Eastern Plumas Health Care was recently awarded a $12,000 telemedicine cart as part of acceptance into UC Davis’s Pediatric critical-care telemedicine program. The program, which usually requires a nearly $10,000 membership fee in addition to the price of the cart, was free of charge to EPHC under a grant provided by UC Davis. EPHC now has access to UC Davis’s Pediatric Intensive Care physicians 24/7, utilizing a top of the line, high-definition, video conferencing mobile telemedicine cart.

Now, when a child comes into EPHC’s emergency room with severe breathing difficulties, for example, the hospital’s ER doctor can connect with a Davis Pediatric Intensivist. The UCD specialist can observe the child as closely as if he were in the room and evaluate a whole spectrum of problems. He also can help guide procedures in very difficult cases.

James Marcin, MD, Director of the UCD Pediatric Telemedicine Program, came to EPHC recently to demonstrate the capabilities of these real-time remote consultations and evaluations. Utilizing UCD’s pediatric specialists enables EPHC to make the very best decisions for our pediatric emergency patients, and to make these decisions very quickly.

According to Director of Nursing, Mark Schweyer, who is actively developing EPHC’s telemedicine program, all of the hospital’s emergency room personnel, including Acute and Emergency Department nurses, respiratory therapists, and any hospital nurse “who may care for pediatric patients in any way” will now be Pediatric Advanced Life Support certified.

This advanced training program, developed by the American Heart Association, aids pediatric healthcare providers in providing rapid and effective management of critically ill infants and children, including best assessment of cardiac arrest, respiratory management, and resuscitation. According to Schweyer, “This is one more thing we’re doing to improve the quality of care and scope of services we provide for our community.”