All Entries in the "Quarterly Newsletter" Category
Health Professionals and Nuclear Policy
After holding two training sessions, the PSR-LA Ambassador Program: Health Professionals and Nuclear Policy, is shaping up to be the premier health professional voice on peace and security issues in Southern California.
PSR-LA Ambassador Program – Health Professionals and Nuclear Policy
When: Saturday, September 20, 2008 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Where: University of Southern California Center for International Studies Seminar Room PSR-LA is looking for health care professionals who want to deepen their knowledge about nuclear security and disarmament and what we can do to build a safer future. The PSR-LA Ambassador Program will create [...]
What Would You Like Out of Your PSR-LA Membership?
Hi, my name is Ana Mascareñas, and I’m the new, and first, Membership Coordinator for PSR-LA. I’m excited about the opportunity to work with each and every one of you to build the voice of health professionals and supporters in local and national progressive advocacy and activism. In my effort to get to know existing [...]
California Condemns Medical Torture
The California Legislature adopted Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 19 on August 14, 2008 a resolution aimed at preventing California health professionals from engaging in coercive interrogations of detainees at Guantánamo and other U.S. military prisons. PSR-LA was a driving force in developing and driving this resolution to success. SJR 19 instructs the state’s licensing boards [...]
The Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act of 2007
On August 19, 2008 California took a big step towards preventing future harm in children when it passed The Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act out of the California legislature. Senate Bill (SB) 775 seeks to increase the number of children tested for lead poisoning by utilizing the highly successful California immunization program. Lead poisoning remains [...]
Shaping the Global Warming Solutions Act for California
The passage of the Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32) was only the first step in attempting to reduce green house gases in California. As with any law, the devil is always in the details. PSR-LA staff is now involved in the implementation of AB 32. Over the next few months PSR-LA will be reviewing [...]
Members Advocating For The Ports Investment Bill
PSR-LA and our partners are currently working to enact Senate Bill 974 (Lowenthal), which would raise approximately $400 million a year through port cargo container fees, with revenues evenly split between air quality improvements and congestion relief projects. In June 2008, PSR-LA members sent over 120 letters to Speaker Karen Bass urging her to support [...]
2008 Annual Gala—Honoring Heroes
By Natalia Koteva, MPT — PSR-LA Ambassador Having grown up in Bulgaria, Eastern Europe during the times of the Eastern bloc, I have witnessed how efforts of organizations such as Physicians for Social Responsibility and activists for social change were kept “quiet.” In fact, I remember the first non-profits emerging only after the fall of [...]
Op Ed | California’s New Chemical Laws: They Fail to Protect Us
This op-ed was published in Environmental Health News By Kathy Attar and Martha Dina Argüello Every month we read about a toxic chemical in another product that we use in our homes. Toys, shower curtains, cosmetics, and food packaging are all recent examples. Parents and families have been forced to become amateur chemists deciphering the [...]
In Loving Tribute To Shirley Magidson, 1925-2008
PSR-LA is saddened by the news that our long-time friend and board member Shirley Magidson passed away on June 26th after a long illness. We will miss her kindness, loyalty, generosity, and the wonderful wry sense of humor she brought to matters both large and small. PSR-LA was fortunate to celebrate Shirley’s accomplishments last year when we honored her with our 2007 Healing the Planet Award.
Eliminating Childhood Lead Poisoning by 2010: PSR-LA and the Healthy Homes Collaborative Ensuring Primary Prevention
As anyone who has had to baby-proof a home knows, keeping toddlers safe from harm is a massive undertaking. Parents secure cabinets and move dangerous objects out of reach, but few realize that invisible lead dust is a potential health threat to many children. In Los Angeles, 80% of the housing stock was built before 1978, [...]
Bed-Bugs and Beyond: A Case for Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Recently, there has been quite a bit of media attention given to the resurgence of bed-bugs in southern California and across the U.S. These tiny parasites that are notoriously difficult to kill or contain have returned in full force. Resistant strains of “super” bed-bugs are infesting mattresses at an alarming rate across the country. Pest [...]
Avian Influenza Virus – A Threat that Cannot be Ignored
By Robert C. Wesley, Jr., MD The H5N1 avian influenza virus, now endemic in the bird populations of Africa, Asia, and Europe, has claimed the lives of over 60% of 350 people infected worldwide since 2003. Developments over the last year suggest a growing risk of human global pandemic. While the virus is currently difficult [...]
Port-Related Pollution Sickens the Southland
The Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are the single largest source of air pollution in Southern California. They are responsible for more deadly diesel soot and smog each day than all of the 6 million cars in the region. These air-borne toxins have significantly increased the burden of disease for many residents living [...]
Rocketdyne Cleanup Victory
For the last quarter century, former and present PSR-LA members and our environmental allies have fought to get the massive Santa Susana Field Laboratory, commonly known as “Rocketdyne,” cleaned up to the most stringent standards. The 2,850-acre Rocketdyne complex is situated about 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles in the hills between the San Fernando [...]