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SCCPHD HEALTH ADVISORY: Monkeypox Infections in Bay Area

The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department (SCCPHD) has now identified one confirmed and one probable case of Monkeypox among Santa Clara County residents. As of June 29, there are 5,115 cases in 51 countries reported globally, 350 cases reported in the US, and 80 cases reported in California. While international travel is still a risk factor, epidemiologic investigation suggests that community transmission of the virus is occurring via social and sexual networks in Europe and the United States, including in the San Francisco Bay Area. Cases in the U.S. and in the Bay ...

Children’s Vision Problems Often Go Undetected, Despite Calls for Regular Screening

By Collen DeGuzman from California Healthline   Jessica Oberoi, 13, can’t exactly remember when her eyesight started getting blurry. All she knows is that she had to squint to see the whiteboard at school. It wasn’t until last fall when her eighth grade class in Bloomington, Indiana, got vision screenings that Jessica’s extreme nearsightedness and amblyopia, or lazy eye, were discovered. She’s been going through intense treatment since then, and her optometrist, Dr. Katie Connolly, said Jessica has made great improvements — but her lazy eye, which causes depth perception problems, may never go ...

Patients Seek Mental Health Care From Their Doctor But Find Health Plans Standing in the Way

by Anrti Pattani of California Healthline When a longtime patient visited Dr. William Sawyer’s office after recovering from covid, the conversation quickly turned from the coronavirus to anxiety and ADHD. Sawyer — who has run a family medicine practice in the Cincinnati area for more than three decades — said he spent 30 minutes asking questions about the patient’s exercise and sleep habits, counseling him on breathing exercises, and writing a prescription for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder medication. At the end of the visit, Sawyer submitted a claim to the patient’s insurance using one code for ...

Tips for Caring for Individuals with Vision Loss and Dementia

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Melody Huang, O.D.  Written by: Kelly Brown  What is Dementia? Dementia describes a variety of conditions related to mental impairment. It includes memory loss, inability to think clearly and reason, and decision-making.  Alzheimer’s is the most well-known form of dementia but is by no means the only disease under this umbrella. In most cases, dementia interferes with someone’s ability to function day-to-day. It tends to affect older adults. But younger people are not immune to developing dementia. Despite its prevalence in the older community, it is not a normal part of ...

HEALTH ADVISORY: Update on COVID-19 Therapeutics and Vaccination from SCCPHD

DATE: May 27, 2022 TO: All community providers FROM: Sara H. Cody, MD Health Officer George S. Han, MD, MPH Deputy Health Officer Santa Clara County is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases, which may be attributed to waning immunity from vaccination and infection, combined with increasingly contagious subvariants. This health advisory outlines ways that providers can improve patient outcomes, reduce stress on healthcare facilities, and save lives by offering early treatment options and preventative measures to eligible patients. Providers are requested to: 1. Stay updated on COVID therapeutics -- There are readily available treatment options that can reduce a patient’s ...