Health & Wellness

Dr. Rhonda Sneeringer has been promoted to Barton Health's Chief Medical Officer, replacing Dr. Clint Purvance who is the hospital's new President/CEO.

She will start her new job November 1.

Dr. Sneeringer has been a pediatric and adult hospitalist at Barton for the past three years. She currently serves as the Vice Chief of Staff.

"Dr. Sneeringer has shown commitment to quality and patient-centered care" said retiring CEO John Williams. "This commitment, coupled with her enthusiasm, will help continue our efforts to make Barton Health a community leader in health and wellness."

The South Tahoe Drug Free Coalition collaborated with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office and the South Tahoe Police Department for the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, September 26, 2015, which saw approximately 50 pounds of unwanted prescription medication turned in to authorities. The event gave South Lake Tahoe residents an opportunity to dispose of all unwanted, unused, or expired medications for free with no questions asked. No liquids or needles were accepted and residents were asked to remove all personal information from bottles before dropping off medications.

Mental Illness affects one in five adults in the United States, and 21 % of youth. If you have friends or family members dealing with the more serious side of mental illness, there is an upcoming series of classes that may benefit you.

A series of classes to be held in South Lake Tahoe will be giving instruction and support to caregivers who are, or are planning to care for a family member or friend 60-years-old or more.

The free classes will be held at Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel on five nights:

OCTOBER 12th Mealtime Matters: The Importance of Nutrition in the Elderly
NEW CLASS Heather Lallement, CHPN, RN, Barton Home Health and Hospice

OCTOBER 19th Understanding the Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease
NEW CLASS Jacob Harmon, N. CA. and NV. Alzheimer’s Association

What allows us to balance and what prevents us from falling? Learn about the components that make up balance. Practice exercises to improve balance and prevent vertigo and dizziness.

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Lake Tahoe’s Movement of Wings (LTMW) will bring the Incline Village and Lake Tahoe communities together on September 5 from 9-12 p.m. to raise awareness for thyroid cancer. LTMW aims to provide a fun, community-generated event that will provide support and a proactive way to fight this disease, while promoting a healthy lifestyle in one of the most beautiful places to run, Lake Tahoe. Proceeds will be donated to ThyCa.

Parents worried that their college-bound children might succumb to the temptations of campus life may want to take note of a new analysis that found that students tend to experiment with specific types of drugs for the first time during certain times of year.

Health officials in El Dorado County are reminding residents and visitors that chipmunks, squirrels and other wild rodents can carry plague, and that a few simple precautions can prevent the spread of the disease.

"While human cases of plague are fairly rare, there are many areas in California, including higher elevation areas of El Dorado County, where wild rodents have been found in the past to carry plague," said Karen Bender, Supervisor with the El Dorado County Environmental Management Division.

Most kids and parents have a mixture of excitement and nervousness about starting a new school year. This is normal. However, parents can help ease the transition from summer vacation to the school routine. Here are some tips to prepare you and your student for the upcoming academic year.

Every time we offer support and understanding to a family or friend that is caring for a loved one living with mental illness we give them hope. Recovery is absolutely possible! Education is a core component of recovery. Through an array of free NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) education and support programs for individuals, family members, providers and the general public we are improving lives right here in our community.

Visit www.NAMI.org to learn more.

• 1 in 5 adults in America experience a mental illness.

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Join Dr. Anderson for a discussion about robotic surgery. Learn about the potential patient benefits, including less pain, less blood loss, and shorter hospital stays. See how robotic surgery is performed and find out if it is the right surgical method for you.

Attend any four of Barton’s 2015 Wellness Lectures and be entered into a drawing for a $150 gift certificate to a South Lake Tahoe business of your choice. Questions? Call 530-543-5537.

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Barton Hospice encourages people who have experienced the loss of a loved one or have endured a significant, life-altering event to attend the ongoing bereavement group called "Reflections of Life and Loss." This group helps teach attendees how to cope with certain situations and encourages emotional connections with others. Support and bereavement groups allow people to release emotions they may otherwise keep to themselves. It can improve a participant's mood and decrease psychological distress.

For questions or more information, call Tina Bruess at 530-543-5592.

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Access to health care can be difficult in a small community, especially if you do not speak the same language.

At Barton Health, Language Access Coordinator Tracy Young, RN, CMI has set out to improve the patient experience for all patients, regardless of the language they speak. Her efforts have not gone unnoticed and on June 5, the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC) recognized Young as one of three Language Access Champions.

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.

Barton Health has launched two new billing services: a Price Estimator Tool and a reduced MRI cost structure.

The new Price Estimator Tool gives patients an estimated cost for a planned surgery or medical imaging service at Barton Memorial Hospital. It allows patients to financially plan for a procedure and simplify their billing process by knowing their estimated costs prior to a procedure.

The community has undergone a complete physical and the results are in. Based on the 2015 Community Health Needs Assessment, mental health and substance abuse remain top health concerns in the area.

Barton Health conducted its second Community Health Needs Assessment to identify unmet needs within the community. After identifying these needs, Barton will work with representatives from organizations who provide services for the medically underserved to offer recommendations and a collaborative action plan focused on positively impacting the community’s health.

El Dorado County joins the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), the California Hospital Association, and a broad-based coalition of Medi-Cal providers known as We Care for California in urging the Legislature and Administration to eliminate Assembly Bill 97 (2011) Medi-Cal rate cuts, and increase Medi-Cal payments to healthcare providers and health plans during the upcoming State Budget negotiations.

UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center invites the community to join guest speaker Dr. Carolyn Slupsky of the UC Davis Departments of Nutrition and Food Science & Technology for a presentation that will begin at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 11 at the Tahoe Science Center in Incline Village, Nev.

A controversial bill that abolishes "personal belief exemptions" for vaccinations won overwhelming approval in the California Senate on Thursday, bolstering supporters' hopes that it will also clear the Assembly and be signed into law.

The measure by Democratic Sens. Richard Pan, of Sacramento, and Ben Allen, of Santa Monica -- introduced after a outbreak of measles in December at Disneyland sickened 136 Californians -- passed 25-10 after the two senators agreed to compromises aimed at easing its passage.

Suicide does not discriminate. Suicide does not know income levels, race or neighborhoods. Suicide can happen next door.

Every day in California, Nevada, and every other state, there are friends, family and co-workers who struggle with emotional pain. And, for some, it's too difficult to talk about the pain, thoughts of suicide, and the need for help.

- Nearly 40,000 Americans commit suicide every year.
- In the U.S., suicide rates are highest during the spring.
- Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for 15 to 24-year-olds and 2nd for 24 to 35-year-olds.

- 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.

Many times law enforcement officers are the first people a mentally ill person comes in contact with. In South Lake Tahoe, police officers and sheriff's deputies are forced to become front line mental health workers, and since they are on the front lines, Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) is an important part of their job.

El Dorado County received a grant for the Sheriff's Department to receive the training, and, to date, four sergeants and 18 deputies have been trained. While most patrol the west slope, South Lake Tahoe has three CIT officers (two sergeants and one deputy).

With the retirement of Dr. Gregory Bergner in April and the pending retirement of Dr. Paul Marlow in September, Barton Urgent Care and Barton Health have announced the new team at their Stateline office.

Warren Withers, MD, has moved from his position as Director of Emergency Services at Barton Hospital to Barton Urgent Care. He will join Patti Bucher, FNP and Michelle Feeney, FNP who both joined Barton Urgent Care this past year.

The City of South Lake Tahoe and the Mental Health Collaborative have declared May 10 to 16, Mental Health Awareness Week. Throughout the week, public events and articles, like the one below, will highlight “Each Mind Matters” in South Lake Tahoe.

According to California’s Mental Health Movement and the Centers for Disease Control, half of us will experience a mental health concern in our lifetime.