Archive for the ‘Health and Wellness’ Category

60 MCDH Employees Join Biggest Loser Challenge
—Posted Thursday, May 2nd, 2013 at 11:14 am— « »

When the County’s Biggest Loser Challenge kicks off Monday, May 6, our hospital will have more than 60 employees participating. Click here for Challenge details.

“We are really excited about the response from hospital employees,” said Donna Schuler, hospital wellness coordinator and Challenge liaison. “We aren’t technically competing directly with county employees or employees of Frank Howard Hospital and Ukiah Valley Medical Center. But no doubt our teams will want to win the Challenge for the bragging rights alone.”
The real goal is to improve the health of residents on the coast, starting with hospital employees. “Hopefully we will be able to expand it to people in the community,” said Donna.

Credit for the Biggest Loser Challenge goes to Katie S. Ford, Mendocino County Wellness Program Specialist II.

(more…)

MCDH To Participate in County’s Biggest Loser Challenge
—Posted Friday, April 5th, 2013 at 9:10 am— « »

The hospital’s rehab / wellness team has just opened up registration for the Biggest Loser Challenge to employees and volunteers and the response has been enthusiastic, according to Wellness Coordinator Donna Schuler. If you haven’t heard, here’s what’s happening:

Mendocino Coast District Hospital (MCDH) will participate in the County of Mendocino’s 12-week “2013 Biggest Loser Challenge” beginning May 6 in an effort to improve the health of residents on the coast.

The announcement came from Sarah Wagner, PT, manager of the hospital’s rehabilitation program, who will facilitate the local program with MCDH Wellness Coordinator Donna Schuler.

Credit for the Biggest Loser Challenge and resource materials goes to Katie S. Ford, Mendocino County Wellness Program Specialist II. Ford is helping manage the MCDH effort and is providing all necessary resource materials at no cost to Mendocino Coast Hospital.

(more…)

Stanford Trained Orthopedic Surgeon to Hold Seminar
—Posted Wednesday, February 6th, 2013 at 9:34 am— « »

Jack Bellah, MD, will hold a free seminar at the Hill House Inn in Mendocino from 6:30 pm to 8 pm Wednesday, February 13, on options for regaining your mobility after injury, illness or chronic ailments, such as arthritis.
Physical Therapy Manager Sarah Wagner will describe the hospital’s pre and post surgery support programs.
Dr. Bellah’s seminar will include a discussion of hip and knee replacements and the less invasive hip replacement procedure he performs using the “anterior approach.”
He completed his internship and residency in orthopedic surgery at Stanford Medical Center and has more than 25 years of experience. Dr. Bellah each year performs 50 knee and hip repairs and a total of 250 orthopedic procedures here on the Coast.
Hors d’ouevres and other refreshments will be served. RSVP to the Hill House at 937-0554.
The seminar is sponsored by Redwood Investments and TOSHIBA with no cost to the hospital.

MCDH Patients Avoid Contaminated Steroid Noted in National FDA Investigation
—Posted Friday, October 5th, 2012 at 5:24 pm— « »

I pleased to say that our patients were not injected with contaminated steroid because of our “best practices” approach of buying our drugs only from reliable sources.

Lois Leister, the pharmacy Director at MCDH, has confirmed that Mendocino Coast District Hospital has at no time purchased any methylprednisolone acetatate injection which has been  produced and distributed by New England Compounding Center (NECC) in Framingham, Massachusetts.

The FDA investigation into the exact source of the outbreak is still ongoing, but the outbreak that has been associated with this product is preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate (80mg/ml),  an injectable steroid , produced and distributed by New England Compounding Center (NECC) in Framingham, Massachusetts.  CDC’s interim data show that all infected patients received injection with this product.

To read the MedWatch safety alert, incliding links to the FDA statement, Q&As, and list of recalled products, click here. The Dept. of Anesthesia would like to alleviate any concerns by patients or their families, by stating that only methylprednisolone, manufactured by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, has been used in epidural steroid injections performed at the Mendocino Coast District Hospital.

 

 

5th Annual Health Festival
—Posted Monday, October 17th, 2011 at 6:31 pm— « »

IMG_8193

Donna Schuler, Wayne Allen, Roni McDermott

Last Saturday Mendocino Coast District Hospital hosted the Fifth Annual Mendocino Coast Hospital Health and Wellness Festival.  And according the virtually eveyone involved, this one was the best one yet!  The Festival Organizing Committee has been Chaired every year by Chief Clinical Officer, Roni McDermott.  This is what Roni had to say afterward.  “This year we provided over 730 screening exams for blood pressure, oxygen saturation, blood glucose, hearing, lipid panel, balance, bone density and % body fat composition.  This is a big increase over previous years.  In 2009 we did 206 tests and in 2010 we did approximately 600.  We also had over 35 exhibitors, making this the largest festival in 5 years!”  Roni added “We could not have put on such a great show without our volunteers that made it all possible.  Every one of our volunteers showed up ready to work and to do whatever it was going to take for a successful event.”

(more…)

Wellness Day at the Elementary Schools
—Posted Friday, December 18th, 2009 at 7:31 pm— « »

Mendocino Elementary School
Mendocino Elementary School

On December 8, the holidays came early for second grade children at Mendocino Elementary School and Fort Bragg Elementary School.  On that day I had the pleasure to meeting the second graders and talking about the importance of good health and wellness.  Each second grader received a copy of the Wellness textbook entitled “Fish Breath.”  Fish Breath, written by Kelly Mather, is an excellent tool to teach young children the healthy habit of Diaphragmatic breathing.  Diaphragmatic breathing is generally considered a healthier and fuller way to ingest oxygen.  Each book was wrapped in colorful holiday wrapping paper.  This was followed by a series of floor exercises that Kelly Mather led for the children.  It was good for me to get down on the floor with the kids and join in the healthy exercising. 

(more…)

2009 Health and Wellness Festival is a Success
—Posted Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 6:12 pm— « »

Kelly Mather and Leslie Lovejoy

Kelly Mather and Leslie Lovejoy

Last Saturday Mendocino Coast Hospital held it’s Annual Health and Wellness Festival.  This year was very special because it also served as special recognition for the local hospital’s commitment to transforming itself into a healing hospital.  Following a musical opening by Harpist, Roberta Belson, I began the Festival by speaking to the nearly 300 people in attendance about why MCDH chose to become a healing hospital.  In my remarks, I said that “healing is nothing new at the hospital.  The Coast Hospital has been healing the people that have honored us by choosing to come here for over 35 years.”  I said that the term “Healing Hospital” refers to a new breed of hospital, that not only serves the traditional role of curing disease and disorders, but who have also adopted a vision of a healthy community and created a healing environment with soothing sounds, colors, healthy food and natural beauty.  As a healing hospital, MCDH embraces integrative medicine with many local healing arts providers.  Following my opening remarks, I was presented with a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition by Christine Anderson on behalf of Congressman Mike Thompson.  (more…)

Services

Services