medicine

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - In search of something positive to do while staying at home during the pandemic, South Lake Tahoe parent Gantt Miller and his daughter Mackenzie started brainstorming. They couldn't sew, so making masks were out of the question. What could they do?

They could tell a story.

The nine-year-old Mackenzie and her dad, who wrote the book under a pen name, M.C. Behm, started to explore what messages they could convey between the front and back covers.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Barton Health has welcomed two new primary care providers, Krista Ault, MD and Tyler Peterson, DO, at its network of family care medical offices in South Lake Tahoe.

These physicians will expand community access to care, a priority of Barton’s in response to its Community Health Needs indicating access to health services being a top concern of surveyed residents in the local area.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce Board recently asked the nine City Council candidates ten questions they felt were of most importance to its members. The questions focused mainly on topics relating to things that will or may affect both the local small businesses and the community in general.

Their board made the decision to not endorse a specific candidate this election, but instead rank them based on how much they align with the South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce goals based on their answers to the questions below.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There will be two new members of the South Lake Tahoe City Council after the November 3 election. In the coming weeks the pubic will have chances to hear from the candidates both via zoom, in print and possibly in person. Below are eight of the ten candidates responses to questions asked by the local #IRunWithMaud group.

Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe (SISLT) awarded scholarships to a group of local students from South Tahoe High, George Whittell High, the Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Academy and Lake Tahoe Community College. The club, serving the community since 1959, has given out over one-million dollars to local graduates over the years.

Placer County fell off the state's County Data Monitoring List for COVID-19, with the rate of new positive cases in the county now dipping below that state monitoring metric.

If Placer County remains off the list for at least 14 days, K-12 schools could potentially reopen for in-person instruction. However, no other businesses would be allowed to modify their operations until the state modifies the state order.

As temperatures at Lake Tahoe are heating up, so are discussions about wearing a face mask in public. While science continues to reveal new information about the coronavirus, one thing is clear: wearing a face mask slows the spread of COVID-19, if enough people wear them.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Dr. Kendra Yee received a "landslide" of nominations from staff and physicians to be the 2020 Barton Health Doctor of the Year.

Dr. Yee is Chief of COVID-19 Emergency Operations, Chief of Staff, Medical Director of the Emergency Department, and a practicing Emergency Medicine Physician at Barton Memorial Hospital.

Heartfelt nominations for Dr. Yee spoke to her vision and dynamic leadership on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic, and steadfast care for patients and healthcare workers alike:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On Saturday, April 18, hundreds of locals would have been dressing up and attending the 31st annual Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra Elegant Evening.

Even though canceled the club is holding their online auction along with contests and a live stream dedication to the event. Since 100 percent of funds raised at Elegant Evening go back into the South Lake Tahoe community to enhance the lives of its women and youth, the club is committed to doing the same this year.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Operational changes, including hospital visitation, screening protocols and testing facilities, continue to be made in the wake of El Dorado County’s first reported cases of coronavirus COVID-19. The health and safety of patients and care providers is Barton’s top priority, and community spread of COVID-19 is a concern. Regardless of confirmed cases in South Lake Tahoe, the advice of Barton Health medical experts is to assume COVID-19 is in the community and stay home unless absolutely necessary, keeping a distance of 6 feet from others if you must leave the home.

The California State Public Health Officer and Director of the California Department of Public Health have ordered all individuals living in the State of California to stay home or at their place of residence, except as needed to maintain continuity of operation of the federal critical infrastructure sectors.

Some people may be confused and hear different messages and wonder exactly what are "essential services". To list what the State order covered they have come out with a guideline to help navigate these unchartered waters.

What does this mean?

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Soroptimist International Club of Tahoe Sierra (SITS) invites the community to their weekly meeting on Thursday, February 27 when they feature Barton Health's Neurology Specialist, Rituparna Das, MD. The doctor will share insights on brain function and brain health.

The meeting will be from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center, 3050 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Coffee will be served and both men and women are invited.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Barton Health continues its expansion of medical imaging technology, investing in the latest equipment that enhances services, expands care, and improves the patient experience. The acquisition of a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system has equipped Barton to now offer advanced MRI prostate and breast screenings. In addition, Barton’s Nuclear Medicine Suite recently completed a $1.2 million remodel to accommodate a new hybrid SPECT/CT scanning system that provides a new view on health issues within the body.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Barton Health has expanded acupuncture services at its Center for Orthopedics & Wellness to now offer community acupuncture treatments. Community acupuncture provides similar health and wellness benefits of private acupuncture but differs from the private clinical room setting – taking place in a group environment with lower costs per treatment.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, there is currently a shortage of physicians in the United States – a shortfall that can be as high as 104,000 doctors by 2030. This issue, as well as an aging population, is changing health care and the need to increase providers to meet the demand of patients and expand access.

Barton is committed to providing our community with the care they need when they need it. We are expanding access to care by adding new experts throughout our healthcare system to work alongside Barton doctors.

The following 109 businesses took out a license to operate in South Lake Tahoe during the months of August and September 2019:

August (59)

8/1
GREEN EARTH HOME CLEANING

8/2
AC DIKE CO
ENPRO SERVICES
SUPERIOR MECHANICAL SERVICES INC
WILLIAM STAEHLIN STRUCTURAL ENGINE.

8/5
GABRIEL UBIAS CORONA TAXI DRIVER
TEX'S HANDYMAN SERVICE

8/6
CENTRAL PACIFIC ROOFING INC
COMPASS TEAM BLAIR TAHOE
MASSAGE BY MONICA ROSE

8/7
ALPINE EXTERIORS
DARS CABIN IN THE WOODS SHARED HOME
LAKE TAHOE COMM. PRESBY. CHURCH
MOUNTAIN DESERT BUILDERS
RGH CONSTRUCTION LLC

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There will be another fire in California, but when and where cannot be predicted and is unknown - but what is known is there will be another community that is devastated by wildland fire.

Residents around Lake Tahoe and the Sierra know this all too well and have been talking about concerns of wildfire threats in and around the Tahoe Basin. Those conversations have turned into plans and the City of South Lake Tahoe has just released an interactive website to help both residents and visitors map out an evacuation plan based on their neighborhood.

Summer is here and after a snow-packed winter, locals and visitors alike are ready to get out and enjoy Lake Tahoe. Whether out on the water, lounging on the beach or hiking to a rock outcropping to take a plunge, there are important precautions to keep in mind with water surface temperatures and cold water immersion.

Choices for Children would like to thank the community for their amazing support of the 2019 Healthy Bottom Line Mother's Day Diaper Drive. Throughout the month of May, donation boxes that had been decorated by our local Boys and Girls Club members were located throughout the community. We received thousands of diapers that will be distributed to our community's youngest and most vulnerable residents.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Twelve more South Tahoe High seniors celebrated their commitment to playing their respective sports after next week's graduation. Nine will be playing baseball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball at community colleges across the state while another three are playing hockey at the next level.

A group of family and friends gathered at the campus to cheer on the following students (alphabetical with sport, school and focus of education):

Noah Dahlen - Hockey with the Pueblo Bulls of Western States Hockey League

It is National Drug Take Back Day on April 27 which also happens to be the Earth Day celebration in South Lake Tahoe, so why not combine the two events?

The South Tahoe Drug Free Coalition and South Lake Tahoe Police Department have joined forces to help residents dispose of their unused prescriptions, no questions asked.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Barton Health has expanded the area's access to care and treatment of neurological issues and opened a neurology office in South Lake Tahoe. To staff the new office they have brought on neurology specialist, Rituparna Das, MD to see patients 18 years and older.

Dr. Das is board-certified and experienced in rural health care systems. She was most recently practicing at Adventist Health Feather River Hospital in Paradise, Calif.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Two new physicians have been added to the Barton Health team, Joseph Hancock, MD and W. Reid Shepard, DO. They are both providing services at Barton’s new General Surgery and Gastroenterology office at 1139 Third Street in South Lake Tahoe.

Health care in the U.S. historically has been focused on treating the symptoms of sickness. The scientific accomplishments in this area are truly astonishing, but despite these advances, the American population as a whole isn’t healthier. In fact, chronic diseases are on the rise.

To combat this in our own community, Barton Health is offering the Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP), a national program proven to improve health and wellness. CHIP is designed to help people reduce their risk for disease through better health habits and lifestyle changes.