Breast Reconstruction Surgery; Drug Take Back Day; Finding Employment w/ Austism; Water Wise Gardening; Getting Your Flu and Covid Vaccines

During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Advanced Reconstructive Surgery Alliance (ARSA) will meet for its annual summit and will bring together leading reconstructive surgeons from across the nation to review and share the latest advancements in breast reconstruction and other transformative care initiatives. Breast cancer affects millions of lives every year, and access to state-of-the-art medical technologies in breast reconstruction is essential for the holistic care of patients. Dr. Frank Dellacrose is a founding partner of the Center for Restorative Breast Surgery and St. Charles Surgical Hospital, the first hospital in the world dedicated to breast reconstruction for women affected by breast cancer.

Last year over 100,000 Americans died after overdosing on opioids, including prescription pain medications. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. An estimated 16.7 million people used prescription drugs for a non-medical purpose in the last year. Of the non-medical users, nearly 70% obtained their pills from family and friends, a phenomenon known as diversion. Keeping unused, excess prescription pain medications in the home leaves households vulnerable to misuse, accidents and diversion, or the non-medical use of legally prescribed medications.
To help fight the crisis, Inmar Intelligence is committed to providing a safe, convenient, and responsible means to dispose of unwanted prescription drugs, while also educating the public about the dangers of keeping unwanted prescription drugs in the home, including the potential for abuse and misuse.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 20% of people with disabilities, including those with autism, are employed – signaling an unemployment crisis for autistic individuals. October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and the emphasis on fostering an inclusive workplace and helping people with autism find employment remains critical.

Autism Speaks recently launched Workplace Inclusion NowTM (WIN) 2.0, a workforce development program for employers, job seekers and community stakeholders committed to promoting diversity in hiring, creating an inclusive workplace and helping people on the spectrum find employment. WIN provides online training courses for employees of all backgrounds to raise awareness around neurodiverse thinking and communication styles, compiled and reviewed by a committee of autism experts, autistic adults, job coaches, corporate executives and DEIA leaders.

Keith Wargo, CEO of Autism Speaks, discusses the employment crisis facing people with autism as well as resources and strategies for employers and potential employees.

In California, most urban water use happens while watering outdoor landscapes. But saving water doesn’t mean giving up on a beautiful yard! Fall is the ideal season for replanting and beginning a yard transformation to create outdoor landscapes that are water efficient, as well as attractive AND low maintenance.Master Gardener and conservation expert Cris Sarabia joins Michelle from the Long Beach Community Foundation Garden to share all the ways we can prepare for Fall and conserve water with a water-wise landscape."

Pharmacists are trusted and accessible health care providers. They’re committed to meeting patients’ needs as respiratory illness season approaches and offer CDC-recommended vaccines for flu, RSV, COVID-19 and other common illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that individuals make plans to get vaccinated early in the fall, before respiratory illness season begins, and ideally by the end of October.·

While many providers offer flu shots, CVS Pharmacy and MinuteClinic are good options because they’re conveniently located and have evening and weekend hours.· Patients can quickly and easily make vaccination appointments for themselves or their families at CVS Pharmacy or MinuteClinic by visiting CVS.com, MinuteClinic.com, the CVS Pharmacy app, or they can walk-in when it’s convenient for them.· Digital scheduling offers the scheduling of multiple patients at once, allowing families, caregivers, and other groups to get vaccinated together. Patients can also schedule multiple vaccinations in one appointment, such as the flu and COVID-19 vaccine.