Celebrity Deaths of Bob Saget and Natasha Richardson Highlight Need for Awareness

News about the celebrity deaths of comedian/actor Bob Saget recently and before that, actress Natasha Richardson are both sobering reminders that a head injury is not to be ignored and should never be taken lightly.

February is American Heart Month, a time when Denver Health joins with health professionals around the country to encourage everyone to take time to focus on their cardiovascular health. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States and by taking just a few small steps, Americans can make their hearts healthier and avoid conditions such as high blood pressure (also known as hypertension) that can lead to even more serious conditions such as heart disease, heart attack, stroke and/or cardiac arrest.

Omicron, Delta, COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 are household names. As frequent as they appear in conversation, there is widely distributed misinformation regarding COVID-19 variants. Denver Health is committed to providing our community with accurate and timely information regarding COVID-19, its variants, how they compare and how you can protect yourself and those you love.

January of 2022 marks the 100^th anniversary of Leonard Thompson, a 14-year-old, seriously ill patient with diabetes, receiving the first successful insulin injection. Prior to 1922, diabetes treatment was often limited to following very restrictive or near-starvation diets. The miraculous discovery of insulin by Dr. Frederick Banting and Charles Best forever changed the course of diabetes treatment and dramatically increased the lifespan for people living with diabetes.

With the number of COVID-19 cases on the rise once again this year, the emergence of several variants, holiday season gatherings and the reinstatement of mask mandates– it’s more important than ever to get vaccinated against both COVID-19 and influenza (the flu).

Antibiotic Safety Through Education and Awareness

Denver Health is joining with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to advise patients and their families to use antibiotics only when necessary to further reduce antibiotic resistance, the spread of superbugs and protect from side effects from antibiotics. During U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week and beyond, the CDC promotes "Be Antibiotics Aware," an educational effort to raise awareness about the importance of safe antibiotic use. In 2021, U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week is November 18 – 24.