CDPH in the News
California recognized by March of Dimes for advancements in the health of moms and babies
from Phys.org
California Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ron Chapman accepted the March of Dimes Franklin Delano Roosevelt Prematurity Campaign Leadership award (FDR Award) today for his agency’s work to reduce preterm birth rates in the state to 9.6 percent, down from a high of 10.9 percent in 2007. California – with more than 500,000 births each year – is the largest state to reach the March of Dimes goal of reducing preterm birthrates to 9.6 percent or less of total births.
California Scientists Track Deadly Food Contaminations
from NBC Bay Area
From salmonella-tainted chicken, to salads contaminated with listeria, 48 million Americans get sick every year from foodborne illnesses.
That’s one in every six Americans. Fifty-one-year-old Rick Schiller, of San Jose, knows all about food contamination. For him, it started last September with severe stomach pain, but quickly escalated to his leg turning purple and ballooning to twice its normal size. Investigators with the California Department of Public Health run three labs in the Bay Area, where they are trying to find the source of Schiller’s illness, as well as tens of thousands of other cases reported every year in California.
Health Officials: No Fukushima Radiation at California Beaches
from NBC Bay Area
The beach is safe. At least from radiation. A YouTube video, seen by over 750,000 people, shot by an anonymous man holding a Geiger counter that captured readings of radiation on a San Mateo County beach stoked fears among the excitable that “Fukushima is here.” But the radiation detected by the hand-held device has nothing to do with the faraway nuclear meltdown. In fact, it’s nothing to worry about at all, according to the California Department of Public Health.
Yamada request to audit state health licensing and certification division approved
from the Lake County News
On Wednesday the California Legislature?s Joint Legislative Audit Committee, or ?JLAC?, approved a request to audit the California Department of Public Health’s Licensing and Certification Division’s regulation of long-term health care facilities.
The request was made by Assemblymember Mariko Yamada (D-Davis), chair of the Aging and Long-Term Care Committee, after a recent oversight hearing revealed complaint investigation back-logs in the thousands, leaving unanswered questions about how safe long-term care health facilities are, and the effectiveness of the state?s safety enforcement apparatus.
Public Health having trouble inspecting food trucks in the field
from KERO Bakersfield
Scientists with the California Department of Public Health just concluded a statewide study that evaluated full food preparation trucks (typically referred to as taco trucks or catering trucks.
The two-year study looked at operating procedures in full kitchen, complex menu mobile food facilities. Six counties throughout the state, including Kern County was the target for the study.
The scientist were looking for risk factors associated with those mobile food facilities.