Eastern Plumas Health Care’s new Behavioral Health Program, jump-started by funding through a federal grant aimed at improving “the way care is delivered through California’s safety net hospital system,” has taken a big step forward recently. The grant has allowed EPHC to begin caring for the mental and emotional health of their patients in conjunction with the medical care they’ve already been receiving. Clinic Director, Rhonda Grandi, who wrote the grant, felt this was the project most needed by EPHC’s patients, given the high number of patients with a behavioral health diagnosis.   “Previously,” said Grandi, “the...

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At the March 29 meeting of the Eastern Plumas Health Care (EPHC) District Board of Directors, discussion centered on the updates made to the 2017-18 Operating Plan (OP), along with talks regarding improving customer service and gaining employees. In regards to employees at EPHC, much loved Portola dentist, Mario Garibotti, who joined the EPHC team last year, will be leaving at the end of June. Garibotti plans to move back to Southern California. EPHC recently hired Katherine Pairish, who will replace outgoing CFO, Jeri Nelson, this summer. Nelson has seen EPHC through good financial times and bad, and is adept at finding...

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Teri Palmer, a long time Eastern Plumas Health Care employee, has worn many hats since she started at the hospital in 1985. Currently, she serves as Registration Clerk at Loyalton Medical Clinic, where she is updating the look of the Clinic’s interior by reaching into Loyalton’s past. Palmer’s family has lived in the Sierra Valley for eight generations, counting her grandchildren. At one point in the late 1980s – early 1990s Palmer says her “entire family worked here. Myself as CNA, Toni CNA/lab, Tami secretary to the Director of Nursing, my mom in the kitchen and dad in the maintenance...

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Eastern Plumas Health Care has a new/old ambulance. Getting creative in order to give patients the best, and possibly most important, ride of their lives, Ambulance Manager, Steve Waldeck, recommended the hospital purchase a new Dodge chassis with a state of the art refurbished “box.” Waldeck said EPHC saved over $50,000, still coming through will all the important safety features, a vastly more comfortable ride, more visible LED lights, and a lower emissions vehicle. In short, the new rig is “more efficient, more reliable, and more responsible,” said Waldeck.

Dr. Paul Swanson will give a talk on the Opioid Crisis in EPHC's Education Center on the Portola Campus next Wed., Feb. 21 at 5:30. This is a subject that is vital to our community! Please attend if you can. Questions/more info - please call 832.6597. The following is one of this week's featured editorials in Plumas County's newspapers. The Opioid Crisis By Paul Swanson MD, Vice-Chair of Board of Directors, Director of Emergency and Hospitalist Services, Eastern Plumas Health Care In August 2016 the Surgeon General of the United States sent a letter to every physician in the United States asking for help...

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A letter from Dr. Michelle Kim to her patients: Dear friends, As many of you may already know, I sustained an injury this summer, and I have not been able to make the commute to Portola from my home in Truckee. For those of you who had appointments that have been changed and rescheduled over the past several months, I truly appreciate your patience. Unfortunately, even though I have been healing and improving, I have made the very difficult decision to resign my role as a primary care provider at Eastern Plumas at the end of January 2018. Until then, I...

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Health Insurance SOS

Eastern Plumas Health Care currently offers one on one help signing up for, or renewing Covered CA insurance. The deadline this year is January 30, so it is urgent to get help signing up if you need it now. Call 530.832.6568.

We also have year round help navigating the process of signing up for MediCal. April Shepherd in our Financial Services Office is here full time to help. You can make an appointment by contacting 530.832.6568; april.shepherd@ephc.org. She also takes walk-ins. She will get the information and documentation she needs from you and...

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This is a DRILL! Eastern Plumas Health Care is currently involved in an active shooter exercise. This is only a drill. The "active shooter" mass casualty incident occurred at 9 am at the County Fairgrounds in Quincy.

THIS IS ONLY A DRILL! Tomorrow EPHC's Portola Campus will be participating in a statewide disaster drill. This includes an "active shooter" incident in Quincy. We will be seeing "casualty patients" and "family members," and as much as possible, we will be responding as if this was a real disaster. Please keep this in mind and SHARE-- THIS IS ONLY A DRILL!