COVID-19 Medications Are Available for You to Prescribe to Your Patients: Update from the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department Prescribe the Oral Antiviral Paxlovid to Your Patients · When given early in the course of infection, medications like Paxlovid can reduce the likelihood of severe symptoms, hospitalization, and death. · The National Institute of Health COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines recommends Paxlovid, an oral antiviral, and Remdesivir, an intravenous antiviral, as preferential therapeutics based on their efficacy and convenience of use. · If neither Paxlovid nor Remdesivir are available or clinically appropriate, the NIH recommends providers use the following alternative therapies: Molnupiravir, an oral antiviral, or Bebtelovimab, a monoclonal antibody treatment. Prescribe Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis ... May 6, 2022 COVID19, Healthcare, Patient Care COVID-19, Paxlovid, Public Health Department, Santa Clara County 0 0 Comment Read More »
Health Update: New STD Legislation and Updated CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV Prevention HEALTH UPDATE County of Santa Clara Public Health Department Health Officer 976 Lenzen Avenue, 2nd Floor San Jose, CA 95126 HEALTH UPDATE: New STD Legislation and Updated CDC Clinical Practice Guideline for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV Prevention DATE: January 25, 2022 TO: All Healthcare Providers FROM: Sarah L. Rudman, MD, MPH STD/HIV Controller Young people and adults in Santa Clara County continue to be affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and the COVID-19 pandemic has made it more challenging for many communities to access care. This increases the need to ramp up screening, testing, and linkage to care ... January 27, 2022 General, Patient Care, Public Health Health Update, HIV, LGBTQ, PrEP, STIs 0 0 Comment Read More »
CalAIM: Why It’s So Much More Than Another New Health Program For decades, the state’s Medi-Cal program has delivered essential health services to millions of Californians, and it’s rightfully earned extremely strong public support from Californians as a result. Still, the idea of Medi-Cal as a single program is a bit of a misnomer. It is a patchwork of different health programs among an even greater patchwork of social programs. Having such siloed and disconnected services has made it harder and harder for Californians to access the kinds of people-centered care that evidence shows is most effective and is also fundamental to building ... December 22, 2021 Healthcare, Medi-Cal, Patient Care CalAIM, Health Equity, Health Program, Medi-Cal 0 0 Comment Read More »
The Work of Family Caregiving: Invisible, Costly, and Taxing Laura’s 78-year-old mother fell off a health cliff, spiraling downward in a decline that’s not uncommon among older adults. “She went from normal cognition to thinking it was her wedding day and that I was her mother,” Laura told Vox journalist Anne Helen Petersen. “She didn’t know how to walk and didn’t remember what had happened to her.” Laura, whose last name and location were withheld to protect her privacy, spent the next few years caring for her parents. Like many other Americans who become full-time caretakers, she had limited options. Medicare doesn’t cover ... December 6, 2021 General, Healthcare, Medi-Cal, Patient Care California, Caregiving, Essential Coverage, Medi-Cal 0 0 Comment Read More »
Special Children's Vaccination Center At The Fairgrounds As the vaccine rollout continues for children ages 5-11, the children’s mass vaccination center in the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Expo Hall has transformed into a kid-friendly environment to ease the “needle nerves.” Through donations by the Valley Medical Center, the space has become a jungle with music and games to keep kids occupied before and after their shots. To schedule your child’s appointment please visit www.vax.sccgov.org. The Santa Clara County continues to encourage its residents to get vaccinated, including the booster shot. Booster shots are now available to everyone ... November 22, 2021 General, Patient Care, Public Health Vaccinations, Vaccine 0 0 Comment Read More »