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THE RANCHO SANTA FE NEWS
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MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 10, N0. 3
Feb. 7, 2014
Hospitals taking measures to combat the flu By Tony Cagala
R. Roger Rowe Middle School student Aniah Edwards,11, puts the finishing touches on her artwork for the Hearts for Healing exhibition and auction to be held at L Street Fine Art Feb. 9. Courtesy photos
An artist with a heart
T
By Kay Colvin
he work of Cardiff artist Gerrit Greve has been well regarded throughout the San Diego area for more than four decades, in addition to receiving international recognition. With a special “Hearts for Healing” reception and art auction of his students’ work to be held on Feb. 9, selections from Greve’s Water Series will be on display at L Street Fine Art through February 2014. According to one art critic, Greve’s Water Series is “decidedly one of his most deeply contemplated and expansive investigations of pure painting in his career as an artist.” In addition to his prolific creation of paintings during the last two decades, Greve has increasingly turned his
attention towards giving back to the community. Collaborating with Ralyn and Nate Wolfstein, in 1993 Greve co-founded Arts for Healing at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, a program that promotes healing through an aesthetically enhanced hospital environment. In 2003 Greve was the driving force in establishing the Arts for Healing Program on the Encinitas campus of Scripps Hospital, and later expanded the program to include additional hospitals and medical clinics with his “Hearts for Healing” programs. As founder and director of the Hearts for Healing Foundation, a nonprofit community outreach now in its sixth year, Greve shares with youth the healing power of art.
A mini-library pops up in an Encinitas neighborhood and it’s generating excitement. B1 Plenty of runners take to the streets, some dressed in their best costumes. A 15
With the help of personally trained assistants, Greve works with youth in local schools and community centers not only to impart artistic skills, but also to explore students’ self-expression and ability to communicate feelings through art.
Two Sections, 36 pages
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Seriously Kooky
Cardiff artist Gerrit Greve finds satisfaction in sharing the Hearts for Healing program.
Pen pals as children, a Norwegian man and California woman meet in Encinitas. B1
A&E..................... A11 Classifieds.......... B13 Food & Wine....... B9 Opinion............... A4 Sports.................. A13
As a result, participating students gain a sense of empowerment by making a difference in people’s lives and in the enhancement of the community and healing environments. Greve describes Hearts for Healing students, “They are excited about how their work will help others; how they are going to be giving up their artwork and this is a unique concept for kids. They are doing something in order to give it away. Not only that, but they are creating something in order to make someone else feel good.” Regarding his own experience of the Hearts for Healing program during the past five years, Greve reflects, “This is one of the most heart-warming and rewarding experiences of my life. TURN TO ARTIST ON A14
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REGION — The number of confirmed flu deaths this year has already surpassed the total of flu deaths from last year. During 2012-13 there were a reported 106 deaths confirmed during the influenza season. So far this year, the CDPH is reporting 147 deaths from the flu — that according to the latest numbers released on Jan. 31. And there are still 44 additional deaths under investigation that haven’t been confirmed. But during a previous conference call with the media, Dr. Gil Chavez, state epidemiologist, said that during their reporting period on Jan. 24, there was a decrease in the reports for both outpatient visits and hospitalizations for influenza. Even so, local hospitals have been taking preventative measures to help keep the virus from spreading further. Earlier this month, all of Scripps hospitals implemented a visitor restriction policy. All visitors are being screened for flu-like symptoms. And children 14 years and younger won’t be allowed in the hospital unless they are receiving treatment or have appointments. Scripps has had this restriction policy in place since 2009, according to Scripps Chief Medical Officer James LaBelle, M.D. Those restrictions will remain in effect until they see the prevalence of the disease decrease in the community, he said. The hospital has also taken measures to have employees receive flu vaccinations. Employees that haven’t been vaccinated wear masks. That’s something the hospital didn’t do last year because of the aggressive nature of the virus this time around. Bobette Brown, public relations person for Palomar Health, said their hospital hasn’t gone to the more extreme regulations
as Scripps and UCSD have done with limiting visitors, but they did require all staff to get flu shots “And if they did not get a flu shot, then it is mandatory that they wear a mask in the hospital,” Brown said. The H1N1 strain of flu is the most prominent variety now circulating. During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, it tended to affect the younger to middle-aged population. LaBelle said they’re tending to see that again this year. The 2009 pandemic, particularly, has set the bar for the procedures and policies that we have put in place, thus far, Brown said. While LaBelle said that the amount of people coming in with the flu hasn’t been beyond Scripps’ capacities as it has in other flu seasons. “But what we’re seeing is a greater severity of illness in the patients that are sick from this particular brand of flu,” he added. Tri-City has definitely seen an increase in the amount of patients coming in with flu-like symptoms, according to Dr. Cary Mells, chairman of the department of emergency medicine. They increased staff on the hospital side, he said. “There’s a very active and aggressive immunization program that goes on in the fall for all employees as well as the community, and as well as all doctors,” Mells said. “That’s the primary preventative measure, but then during flu season itself, it’s really about educating the public when they come in that they need to wear masks, if they’re sick. And our nurses are all trained to place masks on patients when they have symptoms that might suggest the flu,” Mells said. The CDPH continues to urge people that haven’t received the flu vaccine to TURN TO FLU ON A14
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