Category Archives: Health

County pitches in to help Solano students drink healthy – Daily Republic

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By Daily Republic Staff

Solano County supervisors on Tuesday approved a $74,000 contract with the Fairfield-Suisun schools and a $59,000 contract with Vacaville schools to install 36 water-filling stations within the districts.

There will be 18 provided to each district.

Funds are provided through the Public Health Department. The funds also support comprehensive school physical activity training with teachers and administrators within both school districts, the county reported.

Source: County pitches in to help Solano students drink healthy

Anxiety a “huge, huge issue” in district – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

The director of Student Services for Vacaville Unified said student anxiety “is a huge, huge issue” in the 12,500-student district with 18 campuses across the city.

Bill Ewing made the remark early in his slide presentation to the governing board Thursday, as he updated trustees about the district’s mental health services.

His presentation came as Solano County districts and elsewhere are increasingly hiring master social workers to try to stem or solve psycho-social and behavioral problems in 21st-century American public schools.

Speaking in the Educational Services Center, Ewing said the primary supports include, among several things, 1) a master social worker; 2) Vacaville Police Department Youth Services counseling interns; 3) mental health clinicians; and 4) PBIS, an acronym for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports.

Source:  Anxiety a “huge, huge issue” in district – The Reporter

 

Frazier bill would require schools to teach healthy teen dating – Daily Republic

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By Ryan McCarthy

State Assemblyman Jim Frazier has introduced legislation – suggested by a Vacaville resident – to require public schools to provide education for students to recognize abusive relationships.

Frazier, D-Discovery Bay, said the bill would teach students about healthy teen dating.

“Researchers have found that nearly a quarter of all girls and women who have ever been raped, attacked or stalked by an intimate partner – and 14 percent of men and boys in that situation – first experienced some form of dating violence between the ages of 11 and 17,” Frazier said in a statement. “If we can teach young people what healthy relationships are supposed to look like, we will give them the tools they need to avoid the unhealthy ones.”

Frazier credits Vacaville resident Sonia McClellin with the idea for the bill, the release said.

Source: Frazier bill would require schools to teach healthy teen dating

Second annual teen summit to focus on substance abuse – The Reporter

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By Kimberly K. Fu

With knowledge comes power and a group of Vacaville teens hope their second-annual gathering will bring awareness and empowerment to fellow youths.

On Feb. 11, the Teen Summit is coming to town.

From 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the Will C. Wood High School campus, teens will be engaged in workshops that touch on topics of concern to youths today.

“We’ll have speakers like Sabrina Word and Ashanti Branch,” said Sadie Cunning with Wood’s Interact Club, naming two outspoken youth advocates. “Our main focus is substance abuse and living healthier lives.”

Sadie, a Wood senior, added that she’s “super excited” for the event, which she also helped plan last year.

 

Source: Second annual teen summit to focus on substance abuse

Sierra Vista students share warmth with cancer patients – The Reporter

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By Michael Morris

While most kids are often watching cartoons or simply staying warm at home on a cold Saturday morning, 37 seventh grade students at Sierra Vista Elementary School were a part of something bigger than themselves.

With the assistance of Sierra Vista teachers and faculty, the generous and hardworking group of students put together fleece quilts for cancer patients in the region as they partnered with NorthBay Healthcare and the Oncology Department at Kaiser Permanente. Looking to make a heartwarming impact for 80 cancer patients in Vacaville during the holiday season, students were able to pick from a wide range of patterns and colors with some even bringing in fabric of their own.

Source: Sierra Vista students share warmth with cancer patients

Solano conference focuses on traumatized children – Daily Republic

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By Daily Republic Staff

The first Courage Conference: Hope and Healing for the Traumatized Child is planned Nov. 3-4.

The keynote speaker is Jane Dickel of the JAYC Foundation, founded by kidnap survivor Jaycee Dugard. She will speak on “Creating Safe Space.”

Other speakers include Dr. Aran Watson of the University of California, San Francisco child trauma research program.

Source: Solano conference focuses on traumatized children

Saved by the bells, handbells, that is – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Saved by the bells. Handbells, to be exact.

“I thought my brain was gone,” said Brooke Bosler, 32, a trained opera singer who grew up in Vacaville, recalling a grand mal seizure last year. “I couldn’t drive for three months. I’m glad I had the bells to focus my brain. With bells, I’m always using my musical skills.”

Bosler, who earned a master’s degree in music performance, noted she could not drive for three months afterward, but, by picking up and playing handbells, as she did at Will C. Wood High School as a teenager, she gradually regained her musical ability and confidence, enough so to at least continue singing arts songs at occasional recitals and concerts, as she will Thursday night in a Napa church.

Source: Saved by the bells, handbells, that is

Benicia High School to host educational marijuana forum – Times Herald

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By Times Herald Staff

Community members interested in learning about the health effects of marijuana use can gather at Benicia High School for an educational forum held by the Benicia Police Department.

The forum, “Marijuana: Weeding out the facts, protecting our youth,” is free to attend and will be held from 6:30 until 8:30 on Oct. 6 at the Benicia High School Performing Arts Building.

During the discussion, attendees will review topics such as the potency differential of today’s marijuana compared to the past, health risks associated with consuming the plant and the negative impact that marijuana legalization has on youth.

The event is presented through a partnership between Benicia Police Department Youth Action Coalition and the Benicia school system, and is supported by the Solano County Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs Prevention Collaborative.

 

Source: Benicia High School to host educational marijuana forum

Gov. Brown signs student suicide prevention bill – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Gov. Jerry Brown earlier this week signed a law that requires schools that serve students from grades seven to 12 to adopt suicide-prevention policies beginning next year.

The bill, Assembly Bill 2246, by Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell, D-Long Beach, requires the California Department of Education (CDE) to develop and maintain a model suicide-prevention policy.

“With this change, we can better identify students in need, get them help, and keep them safe,” Tom Torlakson, state superintendent of public instruction, said in a press release issued Tuesday. “One of my top priorities is serving the needs of the whole child, including their mental health needs. This bill is a big step forward in our ongoing efforts to help our students.”

Source: Gov. Brown signs student suicide prevention bill

CPR Training Now Mandatory In High School Health Classes In California – Dixon, CA Patch

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Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Saturday AB 1719, a law that requires hands-on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) instruction, along with Automated External Defibrillator awareness in high school health classes, an American Heart Association spokeswoman said.

California is the 35th state to provide CPR training in schools, along with Washington, D.C., spokeswoman Robin Swanson said. State Assemblyman Freddie Rodriguez (D-Pomona) authored the bill.

Source: CPR Training Now Mandatory In High School Health Classes In California – Dixon, CA Patch

Governor signs emergency allergy medicine legislation but rebukes Epi-Pen price hikes | EdSource

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Gov. Jerry Brown berated the manufacturer of a life-saving emergency allergy treatment on Friday for price gouging, even as he signed legislation to make it easier for afterschool programs, daycare centers, colleges and businesses to obtain the treatment.

The pharmaceutical company Mylan raised the price of a two-pack of Epi-Pen epinephrine auto-injectors from $100 in 2008 to more than $600 today, Brown wrote in his signing message. Epi-Pens, which reportedly face little competition in the market, deliver a dose of epinephrine to counteract anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction that includes difficulty breathing.

“State government cannot stop unconscionable price increases but it can shed light on such rapacious corporate behavior,” Brown’s message said.

Source: Governor signs emergency allergy medicine legislation but rebukes Epi-Pen price hikes | EdSource

BUSD student surveys indicate mixed results – Benicia Herald

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By Nick Sestanovich

Carolyn Patton, the special services director for Benicia Unified School District, provided an overview of the results of the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) as well as the Relationships, Effort, Aspirations, Cognitions, Heart (REACH) survey— which were both administered to district students— at Thursday’s school board meeting.CHKS is a statewide survey given to all seventh, ninth and 11th-graders as well as all Liberty High School students every two years which captures behavioral data in the areas of substance abuse, school safety, social/emotional wellness and student/teacher relations.

The REACH survey was issued for the first time last year to all BUSD students in grades 6 through 12 and further examines the relationships between students and teachers and identifies internal assets known to increase achievement. The surveys are aligned to LCAP goals of preparing students for college and careers and increasing parental awareness of what happens at school, and a superintendent goal of promoting safe and welcoming schools.

Source: BUSD student surveys indicate mixed results

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month – Daily Republic

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By Mark Netherda

As our children head back to school, we should all be aware that September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 out of 5 children in the U.S. is obese. Data from the California Department of Education from 2015 reports that 38.5 percent of seventh graders in California are overweight or obese. Unfortunately, for Solano County that statistic is even worse with 41.1 percent of all seventh graders found to be overweight or obese.

These statistics are all much higher than they were just 10 to 20 years ago, and continue to rise for some age groups.

Source: September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

California high school football: Concussions spike, participation drops – EastBayTimes.com

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By Matthias Gafni and Joyce Tsai

As high school football teams around the Bay Area kicked off their season this weekend, new statistics show the king of all prep sports is drawing fewer players than it did a decade ago amid a dramatic increase in concussion diagnoses.

High school football participation in California is down 7 percent over the past decade, with some schools dropping teams or even their entire football programs, according to hospital and high school athletics statistics compiled by this newspaper. Every other major high school sport has seen participation grow over that period, and for the first time, track and field has more athletes, knocking football off its pedestal.

Campolindo High School quarterback Jacob Westphal, 17, of Moraga, runs a drill during practice at the school in Moraga, Calif., on Wednesday, Aug 24, 2016. Westphal says he loves the game and that he focuses on the game, not concussions.  But the reason for the trend is not clear. Are parents more reluctant to let their sons play the hard-hitting game? Has a tipping point been reached where waffling fathers and mothers are now pointing their kids toward safer sports?

Source: California high school football: Concussions spike, participation drops – EastBayTimes.com

Chronically Misbehaving Kids Suffer Mental and Social Disease – Education News

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By Julia Steiny

Naturally, Faina Davis, a lawyer and head of Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY), would have a happy-ish story about what happens when troubled kids connect with adults who practice Restorative Justice. Far more often, kids misbehave, get punished, misbehave, get punished, in an endlessly destructive cycle. But Restoration works to interrupt this cycle by solving whatever was driving the misbehavior in the first place.

An 11th grader, whom Davis calls Cameron, transferred into a Restorative Oakland high school. He’d already become, as she put it, one of those “scary-dude kids” with saggy pants, a black hoodie and a horrible attitude. Such charmers come to her through the Oakland’s schools, which have become demonstration sites for restorative justice.

On his first day at the new school, Cameron met with the school’s Director. Cameron probably expected, per usual, to get yelled at, berated, and threatened with dire consequences for any more misdeeds. Instead, this Restorative Director put aside the thick folder of records of Cameron’s academic failures, suspensions and arrests. Start fresh. Cameron couldn’t suddenly become an angel. But together he and the Director would deal with the obstacles in the way of building a brighter, healthier path for this angry adolescent.

Source: Chronically Misbehaving Kids Suffer Mental and Social Disease

Sexual health education curriculum goes before Fairfield-Suisun school board – Daily Republic

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By Ryan McCarthy

Positive Prevention Plus – sexual health education curriculum for middle and high school students that reflects the California Healthy Youth Act to affirmatively recognize people have different sexual orientations and discuss same-sex relationships – goes before Fairfield-Suisun School District trustees Thursday.

The sexual health instruction is among new instructional materials for spring 2017 that go before the school board as an information item.

Action by trustees on the curriculum would follow Oct. 5, when public viewing ends for textbooks recommended for adoption.

Source: Sexual health education curriculum goes before Fairfield-Suisun school board

Is Your Child Playing Football? See Nationwide Helmet Recall – Benicia Patch

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By Susan C. Schena

Sports-equipment manufacturer Xenith is recalling nearly 6,000 football helmets sold nationwide due to the potential for cracking that could result in head injuries, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

This voluntary recall, announced Wednesday, involves 5,900 Xenith Epic Varsity, X2 Varsity, X2E Varsity and Youth football helmets, with gloss or metallic-painted polycarbonate shells, sold or factory-reconditioned between May 1, 2015 and March 18, 2016. The helmets, sold in multiple sizes, colors and custom-paint designs, have facemasks and chin cups and may have optional eye shields.

Source: Is Your Child Playing Football? See Nationwide Helmet Recall

Judge will wait before ruling on request to stop new vaccination law | EdSource

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By Jane Meredith Adams

A federal judge in San Diego on Friday said he will take at least a week before ruling on a request to temporarily stop California’s new vaccination law, an unwelcome delay for vaccination opponents seeking a speedy injunction that would allow students who don’t meet vaccination requirements to start the new school year.

Judge Dana Sabraw said he was aware of the urgency of his ruling and asked about start dates for California schools, according to courtroom observers. Some schools in California have already opened their doors and the Los Angeles Unified School District, the largest district in the state, will begin school Aug. 16. Sabraw said he would likely issue a ruling the week of Aug. 22.

Rebecca Estepp, spokeswoman for Education 4 All, a Sacramento-based advocacy group that requested the temporary restraining order as part of its lawsuit seeking to overturn the law, called the delay “unfortunate” but somewhat understandable. “It’s a complicated topic,” she said. She described Sabraw’s manner during the oral arguments as “very thorough and very thoughtful” and said, “It was a fair hearing.”

Source: Judge will wait before ruling on request to stop new vaccination law | EdSource

Teacher Support for Children Undergoing Medical Treatment | Edutopia

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By Kristen Beckler

“This is a teacher’s worst nightmare.”

I heard those words from a third-grade teacher over two years ago when my then eight-year-old daughter’s friend Bella was diagnosed with leukemia. I’ve since watched this teacher go above and beyond her job and find beauty in helping every student feel educated and supported through a very difficult time. Through her leadership, I learned a few things about how to educate and academically support a child with a medical illness, as well as supporting the class in their education of childhood illnesses.

Source: Teacher Support for Children Undergoing Medical Treatment | Edutopia

Time to check if student vaccinations are up-to-date – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Dixon Unified resumes classes today and several other Vacaville-area public school districts will do so next week.

But, for most incoming kindergarten and seventh-grade students, it means immunization and vaccine records must be up-to-date before they walk onto their respective campuses. According to officials with Solano County Public Health, the following shots are required for those affected students, unless they have a medical exemption on file:

Kindergartners need Dtap (diptheria, tetanus, and pertussis, aka whooping cough), polio, hepatitis B, MMR (mumps, measles, rubella), and varicella, or chicken pox, vaccines.

To enter seventh grade, students need a booster Tdap shot.

 

Source: Time to check if student vaccinations are up-to-date