Malaika Jacocks gets her annual checkup from Dr. Rodriguez at the LaSalle Mt. Vernon Clinic in San Bernardino. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends annual or bi-annual check-ups allow your doctor to monitor your diagnostic readings (heart rate, blood pressure, etc.) and, if necessary, prescribe medication and/or treatment to bring these readings up to healthy levels.
“Too many people stay away from a doctor’s office because they think if they feel okay, they don’t need to go in for an annual check-up. By the time they start to feel ill, they end up in the ER, and sometimes it’s just too late to save them,” said Dr. Albert Arteaga, CEO of LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc.
SAN BERNARDINO, CAIF. In addition to visiting a physician when an illness or injury occurs, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends annual or bi-annual check-ups that allow your doctor to monitor your diagnostic readings (heart rate, blood pressure, etc.) and, if necessary, prescribe medication and/or treatment to bring these readings up to healthy levels.
Only 25.2 percent, or one in four people, report having a recent routine check-up. Yet, routine cardiovascular exams alone save tens of thousands of adult lives each year, while vaccines save the lives of roughly 42,000 children on an annual basis, according to the CDC.
Annual or bi-annual preventive health screenings and primary care consultations have also been found to significantly increase life expectancy, particularly among the 30- to 49-year age group.
“Too many people stay away from a doctor’s office because they think if they feel okay, they don’t need to go in for things like an annual check-up,” said Dr. Albert Arteaga, CEO of LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc. “And when illness strikes there is no established provider to treat and assist with the management of their needs.”
Dr. Arteaga lost a sister to breast cancer. “My sister never opened up to tell either me or her older sister—both of us doctors—that she had a lump on her breast. Later we learned that she kept making excuses about it, ‘I bumped myself’ or ‘It’s just a bruise’ and she basically ignored it for over six months.”
“There really is no reason for someone experiencing symptoms to put off seeing a doctor,” said Dr. Arteaga. Far more people today can obtain insurance thanks to Covered California, Medicaid and the like, making it much easier for them to get the care they need.
“Health care is no longer an out-of-reach luxury for those who couldn’t afford insurance but is now available for everyone. Our staff are trained to help uninsured people who come to our offices to apply for coverage,” Dr. Arteaga said.
In addition to providing acute care for people who may be coming down with something, Dr. Arteaga and his team make sure to reach out to those who are on longer-term care for a chronic condition like asthma or diabetes and get them to come in for regular checkups so that they do not suffer a relapse.
For more information about LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc. call (855) 349-6019 or go online to LaSalleMedical.com.
LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc. is one of the largest independent and Latino-owned healthcare companies in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. The corporate office is in Redlands.
LaSalle operates six clinics employing more than 100 dedicated healthcare professionals, treating children, adults, and seniors in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. LaSalle’s patients are primarily served by Medi-Cal and Healthy Families. LaSalle also accepts Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Molina, Care 1st, Health Net, and Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) coverage.
LaSalle is also an Independent Practice Association (IPA) of independently contracted doctors, hospitals, and clinics, delivering high-quality patient care to approximately365,000 patients in Fresno, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, and Tulare counties.
Mia Alexia Martinez 14 gets her vaccination from Nurse Elisabeth. Get your flu and Covid Shot at the same time this season.
“Two little jabs now can save you from a world of trouble later on,” said Dr. Albert Arteaga, CEO of LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc.
REDLANDS, CALIF. Covid 19 and the flu remain dangerous infections. Medical authorities urge everyone six months and older to get their flu vaccinations now. At the same time, new Covid booster shots are also available, as well as shots for the latest of the Omicron variants and so getting both flu and Covid shots during one visit is the best course of action.
“No one really looks forward to getting a shot, but it really makes sense to get both of your shots at the same time so that you only need to make one visit to the doctor’s office, not two. Two little jabs now can save you from a world of trouble later on if you don’t get vaccinated,“ said Dr. Albert Arteaga, CEO of LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc.
Who should and who should not get a flu vaccine? According to the Centers for Disease Control, (CDC), everyone six months and older in the United States should get an influenza (flu) vaccine every season with rare exceptions. CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has made this “universal” recommendation since the 2010-2011 flu season.
During the 2018-2019 flu season, the CDC estimates that 35.5 million people contracted the disease and 34,200 died from it. “Flu kills and most people seem to know it does and so most people get their flu shots every fall,” said Dr. Arteaga.
The CDC also reported that Covid 19 is still averaging 54,186 new cases per day as of September 21, 2022, and to date, over 95.7 million cases have been reported since the pandemic started. Deaths are currently averaging 396 per month. Almost 80 percent of the U.S. population has had at least one Covid vaccination shot and 67.8 percent are fully vaccinated.
Dr. Albert Arteaga Suggest we all get our flu and Covid Shot at the same time this season.
“We have two very contagious and often deadly diseases,” said Dr. Arteaga. “Getting both vaccinations at the same time, if you have not yet gotten your Covid vaccine or booster shot, makes good common sense.”
LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc., clinics accept Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Molina, Care 1st, Health Net, and Inland Empire Health Plan coverage, as well as Medicare Medi-Cal and cash.
For more information call the office closest to you: Fontana (909) 823-4454; San Bernardino 17th Street (909) 887-6494; San Bernardino Mt. Vernon Ave. (909) 884-9091; Rialto (855) 349-6019; and Hesperia (760) 947-2161.
LaSalle Medical Associates, Inc. is one of the largest, independent, and Latino-owned healthcare companies in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. The corporate office is in Redlands.
LaSalle operates six clinics employing more than 100 dedicated healthcare professionals, treating children, adults and seniors in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. LaSalle’s patients are primarily served by Medi-Cal and Healthy Families. LaSalle also accepts Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Molina, Care 1st, Health Net, and Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) coverage.
LaSalle is also an Independent Practice Association (IPA) of independently contracted doctors, hospitals, and clinics, delivering high quality patient care to approximately 380,000 patients in Fresno, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Joaquin, and Tulare counties.
April Reya a medical assistant, gives the COVID-19 vaccination shot to Vicki Creighton, of Riverside, recently at the LaSalle Medical Associates medical office located in Rialto, Calif. Creighton received the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine. (Photo by Valda Wilson)
“It’s not politics. It’s about keeping people alive and getting past the pandemic. We are almost there. When you protest everything, that doesn’t make you a patriot. It makes you a misfit.”
(Redlands, Calif.) Southern California is finally emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic, but people must continue to follow health precautions until the threat is gone, said Dr. Albert Arteaga, president and founder of LaSalle Medical Associates.
That means washing your hands, following social-distancing guidelines, wearing masks indoors and also when you’re among large groups outdoors.
Also, get vaccinated and recognize that the pandemic is a health crisis, not a political issue, said Arteaga.
It’s all about attitude, he said.
“We do have a public health problem. No question,” he said. “There is a pandemic that can turn rather deadly, and the fact is that around a half million lives have been lost in the United States even though we’re the most advanced country in the world.”
Vicki Creighton, of Riverside, checks in for her COVID-19 vaccination appointment, Recently, at the LaSalle Medical Associates medical office located in Rialto, Calif. Creighton will receive the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine. (Photo by Valda Wilson)
That happened because one group of people made it a loyalty test problem, he said.
“If you’re loyal to this political party, you won’t wear masks. If you’re loyal, you will protest any business closures because that hurts the economy. Some people stopped thinking about the public good.
“Another way to look at it is, ‘Gosh, this is a pandemic. Let’s get together to do what it takes to lick this problem.’”
If people had that attitude, they would recognize that recent reports about vaccine side effects and problems were important to keep people informed, not as ammunition for political arguments.
“We needed a vaccine, and it was rushed because people were sick and dying,” he said. “So now, when we hear of problems with the vaccine, we must realize this is science. This is not a political belief. The alerts and warnings are important to inform the public, and we all need upgrade to our knowledge.
Some of the clinics have been administering Covid-19 vaccines for several months, and Dr. Arteaga said they are safe and effective. He’s been vaccinated and encourages others to do the same.
April Reya a medical assistant, gives the COVID-19 vaccination shot to Alicia Cazenave, of San Bernardino, Recently, at the LaSalle Medical Associates medical office located in Rialto, Calif. Cazenave received the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine. (Photo by Valda Wilson)
He applauded recent updates to CDC guidelines saying fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks at small family events, when gathering with other fully vaccinated people or in many outdoor situations.
“There is no contradiction, no deception with updating the guidelines,” he said. “It seems like masks, social distancing, and closures of businesses and schools have made a difference holding back the tide while the vaccine was put into production, and then we rushed to put it into people’s arms.
“And rushing the vaccine is same as rushing an ambulance through traffic to save lives. Don’t complain about the ambulance driving too fast or complain that pulling over for it infringes on your ability to drive fast on the same streets.”
It’s not politics. It’s about keeping people alive and getting past the pandemic, he said.
“We are almost there. When you protest everything, that doesn’t make you a patriot. It makes you a misfit,” he said.
