by Juliana Birnbaum Fox
Continuing a successful pilot program started last year, Redwood City School District is provid- ing a healthy breakfast and lunch at no cost to eligible K- 5 students. Lunches in the Redwood City School District include a choice of five different entrees, non- fat or 1 percent milk, and a wide selection of fruits and vegetables.
“Nutritious meals support learning,” said Superintendent Jan Christensen.
“Children do better in school when they are eating healthy meals on a regular basis”.
Study shows lower rates of breastfeeding at hospitals serving the poor
An analysis of California hospitals released last week demonstrates that the breastfeeding gap is greatest in hospitals serving ethnic low-income mothers and babies, especially Los Angeles county. But the report goes on to show that, when hospitals improve their newborn feeding practices, they dramatically increase their breastfeeding rates.
“Breastfeeding should not depend on where you are born. Our report shows that virtually all of the hospitals with the lowest exclusive breastfeeding rates reported here serve low-income and minority women — the very population most affected by poor health outcomes such as diabetes and obesity”, says Karen Farley of California WIC Association.
Authorities urge exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, because it can prevent a host of infant and maternal illnesses — as well as childhood obesity.
Veteran health leader chosen as interim chief of San Mateo County Health system
San Mateo County Manager John Maltbie has announced that Health Director Charlene Silva will serve as interim Chief of a newly created department responsible for all County healthcare functions. The move is expected to strengthen the County’s leadership role in local health issues by organizing the San Mateo Medical Center and the Health Department under a Chief of the Health System.
Silva will play a key role in aligning all health functions in the months before her long-planned retirement. Prior to becoming Health Department Director, she was head of Aging and Adult Services.
“San Mateo County and the entire community will benefit from Charlene’s experience while the County recruits from throughout the country to fi ll this vital position,” Maltbie said.
Campaign raises concerns about psychiatrics drugs and the military
An organization concerned with the widespread use of psychiatric drugs to treat soldiers suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and other mental illnesses have launched a campaign to give the issue national attention.
“In the United States military, psychiatric drugs are the overwhelmingly dominant — and often the only — form of treatment offered to soldiers in crisis,” the campaign website reads, calling the issue a “psychiatric drug crisis.” The group called MindFreedom is currently hosting a petition to introduce their concern to both major U.S. presidential candidates.
AnewAmerica graduates 35 new American business entrepreneurs
Thirty-five students graduated from the Business Plan Basics for MicroEntrepreneurs Course at at Holy Names University on Aug. 28, among them immigrants, refugees, and new citizens. AnewAmerica, the program’s sponsor, called the day “the culmination of many hours of training, education, and preparation by our dedicated students as they work to launch their dream businesses in order to achieve economic self-suffi ciency and move themselves and their families into the middle class.”
AnewAmerica’s Assets for New Americans Virtual Business Incubator is the only program in the nation that provides entrepreneurs and their families up to three years of support in business planning, within a framework of social responsibility.
