Pediatrics

As we prepare to say goodbye (and maybe even good riddance) to 2020, the end of the year brings several holidays. Whether celebrating Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Boxing Day, Kwanza, and of course, New Year’s Eve, remember that indoor holiday gatherings with others not in your immediate household can put you, your community, and those you care about at risk. As challenging as it is, staying home for the holidays is your best way to protect yourself and loved ones, and help slow the spread of COVID-19 in a time when healthcare and essential workers critically need that support.

Seasonal holidays like Halloween will be different this fall to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Finding safe ways to celebrate can create magical memories, and lower the risk of exposure to yourself, your family, and your community. The decisions we make on this one day can have a ripple effect beyond our own families. Halloween during the COVID-19 pandemic is a chance for you and your children to get creative, and maybe even invent some new traditions for your family. It's also a great opportunity to model flexibility and a positive spirit.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It has been a wild two weeks for the Howard family, ever since ten-year-old Maeson entered the UC Davis Children’s Hospital with what appeared to be a COVID-19-releated multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), or Kawasaki disease.

Maeson Howard is on the road to recovery and back in his Christmas Valley home with his parents and sister.

As temperatures at Lake Tahoe are heating up, so are discussions about wearing a face mask in public. While science continues to reveal new information about the coronavirus, one thing is clear: wearing a face mask slows the spread of COVID-19, if enough people wear them.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Twelve more South Tahoe High seniors celebrated their commitment to playing their respective sports after next week's graduation. Nine will be playing baseball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball at community colleges across the state while another three are playing hockey at the next level.

A group of family and friends gathered at the campus to cheer on the following students (alphabetical with sport, school and focus of education):

Noah Dahlen - Hockey with the Pueblo Bulls of Western States Hockey League

The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors have unanimously voted in favor of a resolution opposing the passage of California Proposition 64 which would legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and over in the state.

South Tahoe High's Principal Chad Houck made a phone call to parents last week, warning them of the increased use (and subsequent detection) among teens of what is known as "vaping."

Vaping is to "inhale and exhale the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device." The devices are vaporizers, and what goes inside them became popular as a way to cut back on smoking cigarettes starting in 2007, but a 2014 Science News study showed that vaping did not boost quit rates.

Stop by the new Barton Pediatrics office between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on November 19 to meet and visit with pediatricians Dr. Jennifer Ehmann, Dr. Kawika Lu, and Dr. Tracy Protell and pick up some snacks and goodies.

Free flu shots will be available for children ages 3 to 18 – no appointment necessary. New patients welcome.

Location

Dr. Kawika Liu is the new director for the Barton Community Health Center. Lui, originally from Hawaii, came to Barton via Ukiah, CA.

He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics but will take on a leadership role at the clinic as well as creating a patient-centered, medical home model (PCMC). PCMC is primary care that is patient-centered, comprehensive, team-based, coordinated, accessible, and focused on quality and safety.

In this photo can you tell which candies are made from marijuana and which ones are made with sugar and sold in all stores? The answer will be later in the story.

With marijuana now legal in many states, issues are arising that may have been overlooked in the eagerness to make marijuana legal.

Marijuana (cannabis) candies are hitting the market like a storm, and more people are now ending up in the E.R., or even dead, after ingesting them as well as brownies and cookies made from cannabis.

Join Barton Health Saturday, July 27 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. as we celebrate the expansion and renovation of Barton Community Clinic at 2201 South Avenue in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. This community-wide open house will begin at 9 a.m. with a ribbon cutting ceremony, facility tours, complimentary food and refreshments.

Free health screenings, including glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure and body mass index also will be offered. For more information, visit www.bartonhealth.org or call, (530) 543-5537.

Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have, for the first time, developed a system that can determine which types of air particles that pollute the atmosphere are the most prevalent and most toxic.

Previous research has shown that air pollution containing fine and ultrafine particles is associated with asthma, heart disease and premature death. This new study, released today by the California Air Resources Board and the Electric Power Research Institute, marks the first time that researchers have conducted source-oriented sampling of these particles in the atmosphere.