends of cancer patients.

 

The support group, which will meet every second and fourth Wednesday of the month, is offered by Read More

Facebook, AG To Convene Local Leaders, Experts To Discuss Innovative Ways To Fight Opioid Epidemic

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STATE News:

New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas, local advocates, community leaders, public health professionals and representatives from Facebook will gather to share insights on the state of the opioid epidemic and the role that meaningful communities play in prevention and response to the epidemic.

Balderas and the Facebook team will highlight and brainstorm the ways in which digital tools can complement the work taking place on the ground to combat the epidemic.

The event begins at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 4591 Vista Fuente Road Northwest in Albuquerque. Read More

Controlling Asthma In Children

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CDC News:

Overview
Asthma is a serious disease causing wheezing, difficulty breathing and coughing. Over a lifetime, it can cause permanent lung damage.

About 16 percent of black children and 7 percent of white children have asthma.

While we don’t know what causes asthma, we do know how to prevent asthma attacks or at least make them less severe. Today, children with asthma and their caregivers report fewer attacks, missed school days and hospital visits.

More children with asthma are learning to control their asthma using an asthma action plan. Still, more than half of children with asthma Read More

YMCA: Think You Don’t Have High Blood Pressure? Think Again

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New blood pressure guidelines make American Heart Month the perfect time for a check-up. Courtesy photo
 
FAMILY YMCA News:
 
February is American Heart Month, and as a leading community-based organization committed to improving the nation’s health, The Family YMCA urges everyone in Los Alamos to get a blood pressure screening.
 
Revised blood pressure guidelines from American Heart Association mean that nearly half of all Americans (46 percent) have high blood pressure.
 
High blood pressure is often referred to as “The Silent Killer” because there are typically
Read More

Child: Fending Off Upper Respiratory Tract Infection

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By Dr. JOSIAH CHILD
Medical Director
LAMC Emergency Department
 
As the flu season kicks into full gear, braving airplanes and winter get togethers can provide germaphobes with a daunting onslaught of fearsome exposures.
 
So for those who understand that months of isolation can take its own toll, here are some tips for defense against upper respiratory infections.
 
Flu shots: while flu shots do not provide perfect protection against the flu, the trivalent vaccine for the average population and the quadrivalent vaccine for at- risk populations represent the best protection
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Smoking Is Down, But Almost 38 Million American Adults Still Smoke

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CDC News:

Overall, cigarette smoking among U.S. adults (aged ≥18 years) declined from 20.9 percent in 2005 to 15.5 percent in 2016.

Yet, nearly 38 million American adults smoked cigarettes (“every day” or “some days”) in 2016, according to data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The new data, from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), show that among adults who have ever used cigarettes, the percentage who have quit increased from 50.8 percent in 2005 to 59.0 percent in 2016. During 2005–2016, the largest increase in quitting was among adults ages Read More

Prevent Cervical Cancer With Screenings

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CDC News:

No woman should die of cervical cancer. You can help prevent cervical cancer by getting screened regularly, starting at age 21.

Cervical cancer is highly preventable with regular screening tests and appropriate follow-up care. It also can be cured when found early and treated.

Cervical cancer is almost always caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).

Vaccines are available to protect against the types of HPV that most often cause cervical cancer.

HPV is very common in the United States and is passed from one person to another during sex. It is so common that nearly all sexually active Read More