California’s fiscal fitness depends on adopting healthy habits. On Monday, Dr. Mehmet Oz, a popular television host of "The Dr. Oz Show" led the charge for a two year pilot workplace-wellness program designed to promote healthy habits at work. “Health happens in the Workplace” was launched with Yvonne R. Walker, President of SEIU, State Controller John Chiang, and State Treasurer Bill Lockyer pushing forward to improve state worker’s health to save money on long term cost. A study by the state controller’s office found that in 2008, California could save between $18 million to $54 million a year if only five to fifteen percent of government workers are able to prevent chronic disease th

Cost of chronic illness will break healthcare system If people do not change their ways, healthcare will become the largest segment of the economy, estimated to reach $4.2 trillion, in three years (2015). It will severely impact the quality of life for all Americans as it drains the federal budget of funds needed for other services. As the cost of healthcare rises, individuals and employers alike will bear the burden not only in larger deductions, co-payments and cost of prescriptions, but in funding the rest of the system. Baby boomers are the most obese generation ever. One-third struggle with being overweight or obese. Baby boomers aren’t the only ones. One in three children and a

South Sacramento Medical Center and Roseville Medical Center have been named 2011 Leapfrog Top Hospitals, an honor that rewards hospitals for outstanding success in such areas as using electronic health records to reduce medication and other errors, lowering infection rates, maintaining appropriate physician and nursing staffing, and other measures of safety and efficiency. A total of 10 Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California, and eight in Southern California, received the honor Tuesday, which means that 18 of this year’s 65 Top Hospitals in the U.S. are Kaiser Permanente facilities in California. They were chosen from a field of nearly 1,200 hospitals around the country surve

In recognition of “Cancer in the Underserved Action Week Plus,” the Sacramento Community Cancer Coalition (SCCC) including VSP® Vision Care, Albie Carson Breast Cancer Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, Susan G. Komen for the Cure Sacramento Valley Affiliate, and UC Davis Cancer Center, hosted the first day of a two-day health fair providing free medical services for local uninsured and underserved residents at Loaves and Fishes in Sacramento today. Patients received free comprehensive eye exams from local VSP optometrists Elisabeth Swan, O.D., Paul Kim, O.D., and Wesley Umeda, O.D. onboard a state-of-the-art, 45-foot long VSP Mobile Eyes Clinic. Free glasses were also prescribed for patient

The California HealthCare Foundation Center for Health Reporting approached The Sacramento Press in December to work on a project that would shed light on the area’s hospital infection rates in anticipation of a statewide Jan. 3 release, that will make that information public for all California hospitals. This is the first time such data is required to be released to the public in California, thanks to Nile’s Law. The law is named after 15-year-old Nile Moss who died of a hospital-acquired infection in Orange County. His mother, Carole, is responsible for much of the activism behind getting Nile’s Law passed.  The photos above, audio clip and slide show below are of Carole Moss. Sacrame

There was reason Saturday for double celebration at Sacramento's Safetyville USA. It was not only the 12th annual Family Safety and Health Expo, it also marked Safetyville's 25th year of teaching safety and life skills to more than 200,000 children to date. The free event hosted around 3,000 children and their families for a fun-filled day of learning and celebrating. In the middle of the expo, birthday festivities took the main stage and were led by Liz McClatchy, President and CEO of Safetyville Center Incorporated (SCI) and Terry Polvado, Vice President of SCI. Children sang "Happy Birthday" to Safetyville and were introduced to the new and yet-to-be-named mascot of Safetyville, a dog