Asthma

Nevada Division of Environmental Protection air quality monitors in Carson City and in Gardnerville are reporting high particulate matter from smoke indicating the air quality Thursday is unhealthy, officials said.

A fire burning in Tuolumne County, Calif., near Yosemite National Park, is the main source of smoke in the Carson City, Carson Valley, Reno and Lyon County regions. The Rim Fire is estimated at nearly 54,000 acres and growing Thursday with 2 percent containment.

Nevada-Douglas County Emergency Management and The Bureau of Pollution Control are closely monitoring air quality concerns from smoke conditions drifting into the valley from the Rim Fire in Tuolumne County, according to a Douglas County news release.

The Rim Fire was estimated at nearly 54,000 acres as of 7 a.m. Thursday morning, up from 16,000 acres on Wednesday. The most recent air samples from this afternoon put the current air quality in the upper end of the "moderate" level in the Carson Valley, the news release states.

With widespread flu being reported around the nation, Carson City and Douglas County health officials say they have large supplies of flu vaccine.

Based on recent reports from the CDC, the flu has started to peak nearly 5 weeks early this year, with significant activity reported in over 41 states with 18 deaths reported in children thus far. The predominant current flu strain that is being reported with widespread activity, H3N2 (Influenza A), appears to have good match to the flu strains in this year’s vaccine, according to a news release.

CARSON CITY – State Senate Republican leaders today commended GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval’s decision to expand the state Medicaid program as a commitment to the health of all Nevadans and a boost for a critical sector of the state’s economy.

“Ensuring that poor Nevadans have access to primary health care through Medicaid is very simply the right thing to do, both for our citizens and our economy,” said Sen. Michael Roberson, R-Henderson. “It will reduce our rate of uninsured and provide individuals with greater economic security.”

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CARSON CITY – A pair of Nevada small business owners today said the federal government needs to ease off on its excessive regulatory efforts under the Obama administration if it wants to encourage job growth here and around the country.

You probably won’t read this, since it’s about exercise, but I think it’s time for a few words about the benefits of sweating. First of all, exercise isn’t supposed to be easy—especially if you have been a lounge lizard for years. And, no it isn’t over in six weeks. You will need to sweat and be very consistent about your workout schedule for a lot longer than six weeks. Sounds depressing doesn’t it? It means you must build your life around exercise, not vise versa!

Today, firefighters throughout the region continue to battle the Buckeye Fire, five miles west of Bridgeport. The Buckeye Fire started yesterday, September 25, 2011 around 11 a.m.

No structures have been lost and no injuries have been reported. Firefighters have been faced with steep terrain and changing wind conditions making it a difficult fire to contain. As of this morning the size of the fire is estimated to be approximately 1,200 acres. At the time of this release there is no estimate on when containment will occur. The investigation of the cause of the fire is still ongoing.

CARSON CITY – Officials with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services put out the word today that a new affordable health insurance plan is available for Nevadans with pre-existing medical conditions.
The plan, offered through the new federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, will serve as a bridge to cover this group of people between today and Jan. 1, 2014, when the major provisions of the law take effect, said Herb Shultz, regional director of HHS for Nevada.

Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey is joining over 350 members of the National Birth Defects Prevention Network to share the message that women of childbearing age should talk with a health care provider about which medications are safe to take while pregnant.

January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month, and this year’s campaign focuses on medication use before, during, and after pregnancy.

School board hears plan for onsite health careBy Teri Vance tvance@nevadaappeal.c