SACRAMENTO — Assembly Bill 1119, authored by Assemblymember Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) ensures that emergency healthcare providers have full medical records so that they can make well-informed healthcare decisions when treating patients with mental illnesses. The measure passed unanimously out of the…
Category: Health
Santa Barbara City College’s vocational nursing program named #5 best LVN program in California by PracticalNursing.org
Practicalnursing.org evaluated California’s 129 state-approved LVN schools, which includes community colleges, technical centers, private career training schools and vocational schools. The website’s team analyzed overall pass rates of the NCLEX-PN, the exam used by state boards that tests proficiency and knowledge…
Assemblymember Limón committed to protecting healthcare
By Assemblymember Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) Recent actions taken at the federal level around health care would have serious consequences for California. The new law could strip health care coverage from as many as 24 million Americans—4.6 million of which are…
June 20 — Death and Cupcakes
SANTA BARBARA — Hospice of Santa Barbara welcomes you to join a discussion about death and the celebration of life in a comfortable and welcoming setting. This gathering is a group-directed discussion of end-of-life issues; not a support group or…
May 19 — Learn at Lunch: Extraordinary End of Life Experiences – A Thoughtful Examination
SANTA BARBARA — Come hear William Peters, M.Ed, MFT, founder of the Shared Crossing Project (SCP) speak on the beauty and awe that end of life experiences can bring. Most of those who work in end of life have heard…
American Heart Association Hosts and Evening of “Pinot and Purses” to Raise Funds to Fight Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke
SANTA BARBARA – Pinot and purses – two of a girl’s best friends were combined for a fun, filled philanthropic evening benefitting the American Heart Association’s fight to end heart disease in woman. “Pinot and Purses” took place on April 4,…
May 13 — Let’s Have a Ball at the 17th Annual Santa Barbara Heart Ball at the Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club
Winners to be Recognized from Student Art Contest Hosted by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation SANTA BARBARA — The 17th annual Santa Barbara Heart Ball – a fundraiser supporting the American Heart Association – is set for Saturday, May…
May 16 — Death and Cupcakes
SANTA BARBARA — Hospice of Santa Barbara welcomes you to join a discussion about death and the celebration of life in a comfortable and welcoming setting. This gathering is a group-directed discussion of end-of-life issues; not a support group or…
Sunrise Rotary Supports Bright Smiles for the Sixth Consecutive Year at Eastside Family Dental Clinic
SANTA BARBARA — The skies cleared on Friday, February 24th for the Free Dental Day at Eastside Family Dental Clinic. The event has been sponsored by Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise since 2012 and has provided hundreds with dental procedures…
FOOD Share Selected to Serve Special Population of Seniors in Ventura County
VENTURA COUNTY — FOOD Share of Ventura County is one of just four California food banks recently selected in a competitive bid process to administer a USDA-funded Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) for seniors 60 years of age and older.…
Hundreds Visit Community Health Fair at Franklin Neighborhood Center
SANTA BARBARA – Hundreds of community members and families came through a free Community Health Fair sponsored by The Health Access and Care Coordination Project on Saturday, Feb. 25 to take part in a variety of services, from screenings to…
Ventura County Board of Supervisors Presents Laguna Farms With Health Champion Award
Local Farming Company Recognized for Workplace Wellness OXNARD — Laguna Farms, berry grower in Ventura County and affiliate of Reiter Affiliated Companies, will receive the ‘Health Champion’ award on March 7, 2017 at the Board of Supervisors meeting for their commitment…
Ventura County Go Red For Women Luncheon Raises Awareness About Women and Cardiovascular Disease
“Life is Why” Sponsor Dignity Health Central Coast Helps Raise $236,000 to Fight Heart Disease & Stroke WESTLAKE VILLAGE — The American Heart Association (AHA) hosted its annual Ventura County Go Red For Women Luncheon on Friday, February 24, 2017, at the…
Santa Barbara Go Red For Women Luncheon Raises Awareness About Women and Cardiovascular Disease
SANTA BARBARA — The American Heart Association (AHA) hosted its annual Santa Barbara Go Red For Women Luncheon on Friday, February 24, 2017 at the Fess Parker’s Doubletree Resort with the goal of raising awareness about the risk of cardiovascular…
Heal Your Heart: Can a Gift Help Prevent Heart Disease?
SANTA BARBARA — What goes into maintaining a healthy heart? Is it just the physical heart muscle and circulation that matters, or is there an active emotional component? Can the simple act of conveying your best wishes and intentions make…
May 13 — Gold Coast Health Plan to present 6th annual Community Resource Fair in Oxnard
OXNARD — Gold Coast Health Plan will host their 6th Annual Community Resource Fair at Plaza Park in Oxnard. Free health screenings and resource information will be offered by various health and community agencies. Please see flyer for more information.
April 17 — Free diabetes class to be held at South Oxnard Senior Center
FREE Spanish diabetes class A four-part Spanish diabetes class will continue Monday April 3rd from 10:15 am to 12:15 pm at South Oxnard Senior Center, 200 E. Bard Rd. Two more classes will be on Mondays, April 10th and 17th.…
April 4 — CSUCI to be bathed in blue in honor of “Light it Up Blue” Global Autism Awareness
CAMARILLO — CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) sophomore Samuel Capozzi doesn’t speak in the traditional sense, but his is the voice of many with autism. Capozzi, 21, will be one of the students with autism who will address the crowd at CSUCI’s 6thAnnual…
May 5 — 6th annual 5K Walk for Mental Wellness Aims to Stomp Out Stigma
SANTA BARBARA — The Mental Wellness Center will kick off Mental Health Month in May with its 6th Annual 5K Walk for Mental Wellness on Friday, May 5th at East Beach Bathhouse. All community members are invited to join the nonprofit’s…
CenCal Health Thanks Primary Care Providers Across the Region
SANTA BARBARA — CenCal Health hosted appreciation dinners across the region in December to thank the providers who work with the agency to provide medical care for low-income residents of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. More than 260…
March 23 — Prominent Legislative Advocate To Discuss The Future Of Mental Health Services
SANTA BARBARA — Rusty Selix, JD., a mental health advocate and policy expert in California’s mental health system for nearly four decades, will be the featured speaker for the March NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Southern Santa Barbara County…
State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson introduces bill to create ‘California Trusts Women’ pro-choice license plate
SACRAMENTO – With reproductive rights and funding being threatened by the Trump Administration and the Republican-controlled Congress, Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) has introduced a bill to create a specialized reproductive freedom license plate, with proceeds benefiting reproductive health care services…
Volunteers to be Honored at Wish Night 2017 Gala
CENTRAL COAST — Two volunteers will be honored by Make-A-Wish® Tri-Counties at the 8th Annual Wish Night gala on March 3 at the Hyatt Regency in Westlake Village. Meredith Garofalo/KEYT News Channel 3 has been named community partner of the…
San Luis Obispo Wear Red Day Luncheon Raises Awareness About Women and Cardiovascular Disease
SAN LUIS OBISPO — The American Heart Association (AHA) hosted its annual Wear Red Luncheon in San Luis Obispo on Friday, February 3, 2017 at the San Luis Obispo Country Club with the goal of raising awareness about the risk…
Guest commentary: SMILE! It’s National Children’s Dental Health Month
Dear Friends, February is National Children’s Dental Health Month and United Way is proud to advocate for increased services on behalf of 100,000 children in Ventura County who qualify for Dent-Cal and do not have access to a dental…
March 4 — Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics Celebrates Cavity Free Children
SANTA BARBARA — Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics celebrates Children’s Dental Health on Saturday, March 4, 2017 by giving special recognition to children who are cavity free. Over one-hundred cavity free children ages 3 to 12, who are patients at one of…
March 1 — Mental Wellness Center and SBCC Wellness Connection Bring “The Love Effect” to Santa Barbara
SANTA BARBARA — The Mental Wellness Center, Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) Wellness Connection, and San Marcos High School Wellness Connection Club are bringing “The Love Effect” to Santa Barbara and the community is invited to join the movement. The…
Through Feb. 27 — American Heart Association Flags to Fly on State Street in Santa Barbara
SANTA BARBARA – In recognition of February as National Heart Month, the Downtown Organization of Santa Barbara will showcase symbolic red flags representing the American Heart Association (AHA), bearing the iconic heart and torch emblem. This will be the third year…
Mental Wellness Center Welcomes Two New Board Members
SANTA BARBARA — The Mental Wellness Center is proud to announce the appointments of Ned Emerson and Vickie Gonzales to its Board of Directors. Ned Emerson brings over four decades of business and sales experience to the Mental Wellness Center’s…
8 Ways to Make Resolutions Stick in 2017: Santa Barbara Family YMCA offers tips to make lasting change
SANTA BARBARA — Making resolutions is a tradition for millions of Americans. However, while choosing a resolution is easy, sticking to it can be impossible. A 2014 YMCA survey found that less than a quarter of respondents kept their resolutions.…
CenCal Health Pilot Project to Help Eligible Seniors Receive At-Home Assistance
CENTRAL COAST — To ensure that vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities continue to receive at-home medical services, CenCal Health is launching a pilot project with DASH (Doctors Assisting Seniors at Home) to serve its members. DASH is a program…
CenCal Health Rated in Top 10% of Nation’s Medicaid Plans
CENTRAL COAST — This year, CenCal Health rated in the top 10 percent of Medicaid plans nationally for nine areas of care in the most recent state quality measurement ratings. This marks CenCal Health’s best overall performance over the 15 years…
Gold Coast Health Plan Signs Contract with New Pharmacy Benefit Manager
Ventura County’s Medi-Cal Plan to Begin Partnership with OptumRx in 2017 CAMARILLO — Gold Coast Health Plan (GCHP) has finalized its contract with OptumRx to manage the prescription drug benefits for the Plan’s more than 207,000 members. Starting next year, the Minnesota-based…
CenCal Health and Community Action Commission Partner to Tackle Rising Senior Hunger Rates and Reduce Effects of Malnutrition and Isolation
SANTA BARBARA — CenCal Health executives and staff recently spent time with local seniors at the Goleta Valley Community Center, one of 11 sites across the county where the Community Action Commission of Santa Barbara County (CAC) provides a nutritious meal…
Montecito Family YMCA: 7 Healthy Habits for Your Family to Help Solve Childhood Obesity
California now ranked No. 1 in percentage of children considered overweight or obese; Childhood obesity has more than tripled during the past 30 years MONTECITO – September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, and while the dangers of childhood obesity are…
Mental Wellness Center Extends Family Advocate Hours for Community Members
SANTA BARBARA — The Mental Wellness Center is pleased to announce it has extended the hours of its Family Advocate, offering everyone in the community access to information, support and resources related to mental health for a family member or…
CenCal Health Launches Campaign to Educate Provider Community on Behavioral Health Services in SB, SLO Counties
CENTRAL COAST – CenCal Health, in partnership with the Central Coast Medical Association, The Holman Group, Santa Barbara County Behavioral Wellness and San Luis Obispo County Behavioral Health Department recently hosted three seminars in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, and San…
Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics Awarded $11,000 to Support their Continued Leadership in Community Health Care
Foundation recognizes health center as vital member of California’s safety net SANTA BARBARA — Blue Shield of California Foundation has just awarded a grant of $11,000 in unrestricted funds to the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics in recognition of their critical role in…
Santa Barbara Heart & Stroke Walk/Run Raises More Than $210,000 to Fight Heart Disease and Stroke
CENTRAL COAST — More than 1 in 3 Americans have some form of cardiovascular disease. Santa Barbara resident and owner of Tri-County Produce, John Dixon is all too familiar with this devastating disease. He was born with heart disease and had…
Ventura County Heart & Stroke Walk/Run Raised Nearly $150,000 to Fight Heart Disease and Stroke
CENTRAL COAST — Cardiovascular diseases are the number one killer of both men and women in the U.S. – killing about 2,200 Americans each day – one every 40 seconds. To combat these statistics, the American Heart Association (AHA) hosted…