How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
Health
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
UKIAH, Calif. — Mendocino Community Health Centers, or MCHC, is proud to announce its official partnership with the Blue Zones Project – Mendocino County, a community-driven initiative focused on helping people live longer, healthier, and more fulfilling lives.
As a long-standing provider of comprehensive, patient-centered care in Mendocino County, MCHC is deeply committed to promoting the well-being of its patients, staff, and the broader community.
Through this new partnership, MCHC is integrating evidence-based principles from the Blue Zones Project — such as encouraging daily movement and fostering meaningful social connections — into its workplace culture and patient care strategies.
“MCHC has always been a cornerstone of wellness in our community,” said Michelle Hutchins, Organization and Wellbeing Lead for the Blue Zones Project – Mendocino County. “Their commitment to holistic health aligns perfectly with the Blue Zones mission. This partnership not only enhances workplace well-being, it also expands access to wellness tools and resources for the thousands of patients MCHC serves each year.”
Blanco, MCHC’s Director of People and Culture, echoed the sentiment.
“Our collaboration with the Blue Zones Project reflects our belief that true health extends beyond the exam room,” he said. “By embracing practices that promote purpose, connection, and balance, we are building a culture of wellness that begins with our team and extends into the communities we serve.”
MCHC is now a Blue Zones Project Approved Worksite, joining a growing network of local organizations dedicated to improving quality of life across Mendocino County.
The partnership supports long-term efforts to reduce chronic disease, enhance community engagement, and create environments that make healthy choices easier for everyone.
For more information about the Blue Zones Project – Mendocino County and how your organization can get involved, visit www.mendocinocounty.bluezonesproject.com.
- Details
- Written by: Editor
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) introduced the bipartisan Preserving Emergency Access in Key Sites, or PEAKS, Act to bolster emergency medical transportation services in mountainous areas.
The PEAKS Act would help critical access hospitals, or CAHs, in mountainous areas receive fair compensation for ambulatory services by modifying distance requirements for these hospitals to receive reimbursements.
California has 37 total CAHs, of which two-thirds are currently operating at a loss.
Both of Lake County’s hospitals, Sutter Lakeside and Adventist Health Clear Lake, are CAHs.
CAHs, designated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, are smaller rural hospitals that are located more than a 35-mile drive — or a 15-mile drive in mountainous terrain — from any other hospital or CAH; are in an area with only secondary roads available; or otherwise are designated by their state as a “necessary provider.”
Currently, CAHs in mountainous areas are not reimbursed for providing ambulatory services under the enhanced Medicare payment model if they do not meet the 35-mile distance requirement.
The PEAKS Act would expand reimbursements for these services if a CAH in mountainous terrain or in an area with only secondary roads is the only provider within 15 miles.
“Far too often, people in mountainous regions struggle to receive timely, affordable emergency care when they need it most,” said Sen. Padilla. “California’s 37 Critical Access Hospitals help fill critical coverage gaps by providing emergency medical services in these rural areas, yet with two thirds of them operating in the red, we need to act quickly to prevent more ambulance service closures. Our bipartisan PEAKS Act would make commonsense updates to help Critical Access Hospitals in mountainous areas get Medicare reimbursements for the emergency care they provide.”
“As residents of the Mountain State, we are proud of our beautiful peaks, however, we are also aware of the transportation challenges — especially for ambulances — that exist due to our mountainous topography. I’m proud to introduce the PEAKS Act to address this challenge and ensure even our most rural residents can depend on ambulance services, as well as ensure our critical access hospitals are able to provide the best care possible,” said Sen. Capito.
The PEAKS Act would also make certain that CAHs would not lose their designation if any new hospital is built within 15 miles.
The PEAKS Act is supported by the West Virginia Hospital Association, California Hospital Association, Arkansas Hospital Association, Hospital Association of Oregon, Utah Hospital Association, and Wyoming Hospital Association.
- Details
- Written by: Environmental Working Group
With Memorial Day weekend kicking off the summer season, the Environmental Working Group is releasing its 19th annual Guide to Sunscreens.
This trusted, science-based guide reveals that almost four in five, or about 80%, of sunscreens still offer inadequate skin protection or contain potentially harmful ingredients, or both.
This year’s guide reviews 2,204 sun protection factor, or SPF, products — the most EWG has ever evaluated. Of those, 498 products meet EWG’s strictest criteria for effectiveness and safety.
“Wearing any sunscreen is much more important and offers better sun protection for your skin than not applying anything,” said EWG’s Acting Chief Science Officer David Andrews, Ph.D. “But not all sunscreens are created equal. EWG’s guide is a valuable and trusted resource that consumers can turn to every year to find the sunscreens that offer strongest broad spectrum protection without the use of concerning ingredients.”
Sunscreen helps prevent sunburn, premature aging and skin cancer, but outdated Food and Drug Administration rules and misleading marketing leave consumers at risk. That’s where EWG steps in with its guide, first launched in 2007. Every year EWG scientists cut through the advertising hype to analyze what’s actually in sunscreens, their safety, and their sun protection effectiveness.
Ingredients of concern
Undisclosed “fragrance,” which can include allergens or hormone-disrupting chemicals, is still widely used in sunscreens, appearing in 36% of the products in the guide.
EWG is also highlighting concern this year over the increasing use of under-regulated SPF “boosters” in sunscreens. The boosters may inflate a product’s SPF values without enhancing broad spectrum protection against the sun’s ultraviolet A or B, or UVA and UVB, rays.
Unlike Europe and Asia, where stricter rules govern UVA protection, the U.S. still permits the sale of sunscreens carrying inflated SPF numbers while offering little assurance of UVA protection against deep skin damage.
The increasing use of the booster ingredient butyloctyl salicylate, or BOS, in sunscreens is particularly notable. It is a common sunscreen additive advertised to improve texture, boost SPF ratings and stabilize active ingredients. But it may contribute to misleading information about a product’s sun protection. There is additional concern about its ability to absorb and metabolize in the body to salicylic acid.
“Even if a sunscreen delivers its labeled SPF, it may fall short by containing concerning ingredients,” said Andrews. “Our top-rated products offer balanced protection from UVA and UVB radiation.”
Spray sunscreens continue to be common, representing 26% of products in the guide. But they can be risky, because their ingredients are typically inhaled. They’re also often considered less effective than a lotion due to uneven coverage when applied outside.
Sunscreen improvements
It’s not all bad news when it comes to sun protection, as shown by the almost 500 products that meet EWG’s criteria for safer sunscreens.
A total of 63 sunscreens from 13 brands now also qualify to bear the EWGVerified mark. Only products that meet EWG’s highest standards for safety, transparency and UVA/UVB protection bear the mark.
One of the biggest shifts in the sunscreen market is the growing demand for mineral-based products, which contain zinc oxide and titanium dioxide for UV protection. These ingredients are the only active sunscreen filters generally recognized as safe and effective by the FDA. This year’s guide finds 43% of sunscreens use one of these two ingredients, up from 17%, in 2007.
This year’s guide also shows that manufacturers are rapidly moving away from the use of the troubling ingredients oxybenzone and vitamin A.
Oxybenzone has high absorption through the skin and exposure is linked to potential health harms, including disruption of the hormone system, in addition to harmful effects on aquatic and marine ecosystems. EWG’s Guide to Sunscreens finds oxybenzone is now in just 9% of non-mineral sunscreens, down from a peak of 70%.
EWG cautions against use of sunscreen with vitamin A, which can degrade in sunlight, potentially accelerating rather than preventing skin cancer. It’s now in only two% of sunscreens, plummeting from a high of 41%.
Protecting against the sun
Sunscreen is a vital part of protection from harmful sun exposure, particularly during the summer months, when people spend more time outdoors.
“Our guide helps consumers make informed choices,”said JillySenk, EWG’s Healthy Living Science associate. “Our scientists have taken the guesswork out of the search for broad spectrum sunscreens with less hazardous ingredients.”
That’s why the Guide to Sunscreens also offers important lists, including a selection of the top-rated recreational sunscreens, the safest for kids and babies, moisturizers with SPF and lip balms — those EWG scientists ranked the highest for their overall protection from UVA and UVB rays and other factors.
The guide also offers plenty of information about the history of sunscreen regulation, why many products and regulations in the U.S.fall short, and more.
- Details
- Written by: Partnership HealthPlan of California
MACPAC is a nonpartisan commission that provides policy and data analysis to advise Congress, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and states on issues impacting Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.
“I’m excited to continue the important work of MACPAC,” Bjork said. “As a safety-net plan, Partnership has great experience serving extremely rural counties, it is critical that the challenges facing these communities throughout the nation continues to be brought forward.”
Along with Bjork, three other people were reappointed, and two new members were added to the commission.
“I am honored to appoint our two newest members to this important commission and to welcome back our reappointed members,” Gene L. Dodaro said in the U.S. Government Accountability Office press release. “Their valuable expertise and commitment to public service will enhance MACPAC’s role in providing Congress with thoughtful, evidence-based guidance on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).”
As one of the 17 commissioners, Bjork brings her expertise in operations and leadership of local Medicaid managed care plans to her service on the Commission.
Bjork was first appointed to the commission in 2022 and will continue to serve until April 2028.
Partnership is a community-based, safety-net health care organization that contracts with the state to administer Medi-Cal benefits. Partnership provides quality care to over 900,000 Medi-Cal members.
Starting in Solano County in 1994, Partnership now serves 24 Northern California counties — Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Marin, Mendocino, Modoc, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo, and Yuba.
Learn more about Partnership at PartnershipHP.org.