One of the primary difficulties facing small, rural hospitals is that of attracting high quality physicians, particularly specialists who face a mountain of debt once they graduate from medical school. Often, locating specialists who are of exceptional quality and who also work to create caring relationships with their patients, is a daunting task. Further, finding them is one thing; getting them to stay is sometimes quite another. So, when Eastern Plumas Health Care managed to attract Dr. Charles Cox, a Board Certified, Stanford trained Gastroenterologist to its staff, there was cause for celebration. Currently, his dance card is so full,...

Read More ›

The Portola City Council celebrated a hero at its regular city council meeting on April 24. Jose “Tony” Avalos, a humble 20-year-old local who works as a cook at Eastern Plumas Health Care, saved a life on April 14 by running into a burning house and dragging unconscious citizen Dave Stanton to safety. In recognition of Avalos’ selfless act of bravery, the council awarded him with a commemorative plaque given to him by Stanton in an emotional presentation. Mayor Phil Oels read a proclamation describing the event while Avalos’ family and friends snapped photos of the unpretentious man receiving his award from...

Read More ›

Three members of Eastern Plumas Health Care’s Ambulance Department have just been awarded the prestigious Exemplary Performance Award for 2013 from their overseeing body, Nor-Cal Emergency Medical Services (EMS). EPHC Ambulance Dept. manager, Steve Waldeck, and EMT, Henry Johnson, were partners on the call. Leah Turner, Advanced EMT for Portola Fire Department, who is also a part of EPHC’s ambulance crew, all responded to the call for an unresponsive, possibly not breathing patient. Turner was first to arrive on the scene, where she found the patient with very shallow respirations and a slow pulse rate. Soon after Waldeck and Johnson arrived in the...

Read More ›

Eastern Plumas Health Care’s new 16 slice, digital CT scanner just received its gold seal accreditation from the American College of Radiology, which is considered “the gold standard of accreditation” in hospital imaging, according to Radiology Supervisor, Mischele Dillon. CT scans take a series of x-ray views from many different angles. It uses state of the art computer technology to process the multiple views in order to create cross-sectional images of bones and soft tissue. A CT scan gives your doctor much more information than a traditional x-ray; it can even create a 3D image. CT scans have many uses,...

Read More ›

Cathy Conant, Eastern Plumas Health Care’s Director of Human Resources, is retiring after 34 years. But, this sentence does little to impart the true meaning of Cathy’s presence at the hospital all these years. As CEO Tom Hayes will tell you, “Cathy’s loyalty to this organization is second to none.” For a third of a century, Cathy has believed that it’s her duty to be a “caregiver” for this hospital, its staff, and its patients. “You don’t find healthcare, she said, “it finds you. There’s something about the honor of caring for another that goes beyond a job description.” Since 1995,...

Read More ›

Dr. Wendy Flapan, a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist has just joined the staff at Eastern Plumas Health Care. She is, in many ways, a perfect fit for EPHC’s patients. As she explains, a PM&R specialist, or Physiatrist, is a nerve, muscle, and bone expert who treats injuries or illnesses that affect how you move. Her goal is to decrease pain and enhance function without surgery. She also helps patients prior to and after surgery to get back the function they may have lost. Let’s put this into terms those of us who live in this recreational wonderland in the...

Read More ›

Eastern Plumas Health Care is offering free flu shots for anyone age 17 and up during the last week of March (24 – 28 and 31, and Sat. the 29th, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. in Portola). No appointment is necessary; patients can simply walk in to their local EPHC Clinic (in Graeagle, Indian Valley, Loyalton and Portola) to get their vaccine, said Director of Clinics, Bryan Gregory. Flu season doesn’t end until May, so for those who haven’t yet had a flu shot, it’s still worthwhile to get vaccinated. This program is part of EPHC’s emphasis on preventive...

Read More ›

When is a party more than a party? When it’s one of the Shepards’ and Kennedys’ (joined this year by the Kennedy-Roths) infamous Martini extravaganzas. This year, the lucky recipient of funds raised at the Martini bash was Eastern Plumas Health Care. Never underestimate the allure of drink and philanthropy. This year’s installment, dubbed the “Life Saving Martini Party,” raised a whopping $9,8919.00 towards the purchase of EPHC’s new ambulance. The party was held at Larry and Rene Walkers’ home, with one hundred people in attendance. Besides appetizers, barbeque, and a complete dinner, there was a full bar, and a band....

Read More ›

When most people hear “Road Trip,” the vehicle that comes to mind is not an ambulance. But, for Steve Waldeck, Eastern Plumas Health Care’s dedicated Director of Ambulance Services, the point of a recent trip along the highways and byways of California was to bring back the hospital’s brand new, shiny EPHC ambulance. Waldeck decided to bring the rig back home himself in order to save the hospital $2,300 in transport costs. He flew down to Anaheim, where the new ambulance was being outfitted. But, what was the happiest place on earth for Waldeck? Not Disneyland, but the seat of...

Read More ›

Valentine’s Day “was just another day,” said Zella Marie Coggin, a patient at Eastern Plumas Health Care’s Portola hospital. That is, until Eldred, her husband of seventy years, proposed to her again on the morning of Valentine’s Day 2014. “Will you marry me?” he asked. And she answered, “Yes, ten times over.” Zella shows off her beautiful new wedding ring proudly. After all, the first time around when they were eighteen, they purchased their rings at Hilp’s Drug Store in Reno, NV. The year was 1943, and Eldred had received $20 from his father for working on his father’s truck....

Read More ›