Cider, Eastern Plumas Health Care's beloved therapy dog for their Loyalton skilled nursing facility passed away on March 2, 2016. The Loyalton community and beyond had just raised the funds for her to have a necessary surgery on her knee. She had complications, including major seizures. In the end, her friends at the Loyalton SNF had to make the painful decision to have her euthanized rather than watch her suffer further. She came to live with the staff and residents at EPHC-Loyalton Campus on on December 3, 2005 at the age of 5 months old. She was a High Sierra Animal...

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Katie Tanner, Eastern Plumas Health Care Auxiliary's outgoing President, presented Chief Financial Officer, Jeri Nelson, with a $10,925 check at the Auxiliary's quarterly meeting to pay for a new cystoscope. The scope will allow urologist Dr. John Scott to expand the types of procedures he can perform for EPHC patients. The Auxiliary also provided the hospital with $80,000 toward the purchase of a new nurse call system, which was just completed in the Portola hospital and skilled nursing facility. The total amount of donations from the Auxiliary for hospital equipment during this fiscal year is $169,265. The group has been...

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INCREDIBLE NEWS: EPHC'S SKILLED NURSING FACILITIES ARE FINALLY FREE OF THE "CLAWBACK." WE NO LONGER HAVE TO PAY BACK THE $2.5 MILLION "TAKE BACK" THE STATE HAD PLANNED. THIS ENDS A SUCCESSFUL 3-4 YEAR BATTLE! TIME TO CELEBRATE!! THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED US ALONG THE WAY!! Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced that he has signed bipartisan managed care organization (MCO) financing legislation passed by both houses of the Legislature yesterday. The bill package includes elimination of the “clawback”, or retroactive recoupment of reimbursement for services provided by hospital based skilled nursing facilities.

Eastern Plumas Health Care is once more being recognized for its robust telemedicine program. The close of 2015 saw EPHC grab the top spot in the 2015 Excellence in Telehealth Awards as the Number 1 Telemedicine Performer for the state of California. Eric Brown, President and CEO of the California Telehealth Network, had this to say: “I’d like to congratulate the Eastern Plumas Health Care organization on their amazing progress in building their telemedicine program. I can remember first visiting Portola in the summer of 2010 when they didn’t have adequate broadband, no telemedicine equipment or training. To see the...

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Dr. John Scott is good news to Eastern Plumas Health Care and Plumas County’s urology patients. Scott is a board certified urologist who spent most of his career working in Reno at Urology Surgeons, which is now Nevada Urology. Christine Lajuenesse of Nevada Urology said she loved working with Dr. Scott and that he was very personable. And, his new patients at the Portola and Graeagle are already praising his knowledge and kind bedside manner. All of this means that Plumas County patients can stop waiting months to see a urologist and can avoid the long drive to Reno or...

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Hospitals, like communities and human beings, are organic. To survive, they change; if they don’t, they die. A few years back, Eastern Plumas Health Care’s skilled nursing facilities were threatened with closure when the state of California decided it wanted to pay less for services—not just now, but in the past, as well. This meant that EPHC would have to pay millions of dollars to the state. The hospital scaled back its skilled nursing operations, fought hard, and won. Not a single resident was displaced. Now, with that fight in the past, the hospital is busily scaling up its skilled...

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EPHC's Auxiliary awards annual scholarships, enabling employees to further their education in ways that will benefit both the recipient and the hospital as employees improve skills and/or advance in their careers. Congratulations to this year's recipients: Frank Blecha, Radiology Technologist; Erin Bautista, CNA; Marinela Miranda (CNA); and, Sharon Tanguay (Medical Assistant).

EPHC Gives Back donated $500 to EPCAN (Eastern Plumas community Assistance Network) to replenish their community food resources after the Portola fire caused them to loose everything. EPCAN is an essential community resource, helping Portola area families in need. EPHC Gives Back seeks to help the community by donating to children and families who need a bit of extra help, so this seemed like a perfect fit! Thanks, Regina Martinez for suggesting it! In the photo, from left: Jeri Hagen, President of Lady Elks, Dink Rife, EPCAN Treasurer, and Kim Voigt, EPHC dietary staff member working the Elks' Taco Tuesday...

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EPHC is joining with Plumas County this year to offer drive through flu shots--all clinics from 11:00am - 1:00pm: Greenville, Mon. Oct. 26 IVMC Portola's EPHC Campus, Tues. Oct. 27 (moved to Portola Memorial Hall if weather is bad) Graeagle, Mon. Nov. 2 7620 Hwy 89 (Graeagle Fire Hall) Please let everyone know about these important flu shot dates!

For two months in a row now, Eastern Plumas Health Care’s telemedicine program is ranked NUMBER ONE as California Telehealth Network’s top telemedicine performer. EPHC was able to maintain the number one position for the months of June and July. Many thanks to Erica Waldeck, who has worked so hard to make this program so successful, and to Bryan Gregory, who is always on the lookout for more doctors and specialties to add. Below is the link for in-depth July statistics from the California Telehealth Network: http://www.caltelehealth.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/ctn_proj_u_july_2015.pdf