November 10TH 2016

Ms. Trudy Raymundo

Agency Director
Department of Public Health
351 N. Mountain View Avenue Room 303
San Bernardino, CA 92415
Dear Ms. Raymundo:
My name is Antonio Garcia and I am writing on behalf of California State University San
Bernardino department of Health Science and Human Ecology about major health
concerns that are occurring in your community and local counties. Health concerns such
as coronary heart disease and diabetes are some of the issues that we researched. The
reason for this letter is to create awareness, a call to action, and propose a game plan
that can be achieved with your help. The statistics and information provided reflect the
age adjusted death rates for the counties of Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, and
Riverside.
The first major health concern is coronary heart disease or CHD, according to Medline
Plus, CHD is the leading cause of death in the United States for men and women. It is
caused by the buildup of plaque in the arteries to the heart and may also be called
hardening of the arteries. According to the California Department of Public Health and
the County Health Status Profile 2016, Riverside County had the highest age adjusted
death rate at 113.9. San Bernardinos age adjusted death rate is 113.4, Orange countys
97.1, and for San Diego county is 88.8. The health of our community is our priority,
helping people who suffer from CHD get treatment, to spread awareness and
prevention. According to WebMD, prevention for CHD includes eating a heart-healthy
diet, quit smoking, and exercise.
The second major health concern is diabetes. According to Medical News Today,
diabetes is a metabolic disease in which the person has high blood glucose, either
because of insulin production is inadequate or because the bodys cells do not respond
properly to insulin. San Diego County had the highest age adjusted death rate at 36,
then San Bernardino County at 32. The county of Riverside has an age adjusted death
rate of 19.1 and Orange County is 14.3. The best way to prevent diabetes according to
the National Diabetes Education Program is to reduce portion sizes, move more each
day, make healthy food choices, read labels, and take care of your mind, body, and
soul. Having a healthy and balanced lifestyle is what keeps people away from these
diseases.

The following chart compares coronary heart disease and diabetes by counties,
California, and National level.

CHD and Diabetes by location

National
California 0

103.4

20.4
San Bernardino County
Coronary Heart Diease
32.4
Riverside County
19.1
San Diego County

96.6
Diabetes
113.4
113.9

36

Orange County
Location
0

88.8

14.3

97.1
20

40

60

80

100

120

Source: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/ohir/Pages/CHSPCountySheets.aspx

As you can see the leading major health concern is coronary heart disease in Riverside
County, with San Bernardino County very close. Only San Diego County is below is
below the California and National average for CHD. San Diego and San Bernardino
counties are the highest for diabetes as well as above the California average. The
National adjusted death rate has a letter instead of an average because the National
Objective is based on both underlying and contributing cause of death which requires
use of multiple causes of death files. California's data exclude multiple/contributing
causes of death.

In conclusion, with your partnership we can help reach a healthy community and
combat the major health concerns that surround us. Our goal is to be part of the
healthypeople.gov campaign called Healthy People 2020 which provides a
comprehensive set of 10-year, national goals and objectives for improving the health of
all Americans. Healthy People 2020 objective for a heart healthy America is to improve
cardiovascular health and quality of life through prevention, detection, and treatment of
risk factors for heart attack and stroke. This is the leading death in the United States,
but with your help and the help of your team we can change this. Healthy People 2020
objective for diabetes is to reduce the disease and economic burden from this disease.
All of these are the objectives of Healthy People 2020, but together we can come up
with ways to impact our local community. I look forward to working with you soon to help
make our community a healthy community.

Sincerely,

Antonio Garcia
Health Educator

CC Mrs. Sosa

November 10th 2016

AddressBlock

GreetingLine

November 10TH 2016

Ms. Trudy Raymundo

Agency Director
Department of Public Health
351 N. Mountain View Avenue Room 303
San Bernardino, CA 92415
Dear Ms. Raymundo:
My name is Antonio Garcia and I am writing on behalf of California State University San
Bernardino department of Health Science and Human Ecology about major health
concerns that are occurring in your community and local counties. Health concerns such
as coronary heart disease and diabetes are some of the issues that we researched. The
reason for this letter is to create awareness, a call to action, and propose a game plan
that can be achieved with your help. The statistics and information provided reflect the
age adjusted death rates for the counties of Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, and
Riverside.
The first major health concern is coronary heart disease or CHD, according to Medline
Plus, CHD is the leading cause of death in the United States for men and women. It is
caused by the buildup of plaque in the arteries to the heart and may also be called
hardening of the arteries. According to the California Department of Public Health and
the County Health Status Profile 2016, Riverside County had the highest age adjusted

death rate at 113.9. San Bernardinos age adjusted death rate is 113.4, Orange countys
97.1, and for San Diego county is 88.8. The health of our community is our priority,
helping people who suffer from CHD get treatment, to spread awareness and
prevention. According to WebMD, prevention for CHD includes eating a heart-healthy
diet, quit smoking, and exercise.
The second major health concern is diabetes. According to Medical News Today,
diabetes is a metabolic disease in which the person has high blood glucose, either
because of insulin production is inadequate or because the bodys cells do not respond
properly to insulin. San Diego County had the highest age adjusted death rate at 36,
then San Bernardino County at 32. The county of Riverside has an age adjusted death
rate of 19.1 and Orange County is 14.3. The best way to prevent diabetes according to
the National Diabetes Education Program is to reduce portion sizes, move more each
day, make healthy food choices, read labels, and take care of your mind, body, and
soul. Having a healthy and balanced lifestyle is what keeps people away from these
diseases.

The following chart compares coronary heart disease and diabetes by counties,
California, and National level.

CHD and Diabetes by location

National
California 0

103.4

20.4
San Bernardino County
Coronary Heart Diease
32.4
Riverside County
19.1
San Diego County

96.6
Diabetes
113.4
113.9

36

Orange County
Location
0

88.8

14.3

97.1
20

40

60

80

100

120

Source: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/ohir/Pages/CHSPCountySheets.aspx

As you can see the leading major health concern is coronary heart disease in Riverside
County with San Bernardino County very close. Only San Diego County is below is
below the California and National average for CHD. San Diego and San Bernardino
counties are the highest for diabetes as well as above the California average. The
National adjusted death rate has a letter instead of an average because the National
Objective is based on both underlying and contributing cause of death which requires

use of multiple causes of death files. California's data exclude multiple/contributing

causes of death.

In conclusion, with your partnership we can help reach a healthy community and
combat the major health concerns that surround us. Our goal is to be part of the
healthypeople.gov campaign called Healthy People 2020 which provides a
comprehensive set of 10-year, national goals and objectives for improving the health of
all Americans. Healthy People 2020 objective for a heart healthy America is to improve
cardiovascular health and quality of life through prevention, detection, and treatment of
risk factors for heart attack and stroke. This is the leading death in the United States,
but with your help and the help of your team we can change this. Healthy People 2020
objective for diabetes is to reduce the disease and economic burden from this disease.
All of these are the objectives of Healthy People 2020, but together we can come up
with ways to impact our local community. I look forward to working with you soon to help
make our community a healthy community.

Sincerely,

Antonio Garcia
Health Educator

CC Mrs. Sosa