health care

This November, please vote YES on Proposition 52. Proposition 52, the Medi-Cal Funding and Accountability Act, extends the current partnership between the state and California hospitals to help fund the health care needs of 13 million children, seniors, and low-income families in California.

In the last two years, the number of Med-Cal recipients in South Lake Tahoe has doubled. El Dorado County receives $20,136,379 in federal funding each year and without this money our working families who would not be able to afford health care services.

This November, please vote YES on Proposition 52. Proposition 52, the Medi-Cal Funding and Accountability Act, extends the current partnership between the state and California hospitals to help fund the health care needs of 13 million children, seniors, and low-income families in California.

In the last two years, the number of Med-Cal recipients in South Lake Tahoe has doubled. El Dorado County receives $20,136,379 in federal funding each year and without this money our working families would not be able to afford health care services.

Low-cost community flu vaccination clinics will start in South Lake Tahoe on September 28 and on October 5 on the West Slope.

The El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency, Public Health Nursing will be conducting the clinics through mid-November for just $10 per vaccine. No one will be denied service due to inability to pay.

As do all good ideas that want to become lasting projects, many years and lots of planning have gone into creating what will become the Robert Maloff Center of Excellence at Barton Health.

It's been 55 years since the Barton family donated the land where the first hospital in South Lake Tahoe was built, and it was in that same footprint of land that the ground was broken for the new center 26,000 square foot center on Tuesday.

Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe was one of 798 hospitals in the United States to earn an "A", making it one of the safest hospitals in the country.

A national patient safety watchdog, the Leapfrog Group, announced the New Hospital Safety Scores which come in the form of grades A, B, C, D and F.

Catherine "Cat" Fuller has been selected for the Community Health Nurse/Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) position at the Douglas County Community Health Clinic.

After a nationwide recruitment, Carson City Health and Human Services along with Douglas County selected Fuller which included an interview process which began in February, 2016 and included a panel of nursing, social services, and administrative leadership from the Carson City and Douglas County Community Health and Social Services agencies.

In the mix you have El Dorado County, the City of South Lake Tahoe, Lake Valley Fire Protection and the Cal Tahoe JPA. More importantly, and most likely the reason for the passionate responses from all involved, the mix also contains the safety of the public.

On March 15, 2016, the City of South Lake Tahoe sent a letter to the JPA, stating their intent to pull out of the agency that was created in 2001 to supply ambulance service to the City and the County and a portion of Alpine County.

The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) will “make a real difference for families and communities” struggling with drug addiction, U.S. Senator Rob Portman of Ohio said Saturday. He spoke about the bill, which has bipartisan support, in a weekly Republican address.

“This epidemic does not discriminate,” Senator Portman said. “Zip codes don’t matter. It’s affecting our cities, suburban areas, and rural counties. Young or old, rich, middle class or poor, black, white, Hispanic or Asian. The grip of addiction affects all of us.”

Barton Health is hosting an open enrollment working session on Wednesday, January 20, 2016 at the Lake Tahoe Community College from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

During this session, individuals can apply for health coverage and have access to certified representatives for any needed assistance. The deadline to sign up is January 31, 2016.

They are reminding people to bring their picture identification, social security number and household income to the enrollment session.

When the recession hit and many cities were faced with bankruptcy and skyrocketing healthcare costs for their employees, retirees had benefits cut or renegotiated. The City of South Lake Tahoe survived those turbulent times by taking a look at the costs they could reduce or restructure, and benefits for retirees was one that took a hit.

Now, many of those employees have filed a lawsuit against the City.

In a community with many needs, the Barton Foundation today donated $35,500 to ten different agencies that provide services to the residents of South Lake Tahoe during their annual Philanthropy Day. For the seventh year, the Barton Foundation gave away money raised through their annual fundraising efforts which include the annual Festival of Lights.

The El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency, Public Health Division will begin conducting low-cost community flu vaccination clinics in South Lake Tahoe this fall. Seasonal influenza vaccine will be available in nasal mist and flu shot forms at the clinics.

Dogs on the Run, a South Lake Tahoe non-profit, is hosting their monthly Wag, Waddle and Walk event on Monday, July 20 at 5:30 p.m.

The monthly dog walking activity brings together dog owners for a little exercise, optional competition and socializing. The on-leash walk starts at Al Tahoe Post Office parking lot and finishes at Sierra Pizza on Al Tahoe Blvd.

This family friendly event is for non-aggressive canines and people. Dogs must be on-leash and up-to-date on their vaccinations.

5:30 Meet at Al Tahoe Post Office Parking Lot
Sign waiver

A bird found in the El Dorado Hills area of the county tested positive for West Nile Virus this week.

The bird, a Western Scrub Jay, was found on June 16 and is the first bird of the year to be found to have the virus. So far this year, West Nile virus activity has been reported in 26 California counties, including neighboring Sacramento and Placer counties.

No human cases of the virus have been reported in California thus far in 2015.

- Many children go undiagnosed and unidentified; they are penalized for inappropriate behavior though symptomatic.
- 42% of diagnosed students graduate with a high school diploma.
- 48% of diagnosed students drop out of school.
- 50% will serve jail time after leaving school; 20% serve sentences prior to leaving school.
- Currently 12 % of children in America under the age of 18 have a diagnosable
mental illness.
- Among the US population, mental illness impacts 1 in 4 individuals.
- 50% of adult cases of mental illness had signs and symptoms by age 14.

Most people elected to special district boards receive no compensation to oversee the agencies that provide services such as water or local park maintenance.

But some district directors receive annual salaries approaching $20,000 and health benefits for a position that has few requirements besides preparing for and attending meetings.

Of the nearly 1,000 special district board members in the capital region, about 70 percent received no compensation, The Sacramento Bee found in an analysis of 2013 salary data recently released by the California State Controller's Office.

The window for many Californians to sign up for health coverage widened Friday when the state exchange said it would extend this month’s deadline to enroll in a plan until the end of April.

Covered California said it was making the change to accommodate taxpayers who are just now realizing that they’ll be charged penalties on their tax returns if they don’t have health insurance. This is the first year such penalties kick in under the federal health care law.

H & R Block and El Dorado Community Health Centers are joining to host a community event. The Affordable Care Act is confusing and we are here to help. We will have enrollment agents available to help you sign up for health care and to answer questions about enrollment. We will have tax professionals available to answer questions about the ACA will affect your taxes including Tax Credits, Individual Mandate and Exemptions.

The event is on Monday, December 8 at the H & R Block offices at 1068 Emerald Bay Road, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Location

Tahoe Chamber and Barton Health, in conjunction with Small Business Majority and Covered California, will host a free interactive event on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014 on the state’s new health insurance marketplace, Covered California, and how it impacts small employers in South Lake Tahoe.

The 2014 Fall Aging & Caregiver Series will be given for the next six weeks in South Lake Tahoe. This six week series of classes are designed to provide instruction and support for caregivers who are, or are planning to, care for a family member or friend age 60 or older.

All classes are held at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel (formerly Embassy Suites) from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Participants must register by calling 530-621-6369 or 800-510-2020. Free in-Home respite is available to qualified caregivers. Pre-authorization is required for respite services.

Backers of California Proposition 46 claim it will protect the patient and reduce patient harm. While the initiative argues patient safeguards and seems well-intended, the proposition is flawed and costly. If passed as written, Proposition 46 would discourage doctors from working in California, jeopardize patient privacy, and increase patient and government healthcare costs.

Barton Memorial Hospital has received notification from the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that it will receive an additional .5 percent in Medicare reimbursement for its high performance scores in patient care. Barton Hospital was compared to other hospitals nationally for its work in quality outcomes, patient safety and patient satisfaction. The higher
reimbursement will be allocated from October 2014 through September 2015.

Steve Neff has accepted the position of Vice President of Finance for Barton Health.

He comes to South Lake Tahoe from Danvers, Massachusetts where he was most recently with Renaissance Healthcare Partners, LLC. Neff is a healthcare leader who has over 19 years of executive leadership experience in community hospital and senior care systems and 30 years He brings expertise in the health care market, strategic planning, team building, communications, and philanthropy.

Barton Health has announced that Sue Fairley, RN, has been named their new Vice President of Nursing and Ancillary Services. She replaces Mary Bittner, RN, who left in April to pursue a health care teaching career.

Fairley has been in nursing at Barton Health for the last 17 years. In 2004 she became the Director of Nursing and has been serving as the interim Vice President of nursing since Bittner's departure.