Approximately 100 people from Plumas and Sierra Counties showed up at EPHC’s Portola Education Center for a town hall meeting with Rocky Deal, Rep. Tom McClintock’s aide and Nadine Bailey, aide to Dan Logue. At risk are 58 residents of our two Skilled Nursing Facilities (one in Loyalton, one in Portola), as the state has passed an amendment that would roll back Medicare/Medical rates for the SNF’s 23%. This would amount to a $1.1 million hit to EPHC, and it would force closure of these facilities. Residents, friends, and families were on hand to ask pointed questions and to suggest...

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EPHC's October digital mammo screening continues throughout the month. For only $80, patients can call 530.832.6516 and schedule their screening utilizing our new state of the art digital mammography equipment. Offering higher quality, rapid results, more comfort, and less radiation, now there's no excuse! Call to schedule your digital mammogram today. Appointments are nearly full for October, but if you call this month, you'll get the special rate for your November appointment!

EPHC staff members attended a flag ceremony in honor of Pauline Coe Erwin, on Monday, Oct. 17. Evie Smith donated the new flag in memory of her friend and co-worker, Pauline, who died last Dec. 26th of cancer. The flag was raised in front of EPHC’s Portola hospital. Staff members observed a moment of silence for Pauline. Her husband Ken was on hand for the ceremony. Ken recalls that she most enjoyed “doing something for somebody else.” Added, Evie, “She was just a beautiful person.”

Eastern Plumas Health Care’s “Secrets to Healthy Living” community health education series holds its 2011 Grand Finale Thursday, Oct. 20, 6:00 p.m. at their Portola Campus Education Center. The evening’s topic, “The Latest Health Tips!” will bring together a panel of family doctors, specialists, and family nurse practitioners to answer audience health questions and concerns. The latest developments within specific topic areas to be addressed include: Osteoporosis, with John Evans, FNP; Adult Immunizations, with Dr. Grady Fort; and, Women’s Health Screenings, with Christina Potter, FNP. Other EPHC health care providers will be on hand to answer questions across a broad...

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by Melanie Buckley PA-C As a practicing Physician Assistant (PA) specializing in dermatology, I educate patients every day on how to achieve and maintain the healthiest skin possible, both medically and cosmetically. Here are my top 10 tips for healthy skin: Wear sunscreen daily The most important and simplest key to protecting yourself from skin cancer and aging of the skin is to wear sunscreen every day of the year. Put it on each morning. It should be as fundamental as brushing your teeth. Even on cloudy dark days, we are exposed to ultra violet radiation (UVR) coming through the windows of our offices, homes, and cars. Incidental damage...

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Eastern Plumas Health Care begins conducting tele-psychiatry appointments using their new, state of the art telemedicine, video-conferencing equipment, beginning on Sept. 29. EPHC’s primary care physicians have begun making referrals over the past month, and already there are 26 patients prepared to take part in these sessions. Patients will initially have a 30 minute appointment with psychiatrist, Dr. Garewal, with the length and frequency of follow up appointments determined by the doctor at that visit. According to Schweyer, patients in Graeagle, Greenville, and Loyalton also will be able to “see” the psychiatrist utilizing one of EPHC’s six new telemedicine systems, by the end of November. Further, Schweyer, plans...

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It’s been an interesting summer here at Eastern Plumas Health Care, and for rural hospitals and nursing facilities in California and across the nation. In July, EPHC received word that state lawmakers had passed an Amendment authorizing them to make what would amount to a 23% rate reduction for our skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). We’re waiting to hear if the Center for Medicare will approve these cuts. If they go through, our hospital stands to lose over $1 million. Most likely, it would force the closure of our two skilled nursing facilities (in Loyalton and Portola). 60 staff members would...

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EPHC is pleased to announce that Dr. Robert Fulmer will be returning in October to care for our gynecology patients--in the Portola Medical Clinic on the first Tuesday of each month and in the Graeagle Medical Clinic the third Tuesday of each month. While he will not be performing surgeries, he will be doing clinical procedures at both clinics. Patients can call the Graeagle Clinic at 836-1122 and the Portola Clinic at 832-6600 now to schedule their appointments with Dr. Fulmer.

At the third offering in Eastern Plumas Health Care’s Community Health Education Series, Dr. Milind Dhond talked on Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD), better known as hardening of the arteries. He showed how far new technologies aimed at repairing and restoring arteries has come in the last 15 years. A procedure that would have taken up to four hours and landed the patient in the hospital for five days can now be done in 45 minutes, with the patient going home the same day. Among the many fascinating technological advances, attendees saw how miniature lasers on a miniscule wire can be...

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Eastern Plumas Health Care has just been awarded nearly $200,000 in telemedicine equipment, through a grant funded by UC Davis Health System and the California Telehealth Network (CTN). This Model eHealth Community Grant was awarded to 15 community groups across California to advance health using telecommunications technologies. EPHC collaborated with Tahoe Forest Health System and other community and healthcare organizations throughout Plumas, Sierra, and Nevada counties in a project spearheaded by Susan Ferrier, Executive Director of Connecting to Care (a non-profit agency dedicated to helping rural health care organizations connect to high speed, medical grade broadband). This grant project,...

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