LAKEPORT, Calif. – New research shows that in Lake County the availability of e-cigarettes has grown 14 percent since 2013.

This finding is part of research released Wednesday on the availability and marketing of tobacco products, alcohol, condoms and healthy and unhealthy food options in California stores that sell tobacco.

Throughout California, health advocates held 13 press events to release results of the scientific survey, which is the largest its kind.

It builds upon an initial research released three years ago in March 2014 and provides insights into changes in the availability and marketing of the studied products during this time. 

Information was collected in the summer of 2016 from more than 7,100 stores in all 58 California counties including pharmacies, supermarkets, delis, convenience and liquor stores as well as tobacco-only stores.

The survey found the following for Lake County:

– Tobacco chew is sold at 87.2 percent of stores in Lake County;
– 86.4 percent of stores sell a popular sweet ‘little cigar’ in a single pack for under $1;
– 74.5 percent of stores sold non- or low-fat milk, but nearly 97.9 percent sell alcohol;
– 85.1 percent of surveyed stores sell condoms, but only 40.4 percent sell them on unlocked shelves.

“The expanded availability of e-cigarettes are of particular concern and reflect the spike in use by teens and young adults in the last three years,” said Lake County Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait.

The University of California, San Diego 2016 California Student Tobacco Survey shows that 22.7 percent of youth in Lake County use tobacco products.

Another goal was to examine the accessibility and marketing of healthy and unhealthy products to youth.

“This survey found that our community’s youth are inundated with unhealthy messages and choices.  We need to change what information and options our kids are exposed to and work to surround them with healthy choices and messaging instead,” said Tait.

The survey found the following for Lake County:

– Only 19.1 percent of stores advertised healthy products on their storefronts, but 72.3 percent of storefronts advertised unhealthy products, and 66.7 percent of stores near schools have storefront advertising for unhealthy products;

– More than 29 percent of stores place tobacco products or ads in kid-friendly locations, such as tobacco ads at “kid-level” (three feet or below) or tobacco products near candy or toys;

– More than 23.9 percent of stores placed alcohol ads at “kid-level” or near kid-friendly items such as candy or toys;

– 95.7 percent of stores sell flavored non-cigarette tobacco products, which often have kid-appealing flavors, such as grape, watermelon, chocolate, gummy candies and even breakfast cereals. Similarly, 100 percent of stores near schools also sell flavored tobacco products;

– Alcopops are sold at 89.1 percent of stores in Lake County.

“Lake County Public Health is committed to continuing to work with local health advocates and partners to provide accurate information and help make the healthy choice the easy choice for Californians,” said Tait.

Healthy Stores for a Healthy Community is a statewide campaign formed by tobacco prevention, nutrition, alcohol abuse prevention and STD prevention partners collaborating to improve the health of Californians by informing them about the impact of unhealthy product availability and marketing in the retail environment.

For state and county-specific data and more information on Healthy Stores for a Healthy Community, visit www.healthystoreshealthycommunity.com .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – One person died Tuesday afternoon in a two-vehicle crash along Highway 29 near Lakeport.

Initial information from the California Highway Patrol and radio reports indicated the crash occurred just after 1 p.m. on Highway 29 at the 11th Street off-ramp.

The initial dispatches stated that two vehicles, a truck and a small white car, had gone down an embankment, with at least one of the vehicles hitting a tree.

Lakeport Fire units responded, with Kelseyville Fire units also asked to respond.

Within minutes of arrival, Lakeport Fire Chief Doug Hutchison confirmed over the radio that there was one fatality and one person with major injuries. The CHP also reported the fatality a short time later.

Traffic control was reported to be in place for a short time while emergency responders worked at the scene.

The CHP said the road had fully reopened shortly after 4:20 p.m.

Additional details were not immediately available from the CHP. A full report on the crash is expected later Tuesday.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday requested a presidential major disaster declaration to bolster state and local recovery efforts following late January storms that caused major flooding, mudslides, power outages and damage to critical infrastructure across California.

On Tuesday Gov. Brown also issued two emergency proclamations due to storms in late January and February for the counties of Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Los Angeles, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo, Yuba, Contra Costa, Orange, Riverside, San Francisco and Solano.

The proclamations direct Caltrans to formally request immediate assistance through the Federal Highway Administration's Emergency Relief Program, and direct the Office of Emergency Services to provide assistance to specified counties as a result of the late January storms.

Damage assessments for the February storms and for the damaged spillway at Oroville Dam are ongoing, the Governor’s Office reported.

Brown’s Tuesday request follows two other separate presidential major disaster declaration requests – granted last month – to support the response and recovery efforts for the situation at Oroville Dam and the impacts of the early January storm system.

In addition to Tuesday’s action, Gov. Brown has issued emergency declarations connected to storms in December and early January and Oroville Dam.

Last month, Gov. Brown announced a four-point plan to bolster dam safety and flood protection statewide.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – After days of wet and sometimes snowy weather, the forecast for Lake County this week holds the promise of sunshine.

The National Weather Service’s updated forecast calls for a longer break in the rain and warm weather this week.

Lake County’s forecast calls for rain on Tuesday and Wednesday, with a break in the rain beginning on Wednesday night and continuing until Thursday night. Friday and Saturday are expected to be clear, with slight chances of rain from Saturday night through early Monday.

That forecast calls for daytime temperatures in the 60s in the higher elevations and into the low 70s in other parts of the county, with nighttime lows in the 40s.

Lake County received small amounts of rain on Monday, with the Cobb area receiving the most, about a third of an inch over a 24-hour period ending at 11:30 p.m., according to the National Weather Service’s network of weather stations.

That rain caused Clear Lake’s level to plateau just over the 9.2 feet Rumsey level, after steadily declining for several days. At the same time, the dam on Cache Creek continued high-volume releases of more than 4,100 cubic feet per second late Monday.

Parts of Lake County remain under a flood warning issued by the National Weather Service due to Clear Lake being above the 9-foot Rumsey flood stage.

The California Nevada River Forecast Center predicts Clear Lake will fall below flood stage late Wednesday, exactly one month after it entered flood stage.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department has issued an advisory that mandatory evacuation order for the Lucky 4 Trailer Resort (1060 North Main Street) and Aqua Village Mobile Home Park (1350 South Main Street) have been lifted.  Evacuation orders for the Esplanade Neighborhood and Will-O-Point Resort & Mobile Home Park remains in effect.

To ensure returning to a healthy indoor environment precautionary measures are suggested.

Consider your personal safety and be cautious by taking the following steps:

Wear protective clothing. Rubber gloves and boots will help protect you from bacteria and possible infections.

Avoid putting your hands near your face or mouth when working.

Be sure the main power source to your home or business is turned off.

Check for shifts in the house or building and cracks in the foundation.

Open doors and windows to help dry out the rooms.

Remove any standing water. Water soaked grounds can cause a collapse of basement walls.

Hose down walls as quickly as possible and follow up with a second hosing using one cup of household bleach to five gallons of water. Disinfect surfaces, like shelves.

Appliances that contain insulation cannot be easily cleaned. Have them checked by a service person before attempting to use.

Remove all soaked materials and furnishings. Fully upholstered furnishings and mattresses cannot be cleaned and should be destroyed to avoid health problems.

Carpets and rugs may be cleaned. Permanently attached carpeting should be removed before attempting to clean. Clean items out of doors or have them done professionally.

Items like sheets, bedspreads, curtains and draperies should be washed with very hot water and detergents, or professionally dry-cleaned.

Any flooded food items should be discarded unless they are in undamaged cans or commercially sealed glass jars. Sanitize the container before opening it.

Sanitize pots, pans, utensils, dishes, glassware and other items you intend to keep.

If you have individual well water system please be reminded to get it tested for contamination. 

For more information, residents may call the Environmental Health Division at 707-263-1164

Lucky-4 y Aqua pueblo evacuación obligatoria orden lifted

La orden de evacuación obligatoria para el afortunado de 4 Trailer Resort (1060 North Main Street) y Aqua Villa Mobile Home Park (1350 South Main Street) se han levantado. Las órdenes de evacuación para la explanada Barrio y Will-O-Point Resort & Mobile Home Park sigue en vigor.

Al limpiar después de una inundación por favor tome las precauciones necesarias para asegurar que usted y su familia están regresando a un ambiente interior saludable.

Tenga en cuenta su seguridad personal y tener cuidado al tomar las siguientes medidas:

Use ropa protectora. guantes y botas de goma le ayudará a protegerse de las bacterias y posibles infecciones.

Evitar poner las manos cerca de la cara o en la boca cuando se trabaja.

Asegúrese de que la fuente de energía principal para su hogar o negocio está apagado.

Compruebe si hay cambios en la casa o edificio y grietas en los cimientos.

puertas y ventanas abiertas para ayudar a secar las habitaciones.

Eliminar el agua estancada. motivos empapadas de agua pueden causar un colapso de las paredes del sótano.

Manguera hacia abajo las paredes lo más rápido posible y hacer un seguimiento con una segunda manguera usando una taza de cloro de uso doméstico a cinco galones de agua. Desinfectar las superficies, como los estantes.

Electrodomésticos que contienen aislamiento no se pueden limpiar fácilmente. Que sean revisados por una persona de servicio antes de utilizar.

Retire todos los materiales y muebles empapados. Totalmente muebles tapizados y colchones no se pueden limpiar y deben ser destruidos para evitar problemas de salud.

Las alfombras y tapetes se pueden limpiar. Permanentemente alfombras adjunta debe ser removido antes de limpiarla. artículos de limpieza fuera de las puertas o los han hecho profesionalmente.

Los artículos como sábanas, colchas, cortinas y cortinas deben lavarse con agua y detergentes muy caliente, o profesionalmente limpiar en seco.

Cualquier alimento inundadas deben desecharse menos que estén en buen estado latas o frascos de vidrio sellados comercialmente. Desinfectar el envase antes de abrirlo.

Desinfecte ollas, sartenes, utensilios de cocina, vajilla, cristalería y otros artículos que desea conservar.

Si tiene sistema de agua de pozo individual por favor avisen a conseguir a pruebas para detectar contaminación.

Para obtener más información, los residentes pueden llamar a la División de Salud Ambiental al 707-263-1164

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake has announced that its is changing its name and launching a new mission.

St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake has been an integral part of Lake County, providing faith-based whole-person care since the purchase of what was known as Redbud Community Hospital by Adventist Health in 1997.
 
As consumer expectations and the health care industry have changed and evolved, so has the hospital.

On Monday, the hospital announced the next chapter in its story, reporting that it is embarking on a new brand direction that includes a new name, expanded mission statement and core values that support a vision of transforming the health experience, outcomes and status of our community.

Going forward, St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake will be known as “Adventist Health Clear Lake.”

“This is a historic moment for our organization as we fully embrace our identity as Adventist Health and specific calling to the areas around beautiful Clear Lake,” said David Santos, president and chief executive officer. “As Adventist Health Clear Lake, we will continue our commitment to the community we are so proud to serve with excellence, respect, integrity and compassion.”
 
The hospital’s new mission statement – “Living God’s love by inspiring health, wholeness and hope” – broadens its focus from solely caring for the sick to helping communities be healthier.

Hospital leadership said the new mission statement also reflects the heritage of providing physical, mental, and spiritual care and compels it to break down the walls of a traditional health system and extend it reach more deeply into the community.
 
In addition to the expanded mission and new name, the hospital is introducing a new visual identity that represents the spirituality and fresh optimism of the organization.

The new tagline – “Together inspired” – speaks to the hospital coming together with communities throughout Lake County and the power that connection will have to move neighbors toward a healthier life.
 
The new brand direction was launched at an employee and stakeholder event at the hospital on Monday.

The event featured education about the new name, mission, vision and values. It also featured members of the team sharing about how they make the mission come to life. Each attendee left with a branded gift.

At the end of the event, employees were invited to “make the mission come to life” by planting a seed that will later become part of the hospital’s organic garden.
 
While the hospital and clinics must wait for final approval from the California Department of Health before fully switching to the new name, employees are excited about the new name and brand direction.

“Today’s event was really inspiring and I feel so blessed to be on this team,” shared Jon Uher, a practice manager at the St. Helena Family Health Center – Clearlake. “The new name and mission better reflect the great work our team is doing each day to make health care about more than just medicine.”
 
To learn more about the new brand direction and Adventist Health’s mission and vision for Lake County community, visit www.sthelenahospitalclearlake.org .