Ventura County Public Health Launches "Health Matters in Ventura County" Website

Ventura County Public Health (VCPH) recently launched Health Matters in Ventura County (www.healthmattersinvc.org), a website for accurate and timely health-related data for Ventura County. The website’s database, developed in partnership with Healthy Communities Institute (HCI), tracks more than 75 health and quality-of-life indicators in Ventura County using local, state and federal data.

In the same way that a car’s dashboard displays if a car is running well or not, www.healthmattersinvc.org’s dashboard displays health information in the form of a gauge – with green indicators showing better-than-average performance and red indicators highlighting areas needing improvement.

The unveiling of the new website corresponds with National Public Health Week (NPHW), an annual celebration sponsored by the American Public Health Association to recognize the contributions Public Health departments make in the communities they serve. This year’s NPHW theme is Public Health: Start Here.

Much like how VCPH programs help educate residents about making the right choices to achieve and maintain good health, www.healthmattersinvc.org is designed to provide decision-makers with a starting point to use when looking for the information they need to identify key health problems and develop initiatives to combat those problems. VCPH hopes that the site serves as a valuable resource to government agencies, nonprofits, educational institutions, students and community members.

The site serves as a data depository for health indicators such as HIV/AIDs, diabetes, obesity, cancer, STDs, as well as other infectious diseases. In addition, there is data for quality-of-life indicators including rates of smoking, DUIs, fast food restaurant density, water quality, violent crime and more. 

In addition to health indicators, the site also houses VCPH’s newly released health status report entitled “Transforming Ventura Communities: Understanding the Health Status and Needs of Ventura County.”  This report, funded in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Community Transformation Grant, looks closely at the socio-economic factors influencing five strategic directions: (1) Health Eating and Active Living, (2) Tobacco-Free Living, (3) High Impact Clinical Preventive Services, (4) Social and Emotional Wellbeing and (5) Healthy and Safe Physical Environments.

California Appeals Court Rules That It Is OK to Hold Cell Phone to Look at Map

My HTC Android phone with map app circa 2014, a phone and app that the 5th District Court of Appeal aptly pointed out did not exist in any shape or form in 2006.

Two years ago, Steven Spriggs was stuck in traffic and decided to look at a map on his smartphone to figure out a way out of the congestion. Sure enough, a CHP officer nailed him for "holding his telephone" and gave him a $165 citation for violating California Vehicle Code section 23123 (a), which prohibits drivers from “using a wireless telephone unless that telephone is specifically designed and configured to allow hands-free listening and talking, and is used in that manner while driving.” 

Spriggs took it to court as he was not actually listening or talking on the phone, but merely looking at the map. He lost. Spriggs appealed and lost again, but the case was taken to the 5th District court of Appeal in central California for certification. Earlier this week, the 5th District court agreed with Spriggs, stating that the statute means what it says – it prohibits a driver only from holding a wireless telephone while conversing on it. 

In other words, it is not illegal to hold your cell phone in the car in California unless you are actually talking or texting on the phone. At least to look at a map. For now. At least.

The prior appellate division concluded that the statute was not “designed to prohibit hands-on use of a wireless telephone for conversation only,” but instead was “specifically designed to prevent a driver from using a wireless telephone while driving unless the device is being used in a hands-free manner,” and “outlawed all ‘hands-on’ use of a wireless telephone while driving.” The 5th District basically said this was hogwash.

The 5th District court statute indicated "had the Legislature intended to prohibit drivers from holding the telephone and using it for all purposes, it would not have limited the telephone’s required design and configuration to “hands-free listening and talking,” but would have used broader language, such as 'hands-free operation' or 'hands-free use.'  To interpret section 23123(a) as applying to any use of a wireless telephone renders the “listening and talking” element nonsensical, as not all uses of a wireless telephone involve listening and talking, including looking at a map application."

The court further said in its ruling that, "although the Legislature was concerned about the distraction caused by operating a wireless telephone while holding it, the Legislature’s focus was on prohibiting holding the telephone only while carrying on a conversation, not while using it for any other purpose.  This is not surprising, given that when the statute was enacted in 2006, most wireless telephones were just that – a telephone – rather than an electronic device with multiple functions." In other words there were no iPhones (launched in late June 2007) or other smartphones in use at the time the law was written, so how could they have contemplated use of the phone for viewing a map at the time.

I like this judge. He goes on to say that prosecutors' interpretation of the law to ban ALL hand-held use of cell phones would "lead to absurd results....If the phrase 'using a wireless telephone' includes all conceivable uses, then it would be a statutory violation for a driver to merely look at the telephone’s display if the telephone was not designed and configured to allow hands-free listening and talking.  It would also be a violation to hold the telephone in one’s hand, even if configured for hands-free listening and talking, and look at the time or even merely move it for use as a paperweight."

Prosecutors has asserted the statute would not be violated if a driver looked at a map application as long as the wireless telephone was mounted and the application was “activated using the phone’s hand[s]-free capability.”  However, as Spriggs points out, under this scenario the statute could still be violated merely by looking at the map application on the wireless telephone if the telephone was not designed and configured to allow hands-free listening and talking.

The actual write-up is at s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1031494/spriggs-opinion.pdf

National Park Service Parks and Websites Closed Due to Government Shutdown

Yay! Government shutdown ended on Thursday, October 17th. The National Park Service and other Government agencies are now back in business.

This is the screen shown on the National Park Service website as a result of the federal government shutdown. All national parks are closed and NPS websites and Facebook pages are not in operation until the shutdown ends.

The NPS has closed all 401 national parks, including park grounds, visitor centers, hotels, campgrounds and park roads (except for thru ways). All programs are cancelled and permits for special events on park grounds are rescinded.

The shutdown will affect over 20,000 NPS employees, who are furloughed until an appropriation is passed, while 3,000 employees continue to work on essential services, including security, emergency services and firefighting.

For updates, visit the Department of the Interior website at www.doi.gov/shutdown.

Sign at Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa trailhead in Newbury Park.

CDC Reports Over 200,000 Preventable Heart Disease and Stroke Deaths Annually

More than 200,000 preventable deaths from heart disease and stroke occurred in the United States in 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  More than half of these deaths happened to people younger than 65 years of age, and the overall rate of preventable deaths from heart disease and stroke dropped nearly 30 percent between 2001 and 2010, with the declines varying by age.  Lack of access to preventive screenings and early treatment for high blood pressure and high cholesterol could explain the differences among age groups.

• Age: Death rates in 2010 were highest among adults aged 65-74 years (401.5 per 100,000 population).  But preventable deaths have declined faster in those aged 65–74 years compared to those under age 65.
• Race/ethnicity: Blacks are twice as likely—and Hispanics are slightly less likely—as whites to die from preventable heart disease and stroke.
• Sex: Avoidable deaths from heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure were higher among males (83.7 per 100,000) than females (39.6 per 100,000). Black men have the highest risk. Hispanic men are twice as likely as Hispanic women to die from preventable heart disease and stroke.
• Location: By state, avoidable deaths from cardiovascular disease ranged from a rate of 36.3 deaths per 100,000 population in Minnesota to 99.6 deaths per 100,000 in the District of Columbia. By county, the highest avoidable death rates in 2010 were concentrated primarily in the southern Appalachian region and much of Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.  The lowest rates were in the West, Midwest, and Northeast regions.

To save more lives from these preventable deaths, doctors, nurses, and other health care providers can encourage healthy habits at every patient visit, including not smoking, increasing physical activity, eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and taking medicines as directed.

Learn more about CDC’s heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure initiatives, and the national Million Hearts initiative.

Ventura County Recognizes September as National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month and the County of Ventura is joining the nationwide effort to encourage individuals, families, businesses and organizations to prepare for emergencies by getting a kit, making a plan, staying informed and getting involved in their local community.

At 10:00 a.m. on September 10, 2013, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors will proclaim September as National Preparedness Month in Ventura County.

Preparedness is important because in the event of a local emergency, Ventura County residents may need to be self-reliant for at least three days without access to electricity, water service, or food. “Being prepared is a shared responsibility and everyone should do their part,” said Kevin McGowan, Assistant Director of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services. “Emergencies will happen, so I urge residents to be proactive and get prepared before disasters strike”.

Ventura County residents can take simple steps to be better prepared for disasters by making an emergency supply kit, developing a family communications plan, staying informed of the local hazards and getting involved in our community.

CLICK HERE for an Emergency Supply List.

For more information on how to be better prepared, visit the Ready Ventura County website at www.readyventuracounty.org as well as on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ReadyVC) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/ReadyVC) for weekly preparedness tips, news and events.