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Kaiser, NorthBay battling for trauma center in Solano CountyJanuary 23, 2011 By Melissa Murphy/ MMurphy@TheReporter.comLast fall's announcement by NorthBay Healthcare that it plans to open Solano County's first trauma center has launched a new front in the battle for local hospital market share. That the battle lines are being drawn was made clear last week at a meeting of the Solano County Emergency Services Cooperative -- the agency that sets criteria for establishing trauma centers. Cooperative members were reviewing the application process for creating a trauma center in Solano County as a result of NorthBay's plans to open a Level III center at its Fairfield hospital. During the meeting, Kaiser Permanente officials confirmed that they had hand-delivered a letter of intent just days before, announcing their interest in establishing a Level II trauma center -- and placing it at their Vacaville hospital. Level III trauma centers are equipped to provide comprehensive medical services to patients suffering from traumatic injuries. However, injured children and patients with major injuries or head trauma are sent to Level I or Level II centers. NorthBay Healthcare's robot to aid strokesOctober 8, 2010 By Ryan Chalk / The ReporterThe moment someone has a stroke, it doesn't take long before it's too late to curb any permanent disabilities. For those in Solano County, a premium has been placed on getting stroke victims to emergency care as there are no "Stroke Teams -- made up of neurologists, nurses and physical therapists" certified to treat stroke victims in the county. On Thursday, NorthBay Healthcare announced a cutting-edge partnership with Mercy Neurological Institute of Greater Sacramento to bring timely care to stroke victims in Solano County without having to transport them via ground or air ambulance to facilities outside the county. "Solano County is not a good place to suffer a stroke," Gary Passama, president and CEO of NorthBay Healthcare, told a crowd of elected officials, board members and health care professionals. "NorthBay is going to change that." At the end of this month, the nonprofit health care organization will have its own 24/7 stroke program up and running at NorthBay Medical Center in Fairfield, as well as VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville, that features RP-7, a wireless, mobile "remote presence" robot. The robot will allow offsite neurological specialists to examine patients in NorthBay HealthCare's two emergency rooms in concert with local ER physicians. Resembling Rosie, the maid from The Jetsons animated series of the 1960s, the RP-7 rolled into the lobby of NorthBay Medical Center in Fairfield for a demonstration Thursday. The robot, operated by Dr. Alan Shatzel, medical director of Mercy Neurological Institute of Greater Sacramento, has a computer screen on top which showed a real-time picture of Shatzel from his office in Sacramento. Above the screen are two cameras that look like binoculars. The robot is also equipped with a stethoscope to allow the remote doctor to listen to a patient's chest, as well as a phone for doctors to speak privately. Typically a stroke occurs when a blood vessel carrying oxygen and nutrients to the brain is blocked or ruptures. On average, one patient a day arrives at one of NorthBay HealthCare's two hospitals with this condition, and when that happens, 2 million brain cells are lost per minute. But the new telemedicine technique allows for neurologists to work alongside local ER doctors to diagnose and recommend treatment for stroke patients. Within an hour of the patient's arrival to the ER, a diagnosis and analysis can be made by doctors on and offsite and a plan for treatment can be carried out. "I think the technology is pretty amazing," Shatzel said. "We are virtually at the bedside." "Without fast, effective treatment, there are severe consequences," said Diana Sullivan, service line director of NorthBay's heart and vascular center. Only in severe cases where a patient needs neurosurgery or does not respond to medication will a stroke victim need to seek treatment elsewhere. Because of the complexities of diagnosing a stroke and risks of side-effects with medications, ER doctors rely on a team of neurologists which are in short supply nationwide. With the partnership with Mercy Healthcare, NorthBay HealthCare is able to avoid what one official estimated as a $1 million cost to recruit a neurologist and set up a practice. Making the stroke program possible is a lease of the robot from InTouch Technologies and an agreement that essentially makes Mercy neurologists members of NorthBay's staff. The Mercy neurologists have access from their control station to the host hospital's electronic medical records to view patient data. NorthBay HealthCare is holding a "Name Those Robots" contest open to children and adults in Solano County and the winner will receive an Apple iPad. Deadline to enter is 5 p.m. Oct. 29. One entry per person. E-mail your entry to DBarney@NorthBay.org or send a post card with your entry to Robot Contest, Public Relations, 4500 Business Center Drive, Fairfield, CA 94534. Include your name, phone number, e-mail address and mailing address. Malvo Marshall offers hope (and praise) to plus-sized womenNovember 15, 2009 By Ann Schmidt Fogarty/Special to The ReporterIn the murky, labyrinthine world of hate and prejudice, Kamané Malvo Marshall considers herself to be a triple threat. "I'm big. African American. And female," she says. "You want to believe that people no longer pay any attention or make assumptions about people like me but that's not true, and I want to talk about it." Marshall, 34 and a Fairfield resident, wishes to help remedy some of what she considers to be the isolation that many plus-sized women of color experience. Her determination to do that has led to a book, "Praise Be to the Plus-Sized Sister" (Xlibris, $19.99, paperback; $29.99, hardcover, 238 pages). In it, she wrote seven stories about Bay Area women she describes as "semi-auto biographical." Each tale contains characters who face challenges, make regrettable choices, deal with self-esteem issues and aim for hope and redemption, while also dealing with prejudice and discrimination on three fronts: race, gender and size. Women's health center to open in JanuaryNovember 6, 2009 By Melissa MurphyIn an effort to better serve Women in Solano County, NorthBay Healthcare has a new women's center. A Center for Women's Health in the Gateway Building, next to NorthBay Medical Center in Fairfield, will officially open in January 2010, but women -- and even men -- can use material available now at its new resource center, which opened Wednesday. A daughter turns to hospice for help with dying motherNovember 1, 2009 Ann Schmidt-Fogarty/Special to The ReporterIt doesn't take long for Cecilia Vega's day to begin. Dawn is still hours away when she rises from her bed. "A lot of times, my mother wakes up about 1 a.m.," she says wearily. "I can hear her making sounds, and then I know it's time for me to get up and take care of her." Vega's dedication to her bedridden, 98-year-old mother, Juana Martinez, has been going on, almost without respite, for the past decade. Cecilia, 57, is the youngest daughter in a traditional Salvadorian family. Visitor policy to changeOctober 27, 2009 By Danny BernardiniA few days after two Vacaville schools closed their doors over fears of an H1N1 outbreak, one local health care provider is now changing its practices regarding who may visit hospitals. Starting today, NorthBay Healthcare will no longer allow visitors under the age of 16 inside any of its Fairfield or Vacaville hospitals for visitations. This decision was made in response to the death of a Vacaville 6-year-old who died Oct. 18 and was later found to have had the H1N1 virus, or swine flu. Murals provided by Perot organizationOctober 24, 2009 By Reporter StaffPerot Systems has brightened the walls, the floors and the outlook of NorthBay Healthcare's Adult Day Center in Vacaville with a community art project and donation. At a celebration earlier this month, Adult Day Center Program Manager Sandy Perez thanked members of the Perot team, based in Plano, Texas, for bringing art, color and memories into the center in such a vibrant way. Founded more than 20 years ago by Ross Perot, Perot Systems Corp. is a global provider of technology and business services, with a heavy focus on hospital systems. Seniors across Vacaville honored at annual eventOctober 8, 2009 By Melissa MurphyFor their countless hours of service and sacrifice, several seniors stood in the spotlight Wednesday morning at the 13th Annual Vacaville Tribute to Seniors. The day also included a fashion show, the Senior Talent Show and a health-care presentation by a local cardiologist. The Ulatis Community Center was packed with vendors and visiting seniors gathering information, souvenirs and a quick bite to eat from local businesses and restaurants. Procedure a first for SolanoOctober 5, 2009 By Melissa MurphyRecovering at her home in Vacaville, Betty Smith recently underwent a new heart procedure, the first of its kind in Solano County. Alleviating an 80-percent block in her coronary artery found in the back of her heart, years have been added to Smith's life, according to the medical team at NorthBay Medical Center that successfully opened the blockage. The Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) was first available in August and the medical team has already seen 20 scheduled cases. It could see some 800 cases each year. Solano warned on flu, H1N1October 3, 2009 By Melissa MurphyCoughing or sore throat, headache and a fever of a 100 or more are some of the symptoms of the H1N1 virus, otherwise known as swine flu. Vaccines are coming to Solano County this month and health officials are encouraging everyone to take advantage of preventing the unique strain. "The single-most effective tool are the vaccines," said Dr. Michael Stacey Deputy Health Officer for Solano County Public Health. |
