Scripps Health Offers Jobs to CalWorks Participants
U.S. senators Bill Frist, Edward Kennedy and Judd Gregg have introduced a $3.2 billion bill to fight bioterrorism , twice as much as President George W. Bush has proposed spending.
Dr. James Dunford, emergency medical services director for the city of San Diego, said any money filtering to the city would provide a much-needed boost in bioterrorism preparedness.
“It would certainly be extraordinarily welcome to our community,” Dunford said.
His list of improvements include strengthening the public health system, improving surveillance methods, buying proper diagnostic equipment to identify biological and chemical agents, and funding for hospitals and clinics to be able to handle such a large-scale attack.
“The scope of the concern that was only previously imagined was based on the concept of an earthquake,” Dunford said.
A bioterrorism event is likely to be much more devastating in terms of patient care. Challenges include isolating infected people, distributing medicines to potentially hundreds or thousands of people, and providing adequate patient care in the hospital and at home, he said.
According to published reports, the senators want to use the money to boost the nation’s stockpile of vaccines and antibiotics, increase food inspections and help state and local governments prepare for biological and chemical attacks.
Of the $3.2 billion, about $1.1 billion would go toward stockpiling antibiotics and doses of a smallpox vaccine, and another $1 billion would go toward helping state and local officials prepare for bioterrorism, according to a newsletter of the California Healthcare Foundation.
By comparison, Bush has proposed spending $1.5 billion, including $643 million to increase the stockpile of antibiotics and other medical supplies. An additional $509 million would be used to boost the national supply of smallpox vaccines.
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Scripps Teams With County:
Scripps Health officials have partnered with the county of San Diego to get people off welfare and into the work force.
Scripps said it has identified as many as 200 entry-level positions that could potentially be filled through the CalWorks (California Work Opportunity and Responsibility for Kids) program.
As of last week, Scripps hired three welfare recipients and had 28 people going through the hiring process, a Scripps spokeswoman said.
Jill Van Antwerp, senior human resources director for Scripps, said Scripps offers participants an extensive career ladder.
“We are interested in helping folks to get on board and be a part of our system and help develop them so they can move up and continue to be Scripps employees,” Antwerp said.
Scripps is one of the largest employers in town with job opportunities at five hospitals, and in clinics and home health care, she added.
Cindy Gompper-Graves, program manager for the county’s Office of Trade and Business Development, said an initial study of the program shed light on the severe shortage of welfare recipients in the local medical industry.
With $125,000 in state funding in hand, county workers were able to educate local health care providers, including the major hospital systems, private doctor’s offices and biotechnology companies, about the program.
The state rewards employers willing to hire welfare recipients by offering tax credits , up to $2,400 per employee for a one-year work opportunity and up to $8,500 for retaining an employee for two years, according to the county’s office of trade and business development.
Liposuction, Anyone? Dr. Gerald Bernstein, director for the Tumescent Liposuction Center at the Scripps Clinic, performs an advanced liposuction technique using local anesthesia to remove large amounts of fat.
According to Scripps, compared to traditional liposuction surgery the “tumescent” technique is less costly, allows patients to go home right after surgery, and requires minimal post-operative discomfort that can be treated with extra-strength Tylenol or Tylenol with codeine.
Nearly all patients return to their regular routines within three to five days and are back to light exercise within one week, Scripps said.
For information, contact the Scripps Clinic.
Please send health care news to mwebb@ sdbj.com.
