Courtesy Xochitl Mora,
LAREDO, TX— The City of Laredo Health Department (CLHD) would like to remind the public that Operation Lone Star (OLS) will be offering a variety of FREE MEDICAL SERVICES from August 1-5, 2011 at the Laredo Civic Center. Services include: 
·        Sports Physicals
·        High Blood Pressure Screenings
·        Diabetic Screenings
·        Vision Exams (Limited)
·        Pharmaceutical Services (Limited)
·        Medical Referrals
·        Preventive Health Education 
·        Immunizations (Administrative fee of $8.00 applies)
·        TB Testing (Administrative fee of $4.00 applies)

Courtesy Xochitl Mora,
Laredo, TX – The City of Laredo Health Department (CLHD) is informing the public about National HIV Testing Day Monday, June 27, 2011.  This is so important since over 9% of the population may be infected and do not know it. Therefore the CLHD will be offering the community free and confidential HIV rapid testing on from 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m on Monday.  The testing procedure will involve getting a small sample of blood from the person’s finger.  Results are ready in 10 minutes.
 A total of 36,455 individuals have …

Courtesy Xochitl Mora,
This will be the 4th year we conduct Operation Lone Star (OLS); a disaster emergency management operation mass services simulation, which also provides health care for those in need. This year OLS will be conducted from August 1-5 at the Civic Center and we are finalizing details to also conduct a clinic in Rio Bravo, Texas (to serve the entire southern county area including El Cenizo and other communities). This year more than ever, due to budget constraints and the economic situation, more persons are in need of …

Courtesy Xochitl Mora,
Laredo,TX- The City of Laredo Health Department will hold a press conference Thursday, June 2nd at 9 am at the Laredo Health Department Auditorium.  The Texas Council on Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke will be presenting Mayor Raul G. Salinas and City Manager Carlos Villarreal with a GOLD level recognition award for the city’s practices for preventing and controlling heart disease and stroke. 
 To achieve the Gold Level recognition, the City of Laredo Health Department collaborated with multiple organizations in our community to provide prevention programs, effective response systems and …

Courtesy Xochitl Mora,
Funds raised at yearly event are all earmarked for research to eradicate Juvenile Diabetes
 Join the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation as they kick-off the sponsorship drive for another spectacular event for the 2011 Hope Gala.  Local businesses will be invited to sponsor the sensational show that will feature the mesmerizing and dazzling talents of Craig Meyer, better known as Almost Elton John and the Rocket Band, for this year’s gala, which will be held Friday, October 15, 2011 at the Laredo Country Club.  For this spectacular evening, guests will …

Courtesy Xochitl Mora,
Laredo, TX-The City of Laredo Health Department (CLHD) is celebrating National Public Health Week to highlight what we do every day to prevent disease, promote wellness, contain and respond to biological events and to protect and safeguard our wellbeing. The CLHD also provides primary and chronic disease care as our community continues to be underserved. “We want to congratulate our health department staff for their dedication in prevention and care” said Dr. Hector F. Gonzalez, Director of Health.  “We need to be proud of all public health actions …

Courtesy Xochitl Mora,
Laredo, TX—The City of Laredo Health Department is issuing an alert that Unilever United States, Inc. announced a limited recall of Skippy® Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread and Skippy® Reduced Fat Super Chunk Peanut Butter Spread, because it may be contaminated with Salmonella.
The affected product was distributed to retail outlets in Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. 
The City of Laredo Health Department wants to ensure the public that sanitarians have already verified …

Courtesy Xochitl Mora,
Laredo, TX—Because tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States, the City of Laredo Health Department is taking action by teaching smoking cessation and increasing prevention activities. 
Each year, an estimated 443,000 people die prematurely from smoking or exposure to second hand smoke, and another 8.6 million have a serious illness caused by smoking.  Yet despite these risks, approximately 46 million U.S adults smoke cigarettes with Texas ranking 27th among the states. 
In Laredo smoking and second hand smoke are the …

It can save lives 
Courtesy Xochitl Mora,
Laredo, TX— The City of Laredo Health Department (CLHD) is encouraging everyone to learn Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) to save lives. CPR also is a best practice heart and stroke primary prevention method. In the United States, the national heart attack survival rate is at 5 percent with approximately 80 percent of sudden cardiac arrests occurring at home. In Laredo, 53% of all deaths in 2010 were due to cardiovascular disease; a leading cause of heart attack. CPR, when performed correctly, can drastically improve a …

Laredo, TX—The City of Laredo Health Department is joining the nationwide “Heart Truth” Campaign to raise awareness among local women that heart disease is the #1 health threat.  One in four American women die of heart disease and most fail to make the connection between risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol and their personal risk of developing heart disease. Last year in Laredo, 40% of the total deaths were due to cardiovascular disease, as we age this will become more of a public health concern. 
 
The …