Redbud plans upgrades to improve patient experiences, outcomes
Written by Editor
Tuesday, 04 March 2008
CLEARLAKE – Redbud Community Hospital has added “healing environments” to three upgraded and remodeled surgical and medical procedure suites – part of a national trend to combine new technology and improved function with design and comfort.
The redesign is good news to the nearly 1,500 surgical patients expected in 2008 for a wide variety of surgical and non-invasive procedures. Redbud’s medical staff routinely performs abdominal, gynecological, orthopedic, eye and GI procedures, as well as the latest minimally invasive techniques.
By adding new lighting, flooring and painting, the Redbud medical planning team has transformed two operating rooms and the endoscopy suite into environments more soothing and comforting for patients.
The surgical upgrades are the first phase of construction and remodeling plan that will double the size of the emergency department and create a more accessible hospital front entrance.
“The goal of our renovation was to create a surgical area that accommodates new technology – such as minimally invasive surgery – while at the same time is comforting and supports healing,” explained Linda Gibson, Redbud senior vice president of operations. “Studies have proven that a hospital’s environment can play a major role in the patient’s experience and outcome. An atmosphere and design that is comforting and calming can increase patient satisfaction and improve their hospital experience.”
Gibson also noted that top-notch surgical staff, services and the new surroundings are part of Redbud Community Hospital’s commitment to provide high quality care that is efficient, convenient and “unequaled by any other medical facility in the region.”
For more information about the care and services provided at Redbud Community Hospital, please visit the Web site at www.redbudhospital.org.
LAKEPORT – Sutter Lakeside Hospital wellness Center for Health is offering community members the opportunity to attend a 10-week Webcast program sponsored by Oprah entitled, “A Brave New World.”
Oprah is offering the free Webcast to those who wish to participate in a study group focused on the new bestseller “A Brave New World: Finding Your Life’s Mission,” authored by inspirational speaker and author, Eckhart Tolle.
The program will be aired at 6 p.m. Pacific time and will be held in the Integrative Healing House located behind the Wellness Center on the Sutter Lakeside Hospital grounds.
The program will be facilitated by Carol Hoffman, certified massage therapist and practitioner at the Integrative Healing House.
Seating is limited so pre-registration is required.
For more information call the Wellness Center for Health at (707) 262-5171 or e-mail
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.
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month and the California State Legislature is taking our children’s oral health seriously!
Tips for keeping baby teeth healthy
Bring your child to a dentist by one year of age to be checked!
Brush your child’s teeth twice a day, as soon as a baby’s teeth come in with a “rice-sized” dab of fluoride toothpaste. (Wipe off excess toothpaste for infants and toddlers who cannot rinse and spit.)
Never let your baby go to sleep with, or walk around with a bottle or “sippy” cup filled with anything but water.
Make snacks healthy foods, like fruit, vegetables or cheese – not sweets or sodas.
Check your child’s teeth once a month, by “lifting the lip” up to look for white spots; these may indicate the very beginning of decay, which can be reversed if caught early enough.
Starting in January 2007, children entering public school for the first time, in kindergarten or first grade, are to have a dental checkup by May 31 of their first school year. The goal of this new legislation is to ensure our children have regular access to dental care and to raise parents’ awareness of the importance of oral health to overall health and readiness to learn.
Many young children in Lake County will be having a dental screening this year at state subsidized preschools. Thanks to the Children’s Oral Health Project, funded by First 5 Lake County, children learn how to brush their teeth well and are encouraged to see the dentist every year.
Lake County Office of Education’s Healthy Start program is also holding Health Fairs at local state preschools, which include dental health screening, fluoride varnishes and oral health education for parents and caregivers
The project has also established “daily brushing programs” at preschools and daycares to increase the quality of teeth brushing among young children and to decrease the amount of time between thorough teeth cleanings. Children, parents and teachers are also taught the importance of good oral health care with class instruction and video-based courses, emphasizing the link between dental health and total health.
In 2000, the U.S. Surgeon General’s report, “Oral Health in America” described dental disease as an epidemic among children throughout our nation. Poor children are especially vulnerable.
In fact, dental disease is the most chronic childhood disease in this country – five times more prevalent than asthma. It affects overall health, impacting nutritional intake, growth and development, self-esteem and even future success in school.
Statistics show that one out of every 15 children in California suffers debilitating dental disease. In Lake County, 41 percent of preschool children receiving a dental screening this year have experienced dental decay.
And if a family member has untreated cavities, a child’s risk for dental decay goes up as well. Children of mothers with poor oral health are five times more likely to have oral health problems.
It is important for parents, prospective parents, and caregivers to monitor their own dental health – see a dentist at least once every six months and get treatment as necessary. We now know that dental decay is an infectious disease – the bacteria is passed from parent to baby.
Prevention is the key – and is certainly preferred to drilling a decayed tooth in the mouth of a young child.
Let’s make 2008 the year we stop dental decay among all Lake County kids!
Marta Fuller, RN, is the coordinator of the Lake County Children’s Dental Disease Prevention Program in the Department of Health Services. For more information, e-mail
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or call 263-1090. Joan Reynolds is the director of the Lake County Office of Education’s Healthy Start Program.
Lake County Tobacco Control Program seeks applicants
Written by Editor
Thursday, 07 February 2008
LAKE COUNTY – The Lake County Tobacco Control Program is seeking community members to serve on the Tobacco Control Coalition.
Coalition members, who will serve for 30 months, will coordinate efforts to educate county residents about the dangers of exposure to second-hand smoke and participate in legislative activities at local and state levels.
Applicants should have a desire to affect change in societal norms regarding tobacco use, eliminating exposure to harmful chemicals in second-hand smoke, and helping to stop youth access to tobacco products. Non-smokers, previous smokers and current smokers are encouraged to apply.
The first scheduled meeting of the Coalition will be on Feb. 14 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Lake Family Resource Center, 896 Lakeport Blvd. in Lakeport. A light Valentine’s Day lunch will be served.
If you are interested in serving on the LCTCP Tobacco Coalition, please call Michael Rupe, program director, at 262-1611, Extension 118.
The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine made headlines when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it to prevent cervical cancer and genital warts.
Given in a series of three shots over six months, Gardasil protects against four types of HPV, which are responsible for 70 percent of cervical cancers and 90 percent of genital warts.
Despite the protection Gardasil offers, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, emphasizes regular pap smear testing.
The HPV vaccine is most effective when administered to girls and women before the onset of sexual activity. The FDA has approved the vaccine for girls and women between the ages 9 to 26.
This vaccine is administered in the upper arm and is generally well tolerated.
Women who are already sexually active, who may have had prior HPV exposure, may have less protection from the HPV vaccine, but should also be vaccinated.
Women who have already had abnormal pap smears, genital warts or precancerous changes, may still benefit from the HPV vaccine, as it is unlikely they have already been exposed to all four types of HPV.
With widespread use, HPV vaccination has the potential to decrease the risk of genital warts and cervical cancer.
Dr. Paula Dhanda, whose practice is based in Kelseyville, strongly recommends this vaccine and is giving it to her patients. She advises women to call their doctor or health care provider.
A lot of insurances cover this vaccine, Dhanda reports. Women may confirm this, by checking with their insurance and asking for coverage for the Gardasil Vaccine, CPT code 90649.
