Ventura County Public Health Warning Regarding Leaving Kids Unattended in Cars

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Ventura County Public Health warns that leaving children unattended in cars can lead to tragedy

Last month, a Ventura County family narrowly avoided tragedy after discovering their 2-year old near death after he had been accidentally locked in the family’s minivan. The child was rushed to a nearby emergency room where he was diagnosed with hyperthermia (heatstroke) and his body temperature was measured at 107.2 degrees. Thankfully, doctors were able to cool the boy and save his life but, for the hundreds of other children left alone in cars each year, the story does not have the same happy ending.

Such cases are more common than people might expect. An average of 38 children die in hot cars in the United States each year -- that's one every nine days. According to the Department of Geosciences at San Francisco State University, there have been more than 550 documented cases of heatstroke of children in vehicles since 1998.

Dr. Robert Levin, Ventura County Public Health Officer, warns parents to never leave a child unattended in a car – even if it is just for a few minutes and the windows are left open. “The temperature inside a car can heat up 20 degrees in just 10 minutes,” said Levin. “Because a child’s body heats up three to five times fast than an adult’s, it doesn’t take long for a child’s temperature to reach life-threatening levels.”

Any parent can forget their child in a car, especially if they are tired, distracted or out of their regular routine. According to the Safe Kids Worldwide, a global organization dedicated to preventing injuries in children, heatstroke is the number one cause of non-crash vehicle-related deaths for children ages 14 and under. Sadly, more than half of child heatstroke deaths occur when a distracted caregiver forgets a quiet child in the vehicle.

To keep your children safe, Safe Kids Worldwide created the A-C-T educational and awareness campaign for parents and caregivers. Each of the three letters reminds adults of important heat-related prevention tips.

A: Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. Always lock your doors and trunks – even in your driveway. And keep your keys and key fobs out of the reach of kids.

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Sign Up With Nixle to Receive Thousand Oaks Police Department Crime Updates

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The Thousand Oaks Police Department will be transitioning to a new way of providing information to the public.  Since 2007, the Thousand Oaks Police Department has used "City Watch" as a way of providing crime prevention tips, crime trends, new scams and community events.

City Watch was limited to an e-mail base system only.  Due to the number of members on City Watch, TOPD has outgrown the database, causing a tremendous slowdown in the dissemination of information.  As a result, the TOPD is transitioning from City Watch through Nixle.

Nixle is a web-based service that will deliver updates to you instantly via text, email and/or web message. Notifications can also be accessed online at www.Nixle.com. This information will include crime prevention tips, crime trends, scams as well as other relevant safety and community information.

The service is secure, reliable and easy to use. YOU decide what information you want and whether you want it sent to your cell phone, email, or just simply over the web.

Visit www.nixle.com and sign up if you are interested in receiving these updates.

Ventura County Emergency Services Offers Top Ten Water Safety Tips

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Ventura County Emergency Services kicks off summer with drowning prevention tips

June has been a tragic month in Ventura County when it comes to accidental drowning.  Over four days, June 8 - 11, four Ventura County residents drowned in residential swimming pools. One was only 10-years-old.

“As summer officially begins on June 21st, Ventura County Emergency Medical Services (VCEMS) wants to remind all parents that practicing proper water safety saves lives,” said Steve Carroll, VCEMS Administrator. “Drowning is the number one cause of injury-related death among children ages 1-4 and yet it is completely preventable.”

Since 2000, 141 Ventura County residents have died from accidental drowning with 13 of them being children under the age of 14. Nationally, about ten people die from drowning each day and, according to the World Health Organization, globally, 388,000 people drown each year.

To stay safe in and around water, VCEMS advises following these ten water safety tips:

  1. Supervise when in and around water – Designate a responsible adult to watch young children in the bath or when they are swimming or playing around water. Supervisors of preschool children should provide “touch supervision” and be close enough to reach the child at all times.  Because drowning occurs quickly and quietly, adults should not be involved in any other distracting activity – talking on the phone, reading, eating, visiting with friends - even when lifeguards are present.
  2. Use the Buddy System – Always swim with a buddy and, whenever possible, select swimming sites that have lifeguards.
  3. Seizure Disorder Safety – If you or a family member has a seizure disorder, provide one-on-one supervision around water.
  4. Learn to Swim – Formal swimming lessons can help protect young children from drowning. However, even when children have had formal swimming lessons, constant, careful supervision are still important.
  5. Learn CPR – In the time it takes for paramedics to arrive, CPR skills can save someone’s life.
  6. Air-filled or foam toys are not safety devices – Don’t use toys like “water wings,” “noodles” or inner-tubes instead of life jackets. These toys are no
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Take Five Minutes to Learn "Hands Only" CPR and You May Save a Life

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Nearly 400,000 Americans suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrests every year, and almost 90 percent die because they don’t receive immediate CPR from someone on the scene. When begun immediately, CPR can double or triple a person’s chance of survival.

The American Heart Association is on a mission to teach people across the country how to save lives with Hands-Only™ CPR with the help of 70s disco classic, “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees.

If you see a teen or adult collapse, call 9-1-1 and push hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of the classic Bee Gees' song "Stayin' Alive." The American Heart Association's Hands-Only CPR at this beat can more than double or triple a person's chances of survival.

To learn more about the Hands-Only CPR campaign and tour, hustle to heart.org/HandsOnlyCPR, facebook.com/AHACPR or youtube.com/HandsOnlyCPR.

In June 2012, Ventura County Emergency Medical Services Agency coordinated a "Sidewalk CPR" event in over 2 dozen locations throughout the County. Another Hands-Only CPR event at 10 locations is planned for Tuesday, June 4, 2013.

I attended and learned that "mouth-to-mouth" is not necessary to save a life. The steps they taught us in this 5 minute exercise was:

  1. Check for responsiveness - shake and shout. Rub the breast bone with your knuckles.
  2. Call 9-1-1 or tell someone to do so - if unresponsive and gasping or not breathing.
  3. Compress: Position on the floor face up. Place one hand on the center of the chest and the other hand on top of the first. Push HARD (at least 2 inches) and FAST (about 100 times per minute).
  4. Continue until Emergency Medical Services arrives, even if the person gasps. Gasping is not a sign of recovery - it's because you are doing a good job with CPR.

You may just save a life with this knowledge.

Centers for Disease Control Gives the Scoop on Poop in Public Swimming Pools

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Last summer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did a public pool study that concluded that feces are frequently introduced into pool water by swimmers.

I debated whether to publish this, well, not particularly pleasant information, but we should all be aware of prepared when we venture out into public swimming areas (such as this compilation of several dozen fun water activities in and around Ventura County).

The CDC collected samples of water from public pool pool filters last summer and tested the samples for genetic material of multiple microbes. Fully 58 percent of the pool filter samples tested were positive for E. coli, bacteria normally found in the human gut and feces.

Finding a high percentage of E. coli-positive filters indicates swimmers frequently contaminate pool water when they have a "fecal incident" in the water or when feces rinse off of their bodies because they do not shower thoroughly before getting into the water.

The study did not address water parks, residential pools or other types of recreational water. The study does not allow CDC to make conclusions about all pools in the United Stat

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Russell Fischer Business Collection Premieres at the Camarillo Public Library

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The Russell Fischer Business Collection premiered at the Camarillo Public Library on Wednesday, May 22. 

Russell Fischer was a local citrus farmer who passed away in 2005 at the age of 93, leaving an $11 million estate to the Ventura County Community Foundation to be split among five non-profit entities, including the Camarillo Public Library.

The Library was bequeathed a total of $2,764,149.07, according to Camarillo Mayor Charlotte Craven, at the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Fischer asked that the library funds be used on business related resources.  The grand opening marked the initial phase of growing the collection, which will eventually include business related print books and electronic books, online training videos and databases.  The library also has created a workspace area that is well suited for business research and collaboration. The library also plans to incorporate events, seminars and training workshops with a focus on business related topics.

After the ribbon cutting ceremony, Lynda Weinman of Lynda.com gave a keynote speech, sharing the story of how she and her husband founded and grew the company into a leading provider of online education, helping millions of individuals around the world.  Lynda.com subscriptions will be available to the public at no charge on a number of computers in the Russell Fischer Business Collection.

The collection is located on the 2nd floor of the library. For more information, visit www.camarillolibrary.org or call 805.388.5222.

Make a Splash: Stay Healthy Under the Sun and In the Water This Summer

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Make a Splash!

Stay healthy under the sun and in the water this summer - a reminder from the CDC

As schools let out and summer approaches, remember to stay healthy and safe under the sun and in the water. Skin cancer is the most common kind of cancer in the United States, and melanoma is the most deadly kind of skin cancer. Just a few serious sunburns at any age can increase a person’s risk of skin cancer. We all share the water we swim in, and each of us needs to do our part to help keep ourselves, our families, and our friends healthy while swimming.

To help protect yourself and others from disease and germs, here are a few easy and effective steps to take this season:

  • SEEK shade- especially during midday hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight are the greatest during the late spring and early summer in North America.
  • PROTECT your body- wear clothing that protects the skin such as a wide-brimmed hat to shade the face, head, ears, and neck; and wraparound sunglasses that block as close to 100 percent of ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays as possible (sunglasses safeguard the eyes from UVA and UVB rays, protect the tender skin around the eyes from sun exposure, and reduce the risk of cataracts).
  • APPLY sunscreen- sunscreen with sun protective factor (SPF) 15 or higher, and both UVA and UVB protection. Remember to reapply sunscreen at least every 2 hours and after swimming, sweating, and toweling off.
  • CHECK pools– before getting into the water, check the pool to see if it is at the proper chlorine level (1–3 mg/L or parts per million [ppm]) and pH (7.2–7.8) to maximize germ-killing power.
  • KEEP the poop and pee out of the water while swimming- don’t swim when ill with diarrhea; chlorine and other disinfectants don’t kill germs instantly; mixing of chlorine with pee and sweat uses up the germ-killing chlorine in the pool and creates those chemicals that sting your eyes and make you cough.
  • DON’T swallow the water you swim in.

Enjoy your time outdoors and in the water, and take steps to be healthy.

Here are some great outdoor activities in and around Ventura County this summer:

Beaches spanning from Carpinteria to Ventura

Beaches spanning from Oxnard to Malibu

4th of July festivities and fireworks

Water parks, splash pads and community swimming

Summer concerts in the park