Health Briefs, June 21, 2011

By Staff
Monday, June 20, 2011

Health Department ends throat cultures

The Mesa County Health Department will discontinue its throat culture and treatment services July 1.

According to the Health Department, physicians have said they prefer to test and manage their patients. Those seeking throat cultures and treatment after July 1 will be given a resource list directing them to their primary care physician or other community resources.

For information, please call 248-6900 or go to http://www.health. mesacounty.us.

Car seat safety sessions to be available

The Mesa County Health Department will offer a number of car seat fit and education stations throughout the summer, at which nationally certified technicians will evaluate all children in a vehicle to determine if they are traveling safely in car seats, booster seats and seat belts.

The stations will be:

from 8 a.m. to noon Friday in the northeast side of the Fruita Community Center parking lot.

from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 22 in the auditorium parking lot at 102 Main Street in Collbran.

from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 26 in the De Beque Town Hall parking lot.

The Health Department also will continue to have regular fit stations from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. the second Friday of every month at the Community Services Building, 510 29 1/2 Road. Those unable to attend can schedule an appointment by calling 254-4112.

According to Colorado law, infants must ride in rear-facing car seats until they are at least 1 year old and weigh at least 20 pounds; children 1 to 4 years old weighing 20 to 40 pounds must ride in a forward-facing car seat with a harness; children 4 to 8 years old must be restrained in a booster seat; and children 8 to 18 years old, weighing more than 40 pounds and who are more than 55 inches tall, must use lap and shoulder seat belts. Safety advocates recommend that all children younger than 13 ride in the back seat.

Suicide intervention workshop offered

The Center for Mental Health in Montrose will sponsor a two-day Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) workshop from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 28 and 29 at the Delta-Montrose Area Vocational Tech Center, 1765 U.S. Highway 50 in Delta.

The workshop is designed to give practical training for caregivers seeking to prevent the immediate risk of suicide. It emphasizes suicide first aid, helping a person at risk stay safe and seek further help, recognizing invitations for helping, reviewing the risk of suicide and linking people with community resources.

The workshop is free. Pre-registration is required. For more information or to register, call Judy Schmalz at 970-252-3228 or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

New health center now open in Rifle

Mountain Family Health Centers opened its new Rifle clinic Monday, and a grand opening event is scheduled for Aug. 12.

The 9,000-square-foot facility will be a place for primary care and features a five-station dental suite. It’s the first Mountain Family clinic to offer dental care. The clinic was funded with $554,290 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; $450,000 from the Colorado Health Foundation; $450,000 from a Colorado Department of Local Affairs block grant; $150,000 from Caring for Colorado; $90,000 from the Gates Family Foundation; $50,000 from the Boettcher Foundation; and several others.

Mountain Family Health Centers is a nonprofit organization that specializes in serving the medically underserved and uninsured. Most private insurances are accepted, as well as Medicaid and Medicare, and sliding scale and other assistance programs are offered. In addition to the new Rifle clinic, Mountain Family has locations in Glenwood Springs, Basalt and Black Hawk.

The Rifle clinic is at 195 W. 14th Street and is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. For information or to make an appointment, call 970-945-2840.

Doctors group joins reading outreach

Western Colorado Physicians Group, a division of Primary Care Partners, now offers patients age 6 months to 5 years a book with every well-child visit.

The book initiative is done through Reach Out & Read, a national nonprofit program that promotes early literacy and school readiness, as well as encourages parents to read to their children. Western Colorado Physicians Group recently incorporated Reach Out & Read into the practice. Western Colorado Pediatric Associates and Family Physicians of Western Colorado, also divisions of Primary Care Partners, also participate in Reach Out & Read.

New skin-tightening procedure offered

Drs. Duane O. Hartshorn and Matthew R. Swelstad recently incorporated the Ulthera System into the ReGenesis Plastic Surgery and Skin Care Center.

The Ulthera System uses ultrasound energy on the face and neck to lift and tighten the skin in a 30-minute procedure called Ultherapy. It’s a non-invasive procedure in which a physician uses ultrasound imaging to target specific layers of tissue below the skin, then focuses that same ultrasound energy to treat just the targeted tissue, according to Hartshorn.

For information, go to http://www.regenesisplasticsurgery.com.