😷COVID-19 Summer Surge

COVID-19 is Still Here

The number of patients being hospitalized and going to the emergency room with COVID-19 has gone up. It is up to us to keep the numbers low. We encourage everyone to keep testing for COVID-19 and to keep a safe distance from others if feeling sick.

GET TESTED – If you have been around someone with COVID-19 or if you feel symptoms stay home and get tested.

Symptoms include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Cough
• Runny Nose
• Fatigue
• Body aches

You can get a free COVID-19 test by calling the LA County Department of Public Health at 1-833-540-0473, 7 days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. For more information on testing visit http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/covidtests.

GET TREATMENT – If you test positive, contact your doctor immediately. Safe and effective oral treatments are available for COVID-19. LA Health Services offers several convenient ways to help you get treatment.

• NAL – Call the Nurse Advice Line to get care now. Speak with a nurse about any COVID-19 concerns by calling 1-844-804-0055, 7 days a week from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. For more information click on Nurse Advice Line.
• eVisits – Get online care from a provider within 1 hour. Simply sign in to your LA Health Portal account and fill out the patient form. For more information click on eVisits.
• Your Doctor – Contact your doctor directly. Click on Locations for a list of providers and their contact information.

Starting treatment within the first five days of symptoms can keep you from getting seriously sick and from getting post-COVID conditions.

Fight Childhood Obesity

1 in 5 children suffer from obesity. More children are being diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, and other conditions because of obesity. 

Obesity in children can happen because they:

• Aren't active enough.
• Don’t sleep enough.
• Don’t have a place to do physical activity.
• Have easy access to junk food.
• Don't have enough access to affordable healthy foods.

Children who live in low-income homes are more likely to be obese. Obesity affects:

• 48% of African American children
• 42% of Hispanic children
• 36% of Caucasian children
• 12% of Asian children

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, and you can take steps to end childhood obesity:

• Eat healthy snacks.
• Do physical activities with your family.
• Offer and try new foods.
• Give kids plain water and limit juice and soda.
• Do not give your child food for good behavior.
• Make sure your child gets enough sleep. Lack of sleep may cause hunger.

As children go back to school, talk to your pediatrician or family doctor about healthy eating and exercise habits for your family. Schedule a checkup for your child. Pediatric and adolescent care.

Aging is a Part of Life, HIV Doesn’t Have to Be!

Almost half of the people in the United States diagnosed with HIV, are age 50 and older. 1 in every 6 new cases of HIV is in an older adult. It is the fastest growing group with HIV. 

September 18 is National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day (NHAAD). This day is meant to encourage older adults to learn more about HIV and to get tested.

Many older people who have HIV are not aware of it. Older people might be dealing with other diseases and the aches and pains of normal aging. Those symptoms can hide the signs of HIV/AIDS. It is important that everyone is tested for HIV/AIDS at least once in their lifetime. 

Older adults may have conditions such as heart disease and cancers that can complicate HIV treatment. However, people with HIV are living longer because of HIV medications. 

HIV doesn’t have an age limit. No matter your age, you can still get HIV by having sex without a condom or sharing needles. Talk to your doctor about testing and prevention tools or visit Positive Care/HIV in our LA Health website.

Latinos: Driving Prosperity, Power, and Progress in America

Hispanics, also referred to as Latinas, Latinos and Latinx have made and continue to make a huge impact. Did you know, Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena invented color television? Or that Cesar Milstein helped develop the COVID-19 treatment? How about that currently there are 1,300 Latinos working at NASA?

There are 62 million Hispanic people in the United States, it is the fastest-growing group in the nation. Their influence can be seen in food, music, sports, art, science and more.

These contributions are celebrated during Hispanic Heritage Month, from September 15 to October 15. The celebration starts mid-month because it also celebrates independence days of several Latin cultures including Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Chile.

LA Health Services celebrates diversity and prides itself on working on advancing equity and justice for everyone. We acknowledge the diverse language needs of our patients and provide language access and interpreter services free of charge. Please visit our Language Access Services Page for more details.