About ouRXperience
Produced by KQED's community correspondents, ouRXperience was launched with the idea that the best way to learn about the health lives of our communities is to give voice to community members themselves. Read more about our blog here.
Apply to be a Community Correspondent!
KQED is currently seeking community correspondents from Richmond, Greater Oroville and Redding. Do you feel like you have stories to tell in your community? Let us know! We may include your city in our coverage area. Download applications:
Subscribe
Subscribe to ouRXperience!
Communities
About our Community Correspondents
The blog ouRXperience is reported by our community correspondents: involved residents committed to informing the rest of us about what is happening in neighborhoods across California. Learn more about our correspondents here.
Community Map
Learn more about the communities ouRXperience is covering in our interactive map.
Search ouRXeperience
California Health Blogroll
National Health Blogroll
Author Archives: Rachelle Parker
Last Marijuana Dispensary Closes in Butte County
Many counties now have marijuana dispensaries for those people who are unable to grow their own marijuana. Until recently, Butte County was home to nine dispensaries. But on October 18th the last cannabis dispensary operating in Butte County, North Valley Holistic Health, shut down. One week later, the Butte County Board of Supervisors voted to ban all cannabis dispensaries from the county. According to Supervisor Larry Wahl, (Rep. District 2) the ban will be in place as long as federal laws prohibit the sale of marijuana.
Medicare Anthem Blue Bows Out of North Valley
Two low-cost Medicare supplemental health plans will no longer be offered in this area next year. Both Anthem Freedom Blue and Anthem Freedom Blue Classic were offered with no monthly premium and had been offered in every county in California. After January 1, 2012, the plans will only be offered in some California counties and Butte County will not be among them.
Marie Brackett, a local retired welfare worker, is frantically searching for a new plan for her husband, Jerry, an Anthem Freedom Blue Classic customer. She told me that since they received the letter informing him of the change in his coverage, she has been calling Medicare and gathering information online to choose another plan. Brackett has become concerned because many plans refer people to their websites and Brackett has several friends who do not own computers.
Dia del Campesinos: Migrant Farmworkers Fair
Migrant workers make up 10 percent of Dr. Leon's patients in Chico and his practice is roughly 35 percent Hispanic. Leon told me that some of his patients return to Mexico when they need a specialist or a procedure, such as an MRI. That's because sometimes his patients have health insurance in Mexico, but not the U.S., and sometimes it's because the procedures simply cost less in Mexico.
West Nile Virus, Oroville ... and Me
Matt Ball is the manager of the Butte County Mosquito and Vector Control District (BCMVCD).The District tries to prevent the spread of West Nile virus in many ways, including hiring a helicopter to fly over Butte County photographing and then treating possible mosquito breeding grounds. When he mentioned that "one unmaintained swimming pool could affect humans and animals for up to ten blocks," I suddenly remembered our neighbor's home, which they lost through foreclosure. The home included a swimming pool. Even though my neighbors had drained the pool, they had mentioned a leaky valve. I checked, and sure enough, there was plenty of standing water in the pool.
Addressing Teen Suicide in Butte County
Dan and Joan Strauss lost their 17-year-old son Alex to suicide last October. After the death of their son, Strauss and his wife went to Alex's high school and spoke to the students about warning signs for depression and suicide. … Continue reading
Subscribe
Subscribe to ouRXperience!
