public health

Due to a venue conflict, the 2016 FireFest will be held at Hard Rock Casino Lake Tahoe on Saturday, September 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The free event is open to the public.

El Dorado County health officials have received confirmation from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) that a dead bird found in the Placerville area has tested positive for West Nile virus, the first for 2016. The bird, a Western Scrub Jay, was found on August 23, 2016. There have been no reported cases of human infection with West Nile virus this year in El Dorado County.

A home being built on Overlook Court near Heavenly Mountain Resort is the first one to be denied a Vacation Home Rental permit under the Planning Commission's interpretation of the new VHR guidelines created by the City of South Lake Tahoe.

During their monthly meeting at the airport on Thursday, the commission voted 2-2 to uphold the denial of the permit made by the zoning administrator, John Hitchcock. The fifth member of the commission, Shannon Eckmeyer, was not at the meeting due to another engagement.

Mountain Resort Television covers the story of Fallen Leaf Lake Campground closing this week to spray for plague. Reporter Nicole Marsel also brings us the City in 60 report on the 4th of July parade.

Fallen Leaf Campground will be closed starting Monday, June 27 so county and state public health and vector control officials can start pesticide treatments to minimize the risk of plague.

A flea from a Yellow pine chipmunk in the Tahoe area has tested positive for plague according to El Dorado County health officials. The flea was sampled from one of three rodents trapped in the Fallen Leaf Campground area during routine plague surveillance May 18, 2016.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Jeff Meston and the City's representatives on the Cal Tahoe JPA have repeated several times publicly that the City will not leave the area stranded without adequate ambulance service when they pull out of the Cal Tahoe JPA. Both Meston and City Councilmember Tom Davis, who sits on the JPA board, said the City will continue to supply ambulance personnel for at least 90 days after their original termination date of April 15 to ease the transition of EMS services to Lake Valley Fire Department.

In the mix you have El Dorado County, the City of South Lake Tahoe, Lake Valley Fire Protection and the Cal Tahoe JPA. More importantly, and most likely the reason for the passionate responses from all involved, the mix also contains the safety of the public.

On March 15, 2016, the City of South Lake Tahoe sent a letter to the JPA, stating their intent to pull out of the agency that was created in 2001 to supply ambulance service to the City and the County and a portion of Alpine County.

Hosted by Barton Health, the Future of Rural Healthcare Conference brings together leading providers and thinkers to offer insight and share resources that address the unique issues and challenges facing rural healthcare systems.

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Diacetyl, a flavoring chemical linked to cases of severe respiratory disease, was found in more than 75% of flavored electronic cigarettes and refill liquids tested by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Two other potentially harmful related compounds were also found in many of the tested flavors, which included varieties with potential appeal to young people such as Cotton Candy, Fruit Squirts, and Cupcake.

El Dorado County health officials are warning people to not drink and dispose of any unpasteurized apple juice purchased from High Hill Ranch on or after October 6, 2015 after several cases of E. coli were reported.

High Hill Ranch, located in the community of Camino in El Dorado County, has initiated a voluntary recall of its unpasteurized apple juice following notification from local health officials of suspected contamination with bacteria, likely Escherichia coli (E. coli.).

With the devastating fires currently burning in California it brings to the forefront emergency preparedness.

September happens to be National Preparedness Month and El Dorado County's Public Health Preparedness and Response reminds residents to make an emergency communications plan for themselves and their families. Planning ahead will help protect families, neighborhoods and communities when emergencies and disasters arise.

The El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency, Public Health Division will begin conducting low-cost community flu vaccination clinics in South Lake Tahoe this fall. Seasonal influenza vaccine will be available in nasal mist and flu shot forms at the clinics.

Health officials in El Dorado County are reminding residents and visitors that chipmunks, squirrels and other wild rodents can carry plague, and that a few simple precautions can prevent the spread of the disease.

"While human cases of plague are fairly rare, there are many areas in California, including higher elevation areas of El Dorado County, where wild rodents have been found in the past to carry plague," said Karen Bender, Supervisor with the El Dorado County Environmental Management Division.

Dr. Joshua Welch of South Lake Tahoe will be joining a dozen other chiropractors in giving inmates adjustments at the 11th Annual San Quentin TRUST Health Fair on Saturday, August 21. TRUST stands for Teaching Responsibility Utilizing Sociological Training.

A bird found in the El Dorado Hills area of the county tested positive for West Nile Virus this week.

The bird, a Western Scrub Jay, was found on June 16 and is the first bird of the year to be found to have the virus. So far this year, West Nile virus activity has been reported in 26 California counties, including neighboring Sacramento and Placer counties.

No human cases of the virus have been reported in California thus far in 2015.

California took the first step June 5 to regulate its nearly 20-year-old medical marijuana industry, one that lawmakers said currently resembles something out of the “wild, wild West.”

AB266 merges what were two competing bills and attempts to set up state regulations that will pass muster with the federal Department of Justice. It was one of dozens of pieces of legislation advancing through the Legislature Thursday as lawmakers faced a Friday deadline to move bills out of their house of origin.

A controversial bill that abolishes "personal belief exemptions" for vaccinations won overwhelming approval in the California Senate on Thursday, bolstering supporters' hopes that it will also clear the Assembly and be signed into law.

The measure by Democratic Sens. Richard Pan, of Sacramento, and Ben Allen, of Santa Monica -- introduced after a outbreak of measles in December at Disneyland sickened 136 Californians -- passed 25-10 after the two senators agreed to compromises aimed at easing its passage.

Give Where You Live! is a 24-hour giving challenge coordinated by the El Dorado Community Foundation. This year's day long giving day is Thursday, April 23, 2015.

“We have approximately 70 nonprofits participating in the event this year. Each nonprofit will have its own website presence to highlight a particular need or needs for which it is focusing giving dollars, as well as more information about the organization in general,” said Megan Buchanan, donor services coordinator at the foundation.

There is an increase in illegal sales of tobacco products in El Dorado County, including South Lake Tahoe.

County health and law enforcement officials released the results of a recent operation where trained youth volunteers, aged 14-17, went into stores to purchase cigarettes. Of the 142 retail stores the youth went into, 32 stores sold them tobacco.

For the past few years, the geologists Brenda Buck and Rodney Metcalf have combed the wild terrain of southern Nevada, analyzing its stony dunes and rocky outcroppings — and to their dismay, tallying mounting evidence of a landscape filled with asbestos.

Asbestos occurs naturally in many parts of the country, mostly in the West but also along some mountain ranges in the East. But in Nevada, the scientists found, natural erosion and commercial development were sending the fibers into the wind.

Dog owners in El Dorado County will soon be able to renew their dog's license on line as well as pay for other services provided by the county's Heath and Human Services Agency (HHSA).

Over the next six months, residents will be able to pay on line with credit or debit cards as well the current option of paying with a check, by mail or in person.

"Many residents have told us they'd like the ability to pay online or by credit or debit card, and we are happy that we can now make those options available to them," said Karen Coleman, Program Manager at HHSA.

The 2014 Fall Aging & Caregiver Series will be given for the next six weeks in South Lake Tahoe. This six week series of classes are designed to provide instruction and support for caregivers who are, or are planning to, care for a family member or friend age 60 or older.

All classes are held at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel (formerly Embassy Suites) from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Participants must register by calling 530-621-6369 or 800-510-2020. Free in-Home respite is available to qualified caregivers. Pre-authorization is required for respite services.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is expected to allocated $2.3M to communities in the form of grants that fit the categories of community facilities, planning and capacity building, economic development, micro enterprise programs, and low/moderate income development.

People are now able to apply for the Community Development Block Grant program in Douglas County. The public is invited to provide ideas, comments and potential projects.

As a parent, we want our children to be safe. Certain safety measures are designed to help keep children safe, like child safety seats, seat belts, and toddler gates. However, some parents may overlook one critical component to keep children healthy and safe: vaccinations. Current vaccinations are the most effective and safest they have been in history and have saved millions of lives from vaccine-preventable diseases.