CDPH in the News
Legislator’s Request for Audit of Planned Parenthood Rejected
from Murrieta Patch
A legislative committee Tuesday denied a proposal from a Riverside County lawmaker for an audit to determine whether Planned Parenthood violated healthcare laws by allegedly hawking infant organs without authorization. Planned Parenthood, which facilitates abortions and related health services, has contracts with the California Department of Public Health and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The 14-member audit committee voted 7-3 to deny Melendez’s request.
CDPH’s California Reducing Disparities Project Request for Proposals
from Imperial Valley News
California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith today announced that CDPH is accepting proposals for projects that will help reduce mental health disparities across the state. Through its California Reducing Disparities Project (CRDP), the department will award $60 million in contracts and grants over the next four years.
Drowning of lake maintenance worker spurs new safety resources
from Safety + Health
New materials from the California Department of Public Health describe best practices for preventing drownings among maintenance workers.
A video details how a 45-year-old tree trimmer drowned after falling from a boat while he was removing weeds and algae from a golf course lake. He was working alone and not wearing a flotation device when the boat became unstable, causing him to fall overboard. The victim was unable to swim and had not been trained in water safety or hazard recognition. The video, which also is available in Spanish, explains how to prevent a similar incident.
An Unexpected Health Consequence Of The California Drought
from Huffington Post
As drought continues to plague the Western United States, public health officials are warning residents of the region about an unexpected side effect of the dry weather: a greater likelihood of contracting West Nile virus.
This week, officials from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) confirmed that a 65-year-old woman in Nevada County, California, died from an infection with the mosquito-borne disease. She was the first person in the state to succumb to West Nile virus this year. Earlier this month, two people died from West Nile virus infections in Maricopa County, Arizona – an area that is also experiencing severe drought conditions.
Nail Salon Industry Slow to Clip Health Hazards
from Potrero View
Recent media has spotlighted the health care risks facing nail salon workers, as well as their customers. Earlier this year, a series of New York Times articles uncovered poor working conditions in East Coast salons, and a reluctance from the cosmetics industry to label beauty supplies that may contain harmful chemicals. In response to the health hazards facing the industry, in 2005 the California Legislature passed the Safe Cosmetics Program Act (CSCP). Under the act, a Safe Cosmetics Program was created within the California Department of Public Health, responsible for maintaining a public database that catalogues harmful chemicals contained in beauty products.
The CSCP was allotted $495,000 in fiscal year (FY) 2006, reduced to $268,212 this FY. According to Matt Conens, California Department of Public Health spokesperson, 55,388 unique cosmetic products sold in California contain one or more chemical ingredients known, or suspected to be, carcinogens or reproductive/developmental toxicants.