(Santa Ana, CA) - The OC Health Care Agency (HCA) invites the community to participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at convenient locations throughout Orange County (OC). The public is encouraged to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing potential medication misuse.
“Prevention begins at home,” said HCA Director Dr. Veronica Kelley. “By safely disposing of medications that are no longer needed, residents can reduce the risk of misuse, protect loved ones, and help keep our communities safe.”
This initiative addresses a crucial public safety and health concern and aligns with the HCA’s commitment to the well-being of the OC community by promoting the responsible disposal of medications to prevent misuse and combat opioid addiction.
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day serves as a vital reminder of our collective responsibility in keeping our communities safe. To find a convenient Take Back drop-off location, please visit the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) website at www.DEATakeback.com or call 1 (800) 882-9539. The drop-off service is both free and anonymous.
For further information on medication misuse prevention efforts in Orange County or to discover year-round safe disposal options, please visit: www.ochealthinfo.com/adept.
# # #
ABOUT THE OC HEALTH CARE AGENCY The OC Health Care Agency (HCA) is a regional interdisciplinary health jurisdiction and an accredited health department, charged with protecting and promoting individual, family and community health through partnership and coordination of public and private sector resources. Visit www.ochealthinfo.com to learn more about services and resources.
We often think about how to best take care of our physical health as we age, but what about taking care of our mental health? There are many overlaps between the two, but here are some specific tips for keeping your brain and psyche healthy throughout your lifespan. Like physical muscles, your mind is subject to the ‘use-it-or-lose-it’ rule and it is important to keep mentally engaged as you age – puzzles and crosswords are your best friend!
1. Keep Moving – Exercise and movement are key for maintaining both your physical and mental health. Try to incorporate both aerobic exercise and strength training into your routine with the goal of 150 minutes per week. Research suggests that regular exercise can lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
2. Challenge Your Mind – The same way physical exercise keeps your muscles in shape, cognitive challenge keeps your brain in shape. Learning new skills such as speaking another language or playing an instrument activates multiple brain networks and slows cognitive decline. Try incorporating a new habit as part of your routine like crosswords puzzles in the morning while drinking coffee or playing along with Jeopardy in the evening. Also consider traveling to new places as novelty helps increase neuroplasticity and keeps your brain sharper, longer.
3. Stay Connected – It’s vital to keep up social connections at all ages. As people age, they experience significant life changes like losing a loved one or developing a serious illness. These changes can trigger feelings of grief, social isolation and loneliness. Lower social support is associated with worse health outcomes, and some studies show loneliness can be as dangerous for your health as smoking cigarettes. Reach out to your support system, doctors and community to stay connected. See below for more Orange County resources.
4. Seek Help – Mental health care is important at every stage of life. Sadly, suicide rates among older adults have been rising in the past 25 years. Reach out for help if you need. Call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for free emotional support for people in suicidal crisis or distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States. Talk to your primary doctor, therapist or psychiatrist for more support. See below for more Orange County resources.
5. Prioritize Sleep – Research shows that poor sleep quality (or quantity) is associated with a higher risk of developing dementia. Poor sleep also makes most mental health conditions like anxiety and depression worse. A good goal is to sleep 7 to 9 hours nightly. If you snore or wake up in the night with trouble breathing, talk to your primary care physician (PCP) about the possibility of having obstructive sleep apnea. Also, talk to your doctor if you use over-the-counter sleep aids such as Benadryl or Diphenhydramine as long-term use of these could actually increase your dementia risk.
6. See Your Doctors – Serious mental health conditions like schizophrenia are associated with lower life expectancies. This may be due to difficulty patients have with keeping up with medical appointments and managing chronic diseases. Stay up to date with your doctor’s visits, screenings (like colonoscopies and mammograms) and vaccinations. Chronic health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease also increase the risk of stroke, which can damage blood vessels in your brain.
7. Eat Well – Evidence supports implementing a healthy diet to enhance long-term brain health and there is even a name for it – the MIND diet or the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurological Delay. This diet avoids processed and sugary foods and prioritizes eating plant-based foods and includes leafy greens, berries, whole grains, poultry, fish and healthy fats. Try to maintain a healthy weight as being overweight or obese increases the risk of metabolic diseases and can impact overall brain health (being underweight can have negative effects, too!).
8. Limit Substances – Alcohol and other substances can affect you differently as you age. The best recommendation is to avoid alcohol (and other drugs such as nicotine and marijuana) but if you choose to drink alcohol be careful to follow guidelines (one drink per day maximum for women and two drinks for men) and to drink safely. Talk to your doctor about drinking alcohol if you are taking medications. Do not drink every day and the less you consume, the better. Quitting smoking also reduces the risk of heart disease and strokes and ultimately improves circulation and brain health.
Brain Health Matters – Senior Health Outreach & Prevention Program which includes link to the Brain Health Toolkit
About Dr. Gabrielle Williams
Gabrielle is originally from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, though moved to California to attend college at Chapman University and has been in the Orange County area ever since. She attended University of California, Irvine both for medical school and psychiatry residency training. Gabrielle is a Board-Certified psychiatrist and has worked at the OC Health Care Agency with both adult and older-adult populations. Gabrielle enjoys working in our community-based healthcare system treating serious mental illness and substance use disorders.
Influenza percent positivity in Orange County has risen steadily since August.
Percent of emergency department visits for influenza-like illness have nearly doubled since the start of September.
Overall influenza activity is rising much earlier this year compared to prior seasons, when increases usually began in October or November.
OC Health Care Agency has issued an updated Health Officer Order requiring annual influenza immunizations for healthcare workers each respiratory virus season.
California, in coordination with the West Coast Health Alliance, issued immunization recommendations for influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease, and COVID-19 (PDF) for the 2026-27 respiratory virus season. Providers should offer immunizations (influenza, RSV, COVID-19) and encourage testing to all eligible persons, with emphasis on infants and young children, older adults, pregnant people, immunocompromised individuals, those with chronic conditions, residents of skilled nursing facilities, and congregate settings, and healthcare personnel. More info...
(Santa Ana, CA) - A bat found between 18 Wedgewood and 28 Whispering Pine in Irvine tested positive for rabies. The bat was found on September 28 at 4:45 p.m. Anyone who may have had physical contact with the bat or saw someone else having contact with the bat is asked to call the OC Health Care Agency (HCA) Communicable Disease Control Division at (714) 834-8180 during business hours or after hours to determine the risk for rabies. Owners of pets who may have had contact with this bat should contact their veterinarian.
The rabies virus is found in an animal’s saliva and is transmitted to people by a bite from a rabid animal. Although very rare, contamination of the eyes, mouth or an open wound by the saliva of a rabid animal can also transmit rabies. Most cases of human rabies in the United States in recent years have resulted from bat strains of rabies; bats have very small teeth, and their bites may go unnoticed.
Once a person begins showing signs and symptoms of rabies, the disease is nearly always fatal. For that reason, preventive treatment to stop the rabies virus from causing illness is given to anyone who may have been exposed to rabies. Medical assistance should be obtained promptly after an exposure so any wound can be cleaned and preventive treatment can be started. This treatment is safe and effective.
The HCA and OC Animal Care recommend the following actions to minimize the risk of rabies:
Avoid all contact with wild animals.
Vaccinate all cats and dogs against rabies.
Do not sleep with open unscreened windows or doors.
If bats are seen inside the house or other structure, close off the area and contact animal control. Once the bat(s) have been removed, close off any areas allowing entrance into the house.
Do not leave pet food outside where it will attract wild animals.
Immediately wash all animal bites with soap and water, being sure to flush the wound well, then contact your doctor.
Report all animal bites to OC Animal Care.
Potential exposure to a bat or other wild animal should be reported to HCA Communicable Disease Control Division at (714) 834-8180. To report a bat in your home or an animal bite, contact OC Animal Care at (714) 935-6848.
More information about rabies is available at the Centers for Disease Control website at http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/.
# # #
ABOUT THE OC HEALTH CARE AGENCY The OC Health Care Agency (HCA) is a regional interdisciplinary health jurisdiction and an accredited health department, charged with protecting and promoting individual, family and community health through partnership and coordination of public and private sector resources. Visit www.ochealthinfo.com to learn more about services and resources.
(Santa Ana, CA) - Temperatures across Orange County are expected to rise into the upper 90s and low 100s from Friday, October 2, through Wednesday, October 7, 2026. Residents and visitors are urged to take precautions to reduce the risk of heat-related illness.
High temperatures increase the risk of heat-related illnesses like heat exhaustion and heatstroke for those at higher risk for heat illness, including people who work outdoors, infants, children, pregnant people, ages 65 or older, and people with chronic conditions.
Prolonged exposure to excessive temperatures may cause serious conditions like heat cramps or heatstroke and can even be fatal. Symptoms of heat exhaustion may include heavy sweating, muscle cramps, weakness, headache, nausea or vomiting and dizziness. Warning signs of heat stroke may include an extremely high body temperature, unconsciousness, confusion, hot and dry skin (no sweating), a rapid pulse, and a throbbing headache.
If symptoms of heat stroke occur, immediately call for medical assistance. Move the person to a shady area and begin cooling their body with water.
Recommended precautions to prevent heat-related illnesses include:
Drink plenty of water; don’t wait until you are thirsty.
Wear light, loose-fitting clothing.
Stay out of the sun if possible, and when in the sun wear a wide brim hat and use sunscreen.
Avoid strenuous activities if you are outside or in non-air-conditioned buildings. If you are working outdoors, take frequent rest and refreshment breaks in a shaded area.
Never leave children, elderly people or pets unattended in closed cars or other vehicles.
Check on those, like neighbors, who are at high risk to make sure they are staying cool – including seniors who live alone, people with heart or lung disease, and young children.
Stay cool indoors – if your home is not air conditioned, visit public facilities such as shopping malls and libraries to stay cool. To find a cooling center near you, visit Cooling Centers | Orange County (ocgov.com)
Since temperatures and conditions can vary widely throughout the county, local schools, child care facilities, and organizations working with children are encouraged to visit the State of California Office of School Health Hub for heat planning guidance and sports and activities recommendations to protect students and youth during these high temperature alert periods.
ABOUT THE OC HEALTH CARE AGENCY The OC Health Care Agency (HCA) is a regional interdisciplinary health jurisdiction and an accredited health department, charged with protecting and promoting individual, family and community health through partnership and coordination of public and private sector resources. Visit www.ochealthinfo.com to learn more about services and resources.
(Santa Ana, CA) - The first human deaths associated with West Nile virus (WNV) infection in Orange County in 2026 have been confirmed in older adults this week by OC Health Care Agency (HCA) officials. With a severe season and increased cases reported across California, residents and visitors are urged to take precautions to prevent mosquito bites.
Orange County has had 36 WNV infections reported this year. Because about 80% of people infected with WNV have no symptoms, and the majority of cases of West Nile fever do not seek medical care and are not tested, the reported case counts greatly underestimate the number of infected people in Orange County.
Symptoms of West Nile infection include fever, headache, body aches and fatigue. Anyone who develops the more serious symptoms of West Nile neuroinvasive disease such as severe headaches, neck stiffness, confusion, muscle weakness or vision loss should seek medical care immediately. People over 50 years of age and those with underlying medical conditions are at increased risk of serious complications from West Nile virus infection.
“Our hearts go out to the loved ones of those who passed. West Nile virus is endemic in Orange County, recurring every year during the summer months and continuing into the fall,” said Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, County Health Officer. “This year has been particularly intense, with detections of the virus in humans, mosquitoes, and birds. The recent fatalities show how serious and harmful WNV can be. The best way to reduce the risk of West Nile virus infection is to take measures to avoid mosquito bites and take measures to reduce mosquito breeding around your home.”
Recommended WNV precautions include:
Emptying all standing water on your property to eliminate areas in which mosquitoes may breed, including flowerpots and pet bowls.
Making sure your window and door screens are in good condition.
Using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or products containing IR3535, always following label directions.
Limiting outdoor activity at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active.
Wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants outdoors.
Most people who become infected with WNV do not experience symptoms, but about 20% will develop fever and may have headache, body aches, nausea, tiredness and sometimes a skin rash. More serious symptoms, such as severe headaches, neck stiffness, confusion, muscle weakness, or paralysis, occur more rarely, but people who develop these symptoms should seek medical care immediately. People over 50 years of age and those with certain medical conditions are at increased risk of serious complications from WNV infection. Information on mosquito control is available on the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District website at www.ocvector.org. Other websites with helpful information about WNV include:
ABOUT THE OC HEALTH CARE AGENCY The OC Health Care Agency (HCA) is a regional interdisciplinary health jurisdiction and an accredited health department, charged with protecting and promoting individual, family and community health through partnership and coordination of public and private sector resources. Visit www.ochealthinfo.com to learn more about services and resources.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory in response to recent reports of increases in human exposures to rabid or possibly rabid animals and rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) administration errors. Since July 2026, multiple United States jurisdictions have reported local increases in human rabies exposures involving known rabies vectors or animals in which rabies is less commonly reported. Several high-profile rabies outbreaks and mass rabies exposure events have highlighted the importance of performing careful rabies risk assessments and following evidence-based recommendations for administering PEP. Health departments can help clinicians who provide rabies vaccination in their jurisdictions stay aware of the importance of rabies risk assessments before administering PEP. Clinicians and healthcare facilities can work to make sure that PEP is administered only when appropriate and that human rabies immune globulin (HRIG) and rabies vaccines are administered according to Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations.
