CDPH in the News
Tyler Technologies Enables Sonoma County, California, to Digitize Marriage License Signatures
from Yahoo!
Tyler Technologies, Inc. (TYL) today announced a new offering in partnership with the Sonoma County Clerk and Recorder’s Office in California, which is using Tyler’s Eagle Recorder™ software to electronically print staff signatures on marriage licenses. Sonoma County is leading the charge in making this offering possible because of Eagle Recorder’s robust and intuitive capabilities.
Over the past several months, the Sonoma County Clerk and Recorder’s Office has led a pilot program in collaboration with the California Department of Public Health to print marriage licenses with digitized signatures of the issuing and registering clerks, thereby automating a once manual process. Sonoma is the first county in California to begin offering this service for county staff.
California Residents Learn About Common Asthma Triggers Found in Homes
from wEBwIRE
According to a report prepared by the Environmental Health Investigations Branch of the California Department of Public Health, approximately five million Californians have been diagnosed with asthma at some point in their lives. The report states that almost three million residents currently have asthma and that over one in five are considered to have very poorly controlled asthma.
"Understanding environmental triggers that can cause an asthma attack is important for those who suffer from the condition," said Michael Chapman, Laboratory Manager of LA Testing’s Huntington Beach facility. "At LA Testing, we offer comprehensive air testing services, sampling supplies and test kits for known allergens and asthma triggers. Indoor testing allows people to understand what they are being exposed to so they can take steps to mitigate or avoid exposure risks at home, school or in the workplace."
California’s Menu Labeling Law Takes Effect December 1, 2016, Months Ahead of FDA Enforcement
from Lexology
Eight years after being signed into law, California’s menu labeling law will finally go into effect on December 1, 2016. While FDA has delayed enforcement of the federal menu labeling standard until May 5, 2017, California’s Department of Public Health confirms that local health departments may begin inspecting restaurants subject to the statewide standard as early as December 1, 2016. The California Department of Public Health has recommended, however, that local health departments work with restaurants on complying with the law and not issue violations during the first six months of enactment.
In 2008, California became the first state in the U.S. to pass a menu labeling law requiring the disclosure of calorie information on restaurant menus and menu boards. The law initially applied only to chain restaurants that had at least 20 locations in the state and was set to take effect in 2011. After Congress passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010, however, the California legislature repealed its original menu labeling law and replaced it with a new version that was identical to the menu labeling provisions of the ACA. California also delayed implementation of its statewide standard until the compliance date of the federal FDA rule.
California Department of Public Health encourages caution around wild mushrooms
from SF Examiner
In the wake of recent wet weather, Dr. Karen Smith, the Director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), is reminding Californians that picking and consuming wild mushrooms may not be a good idea unless you’re an expert. "It is difficult to distinguish between wild mushrooms that are poisonous and those which are safe to eat," said Dr. Smith. "Wild mushrooms should not be eaten unless they have been carefully examined and determined to be edible by a mushroom expert." According to data collected by CDPH, 679 cases of people ingesting mushrooms and subsequently becoming ill were reported between Nov. 2015 to Oct. 2016.
County receives $40k for campaigns to educate public about Zika
from Valley News
The Board of Supervisors signed off on a Riverside County Department of Public Health request to accept $40,000 in federal funding for education campaigns intended to help residents protect themselves against the Zika virus Tuesday, Dec. 13. In a 4-0 vote without comment, the board approved the health department’s plan to utilize $24,000 for education efforts in the current fiscal year and $16,000 in 2017-18.
The funds were distributed by the California Department of Public Health but originated from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, according to documents posted to the board’s policy agenda. The countywide education campaigns will highlight "measures to reduce mosquito breeding sources," according to a health department statement.