Posts Tagged ‘health’
Real estate company stores toxic soil in Richmond neighborhood
Residents of an apartment complex on Point Richmond Avenue perplexed by a big pile of dirt at an empty lot next to their buildings with a sign warning that the dirt is contaminated with PCBs, a class of toxic compounds.
Read MoreStudy reveals reasons behind Richmond food desert
Richmond mayor’s office staff and a team of 15 high-school volunteers carried out the city’s first “food census”—a survey of the items on offer at Richmond’s supermarket, grocery and convenience stores.
Read MoreRichmond residents join worldwide effort to clean up the coast
More than 2,000 pounds of trash were collected along Richmond shoreline during 2016 Coastal Cleanup Day.
Read MoreEast Bay programs teach the public how to help during a mental health crisis
A course held by Catholic Charities of the East Bay in Richmond aims to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and teach the public how to recognize these disorders.
Read MoreImmunization law targets school vaccination exemptions
California’s new immunization law, which went into effect in July, requires students to be fully vaccinated for school unless they have a medical reason and a doctor’s signature to prove it. But the legislation does not address the most common reason some students in Richmond schools lack required vaccines: so-called conditional admission.
Read MoreNational Park Service asks for input in designing the Richmond Wellness Trail
National Park Service (NPS) agents in the East Bay have been working with administrators from the city of Richmond and other community partners since last year to create a wellness trail for Richmond as part of their “Park Prescription Initiative.” Their hope is that constructing a wellness trail will revitalize a two-and-a-half mile stretch of…
Read MoreCounty implements Laura’s Law for treatment of the mentally ill
Contra Costa became the eighth county in California to begin implementation of AB 1421, also known as Laura’s Law, which allows for court-ordered assisted outpatient treatment of the mentally ill. Its supporters believe that while treatment should first be offered as a choice, mentally ill people who pose a threat to society and resist medical help should be ordered into treatment by a court.
Read MorePatients struggle, doctors worry in aftermath of hospital shutdown
In the months following the April shutdown of Doctor’s Medical Center, doctors and patients have dispersed to other care centers. Some have had to go only across the street in San Pablo, while others must find care much farther away in Pinole, Walnut Creek, Martinez, Concord, Oakland or Berkeley. The distance takes a toll on former patients, and that concerns some doctors.
Read MorePrimary care for undocumented to begin next month
Rosa Arriaga suffers from arthritis and asthma, as well as pain in her neck, hands and knee. She used to have frequent medical checkups to control these conditions, but then her health plan changed and Doctors Medical Center closed.
Read MoreFirst Annual Food Day event in Richmond promotes healthy diets
Food Day is a new national initiative created by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. It’s dedicated to teaching Americans to eat healthier foods and educating them about health issues that are preventable by eating well.
Read MoreContra Costa supervisors approve healthcare for undocumented immigrants
Lidia Arizmendi has been waiting a year and a half for kidney stone surgery. A diabetic, she has no health care insurance, and because she is an undocumented immigrant, she has had few options to find coverage. Now, that may be changing. Like thousands of other undocumented residents of Contra Costa County, Arizmendi will be…
Read MoreRichmond community members petition for more salad bars in schools
Affordable and sustainable food is a priority for Laneisha Whitfield, the director of the Richmond Food Policy Council, and her young campaigners. So on February 17, the Richmond Food Policy Council created an online and door-to-door petition to address the issue of getting more nutritious food for students.
Read MoreAmerican Red Cross encouraging African-Americans to donate blood
In honor of Black History Month, the American Red Cross is commemorating the development of modern-day blood banking, pioneered by an African-American surgeon—Dr. Charles Drew. They have organized more than a dozen blood donation opportunities throughout February in the East Bay. “We need people of all ethnicities to donate,” said Sara O’Brien, the external communications…
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