Is there a box somewhere in your house that's an tangle of old mouses, cables that were long ago orphaned from their devices, cell phones that could be used as props for 80s' movies, an old PC monitor that weighs a ton but won't turn on, and a thingy that you must have bought at some point but that you no longer know the purpose of? Don't let this mess of neglected electronic items continue to grow until you end up on an episode of Hoarders – recycle it. Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center is holding an e-waste recycling event from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Friday, April 19. Anyone can drive up to the parking lot at 2025 Morse Ave. in Sacramento, and drop off any large or small

Just in time for Earth Day 2013, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center will host an Earth Day E-Waste Collection Event, with all proceeds benefiting NorCal AIDS Cycle (NCAC), the four-day, 330-mile HIV/AIDS cycling fundraiser. Clear out your closets, clean your garage, and bring your unused electronics, including laptops, computers, cell phones, monitors, TVs, printers, etc., from 6:30 a.m. through 2 p.m. on Friday, April 19, to the Earth Day e-Waste Collection Event, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, 2025 Morse Avenue in Sacramento. Proceeds from your recycled electronics will support the largest and most successful HIV/AIDS fundraising event in the Sacramento region. Established in 2005, NC

Eight other Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California received the Leapfrog Group’s prestigious recognition for quality measures The Kaiser Permanente hospitals in South Sacramento and Roseville have been named 2012 Leapfrog Top Hospitals, an honor that rewards medical centers for outstanding success in such areas as the use of electronic health records to reduce medication and other errors, performance on high-risk surgical procedures, low infection rates, and appropriate physician and nursing staffing. Eight other Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California received the honor. In all, just 92 hospitals around the country were named Top Hospitals, out of more than 1,200

New services of unique clinic in Sacramento include enhanced support, education, and treatment, including early lymphedema monitoring  In a significant breakthrough for improving women’s health, Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento has opened a unique Breast Cancer Survivorship Clinic to help members ease the transition from being a cancer patient to cancer survivor.  It means patients such as Lisa Johnson of Citrus Heights – who has endured surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation – can now take advantage of new services that offer ongoing support, education and treatment to help deal with the disease.  “I am absolutely thrilled that Kaiser Permanente established the new clinic because it has

Kaiser Permanente in the Sacramento region is donating just over one million dollars to non-profit organizations that serve the community by improving access to health services, promoting healthy eating and more opportunities for fitness, and preventing youth, family and gang violence. The Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit grants, which range from $5,000 to $98,000, come at a time when other funding sources are limited and private donations are down. Even county health departments and school districts are among the grant recipients. Kaiser Permanente has three objectives in its grants: the first is to improve access to health care coverage, health services and health education; the sec

All three local Kaiser Permanente hospitals – South Sacramento, Sacramento and Roseville medical centers – were honored Wednesday with an “A” Hospital Safety ScoreSM by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits. They were among 15 Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California – and 28 Kaiser Permanente hospitals around the country – that received the top grade in the safety report, which examined the records of more than 2,600 hospitals in the U.S. In Northern California, three other Kaiser Permanente hospitals received a “B” score, The Leapfrog Group’s next highest mark. The Hospital Safety ScoreSM was calcu

The Kaiser Permanente Women’s Fitness Festival – the largest celebration of women’s health in the region – takes place Sunday morning outside the State Capitol in downtown Sacramento. The festival begins at 8 a.m. with a 5k run/walk that puts some 4,100 women on a scenic course through downtown and Midtown and past iconic landmarks such as Sutter’s Fort. Following the run/walk, participants will enjoy a comprehensive Health Expo that includes the Thrive Pavilion, where dozens of Kaiser Permanente physicians and employees will offer information and tips about health education, sports medicine, breast cancer, and screenings for blood pressure and body composition, among other services – all

Billed as the largest event of its kind in California’s capital region, The Salvation Army of Sacramento County held its Annual Community Luncheon on May 29 at the Woodlake Hotel. With nearly 1,000 business and governmental leaders in attendance, the luncheon was an opportunity to showcase its programs, give a fiscal and service report to the community, and thank and recognize the individuals and companies who, through their community service activities or programs, have shown a long history of helping people in need. “Any time we can inform and help people understand the full reaches of The Army’s mission, then that’s a good thing to have,” said Major Bill Dickinson, Salvation Army Del

California’s fiscal fitness depends on adopting healthy habits. On Monday, Dr. Mehmet Oz, a popular television host of "The Dr. Oz Show" led the charge for a two year pilot workplace-wellness program designed to promote healthy habits at work. “Health happens in the Workplace” was launched with Yvonne R. Walker, President of SEIU, State Controller John Chiang, and State Treasurer Bill Lockyer pushing forward to improve state worker’s health to save money on long term cost. A study by the state controller’s office found that in 2008, California could save between $18 million to $54 million a year if only five to fifteen percent of government workers are able to prevent chronic disease th

Cost of chronic illness will break healthcare system If people do not change their ways, healthcare will become the largest segment of the economy, estimated to reach $4.2 trillion, in three years (2015). It will severely impact the quality of life for all Americans as it drains the federal budget of funds needed for other services. As the cost of healthcare rises, individuals and employers alike will bear the burden not only in larger deductions, co-payments and cost of prescriptions, but in funding the rest of the system. Baby boomers are the most obese generation ever. One-third struggle with being overweight or obese. Baby boomers aren’t the only ones. One in three children and a

South Sacramento Medical Center and Roseville Medical Center have been named 2011 Leapfrog Top Hospitals, an honor that rewards hospitals for outstanding success in such areas as using electronic health records to reduce medication and other errors, lowering infection rates, maintaining appropriate physician and nursing staffing, and other measures of safety and efficiency. A total of 10 Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California, and eight in Southern California, received the honor Tuesday, which means that 18 of this year’s 65 Top Hospitals in the U.S. are Kaiser Permanente facilities in California. They were chosen from a field of nearly 1,200 hospitals around the country surve

In recognition of “Cancer in the Underserved Action Week Plus,” the Sacramento Community Cancer Coalition (SCCC) including VSP® Vision Care, Albie Carson Breast Cancer Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, Susan G. Komen for the Cure Sacramento Valley Affiliate, and UC Davis Cancer Center, hosted the first day of a two-day health fair providing free medical services for local uninsured and underserved residents at Loaves and Fishes in Sacramento today. Patients received free comprehensive eye exams from local VSP optometrists Elisabeth Swan, O.D., Paul Kim, O.D., and Wesley Umeda, O.D. onboard a state-of-the-art, 45-foot long VSP Mobile Eyes Clinic. Free glasses were also prescribed for patient

The California HealthCare Foundation Center for Health Reporting approached The Sacramento Press in December to work on a project that would shed light on the area’s hospital infection rates in anticipation of a statewide Jan. 3 release, that will make that information public for all California hospitals. This is the first time such data is required to be released to the public in California, thanks to Nile’s Law. The law is named after 15-year-old Nile Moss who died of a hospital-acquired infection in Orange County. His mother, Carole, is responsible for much of the activism behind getting Nile’s Law passed.  The photos above, audio clip and slide show below are of Carole Moss. Sacrame

There was reason Saturday for double celebration at Sacramento's Safetyville USA. It was not only the 12th annual Family Safety and Health Expo, it also marked Safetyville's 25th year of teaching safety and life skills to more than 200,000 children to date. The free event hosted around 3,000 children and their families for a fun-filled day of learning and celebrating. In the middle of the expo, birthday festivities took the main stage and were led by Liz McClatchy, President and CEO of Safetyville Center Incorporated (SCI) and Terry Polvado, Vice President of SCI. Children sang "Happy Birthday" to Safetyville and were introduced to the new and yet-to-be-named mascot of Safetyville, a dog