As of Jan. 7, more than 528,000 Californians had received a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna. Both vaccines received emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in late December. Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), California’s initial batch of vaccines is available to health care workers and residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities….
COVID-19 is running roughshod over San Diego County and California, and state officials are about to clamp down like Junior Seau dropping an opposing running back. On Thursday, Dec. 3, San Diego County health officials reported 1,504 new COVID-19 cases and five additional deaths. Thursday’s data raise the county’s totals to 86,142 cases and 1,040 deaths Rising hospitalization rates throughout the state prompted Gov. Gavin…
As the death, disease, and financial devastation wrought by COVID-19 begins to recede in some communities, restaurants are eager to re-open in ways that will protect customer and employee health while re-establishing profitability. And diners are salivating at the thought of savoring their favorite meals and supporting the restaurant community. “Smoke-free outdoor dining promotes healthy air and capitalizes on the intensive sanitizing efforts already implemented…
The coronavirus pandemic forced the City of Escondido’s Water Quality Laboratory to rethink its lab operations without compromising community health or employee wellbeing while ensuring the clean, safe, and efficient operation of the city. Through teamwork and creative thinking, the lab found success in maintaining its essential work, according to the San Diego County Water Authority. “Whether we have a pandemic or not, people still…
Coronavirus fighting came home to roost Sunday, April 5 as San Diego County officials announced plans for a 250-bed federal temporary hospital to open at Escondido, helping expand the local capacity to treat patients during the viral pandemic. The pop-up “hospital within a hospital” will be installed on the 10th and 11th floors of the Escondido facility as a fully functioning hospital and will add to the…
Due to fears of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, some local governments and property owners in California have temporarily ceased farmers market operations, while other markets remain open after bolstering safety measures to prevent spread of the virus. Abruptly closing markets, affected organizers say, hurts farmers and market customers, especially when access to fresh fruits and vegetables is a must to boost…
10 Steps to Turn Around Unhealthy Habits It takes moxie to flip an unhealthy lifestyle to a healthy one — particularly for folks over 60. Most baby boomers approach retirement age unwilling to follow basic healthy lifestyle goals established by the American Heart Association, said Dr. Dana King, professor and chairman of the department of family medicine at West Virginia University, referencing his university’s 2017…
A second, smaller, hospital is slated for the Palomar Medical Center campus with an opening hoped for in late summer 2019. Louisville-based Fortune 500 giant Kindred Healthcare, Inc. this week announced it signed a definitive agreement with Palomar Health to create a joint venture to construct and operate a new two-story, 58.000-square-foot, 52-bed standalone inpatient rehabilitation hospital. Palomar Health already operates an 11- story, 740,000-square-foot…
An early 2014 breach at Escondido-based Palomar Health affected about 5,500 patients. The public health care district declined to comment, citing “pending legal matters surrounding this breach.” Graybill Medical Group at Escondido had a breach affecting about 1,800 patients. Officials didn’t respond to repeated calls for comment. Experts put the cost of a medical data breach at between $100 to over $360 per record compromised — more…
Ending months of speculation, and anticipation, Palomar Health Wednesday said it would close its around-the-clock downtown Escondido emergency department on March 14. Once a major 319-bed regional medical center, the 555 E Valley Parkway hospital, now called the Kaiser Permanente Palomar Health Downtown Campus, opened its doors on Feb. 16, 1950. Handwriting has been on the wall ever since North County’s leading medical provider opened…