Latest news with #AmericanHeartAssn.
Los Angeles Times
7 days ago
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
Huntington Beach Fire Department cardiac care again earns top honors from American Heart Assn.
People often say that time is money, but when it comes to cardiac care, time is muscle. 'Every time you have a major heart attack, your heart muscle is dying,' Huntington Beach Fire Department division chief Justin Fleming explained. 'If too much of it dies, your heart stops. The thing is, once it dies, it doesn't repair itself, so you have a very small window [of time] to get that reopened and get the blood flow going again.' The Huntington Beach Fire Department has again earned top marks from the American Heart Assn. for its excellence in cardiac care. Huntington Beach received 'gold' recognition in the AHA's 2024 Mission: Lifeline EMS program for the fifth straight year, Fleming said in a presentation he made Tuesday night to the City Council along with the department's chief medical officer, Dr. Rombod Rahimian. The Mission: Lifeline EMS program was launched in 2014 and celebrates achievement of pre-hospital providers in cardiac care, as well as their collaboration with local hospitals. Fleming said the Huntington Beach Fire Department has been the only department in Orange County over the last few years to receive the top 'gold' recognition. He said in an interview with the Daily Pilot that the honor was a result of excellence from firefighters and paramedics in cardiac care. 'You want your community to know how well the department's performing, and this is a good example, because I think it's something that's relatable to everybody,' Fleming said. 'Cardiac issues affect every household across the United States, so our community can feel good knowing that, 'Hey, if I'm going to have a heart attack or acute coronary syndrome in the city of Huntington Beach and my fire department shows up, I already know I'm getting some of the best care available.'' Metrics measured for the AHA recognition included performing a 12-lead electrocardiogram acquisition within 10 minutes of arrival, and the transmission of that EKG to local hospitals, decreasing the time between heart attack recognition and administration of care at a cardiac receiving center. Local hospital partners include Huntington Beach Hospital, Hoag Memorial, Orange Coast Memorial and UCI Health — Fountain Valley. Fleming said that Huntington Beach first started transmitting EKGs in 2014, a trailblazer in the county in that effort. 'Before we've even left the scene, the hospital is already getting ready for that person to show up,' Fleming said. 'That's the most important thing … It's about quality of life, too. We save so much heart muscle that hopefully, if you had a major heart attack, you're walking out and you can go ride a bike still, versus having to sit in a wheelchair.' He gave the example of a surfer having a heart attack, which could have been thought of as a drowning. 'Our paramedics know, because they've been working this area a long time and they've been on a number of these,' Fleming said. 'We recognized it, got him there, got the intervention done and the person walks out of the hospital able to surf again. That's the kind of stuff that we're proud of.' Rahimian, an emergency medicine specialist, called the American Heart Assn. honor a team award. 'Really, in emergency care, you've got to be outstanding at your assessment and outstanding at performing procedures when needed,' he said. 'We drill on those things. It's almost like basketball practice, right? You practice, because once you get to game time you stop thinking, you're able to do and do with success.' Members of the council praised the Huntington Beach Fire Department's efforts. 'We are very fortunate here in Huntington Beach,' Councilman Don Kennedy said. 'We truly have America's finest fire department, hands down … The department is incredible, it starts with the leadership, all the way down the line, so thank you.'
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Here's why Santa Cruz just added a soda tax, in defiance of a statewide ban
A new so-called "soda tax" that was approved by voters in the city of Santa Cruz went into effect on Thursday, the first tax of its kind to be passed in California since a ban was signed by former Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018. The tax — approved by voters in November — adds a 2-cents-per-ounce tax on nonalcoholic beverages that have one or more caloric added sweeteners and that have 40 or more calories per 12 fluid ounces of beverage, including sodas, coffees, sweetened ice teas, energy drinks and slushies. Four other cities in California, including San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland and Albany, already have a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages on the books, with Berkeley being the first city in the country to do so. But Santa Cruz is the first one to institute a new one since legislators and business leaders struck a deal that was signed by the previous governor that prohibited local governments from imposing taxes on soda until 2031. Santa Cruz City Councilmember Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, who was one of the proponents of the soda tax, told Lookout Santa Cruz after the measure passed in November that the campaign was framed as a battle between Santa Cruz and the American Beverage Assn. 'That really resonated with people, that this was big industry trying to manipulate and strong-arm local voters,' Kalantari-Johnson told the publication. 'We won't let big industry decide for us.' Santa Cruz's sugary drink tax doesn't apply to beverages intended for medical use, beverages that continue less than 40 calories per 12 fluid ounces of drink, beverages for infants, supplemental or meal replacement beverages, milk products, 100% natural vegetable or fruit juice, concentrates, sweetened medication (such as cough syrup) and alcoholic beverages. 'Santa Cruz demonstrates that when presented with the facts about the dangers of sugary drinks, voters see through the soda industry's multi-million-dollar efforts to deceive them with misinformation,' Nancy Brown, chief executive of the American Heart Assn., said in a recent statement. 'The American Heart Association was proud to support the ballot measure and remains committed to the city of Santa Cruz in this years-long David vs. Goliath effort against the beverage industry." Steve Maviglio, a spokesperson for the American Beverage Assn. which lobbied heavily against soda taxes, decried the latest measure in a statement. 'Santa Cruz is implementing a tax that violates a popular statewide ban on grocery taxes and that was opposed by a broad coalition of small businesses, progressive leaders, labor unions, and social justice organizations as an unfair burden on working families already struggling with record-high prices," he wrote in an email. The American Beverage Assn. has also launched a campaign called "Your Cart Your Choice." "The price increases from a tax hurt lower-income communities and people who work paycheck to paycheck the most," according to the campaign's website. "More taxes are the last thing working families need right now amid crippling inflation, supply chain issues and the price of gas making everyday items more expensive already." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Here's why Santa Cruz just added a soda tax, in defiance of a statewide ban
A new so-called "soda tax" that was approved by voters in the city of Santa Cruz went into effect on Thursday, the first tax of its kind to be passed in California since a ban was signed by former Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018. The tax — approved by voters in November — adds a 2-cents-per-ounce tax on nonalcoholic beverages that have one or more caloric added sweeteners and that have 40 or more calories per 12 fluid ounces of beverage, including sodas, coffees, sweetened ice teas, energy drinks and slushies. Four other cities in California, including San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland and Albany, already have a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages on the books, with Berkeley being the first city in the country to do so. But Santa Cruz is the first one to institute a new one since legislators and business leaders struck a deal that was signed by the previous governor that prohibited local governments from imposing taxes on soda until 2031. Santa Cruz City Councilmember Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, who was one of the proponents of the soda tax, told Lookout Santa Cruz after the measure passed in November that the campaign was framed as a battle between Santa Cruz and the American Beverage Assn. 'That really resonated with people, that this was big industry trying to manipulate and strong-arm local voters,' Kalantari-Johnson told the publication. 'We won't let big industry decide for us.' Santa Cruz's sugary drink tax doesn't apply to beverages intended for medical use, beverages that continue less than 40 calories per 12 fluid ounces of drink, beverages for infants, supplemental or meal replacement beverages, milk products, 100% natural vegetable or fruit juice, concentrates, sweetened medication (such as cough syrup) and alcoholic beverages. 'Santa Cruz demonstrates that when presented with the facts about the dangers of sugary drinks, voters see through the soda industry's multi-million-dollar efforts to deceive them with misinformation,' Nancy Brown, chief executive of the American Heart Assn., said in a recent statement. 'The American Heart Association was proud to support the ballot measure and remains committed to the city of Santa Cruz in this years-long David vs. Goliath effort against the beverage industry." Steve Maviglio, a spokesperson for the American Beverage Assn. which lobbied heavily against soda taxes, decried the latest measure in a statement. 'Santa Cruz is implementing a tax that violates a popular statewide ban on grocery taxes and that was opposed by a broad coalition of small businesses, progressive leaders, labor unions, and social justice organizations as an unfair burden on working families already struggling with record-high prices," he wrote in an email. The American Beverage Assn. has also launched a campaign called "Your Cart Your Choice." "The price increases from a tax hurt lower-income communities and people who work paycheck to paycheck the most," according to the campaign's website. "More taxes are the last thing working families need right now amid crippling inflation, supply chain issues and the price of gas making everyday items more expensive already." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
02-05-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
Here's why Santa Cruz just added a soda tax, in defiance of a statewide ban
A new so-called 'soda tax' that was approved by voters in the city of Santa Cruz went into effect on Thursday, the first tax of its kind to be passed in California since a ban was signed by former Gov. Jerry Brown in 2018. The tax — approved by voters in November — adds a 2-cents-per-ounce tax on nonalcoholic beverages that have one or more caloric added sweeteners and that have 40 or more calories per 12 fluid ounces of beverage, including sodas, coffees, sweetened ice teas, energy drinks and slushies. Four other cities in California, including San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland and Albany, already have a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages on the books, with Berkeley being the first city in the country to do so. But Santa Cruz is the first one to institute a new one since legislators and business leaders struck a deal that was signed by the previous governor that prohibited local governments from imposing taxes on soda until 2031. Santa Cruz City Councilmember Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, who was one of the proponents of the soda tax, told Lookout Santa Cruz after the measure passed in November that the campaign was framed as a battle between Santa Cruz and the American Beverage Assn. 'That really resonated with people, that this was big industry trying to manipulate and strong-arm local voters,' Kalantari-Johnson told the publication. 'We won't let big industry decide for us.' Santa Cruz's sugary drink tax doesn't apply to beverages intended for medical use, beverages that continue less than 40 calories per 12 fluid ounces of drink, beverages for infants, supplemental or meal replacement beverages, milk products, 100% natural vegetable or fruit juice, concentrates, sweetened medication (such as cough syrup) and alcoholic beverages. 'Santa Cruz demonstrates that when presented with the facts about the dangers of sugary drinks, voters see through the soda industry's multi-million-dollar efforts to deceive them with misinformation,' Nancy Brown, chief executive of the American Heart Assn., said in a recent statement. 'The American Heart Association was proud to support the ballot measure and remains committed to the city of Santa Cruz in this years-long David vs. Goliath effort against the beverage industry.' Steve Maviglio, a spokesperson for the American Beverage Assn. which lobbied heavily against soda taxes, decried the latest measure in a statement. 'Santa Cruz is implementing a tax that violates a popular statewide ban on grocery taxes and that was opposed by a broad coalition of small businesses, progressive leaders, labor unions, and social justice organizations as an unfair burden on working families already struggling with record-high prices,' he wrote in an email. The American Beverage Assn. has also launched a campaign called 'Your Cart Your Choice.' 'The price increases from a tax hurt lower-income communities and people who work paycheck to paycheck the most,' according to the campaign's website. 'More taxes are the last thing working families need right now amid crippling inflation, supply chain issues and the price of gas making everyday items more expensive already.'
