Posts In Category
Public Health

LAC DPH Health Alert: Measles Exposure in LA County
This message is intended for primary care, urgent care, emergency, pediatric, and internal medicine, infectious disease, and laboratory providers. Please distribute as appropriate. Key Messages A patient with infectious measles visited Santa Monica from August 8-10, 2018. Health care providers should consider the diagnosis of measles among persons presenting with a …

New Reports and Datasets Released: “Los Angeles County City and Community Health Profiles”
The Department of Public Health has released a first-of-its-kind series of health profile reports for 86 Los Angeles County cities and communities (62 cities, the 15 Los Angeles City Council Districts, and 9 unincorporated Census designated communities). These reports provide the most detailed information available to date on the health of …

Los Angeles County Health Agency Launches Center for Health Equity Action Plan
Yesterday, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas along with the Los Angeles County Health Agency and community partners announced the release of a new plan that promotes health equity across LA County. Over the next five years, the Health Agency will join with others to sustain efforts to reduce and eliminate some of …

Los Angeles County Appoints New Health Officer
This article originally appeared on the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health website On Monday, July 30th, Muntu Davis, MD, MPH, former County Health Officer and Director of the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) was sworn in as the new Los Angeles County Health Officer. A noted national …

Optimizing Care for Women of Reproductive Age with One Key Question®
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health recommends that health care providers routinely screen for pregnancy desire in well-woman and primary care visits for women of reproductive age. In LA County, chronic diseases that negatively impact pregnancy, such as diabetes and hypertension, are increasing in this population. In addition, …

Rising Numbers of Deaths Involving Fentanyl and Fentanyl Analogs, Including Carfentanil, and Increased Usage and Mixing with Non-opioids
Summary This is an alert to public health departments, health care professionals, first responders, and medical examiners and coroners to important new developments in the evolving opioid overdose epidemic, which increasingly involves illicitly manufactured fentanyl and an array of potent fentanyl analogs (i.e., compounds that are chemically related to fentanyl). …

Public Health Releases New City and Community Health Profiles
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) released the most geographically focused reports to date on the health of county residents and the community conditions impacting their health across the county. Reports were generated for cities and unincorporated communities with at least 24,000 residents, including …

First Human Case of West Nile Virus Reported in LA County
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has identified the first case of human West Nile virus (WNV) infection in Los Angeles County for the 2018 season (excluding Long Beach and Pasadena as cases identified in those cities are reported by their local health departments). A resident …

L.A. County Sues Opioid Manufacturers to Combat Public Health Crisis Created by Opioid Addiction
Orange County Superior Court Judge Kim G. Dunning has issued an order that opens the door for Los Angeles County to locally prosecute civil claims against opioid manufacturers. The judge’s action comes after the County, acting to protect the health of its residents, moved to join a lawsuit that accuses …

New Report Shows California’s Progress Addressing Opioid Crisis
Urges further policy changes to expand access to care for pain and substance use disorders The American Medical Association (AMA) issued a new report on Thursday documenting how California’s physician leadership is advancing the fight against the opioid crisis. The report found a statewide decrease in opioid prescribing, as well as an …