CEO Wayne Allen, Foundation CEO Jeri Erickson and Benefits Manager Will Lee served lunch to employees Friday

Two kinds of pasta, green salad and cupcakes for dessert drew nearly 200 employees Friday to a free lunch served by the hospital’s managers. The occasion was an employee appreciation lunch during National Hospital Week.

Wellness Coordinator Donna Schuler and Credit Coordinator Cindy Schlafer were among employees attending the lunch.

“We are proud of our employees who are our most valuable resource,” said CEO Wayne Allen. “We thank them for the positive difference they make in providing high quality healthcare services to our community.”

Begun in 1921, National Hospital Week celebrates the history, technology and dedicated professionals that make our facilities beacons of confidence and care.

Anthony Gabrielle Gomes, at birth

Anthony Gabrielle Gomes, Age 18 months

A chance encounter in Mendocino recently led to this update about Anthony Gabrielle Gomes, son of Chris and Menthie Gomes, fourth generation residents of Fort Bragg. As you can see, little Anthony is thriving. We tried to get him to look into the camera, but something more fascinating in the distance caught his eye.

Weighing 8 pounds, 10 ounces and 21 inches long at birth, he has been sprouting over the past 18 months. That almost black hair is now light blond.

Little Anthony arrived at 4:31 pm on New Year’s Day, 2012. How times flies.

Just a month after the MCDH mammogram department was accredited, there was more good news this past week for the Diagnostic Imaging Center and, of course, our patients:

–The ultrasound program was accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR).

–The Nuclear Medicine Department passed a detailed state inspection (required by all California hospitals with nuclear medicine programs).

“The ACR Ultrasound accreditation is a designation which affirms the quality of the service and reports produced by the MCDH Diagnostic Imaging Center,” explained Imaging Center Manager Noe Hinojosa. “Nuclear Medicine is heavily regulated and thanks to Nuclear Medicine Technologist Michelle Henry (pictured left), we passed with no deficiencies cited.” A new, state-of-the-art nuclear medicine camera has been purchased and will be installed in the next few months (and yes, the state will need to inspect it before becoming operational.

MCDH Ultrasound Technology

The Imaging Center’s state-of-the-art Toshiba Aplio MX ultrasound technology provides 3D and 4D imaging. “Superior imaging performance is one of the key reasons that make Aplio one of today’s most popular premium diagnostic ultrasound systems,” according to Hinojosa. “A host of advanced imaging and quantification functions ensures that you can make the best informed disease management decisions.”

“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.

Ford is helping manage the MCDH effort and is providing all necessary resource materials at no cost to Mendocino Coast Hospital.

Donated prizes will be awarded to the first, second, and third place Mendocino Coast Hospital teams with the greatest percent weight loss. In addition, donated raffle prizes will be drawn weekly during the campaign, for those who participate throughout the 12 weeks.

During National Volunteer Week (April 21-27), Mendocino Coast District Hospital (MCDH) scheduled two volunteer appreciation lunches, honoring a long list of volunteers who have contributed an estimated 22,000 hours, valued at some $350,000, over the past year.

“Our volunteers make a very positive contribution to patient care,” said Wayne Allen, CEO/CFO at Mendocino Coast Hospital. “We appreciate very much all they do. The volunteer lunch is one small way we can thank them for a job well done.”

A Volunteer Snapshot

MCDH’s more than 300 volunteers can’t be neatly bundled. They come in all shapes, sizes, ages and interests, but share a common bond: they want to help, and they work without financial compensation.

Says Shirley Paoli, a member of Ocean Wave Quilters, which made a blanket for every new-born the past many years: “Trying to estimate or put a value on how much we give each year is difficult because we don’t think much about keeping a tally. We make quilts because it fills a need and the task is something we love.”

Meaningful Contributions

The list of MCDH honorees for 2013 is long and varied. Here’s a brief summary:

• MCDH Auxiliary: 42 active and 25 associates have provided 8,112 hours of support that includes greeting patients in the hospital entrance, operating the See’s Candy Shoppe, pushing patients in wheelchairs, assembling charts and organizing the pantry (to name a few activities).  Two volunteers of note because of their longevity: Peggy Freitas, 96 (she was born near the end of World War I when Woodrow Wilson was president) and Dora Baroni, 93, who has been a volunteer since the hospital opened at the current location in 1971. Dora and Peggy show up every week for “work.”

• Hospice Thrift Store – 36 volunteers contributed 9,000 hours operating the store, which is a major fundraising source for the hospice program.

• Chaplains – 21 chaplains and 6 associate chaplains contributed 1,320 hours providing spiritual support to patients, staff, and their families.

• Hospice Program (for patients at home) – 42 volunteers contributed 2,780 hours assisting hospice patients, including picking up groceries and medications, paying bills, walking dogs, taking patients to doctor appointments, light housekeeping and more.

• No One Dies Alone Program (for hospitalized patients) – 72 vigil coordinators and compassionate companions spent 411 hours in support of dying patients.

• The Sunshine Team Animal Visits – 3 volunteers brought their dogs to patient bed sides to provide “sunshine” and comfort during hospitalization for a total of 411 hours.

• Ocean Wave Quilters – 60 members of the organization sewed or contributed to the production of baby blankets for every newborn, as well as making some adults quilts for the chaplaincy program and hospice.  Volunteer hours totaled 312 for the past year.

Mammogram Technologist Margaret DeMarinis with ACR accreditation.

The ACR Mammography Accreditation Program provides peer review and feedback on staff qualifications, equipment, quality control and assurance, image quality and dose. Accreditation is required for all U.S. facilities. To learn more, visit ACR.Org.

MCDH Mammogram Technology

The Imaging Center’s GE Senographe Essential digital mammography machine can image virtually any patient with flexible, off-centered ergonomic paddles even for very small breasts to improve both patient comfort and image accuracy, according to Hinojosa. “Exams are quick and accurate with a low dose of radiation and there is easy wheelchair access,” he said

Why Get a Mammogram?

The American Cancer Society estimates that a woman in the U.S. has a one in eight chance of developing invasive breast cancer during her lifetime. It is the second most common type of cancer among women in the U.S., and the leading cause of death among women 40-49.

To learn more about the hospital’s Diagnostic Imaging Center, visit MCDH.Org (see Centers of Excellence on the homepage) or call DI Center Manager Hinojosa directly at 961-4632.

About Mendocino Coast District Hospital. Mendocino Coast District Hospital is a 25-bed acute care facility licensed by the State of California Department of Health Services and accredited by The Joint Commission. MCDH provides emergency, inpatient and outpatient services, and healthcare education to prevent, manage and treat chronic and acute conditions. The hospital is located on the California coast, approximately 160 miles north of San Francisco.

MCDH Mammogram Technology

The GE Senographe Essential digital mammography machine can image virtually any woman with flexible, off-centered ergonomic paddles even for very small breasts to improve both patient comfort and image accuracy, according to Hinojosa. “Exams are quick and accurate with a low dose of radiation and there is easy wheelchair access,” he said.

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.

The Reality Show

The Biggest Loser Challenge, patterned after the TV Reality Show “The Biggest Loser” and a successful program created for Los Angeles County Employees, will initially be open only to hospital employees and volunteers, according to Wagner, who notes: “We hope to turn this success into a teaching opportunity we can extend to all residents in the Mendocino Healthcare District.”

On April 1, Wagner and Schuler began recruiting individuals and teams of three to six people to participate in the Challenge. Each participant will receive a colorful, detailed resource guide filled with tips for losing weight and ideas for achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Among the guide’s features is a weekly challenge. Challenges range from “logging all your food” in Week 1 to “avoiding unhealthy snacks or fast food” in Week 5.

Other Participants

In addition to MCDH County Employees, Frank Howard Hospital in Willits and Ukiah Valley Medical Center will offer their employees the opportunity to participate in the weight-loss challenge. In all, about 2,000 people will be eligible for the Challenge.

Donated prizes will be awarded to the first, second, and third place Mendocino Coast Hospital teams with the greatest percent weight loss. In addition, donated raffle prizes will be drawn weekly during the campaign, for those who participate throughout the 12 weeks.

Why An Obesity Focus?

“Much like the rest of the nation, a 2012 Health Poll of Mendocino County showed that 70 % of those polled felt that obesity was a very serious problem,” explained Wagner. “Many of our employees have made strides with walking on breaks, using the hospital’s physical therapy gym, and attending Weight Watchers meetings. Like the rest of the country, many employees want to lose weight to improve their health.

Appeal for Biggest Loser Winner Prizes

During the planning phase over the next month, Wagner and Schuler will be reaching out to local businesses in the community for either a team-based prize (for 3-6 people) or a one-time raffle prize.

“We will greatly appreciate any support the business community can offer,” said Wagner.

For additional information or to make a donation, call Donna Schuler at 707-961-4657.

Dr. Jack Bellah’s seminar on regaining your mobility after injury, illness or ailments, such as arthritis, drew more than 30 people to the Hill House Inn seminar in Mendocino.

Dr. Bellah, a Stanford-trained orthopedic surgery with more than 25 years experience, noted that arthritis is one of the main causes of mobility problems in older adults and that partial knee or total hip replacement can give a person a new lease on life.

In addition, Sarah Wagner, the manager of the hospital’s physical therapy program, discussed available pre and post surgery orientation.

Dr. Bellah’s comments, captured in the YouTube Video above, provide a comprehensive look at what he calls the “less invasive” anterior approach to hip surgery.

As a part of the crew on the Bob Barker, Shaw dealt with violent storms in the Southern Ocean, where swells reached as high as 50 feet, sustained winds of 50 to 60 mph, icy temperatures, confrontations with the Japanese whaling boats, and watching another boat, the Ady Gil, being rammed and sunk. Surrounded by frozen beauty, Shaw took photographs throughout this journey, and will tell his story.

A crew from Animal Planet Network’s reality show, “Whale Wars” was also on board. Whale Wars season 3 features Lincoln and others from the Bob Barker, the Steve Irwin and the Ady Gil as they confronted the Japanese whaling fleet in the Antarctic whaling sanctuary.

NOTE: No whales were killed during his watch and no brutal images will be shown during this presentation

Lincoln, a San Francisco native spent 20+ years as a Manufacturers Sales Rep in the Consumer Electronics space. He also helped launch and then sell a “Dot-Com” and was involved in several other Silicone Valley startups. Lincoln is often seen at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito where he volunteers rescuing and caring for sick injured pinnipeds.