(San Bernardino, Calf.) Across the globe, regular immunizations against otherwise ravishing diseases are helping the world’s population live longer, healthier lives, says Dr. Albert Arteaga, founder of the Inland Empire’s LaSalle Medical Associates.
Back-to-school time is rapidly approaching, and just as school attendance is mandatory, Arteaga wishes immunizations were just as mandatory. But, as yet they aren’t. “Parents do realize how important the shots are to the welfare of their children, but still we will see 80% of our patients in the last two weeks before school starts,” he notes.
Immunizations, often combined in a single injection, help prevent such diseases as pneumonia, polio, diphtheria, hepatitis and meningitis.
“Children are usually afraid of their perceived pain of the immunizations,” Arteaga says, “but that brief, tiny pain is nothing compared to the alarming, often lifelong, impact of the diseases they prevent.”
Parents should plan ahead for their children’s immunizations, he adds. “They need to break the barrier of ‘no time’,” he says. “They simply need to think ahead, and say, ‘Today is a good one for the shots’.”
There’s an important phrase in the medical profession when it comes to immunizations: “herd immunity.” “That’s where we can all be human barriers to these common but serious diseases,” he explains. “When we’re around people who are immunized, they protect the rest of us. And we can all help each other by being protected ourselves.”
While immunizations are routinely up to date only 30% of the time, LaSalle patients, at Arteaga’s urging, are 70% up to date. “Our patients are really good about that,” he says, “but so much more can be done. The problem is that with immunizations nothing seems wrong with kids, and so the parents too often simply put them off until the time is more convenient. You ought to hear the creative excuses we get.” Under nearly all circumstances, immunizations are free to families, being subsidized by the Federal government for children.
LaSalle welcomes childhood immunizations at all five of their Inland Empire clinics: 17577 Arrow Blvd. in Fontana; 1505 Seventh Street and 565 North Mt. Vernon Ave. in San Bernardino; 16455 Main St. in Hesperia; and 31762 Mission Trail in Lake Elsinore.
Appointments aren’t required, but are recommended by calling 909/890-0407. Usually the immunizations last only 30 minutes.
“A half hour,” Dr. Arteaga says, “can save potentially years of devastating illness.”
Attendees of a previous Inland Empire Diversity Career and Job Fair fill out job applications. The Fire and Police Job Fair on July 30 is geared towards recruiting more Blacks, Latinos and Asians into area fire and law enforcement agencies.
(San Bernardino, Calif.) Fire service and law enforcement can be lucrative careers. However these are careers which many Blacks, Latinos and Asians have not considered. Carl Dameron, producer of the Inland Empire Diversity Career and Job Fair (http://www.iejobfair.com), said the Fire and Police Job Fair, on July 30, is geared towards increasing the numbers of people from ethnic groups in both of these fields. The Diversity Career and Job Fair is held at the San Bernardino Boys and Girls Club, located at 1180 W. 9th St. in San Bernardino, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. “Fire departments have not hired as many persons from ethnic groups as other places,” Dameron said. “Fire departments seems to have a problem finding applicants who can complete the application process.” Applicants for fire and police jobs must be American citizens, or permanent residents who are eligible to apply for citizenship, and have to pass a rigorous background check. They must also meet certain physical and psychological standards. “Our goal is to help them find Blacks, Latinos and Asians who can complete the process required for a career in fire services and law enforcement,” said Dolores Armstead, vice president of the Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce. Armstead said area law enforcement agencies are facing a huge increase in demand for their services as the population of the Inland Empire soars. “All of these police departments are looking for diverse recruits,” she said. “The goal of the Job Fair is to help these agencies find those people who are looking for careers in law enforcement and fire service.” Armstead also said that Inland Empire police departments are not the only ones looking for recruits. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles Police Department also recruit new employees from the Inland Empire. She said careers in law enforcement often have lucrative pay and benefit packages. The Riverside Police Department is currently offering a $5,000 signing fee for new officers and $1,000 referral fee. Riverside police offers start at $56,000 per year. Starting pay for San Bernardino Police officers is more than $50,000. For more information about the Inland Empire Diversity Fire and Police Job Fair call (909) 888-0017 or go to http://www.iejobfair.com.
Workers load e-waste onto a truck as part of a recycling effort organized by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), Goodwill Industries and SuCasa, a domestic violence shelter, in March. Leonard Robinson, chief deputy director of the DTSC will be honored for his efforts to encourage the recycling and proper disposal of e-waste items such as outdated electronics, fluorescent light bulbs and alkaline batteries, by 8th District Councilwoman Rae Gabelich on July 17.
(San Bernardino, Calif.) Riverside’s Leonard Robinson, appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as the chief deputy director for the Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC), was honored Tuesday, July 17, by 8th District Councilwoman Rae Gabelich. On March 10, DTSC’s partnered with Goodwill Industries and SuCasa, the domestic violence shelter, to collect e-waste in the North Long Beach area, and collect they did – 8.8 tons of old computers, discarded television sets, cell phones and other electronic waste that otherwise would go into city landfills. The Long Beach City Council Recognition award will be presented to Robinson that evening at 5 p.m. during the city council meeting at 333 W. Ocean Blvd. in Long Beach. Says Jonathan Kraus, aide to Councilwoman Gabelich, “These nearly nine tons of otherwise hazardous waste will first have the hazardous elements removed, the rest being recycled as possible. All of this is being diverted from our landfills.” “It’s that time of year,” said Gabelich, “when I present my recognition awards to people who have done something outstanding for the Eighth District and given of themselves for the good of the community.” DTSC Chief Deputy Director Robinson goes throughout the state lecturing on the proper management of used residential: fluorescent light, batteries, cell phones, computers and other household electronic devices (Universal Wastes). As a part of the California Take It Back! Partnership, he forms partnerships with businesses, utilities, retail stores and non-profit organizations to provide free, local and convenient locations for California residents to take their Universal Wastes. These items, if improperly disposed can contaminate drinking water and soil with heavy metals and other toxic substances. Reduction of solid and toxic wastes is an element of the Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Environmental Action Plan.
(San Bernardino, Calif.) Ratibu Shadidi, entrepreneur, veteran of the Civil Rights movement and activist for African American cultural heritage, is the guest speaker at the Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce (www.ieaacc.com)’s meeting from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Tuesday, July 24. The meeting is held in the conference room of Dameron Communications located at 255 N. D. Street in San Bernardino. Shadidi, also known as Bill Jacocks, talks about his two-year struggle to write and publish his new book “Ratibu Shadidi: Incidents, Struggles and Divine Interventions.” The book details Shadidi’s life from a small boy in Virginia to a successful business owner in California. Shadidi was active in the Civil Rights movement and has encouraged African Americans to get in touch with their African roots through cultural events such as Kwanzaa. A community leader for more than 20 years, Shadidi is owner of Elegant Floors, a carpet store, and a former field representative for California State Sen. Ruben Ayala. He is married to California State Assembly member Wilmer Amina Carter (D-Rialto). “Ratibu’s story serves as inspiration to our members,” said Delores Armstead, vice president of the Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce (IEAACC.) “He has seen it all, from the Civil Rights struggle to the modern-day movement to teach African Americans their true heritage.” Founded in 1990, the IEAACC helps African American businesses, families and professionals succeed in the Inland Empire. For more information about the IEAACC call (909) 888-5223 or go online to www.ieaacc.com.
(San Bernardino, Calif.) Dr. Albert Arteaga, President and CEO of LaSalle Medical Associates, was recently awarded the San Bernardino County Medical Society’s Merlin Hendrickson, M.D. Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Community. Arteaga is recognized for his efforts to provide health services to Inland Empire children.
The award was presented during the San Bernardino County Medical Association’s Installation of Officers and Outstanding Awards dinner at the Mission Inn, in Riverside.
“I accept this award not just for me but for the team of doctors, nurses, and staff at LaSalle’s five clinics. This is recognition of the entire companies dedication to our patients and our communities we serve,” said Arteaga.
“The award represents an endorsement by the medical society of the work we have been doing,” Arteaga said. “It shows we are appreciated and well regarded by our peers.” Arteaga has offered free health care for Hurricane Katrina survivors, donated funds to local pastors towards hurricane relief and served as Commissioner for First 5 Children and Families Commission and the Latino Health Collaborative.
Born in San Diego, Arteaga grew up in various locations following his father, a Seventh-day Adventist minister. Arteaga’s family also lived in Argentina while his father was doing missionary work. Arteaga spent over four years in northern Mexico. Arteaga is dedicated to providing the best healthcare possible for his patients. He also demands his staff, from the receptionist to the doctors, treat people with dignity, compassion and respect.
“It has always been our policy to help families in need. Since I have been in practice we have never turned away a patient because they could not pay. As the son of an Adventist minister I know that I have an obligation to help whenever I can. That is what we do,” Arteaga said.
This is not the first time LaSalle Medical Associates has been honored by local healthy agencies. The clinics are also recognized for their quality of service. LaSalle Medical Associates was selected by Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) as one of Riverside and San Bernardino’s best healthcare provider.
The African American Health Initiative also selected LaSalle as a model provider in a two-year study of Black healthcare in San Bernardino County. LaSalle has also been the number one enroller in the state of California for Healthy Families, an insurance program for children from low to mid-income families. The program provides medical, dental and vision coverage for children without insurance.
The father of three children, Arteaga lives in Grand Terrace with his wife, Maria, one son and two daughters. For more information about LaSalle Medical Associates contact (909) 890-0407, or go to www.lasallemedical.com.
(San Bernardino, CA) 909Models.com, one of the Inland Empire’s fastest growing modeling agencies, will hold an open call for models Friday, July 21. We work with agencies, casting directors, and industry professionals, who are seeking new faces with little or no experience. Our clients are looking for:
• Fashion Models – Models who walk the runway and promote clothes and cosmetics in magazines, billboards and newspapers.
• Commercial Print Models – Models who advertise hundreds of non-beauty type products in magazines, newspapers, billboards, sales ads and store advertisements.
• Promotional Models – Models who work in conventions, promotional events, and sporting events.
• Street team Models – Models who assist with the promotions they are working by distributing promotional materials.
• Actors – To appear in commercials and as bit parts or extras in TV shows and movies.
• Dancers – for videos, movies, shows and live appearances.
To find out more about the open call, telephone 909models.com at (909) 888-0017, or visit our website, www.909Models.com. Sign up to start an exciting career in the entertainment industry!
(San Bernardino, Calif. ) Leonard Robinson, Chief Deputy Director for the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, will present awards to businesses for their commitment to pollution prevention at the 2007 Sacramento Business Awards Ceremony, Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 9 a.m. at the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District office in Sacramento, Calif. As the keynote speaker for the 2007 Sacramento Business Awards Ceremony, Robinson will commend the efforts of these business that are leaders in the area of pollutin prevention. “These businesses are demonstrating the governor’s vision of a healthy environment and a healthy economy” Robinson says. “They have developed with creative solutions for wastes and are examples to be replicated by other businesses.”
(San Bernardino, Calif.) The Inland Empire‚s Leonard Robinson is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s appointed Chief Deputy Director for the California Department of Toxic Substance Control. On Friday, Sept. 14 Robinson will be the keynote speaker for the Southern California Auto Dismantlers Association (SCADA) Convention, held this year at the Stanford Court Hotel in San Francisco. “There’s a voluntary partnership among these companies,” he says, “Companies that are willing to protect our environment. For example, automobiles contain mercury switches to control various automobile functions.” “Mercury is toxic to the environment. These businesses voluntarily go through the effort of removing these switches and recycle them for later safer use.” Reduction of toxic waste is an element in Gov. Schwarzenegger’s environmental action plan. As the state’s leader in toxic substance control, Robinson is the perfect choice as the convention’s 2007 keynoter.
(San Bernardino, Calif.) The Inland Empire‚s Leonard Robinson is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger‚s appointed Chief Deputy Director for the California Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC). The League of California Cities‚ Annual Conference, held in Sacramento on Thursday, Sept. 6, has asked Robinson to participate in a panel discussion about the used alkaline battery collection segment of the California Take It Back! (TIB!) Partnership. The conference is a held at the Sacramento Convention Center and will be attended by mayors; city council members and city officials from across the state. He will participate in a dialogue on the unique ways that cities are addressing the challenge of collecting used alkaline batteries from their citizens. As of Feb. 8 of last year, these batteries could not be discarded in the trash. Robinson said, “The California Take It Back! Partnership is a consortium of state and local government; retail stores; businesses; utilities; academia; and non-profit organizations that are providing or making provisions for California residents to properly recycle their used fluorescent lights; used alkaline batteries and used electronic devices.” “The goal of the partnership is to provide locations for California residents that are free, local and convenient.”
(San Bernardino, Calif.) Dr. Albert Arteaga, a career-long pediatrician and founder and president of the Inland Empire’s LaSalle Medical Associates, has said his primary goal for LaSalle’s five clinics is making office visits as simple as possible. “I wanted everyone to feel that going to the doctor was no more intimidating than going to the grocery store,” he said. Born in San Diego of a Seventh-day Adventist missionary father from Michoacan, Mexico, Arteaga came by his love of, and care for, people honestly. It was almost pre-ordained that the young man would feel naturally urged to enter medical practice, and for more than two decades he has specialized in treating children. After the family returned from ministering to Adventists in Argentina, Arteaga’s medical training came at Universidad LaSalle in Mexico City. Graduation in 1976, was followed by four years of internship. In 1984, after his pediatric residency at Loma Linda University’s Medical Center, he embarked on individual practice in Fontana. As the practice grew, doctors were added to the staff and what was now called LaSalle Medical Associates expanded facilities, ultimately adding two in San Bernardino, and others in Hesperia and Lake Elsinore. Today, LaSalle serves more than 100,000 patients annually. Inspired by his father’s calling to the ministry, Arteaga has been driven to serve, especially those with low income. “For the 20 plus years I have been in practice, we have never turned away a patient because they couldn’t pay,” Arteaga said. “As the son of an Adventist minister, I know I have an obligation to help whenever I can.” As a result, the five LaSalle clinics are California’s enrollment leader in the state’s Healthy Families program, offering low and no-cost health care to uninsured children. And when it came to aiding Inland Empire survivors of Hurricane Katrina, Arteaga was Johnny-on-the-spot with totally free services, plus donating $1,000 to support the various pastors helping with hurricane relief. Arteaga is also unique as a leader in welcoming Medi-Cal patients, those low-income adults and children, the elderly and the disabled. Numerous physicians refuse Medi-Cal patients simply because doctors make very little money doing so. For Arteaga it’s one more chance to give something to the communities he serves while helping people in need who are reluctant to seek medical care because they feel they just can’t afford it. “Ultimately,” he says, “it’s the children who would suffer. And I don’t want that.” LaSalle Medical Associates doesn’t stop there, either. For seven years Arteaga’s facilities have offered free immunization clinics for Inland Empire’s children twice a year at their “Immunization Fairs” in San Bernardino. Arteaga and his staff, which is about 200 people, also organize health care exhibitors to introduce the public to such important life-saving issues as car safety for children, pregnancy health, childhood obesity and more. “Our objective,” says Ruthy Argumedo, LaSalle’s marketing director, “is to inform the area’s parents about the importance of preventative health for their children. Prevention is so much easier than healing later problems. Our goal with these fairs, and with all our clinics, is to help parents understand how to keep their children well in the first place.” How has LaSalle’s practice changed over the past year? “Everyone seems to want everything fast,” Arteaga says. “We want patients to be on their way as quickly as possible, of course. But first, we want to get it right, get it pleasant, then get it fast. There are times, though, when people just have to wait. We don’t want that, and patients don’t want that.” A woman may have made an appointment for one child and bring in three, Arteaga said. An earlier patient might have come in for a simple check up and find they have other problems that must be dealt with on the spot; a mother may have brought in her daughter for a basic immunization then lay out paperwork from the school for a full physical. As a natural evolution for LaSalle, the clinics now include family and internal medicine, neurology, obstetrics/gynecology along with the on-going pediatric care. Again, serving the health care community in every way they can, harkening back to Arteaga’s “obligation to help whenever I can.” LaSalle Medical Associates’ five Inland Empire clinics are at 17557 Arrow Boulevard in Fontana, 1505 17th Street and 565 North Mount Vernon Avenue both in San Bernardino, 16455 Main Street in Hesperia and Lake Elsinore’s on 31762 Mission Trail. For more information about LaSalle Medical Associates contact (909) 890-0407 or go to www.lasallemedical.com.
