Category Archives: Web Exclusive

Ventura Family YMCA Urges Locals to Assess Type 2 Diabetes Risk

UCLA study finds nearly half of Ventura County adults have prediabetes; Few Ventura residents know they are at risk.

Following alarming data in a landmark study on diabetes published by UCLA this month and in conjunction with Diabetes Alert Day observed this year on March 22, the Ventura Family YMCA is encouraging residents of the Ventura area to learn their risks for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes and to take preventive steps to potentially reduce their chances of developing the disease.

Statistics from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research study found that nearly half of California adults, including one out of every three young adults, have prediabetes. The research provides the first analysis and breakdown of California prediabetes rates by county, age and ethnicity.

In Ventura County, 47 percent of adults have prediabetes or undiagnosed diabetes. The county follows the state trend, with 32 percent of 18-39 year olds having prediabetes or undiagnosed diabetes. Six percent of Ventura County adults have been diagnosed with diabetes, according to the study.

The YMCA offers a simple test where individuals can assess their risk for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. The test can be accessed at YMCA.net/diabetes. Through this assessment, visitors can also learn how lifestyle choices and family history help determine the ultimate risk for developing the disease.

Several factors that could put a person at risk for type 2 diabetes include race, age, weight and activity level. If a person is at risk, a diabetes screening conducted by a physician can confirm a diabetes or prediabetes diagnosis.

Prediabetes is a condition in which a person’s blood glucose is elevated, but not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis. Only 10 percent of those with prediabetes know they have it, but with awareness and simple actions, people with prediabetes may prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic medical condition that occurs when a person’s body does not make enough insulin to process the sugars consumed through food or when the body doesn’t effectively use the insulin the body does produce. Diabetes is a serious chronic condition that can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, loss of limbs, and blindness.

“The number of new people with prediabetes continues to rise and with that the importance of helping  people understand what a prediabetes diagnosis means,” said Margo Byrne, Chief Operations Officer,  Channel Islands YMCA. “Type 2 diabetes affects not just the person but entire families as well, but the good news is that it is possible to reverse course—simple lifestyle changes reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and the Y can help people make the necessary changes to improve health.”

Making some basic lifestyle changes that contribute to weight loss and healthy living can decrease the risk for type 2 diabetes. Among these are:

• Eat fruits and vegetables every day.

• Choose fish, lean meats and poultry without skin.

• Aim for whole grains with every meal.

• Be moderately active at least 30 minutes per day five days a week.

• Choose water to drink instead of beverages with added sugar.

• Speak to your doctor about your diabetes risk factors, especially if you have a family history or are overweight.

The Ventura Family YMCA offers members free fitness orientations, progressive group exercise classes, adult small group training classes, Aqua Zumba, a Teen Strength program, Senior Swimming, 3 on 3 basketball, racquetball, swimming classes and more. The Y offers a variety of exercise programs that can  help prevent and eliminate type 2 diabetes. To learn more about the Ventura Family YMCA’s healthyliving programs, please visit ciymca.org/ventura, stop in at 3760 Telegraph Rd. Ventura, CA 93003, or call 805.642.2131.

Become a Junior Ranger at Channel Islands National Park

In celebration of the National Park Service Centennial, Channel Islands National Park is hosting a special Junior Ranger event on Saturday, April 16, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, at the park visitor center in the Ventura Harbor.

Children will have the opportunity to participate in four different Junior Ranger programs at the event, allowing them to earn badges as a Channel Islands National Park Junior Ranger, an Underwater Explorer, a Centennial Junior Ranger, or a Junior Paleontologist.

Local fifth grader Tigran Nahabedian will assist children who visit the Junior Ranger station in earning their badges. Nahabedian has earned 57 junior ranger badges at other national park sites across the country.

The event will also feature family-friendly activities that children of all ages can participate in, including fish prints, buttons, shark hats, and more. There will be two tidepool programs, at 11:00 am and 3:00 pm, and a ranger talk at 1:00 pm, about the adaptations of seals and sea lions.

Information about the national initiative, Every Kid in a Park, which invites all fourth graders to visit their public lands and waters for free, will also be available for parents and children.

This Junior Ranger Day event takes place just one week before a special Earth Day Beach Clean-up, hosted by Channel Islands National Park, on April 23. The event will be at the park visitor center in the Ventura Harbor, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. All ages are welcome.

The National Park Service Centennial honors 100 years of sharing America’s special places and helping Americans make meaningful connections to nature, history and culture. To learn more about Channel Islands National Park’s centennial efforts, visit www.nps.gov/chis.

To learn more about Channel Islands National Park’s Junior Ranger programs visit:

http://www.nps.gov/chis/forkids/beajuniorranger.htm

The Peddler of Flowers by Amy Lowell

The Peddler of Flowers
Amy Lowell

I came from the country
With flowers,
Larkspur and roses,
Fretted lilies
In their leaves,
And long, cool lavender.

I carried them
From house to house,
And cried them
Down hot streets.
The sun fell
Upon my flowers,
And the dust of the streets
Blew over my basket.

That night
I slept upon the open seats
Of a circus,
Where all day long
People had watched
The antics
Of a painted clown.

About this poem
“The Peddler of Flowers” was published in Vol. 1, No. 2, of Others magazine in August 1915.

About Amy Lowell
Amy Lowell was born on Feb. 9, 1874, in Brookline, Mass. She is the author of numerous books, including “Fir-Flower Tablets” (Houghton Mifflin Co., 1921) and “What’s a Clock” (Houghton Mifflin Co., 1925), which won the Pulitzer Prize. She died on May 12, 1925.

***
The Academy of American Poets is a nonprofit, mission-driven organization, whose aim is to make poetry available to a wider audience. Email The Academy at poem-a-day[at]poets.org.

This poem is in the public domain. Originally published in Poem-a-Day, www.poets.org. Distributed by King Features Syndicate

California Dental Association Foundation and CDA host CDA Cares to provide free dental care April 16-17 at Ventura County Fairgrounds

The California Dental Association Foundation and CDA are hosting a CDA Cares dental clinic to provide oral health care and education at no charge to approximately 2,000 patients. Dentists, dental and health professionals, and community volunteers are donating their time and skills to this two-day event.

Since 2012, with the help of 12,918 volunteers, CDA Cares has provided $13.1 million in care to 16,080 patients.

An estimated 10 million Californians experience barriers to dental care. CDA Cares educates the public and policymakers about the importance of good oral health and the need for a state Medi-Cal dental program (Denti-Cal) that works. The program is chronically underfunded and leaves many, including the working poor, without access to care.

Saturday, April 16, 2016: Doors open at 5:30 a.m.
Sunday, April 17, 2016: Doors open at 5:30 a.m.
(last patients enter midafternoon both days)

Ventura County Fairgrounds
10 W Harbor Blvd.
Ventura, CA 93001

Contact:
Alicia Malaby
[email protected]
Office: 916.554.5372
Cell: 916.667.6164

Courtney Grant
[email protected]
Office: 916.554.5922

Patient Information:
No ID required. Free parking available.
For more, patients can call 877.516.8854

Apply Now to Serve on Ventura City Council Advisory Boards, Commissions and Committees

Ventura residents can apply for an exciting opportunity to support their community by serving as a volunteer on one of the City Council Advisory Boards, Commissions or Committees that advise the City Council on an array of issues.  There are open positions on 12 multi-member Council Advisory groups that examine issues and help shape Ventura. The semi-annual recruitment process is now open and applications are available online at www.cityofventura.net/involved/advisory or from the City Clerk’s Office, Ventura City Hall, 501 Poli Street, Room 204. The application deadline is 5:30 p.m. on Monday, May 9, 2016.

Qualified applicants will undergo interviews with the City Council Appointments Recommendation Committee in May. The recommended appointees will be considered by the City Council and confirmed in June. Volunteers must be willing to serve two to four-year terms; some positions require special qualifications.

Applications are being accepted for vacancies on the following Council Advisory groups:

Cultural Affairs Commission

Design Review Committee

Downtown Parking Advisory Committee

Historic Preservation Committee

Housing Authority Board

Library Advisory Commission

Mobile Home Rent Review Board

Parks and Recreation Commission

Planning Commission

Public Art Commission

Tree Advisory Committee

Ventura Port District

Applications may be submitted by e-mail to [email protected], by fax to the City Clerk’s Office at (805) 641-1046, by mail to the City Clerk’s Office P.O. Box 99, Ventura, CA 93002, or hand-delivered to the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall.

For more information call the City Clerk’s Office at (805) 658-4787.

A Celebration of Art and Native Flora at Channel Islands National Park April 9

As part of a continuing celebration of 100 years of national parks in 2016, the public is invited to enjoy a spring event in the native plant garden on April 9, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Channel Islands National Park Robert J. Lagomarsino Visitor Center in the Ventura Harbor.

This Find Your Park event features new displays of art sculptures, interpretive signs, and native plant interpretive guides, as well as a sale of Channel Islands native plants.

Internationally-renowned artist BiJian Fan designed the new orgami-style sculptures, which create an engaging environment in which visitors can explore some of the unique animals found on the Channel Islands. BiJian Fan, who has a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, was born in Beijing, China, but now lives in Camarillo, where he combines science and art to form his unique sculptures.

The event will also feature botanical illustrations by artist Ellie Yun-Hui Tu, a local product designer and illustrator whose paintings of Channel Islands native plants were chosen for display at the “Flora of National Parks” exhibit in Washington, D.C.

Fan will present two talks about ways to connect people to parks through art and the inspiration he found in creating the garden wildlife sculptures at 11:00 am and 3:00 pm. Yun-Hui Tu will share the secrets and steps in creating pen and ink botanical illustrations in a presentation at 2:00 pm. At 1:00 pm, there will be a ranger-led program on bird adaptations called Neat Beaks.

Children’s activities will take place throughout the day, including a native plant garden scavenger hunt, art rubbings of native plants, origami crafts, and a button-making station. Junior Ranger booklets and activities will also be available for children to complete, inorder to earn their Junior Ranger badges.

The event is a great opportunity for California native plant lovers to find at least ten varieties of native plants unique to the Channel Islands at a plant sale from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. The sale is sponsored by the Channel Islands Park Foundation and supported by volunteers from the Ventura County Master Gardeners. Proceeds from the sale (cash or checks only) will support the garden.

Ventura College presents Diversity in Culture Festival

Ventura College will hold its inaugural Diversity in Culture Festival, April 12–14 on the Ventura College campus, 4667 Telegraph. The festival is free and open to the public. Events will begin at 11 a.m. each day and run until 8:30 p.m.

The event will feature a wide variety of cultural performances, art, food and speakers from around the world.  Scheduled entertainment includes dance and music performances by Cascade de Flores (Latin/Caribbean dance/song), UCSB Middle Eastern Ensemble (ethnomusicology performance), Ventura County Capoeira Dance Troupe (Afro-Brazilian martial arts/music/dance), singer Sade Champagne, Clan MacColin of Glenderry Highland Dance & Music, Greek Gypsies, Aztec dancers, Versa-Style Dance Company (urban hip-hop) and more.

Additional events include a poetry slam contest featuring Ventura County’s poet laureate Phil Taggart, director Jonathan Carlander presenting his short film on Asperger Syndrome, “The Pleasing List,” the musical multimedia presentation “MLK & The Spirit of the 60’s,” an international film festival featuring anti-Nazi political activist Sophie Scholl and much more.

Many performances will include American Sign Language interpreters. Food for purchase will be available by a variety of food trucks. The event is free; parking is $2.00; please purchase a parking pass at any kiosk on campus. For more information about the Diversity in Culture Festival, visit the Ventura College website, http://www.venturacollege.edu/news/ventura-college-presents-diversity-in-culture-festival.

Public Health Investigating Cases of Cardiomyopathy in Ventura County

Ventura County Public Health (VCPH) has been investigating 12 patients with cardiomyopathy. Cardiomyopathy is a condition where the heart begins to work with decreased efficiency, and is marked by fatigue and shortness of breath. The patients who have recently been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy in the county range in age from 19 to 78 years of age. Two people have died ‒ one in March, and another in mid-December. Public Health included the death that occurred in mid-December on review of that patient’s medical records earlier this week.

Lab tests so far have not identified a cause of the cardiomyopathy. Public Health is working closely with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to identify the cause of this disease.

There is absolutely no evidence linking this outbreak to either H1N1 or the Zika virus.

“We believe that whatever is causing this illness is not highly contagious because none of the contacts of any of these patients have developed serious illness,” said Dr. Levin. The Health Department is following all contacts of these cases and there has not been any hospital employee that cared for one of these patients, nor family member nor friend who has developed a serious illness.

If a member of the public experiences fatigue and shortness of breath, they are encouraged to see their primary care physician for evaluation.